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Welcome to Reading ...

Reading is located in Pike County<1>.

While we don't have a date for the founding of Reading, you might consider that their post office opened  in 1868.

When the people of Reading refer to themselves (known as a demonym), they frequently use Readingite<2>

Reading is 450 feet [137 m] above sea level.<3>.

Time Zone: Reading lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time

Area Codes for Reading: 573 & 235<4>

Communities Also Named Reading ...

Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 10 communities that are also named Reading - they are located in Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio (2), Ontario, Pennsylvania and Vermont.

For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Reading.

Communities near Reading ...

We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Reading.

  • Bowling Green
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Pittsfield
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
  • Louisiana
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Barry
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barry
    • Barry is located in Pike County (IL)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,208 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Barry <5>
  • New London
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Pleasant Hill
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
  • Eolia
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Eolia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<6>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eolia
    • Eolia is located in Pike County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 508 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eolia <5>
  • Clarksville
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clarksville have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarksville
    • Clarksville is located in Pike County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 434 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clarksville <5>
  • Hull
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hull have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hull
    • Hull is located in Pike County (IL)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 421 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hull <5>
  • New Canton
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Canton have been provided by the GNIS.<7> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Canton
    • New Canton is located in Pike County (IL)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 338 people

To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.

We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Reading. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Reading.

Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Reading. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Reading.

We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Reading. See our Newspapers Page for Reading.

TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Reading ...

Looking for more information about Reading? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.

While we are unaware of a Tourism page that is specific to Reading, there are neighboring communities that do have Tourism pages. A map of those communities can be found with our TripAdvisor Page for Reading.

Adding Reading to Our Gazetteer ...

We originally found mention of Reading in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.

From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Reading was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<8>

X2X - From that list, the Reading post office opened in 1868.

We also found Reading in the book titled List of Post Offices in the United States (1870).

For more details, see References and Mentions for Reading.

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Reading. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Missouri: https://www.mo.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>If you're interested in how the shape of Missouri's counties, including Pike, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
<2>A demonym is the name for a resident of a community which is usually derived from (or is related to) the name of that community. In other words, it's how the residents of Reading refer to themselves. It's important to note that there aren't any rules for taking a community's name and turning it into a demonym. A demonym is informal and while the majority of Reading may use one name, keep in mind that others may use something different.
<3>The elevation is an estimate for the area around Reading - it will be higher in some places and lower in others.
<4>When there's a risk of an area code running out of phone numbers, an 'Overlay Area Code' is created that has the same geographic boundaries as the existing area code. In this case, the 573 code has been Overlayed with the 235 area code. New phone numbers in the Reading area will be assigned with one of these codes: 573 or 235. As a result, placing a call in the Reading area will require 10-digit dialing (where you enter both the area code and then the phone number).
<5>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<6>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<7>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<8>A copy of their list with background information can be found at:

      https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025