Thomson, Illinois

Last updated

Thomson
Village
Thomson Station - November 2016.jpg
The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad depot in Thomson in November 2016, serving as a museum.
Nickname: 
The Melon Capital of the World
Carroll County Illinois Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Thomson Highlighted.svg
Location of Thomson in Carroll County, Illinois.
Illinois in United States (US48).svg
Location of Illinois in the United States
Coordinates: 41°57′31″N90°05′56″W / 41.95861°N 90.09889°W / 41.95861; -90.09889
CountryUnited States
StateIllinois
County Carroll
Township York
Government
 • Village PresidentVicky Trager [1]
Area
[2]
 • Total2.22 sq mi (5.75 km2)
 • Land2.22 sq mi (5.75 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
[3]
597 ft (182 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total1,610
 • Density725.55/sq mi (280.19/km2)
Time zone UTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Code(s)
61285
Area code 815
FIPS code 17-75172
Wikimedia CommonsThomson, Illinois
Website http://www.thomsonil.com

Thomson is a village along Illinois Route 84 near the Mississippi River in Carroll County, Illinois, United States. The population was 590 at the 2010 census, up from 559 at the 2000 census. Just north of the village is the United States Penitentiary, Thomson, a mostly-unused former state prison, purchased by the Federal Bureau of Prisons in 2012. Currently USP Thomson houses over 100 low-security inmates as it remodels to federal maximum-security standards.

Contents

Thomson is known for wonderful watermelons, and it has the nickname "Melon Capital of the World." [4]

Geography

Thomson is located at 41°57′37″N90°6′11″W / 41.96028°N 90.10306°W / 41.96028; -90.10306 (41.960168, -90.103152), [5] about a mile (kilometer and a half) east of the Mississippi River in northwestern Illinois, 9 miles (14 km) northeast of Clinton, Iowa, 38 miles (61 km) northeast of Moline, Illinois in the Quad Cities, and 120 miles (190 km) west of Chicago.

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Thomson has a total area of 2.22 square miles (5.75 km2), all land. [6]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1880 380—
1890 374−1.6%
1900 46724.9%
1910 4874.3%
1920 4951.6%
1930 5082.6%
1940 5294.1%
1950 5595.7%
1960 543−2.9%
1970 61713.6%
1980 91147.6%
1990 538−40.9%
2000 5593.9%
2010 5905.5%
2020 1,610172.9%
U.S. Decennial Census [7]

As of the 2020 census [8] there were 1,610 people, 190 households, and 127 families residing in the village. The population density was 725.55 inhabitants per square mile (280.14/km2). There were 263 housing units at an average density of 118.52 per square mile (45.76/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 58.45% White, 36.65% African American, 2.11% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.12% from other races, and 2.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.55% of the population.

There were 190 households, out of which 13.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.63% were married couples living together, 14.21% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.16% were non-families. 30.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.74% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 1.94.

The village's age distribution consisted of 12.2% under the age of 18, 11.9% from 18 to 24, 20.3% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 28.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 52.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.1 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $51,071, and the median income for a family was $62,031. Males had a median income of $27,330 versus $25,250 for females. The per capita income for the village was $30,156. About 4.7% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.1% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over.

History

Prison

The United States Penitentiary, Thomson (formerly Thomson Correctional Center) was opened in 2001, but as of 2009 has never had a prisoner in its main, 1600-bed maximum-security unit; the only prison population has been in the 200-bed minimum-security unit, which was populated in 2006 and averages about 150 prisoners. The minimum security unit has an annual budget of $7 million. [9] State budget constraints, as well as labor union opposition to closing other state prisons, prevented the maximum-security prison from opening. [9]

In 2008, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich proposed closing the state prison in Pontiac, Illinois and opening the Thomson maximum-security unit instead. However, Blagojevich was subsequently arrested on December 9, 2008, and removed from office. His replacement, Governor Pat Quinn cancelled plans to close the Pontiac prison in March 2009, leaving Thomson unused. [9]

In 2009 the United States government announced that prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp would be moved to the prison in Thomson. [10] CNN stated that before the decision was announced, many people in the town wanted the Guantanamo prisoners to be housed there so the town could get economic benefits. [9] [11]

On December 15, 2009, President Barack Obama ordered the federal government to proceed with acquisition of the underutilized state prison in Thomson to be the new home for a limited number of terror suspects held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. [12] The facility was also used as a Bureau of Prisons facility to house other federal inmates. In response to the 2009 presidential order, the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), which represents 13,000 Illinois prison staff, argued that rather than turn the maximum-security unit over to the Federal government, it should be used to relieve overcrowding in other Illinois prisons. AFSCME claims that the other facilities were designed for 32,000 prisoners, but currently house 45,000. [9] Subsequent Congressional banning of federal expenditures for imprisoning in the United States of terror suspects held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, stopped the Obama plans regarding those terror suspects, even though the federal government announced on October 2, 2012, that the acquisition of Thomson is going forward.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stevens Village, Alaska</span> CDP in Alaska, United States

Stevens Village is a census-designated place (CDP) in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States. The population was 78 at the 2010 census, down from 87 in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chowchilla, California</span> City in Madera County, California, United States

Chowchilla is a city in Madera County, California, United States. The city's population was 19,039 at the 2020 census. Chowchilla is located 16 miles (26 km) northwest of Madera, at an elevation of 240 feet (73 m).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tamms, Illinois</span> Village in Illinois, United States

Tamms is a village in Alexander County, Illinois, United States. The population was 430 at the 2020 census, down from 632 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Cape Girardeau–Jackson, MO-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bureau Junction, Illinois</span> Village in Illinois, United States

Bureau Junction, usually called Bureau, is a village in Bureau County, Illinois, United States. The population was 281 at the 2020 census. The village name is shown as both "Bureau Junction" and "Bureau" on federal maps, and is commonly called "Bureau", including by phone companies and the United States Post Office. It is part of the Ottawa Micropolitan Statistical Area. Bureau Junction was the point where the Rock Island Line railroad's branch line to Peoria split. Track west and south of Bureau is operated by Iowa Interstate, while tracks east to Chicago were formerly operated by CSX but are currently leased to Iowa Interstate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crestwood, Illinois</span> Village in the United States

Crestwood is a village about 24 miles (39 km) southwest of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 10,826.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thornton, Illinois</span> Village in Illinois, United States

Thornton is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States and a south suburb of Chicago. The population was 2,386 at the 2020 census. Thornton is home to the Thornton Quarry, one of the largest quarries in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marine, Illinois</span> Village in Illinois, United States

Marine is a village in Madison County, Illinois, United States. The population was 912 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union, Illinois</span> Village in Illinois, United States

Union is a village in McHenry County, Illinois, United States. The population was 551 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Standish, Michigan</span> City in Michigan, United States

Standish is a city and the county seat of Arenac County, Michigan. The population was 1,458 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baldwin, Michigan</span> Village in Michigan, United States

Baldwin is a village in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 863 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Lake County. The village is located on the boundary between Webber Township on the north and Pleasant Plains Township on the south, with the larger portion lying in Pleasant Plains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Attica, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Attica is a town in Wyoming County, New York, United States. The population was 7,702 as of 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Random Lake, Wisconsin</span> Village in Wisconsin, United States

Random Lake is a village in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,594 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Sheboygan, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessup, Maryland</span> Census-designated place in Maryland

Jessup is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Howard and Anne Arundel counties, about 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 10,535.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dannemora (village), New York</span> Place in New York, United States

Dannemora is a village located in the towns of Dannemora and Saranac in Clinton County, New York, United States. It is best known as the location for Clinton Correctional Facility, also known colloquially as Dannemora. The population was 3,936 at the 2010 census. The village is named after Dannemora, Sweden, an iron-making town from where early settlers of this area had emigrated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dannemora, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Dannemora is a town in Clinton County, New York, United States. The population was 4,037 at the 2020 census, down from 4,898 in 2010. The town is named after Dannemora, Sweden, an important iron-mining region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mooers (CDP), New York</span> Hamlet and CDP in New York, United States

Mooers, formerly Mooers-upon-the-Chazy, is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Mooers, in Clinton County, New York, United States. The population was 442 at the 2010 census, out of a total population of 3,592 in the town. It was once an incorporated village, but dissolved in 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ahmed Ghailani</span> Islamist terrorist; member of al-Qaeda

Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani is a Tanzanian conspirator of the al-Qaeda terrorist organization convicted for his role in the bombing of embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. He was indicted in the United States as a participant in the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings. He was on the FBI Most Wanted Terrorists list from its inception in October 2001. In 2004, he was captured and detained by Pakistani forces in a joint operation with the United States, and was held until June 9, 2009, at Guantanamo Bay detention camp; one of 14 Guantanamo detainees who had previously been held at secret locations abroad. According to The Washington Post, Ghailani told military officers he is contrite and claimed to be an exploited victim of al-Qaeda operatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camp Delta (Guantanamo Bay)</span> Detainment camp of Guantanamo Bay

Camp Delta is a permanent American detainment camp at Guantanamo Bay that replaced the temporary facilities of Camp X-Ray. Its first facilities were built between 27 February and mid-April 2002 by Navy Seabees, Marine Engineers, and workers from Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg, Brown and Root. It is composed of detention camps 1 through 6, Camp Platinum, Camp Iguana, the Guantanamo psychiatric ward, Camp Echo and Camp No. The prisoners, referred to as detainees, have uncertain rights due to their location not on American soil. There are allegations of torture and abuse of prisoners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Correctional Institution, Thomson</span> Maximum security federal prison in Illinois

The Federal Correctional Institution, Thomson, formerly United States Penitentiary, Thomson and Thomson Correctional Center, is a low-security federal prison located in Thomson, Illinois. It has an area of about 146 acres (59 ha) and comprises 15 buildings. The facility is enclosed by a 15-foot (4.6 m), 7000 volt electric fence surrounded by an additional 12-foot (3.7 m) exterior fence covered with razor wire. Thomson has eight cellhouses with a rated capacity of 2,100 beds—1,900 high-security SMU beds and 200 minimum-security beds at the onsite camp—and according to BOP officials, the potential to use some of its high-security rated capacity to house up to 400 ADX inmates. From its completion in 2001 to 2006, it remained empty. By 2009, only the minimum-security section housed prisoners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guantanamo Bay detention camp</span> United States military prison in southeastern Cuba

The Guantanamo Bay detention camp is a United States military prison within the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, also referred to as Gitmo, on the coast of Guantánamo Bay in Cuba. As of April 2023, of the 779 people detained there since January 2002 when the military prison first opened after the September 11 attacks, 740 had been transferred elsewhere, 30 remained there, and nine had died while in custody.

References

  1. ↑ "Incorporated Cities, Towns & Villages of Illinois" (PDF). Illinois Blue Book (2021-2022 ed.). Springfield. ISSN   0191-104X. OCLC   1645571.
  2. ↑ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  3. ↑ "USGS detail on Newtown" . Retrieved October 21, 2007.
  4. ↑ Moreno, Richard (2011). Illinois curiosities : quirky characters, roadside oddities, and other offbeat stuff. Guilford, Conn.: Globe Pequot Press. ISBN   978-0-7627-5861-6. OCLC   666237206.
  5. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  6. ↑ Bureau, US Census. "Gazetteer Files". Census.gov. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Barrett, Joe (December 19, 2009). "Guantanamo Detainees Welcome Here". Wall Street Journal. p. A6.
  10. ↑ "Some Guantanamo detainees to be moved to Illinois." CNN.com. December 15, 2009. Retrieved on December 15, 2009.
  11. ↑ Fantz, Ashley (December 15, 2009). "Many in Illinois town hope locating Gitmo detainees there helps business". CNN.com . Retrieved December 15, 2009.
  12. ↑ Jackson, Henry C. (December 15, 2009). "Rural Illinois prison to get some Gitmo detainees". Yahoo!. Associated Press. Archived from the original on December 16, 2009. Retrieved December 16, 2009.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.