By: Daniel Nardini
Most people in Cicero or anywhere in the Chicago area have never heard of Thomson, Illinois. In a way they should have. This was going to be where the prison would house the inmates from Guantanamo Bay. Thomson has a state-of-the-art prison that was built by the state government but then never received any appropriations to open. And it remained that way for ten years. Eventually the state sold it to the federal government which wants to open it as a federal prison. Alas it is still not open pending on federal appropriations to open it. Because of all the ruckus some time back of not allowing any of the Guantanamo inmates to be placed in the Thomson prison this part of the federal government’s plan to transfer these inmates will not happen. Nevertheless, people in Thomson hope the prison will be opened soon.
What has been ignored is the town of Thomson itself. It has three gas stations on Route 84. The main part of the town is located on Main Street. It has a bar, a pizza place, a newspaper office, a bicycle repair shop, a construction place, a lawndromat and car wash, etc. A number of the buildings are empty or rather have no businesses at all. In many ways Thomson is not too different from many rural towns that have seen better days. It is a nice quiet town that has friendly people and a strong work ethic. But as I have heard from many people in Thomson, many people they knew moved away. Part of the reason was a lack of jobs. Part because the prison did not open. Part because few companies want to invest in Thomson or people want to move there. Like many places in rural America, the population of Thomson is shrinking.
Like so many places, Thomson is a truly wonderful place to be—a real slice of Americana. So why are people leaving? Sadly it is not just Thomson that is suffering from this problem. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, only 16 percent of all Americans now live in rural towns or on farms. This is the lowest percent of all Americans who are living in places other than major cities or their suburbs. In other words, the countryside is emptying out at a faster rate than has been seen in the last 30 years. The lack of jobs, fewer skilled workers left in rural areas, crumbling rural infrastructure, and certainly lack of money have caused many people to leave the rural areas and seek their fortunes elsewhere.
This is true among young people who see no future for the places they were born and raised in. In the major cities and suburban areas the population density is 72 people per square mile and rising. In most of America’s rural areas it is 27 people per square mile and falling. This trend will continue. But this only tells part of the story. One only needs to see old people going about downtown Thomson to know that there are not as many young people in the town—many of whom have gone to the Quad City area between Illinois and Iowa or to the Chicago area. As I pass through Thomson I find it sad—it’s a nice place to live if I could live there. But now this rural area is becoming that much more rural.
A Rural Wilderness
By: Daniel Nardini
What has been ignored is the town of Thomson itself. It has three gas stations on Route 84. The main part of the town is located on Main Street. It has a bar, a pizza place, a newspaper office, a bicycle repair shop, a construction place, a lawndromat and car wash, etc. A number of the buildings are empty or rather have no businesses at all. In many ways Thomson is not too different from many rural towns that have seen better days. It is a nice quiet town that has friendly people and a strong work ethic. But as I have heard from many people in Thomson, many people they knew moved away. Part of the reason was a lack of jobs. Part because the prison did not open. Part because few companies want to invest in Thomson or people want to move there. Like many places in rural America, the population of Thomson is shrinking.
Like so many places, Thomson is a truly wonderful place to be—a real slice of Americana. So why are people leaving? Sadly it is not just Thomson that is suffering from this problem. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, only 16 percent of all Americans now live in rural towns or on farms. This is the lowest percent of all Americans who are living in places other than major cities or their suburbs. In other words, the countryside is emptying out at a faster rate than has been seen in the last 30 years. The lack of jobs, fewer skilled workers left in rural areas, crumbling rural infrastructure, and certainly lack of money have caused many people to leave the rural areas and seek their fortunes elsewhere.
This is true among young people who see no future for the places they were born and raised in. In the major cities and suburban areas the population density is 72 people per square mile and rising. In most of America’s rural areas it is 27 people per square mile and falling. This trend will continue. But this only tells part of the story. One only needs to see old people going about downtown Thomson to know that there are not as many young people in the town—many of whom have gone to the Quad City area between Illinois and Iowa or to the Chicago area. As I pass through Thomson I find it sad—it’s a nice place to live if I could live there. But now this rural area is becoming that much more rural.