Thompson is a city in Grand Forks County,

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

, United States. It is part of the " Grand Forks, ND- MN Metropolitan Statistical Area" or " Greater Grand Forks". It is located on the border of Allendale and Walle townships, with Walle on the east and Allendale on the west. The population was 1,101 at the 2020 census. Thompson was founded in 1881.

History

The first residents of the town were businessmen who had come to support the needs of new settlers to the area. The town was first called Norton because the first buildings of the town were adjacent to land owned by George Norton. However, when the railroad came in 1881, the name caused an issue, since there was already a nearby town of Norton in Minnesota. Albert Thompson, co-owner of a general store with his brother Robert, was commissioned postmaster in January 1881. The name of the town was then changed to Thompson in honor of Albert Thompson.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 986 people, 356 households, and 293 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 362 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.1%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.3%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 1.0% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 0.4% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.9% of the population. There were 356 households, of which 42.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.0% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 17.7% were non-families. 14.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.04. The median age in the city was 36.8 years. 28.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.2% were from 25 to 44; 30.5% were from 45 to 64; and 7.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.0% male and 49.0% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,006 people, 329 households, and 273 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 339 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.71%

, 0.40%

, 0.10% Native American, 0.70% Asian, 0.20% from other races, and 0.89% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.80% of the population. There were 329 households, out of which 53.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 74.5% were

living together, 4.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.0% were non-families. 15.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.06 and the average family size was 3.43. In the city, the population was spread out, with 34.9% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 5.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.7 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 97.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $54,514, and the median income for a family was $57,250. Males had a median income of $35,682 versus $21,298 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $19,857. None of the families and 0.7% of the population were living below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including no under eighteens and 7.7% of those over 64.

Transportation

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

’s

Empire Builder The ''Empire Builder'' is a daily long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago and either Seattle or Portland via two sections west of Spokane. Introduced in 1929, it was the flagship passenger train of the Great North ...

, which operates between

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

/ Portland and

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, passes through the town on BNSF tracks, but makes no stop. The nearest station is located in Grand Forks, to the north.

Education

It is within the Thompson Public School District 61.
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Notable people

* Greg Brockman, software entrepreneur

References

External links

*
City of Thompson official website

Thompson Public School website

Memories of yesterday : Thompson centennial, 1881–1981, June 26–28, Thompson, North Dakota
from th
Digital Horizons website
{{Authority control Cities in Grand Forks County, North Dakota Cities in North Dakota Greater Grand Forks Populated places established in 1881 1881 establishments in Dakota Territory