Thompson, Connecticut | ||
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Town | ||
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Location in Windham County and the state of Connecticut. |
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Coordinates: 41°59′04″N 71°52′40″W / 41.98444°N 71.87778°WCoordinates: 41°59′04″N 71°52′40″W / 41.98444°N 71.87778°W | ||
Country | United States | |
State | Connecticut | |
County | Windham | |
NECTA | Worcester, MA | |
Region | Northeastern Connecticut | |
Incorporated | 1785 | |
Government | ||
• Type | Selectman-town meeting | |
• First selectman | Kenneth Beausoleil (D) | |
• State Senator |
Mae Flexer (D-29th District) |
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• State Rep. | Daniel Rovero (D-51st District) |
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Area | ||
• Total | 48.7 sq mi (126.1 km2) | |
• Land | 46.9 sq mi (121.6 km2) | |
• Water | 1.7 sq mi (4.4 km2) | |
Elevation | 469 ft (143 m) | |
Population (2010) | ||
• Total | 9,458 | |
• Density | 190/sq mi (75/km2) | |
Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) | |
• Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) | |
ZIP code | 06255, 06262, 06277 | |
Area code(s) | 860 | |
FIPS code | 09-75870 | |
GNIS feature ID | 0213516 | |
Website | http://www.thompsonct.org/ |
Thompson is a rural town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The town was named after Sir Robert Thompson, an English landholder. The population was 9,458 at the 2010 census. Thompson is located in the northeastern corner of the state and is bordered on the north by Webster, Massachusetts and Dudley, Massachusetts, on the east by Douglas, Massachusetts and Burrillville, Rhode Island, on the west by , and on the south by Putnam, Connecticut.
Thompson has the highest-banked race track (Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, a 5/8 mile oval and a restored 1.7 mile road course) in New England. This speedway holds one of the biggest race programs in New England, The World Series of Auto Racing, where 16 divisions and about 400 cars show up each fall. Another claim to fame is that the Tri-State Marker is located just on the border of Thompson. The term "Swamp Yankee" is thought to have originated in Thompson during the American Revolution in 1776.
Thompson was the site of the Great East Thompson Train Wreck in 1891, one of the worst train wrecks in American history and the only one to involve four trains.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 48.7 square miles (126 km2), of which 46.9 square miles (121 km2) is land and 1.7 square miles (4.4 km2), or 3.51%, is water. Thompson possesses many small ponds, such as Little Pond and Long Pond, as well as two principal lakes: West Thompson Lake and Quaddick Reservoir. Contained within its borders are several moderately sized rivers, including the French River and Five Mile River, both tributaries of the Quinebaug River, which also runs through Thompson. One of the highest points in Thompson and the surrounding villages is Fort Hill at 649 feet (198 m) above sea level.