Map of Tolono village

Tolono is a village in Tolono Township, Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,604 at the 2020 census. Its name was fabricated by J.B. Calhoun, land commission of the Illinois Central Railroad, who wrote about it simply: “[I] placed the vowel o three times, thus o-o-o, and filling in with the consonants t-l-n.”

Online Interactive Map

Click on to view map in "full screen" mode.

Tolono location map. Where is Tolono village?

History

Founded in the early 19th century as a result of the land-grant Illinois Central Railroad’s expansion southward, Tolono was initially home to many railroad employees. Many streets bear the names of the IC’s administrative staff. The original homes in the community were small and narrow filling half lots adjacent to the railroad tracks. With the intersection of an east-west railway, Tolono became a featured stop for early rail passengers. The peak of the railroad’s passenger influence in Tolono occurred when Tolono became the last stop in Illinois for Abraham Lincoln as he bid farewell to his home state in a speech given from the back of his coach.

In 1959, Tolono became home to the first Monical’s Pizza restaurant. Although the original location does not bear the Monical’s name any longer, the buildings still stand and another Monical’s Pizza is operated less than a block away. Members of the entrepreneurial Monical family still reside in the village today.

After shooting in several locations in Tolono in 2006, Mark Roberts, a Tolono native, wrapped production on his feature-length movie “Welcome To Tolono”. The film was highlighted on the 2007 film festival circuit. Welcome To Tolono focuses on an Alcoholics Anonymous group that meets in the basement of a Tolono church.

Tolono Road Map

Tolono city Satellite Map

Geography

Tolono is located at 39°59′10″N 88°15′35″W / 39.98611°N 88.25972°W / 39.98611; -88.25972 (39.986046, -88.259727). According to the history of Champaign County: A surveyor for the Illinois Central who was looking for a division headquarters, surveyed the Tolono area and wrote on a map ‘too low, No.’ and that became the name of the town established there. Tolono at one time had two or three companies making tile used to drain the land around the town, resulting in swamps on the east side of the town both on the north and south side of the Wabash Railroad.

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Tolono has a total area of 2.06 square miles (5.34 km),all land.

See also