Town guide
Nelson
A village of 127 people in Illinois
From your neighbors
What’s happening
Weather
Forecast →Coming up
Upcoming events
Nothing on the calendar yet
Add an event →Put the next local happening — a market, a meeting, a concert — on the map.
Around town
All news →Local news
Loading local headlines…
Headlines via Google News · Articles belong to their publishers.
The Nelson album
0 of 12 shotsNeighbors document Nelson together
Town numbers
ZIP codeSign in to add
Area codeSign in to add
Living in Nelson
Work & commute in Nelson
Full picture →Most working residents leave Nelson for work: only 0% work in town. The top destinations are Dixon (21%), Sterling (19%) and Rockford (6%). Half commute less than 15 miles.
Dixon
21%Sterling
19%Rockford
6%Deerfield
4%Census LEHD 2023 · ACSWork & commute in Nelson →
Health in Nelson
Compared with Illinois
3better than IL·9worse
of 32 measures CDC estimates. The other 20 are too close to call.
BetterToo close to callWorse
What stands out
Care nearby
Cgh Medical CenterSterling · 4.6 mi · ER
Whiteside Chd - Rock FallsRock Falls · 5.2 mi · sliding-scale fees
Primary careShortage · county-wide
DentalNo shortage
Mental healthShortage · county-wide
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CDC's estimate for Nelson · CMS · HRSAHealth in Nelson →
Natural hazards in Nelson
Moderate
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 49% of U.S. communities.
🌊 Inland flooding🌵 Drought🌪️ Tornadoes
FEMA National Risk Index December 2025 · OpenFEMANatural hazards in Nelson →
Climate in Nelson
Full climate →Nelson has cold winters and warm summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 29 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
33° / 17°Winter
60° / 38°Spring
83° / 61°Summer
63° / 41°Fall
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020Climate in Nelson →
Libraries near Nelson
See all →Nearest: Sterling Public LibrarySterling · 4.7 miles · 49 hrs a week
Where Nelson is
Explore map →
Location map
Illinois · ILTown boundary on OpenStreetMap →
How things work in Nelson
All explainers →No one has written Nelson’s explainers yetKnow how one of these works here? Each explainer earns +10 karma.