The Rural Municipality of Thompson is located in south central Manitoba, an agricultural area abundant in cereal grains and specialty crops. The village of Miami is the centre of the municipality and it serves as a bedroom community for the larger centres of Carman, Morden and Winkler. The area was settled in the 1870's and at that time the town of Nelson (or Nelsonville), as it was called before incorporation, was the business centre for the area. By 1885, Nelson had all but disappeared as the railroad bypassed the town. With the demise of Nelson, the Village of Miami became the centre of commerce.The Rural Municipality itself was officially incorporated in 1909.