But in the mid-2000s the east-west A89/E70 toll road (la Transeuropéenne) was opened, passing north of Thenon and funnelling the major traffic flow away from the town.

To the southern end is the cultural heart, the Place Pasteur with a church, older buildings (some medieval), marketplace (shown here) and a small château dating from the 12th century (captured briefly by the English in 1439, retaken by Charles II's troops).

A medium-sized supermarket on the now-quiet D6089 west of town has become the main retail store, with the bar and bank opposite in modern premises, and local residents feel much has been lost by these closures and relocations.

In addition, some commercial activity in Thenon has been lost because the 1990s/2000s boom in French second-homes, from which this region benefited through high property prices and more consumers and tax income, has now subsided.

The region has a strong farming heritage, but little industrial activity or service occupations (there is a large paper mill east at Le Lardin).

The beautiful countryside around the town is steep and rolling, with farms interspersed with woodlands, in which the local population continues to hunt enthusiastically for rabbits, wild boar and deer.