Village Of Mahomet

Today's Featured Illinois Municipality – Village of Mahomet ...

The Village of Mahomet ( Wikipedia entry ) was incorporated on this day in 1872. The village is located in Champaign County and it has a population of 7,258.

Settled in 1832 on the banks of the Sangamon River, Mahomet is the oldest community in Champaign County.  It was the first community to be established in modern day Champaign County. The original village name was Middletown, because it was half-way between the towns of Danville and Bloomington. In 1871, the name of the village was changed to Mahomet because there was already another Middletown in Illinois, which was causing mail problems. Most early settlers came from Ohio, Virginia, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania and chose to reside in Mahomet because there was abundant water from the Sangamon River and abundant trees. Currently, most residents commute 10 miles to the city of Champaign to work, although the village has a thriving small business district.

The Illinois town’s name derives from the “Mahomet Lodge,” the local Masonic Lodge at the time the town was searching for a new name. Its use as the name of the lodge was a manifestation of the Freemasons’ liberal use of religious names and stonemason tools and symbols. An alternative theory states that the name Mahomet was arbitrarily assigned when the conflicting names were noted by the US Postal Service.

Although the unusual spelling, which is French for Mohammed, sometimes confuses newcomers, the pronunciation of Mahomet is muh-HOMM-it.

In 2007, the citizens of Mahomet voted to repeal the alcohol prohibition order that had been in place since World War II.

Today, a rural residential community with thriving business areas, Mahomet appeals to those in search of an atmosphere of country living, shopping, and working with added convenience of a cosmopolitan environment just 10 miles away from Champaign-Urbana.

Tales of the early days on the Grand Prairie are brought to mind while exploring the antique shops on old Main Street or the Early American Museum.  Quality shops, a variety of restaurants and services, camping, a covered bridge, excellent outdoor activities, an award-winning golf course and many other qualities attract visitors and new residents to Mahomet.

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