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Mahomet is a village in
Champaign County, Illinois Champaign County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census, its population was 205,865, making it the 10th-most populous county in Illinois. Its county seat is Urbana, Ill ...
, United States, along the
Sangamon River The Sangamon River is a principal tributary of the Illinois River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 13, 2011 in central Illinois in the United Sta ...
. The population was 9,434 at the 2020 census. Mahomet is located approximately northwest of
Champaign Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in the state outside the Chicago metr ...
at the junction of
Interstate 74 Interstate 74 (I-74) is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Its western end is at an interchange with I-80 in Davenport, Iowa; the eastern end of its Midwest segment is at an interchange with I-75 in ...
and
Illinois Route 47 Illinois Route 47 (IL 47) is a largely rural north–south state highway that runs from the Wisconsin state border at Highway 120 (Wisconsin), Highway 120 near Hebron, Illinois, Hebron, to Illinois Route 10, IL 10, just south of I ...
.


Etymology

The town's own published account credits their founder Daniel T. Porter, who had Connecticut roots, as the one who denominated both the new village as Middletown (after
Middletown, Connecticut Middletown is a city in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. Located along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, 16 miles (25.749504 km) south of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. Middletown is the largest city in the L ...
) and the post office as Mahomet (after Mahomet Weyonomon, a
Mohegan The Mohegan are an Indigenous people originally based in what is now southeastern Connecticut in the United States. They are part of the Eastern Algonquian linguistic and cultural family and historically shared close ties with the neighboring ...
sachem Sachems and sagamores are paramount chiefs among the Algonquians or other Native American tribes of northeastern North America, including the Iroquois. The two words are anglicizations of cognate terms (c. 1622) from different Eastern Alg ...
from Connecticut). With the arrival of the railroad, the town embraced the name of its post office in 1871 because there already was a Middletown, Illinois. However, alternative theories of the origin of the name "Mahomet" also exist. One derives the word from the "Mahomet Lodge", the local
Masonic Lodge A Masonic lodge (also called Freemasons' lodge, or private lodge or constituent lodge) is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also a commonly used term for a building where Freemasons meet and hold their meetings. Every new l ...
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. Local historian, Gregory Pasley, claims the Post Office held the name of "Mahomet" by 1838 and says this was before the Masonic Lodge was established in the village. Another theory stated that the town's name was arbitrarily assigned when the conflicting names were noted by the
US Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal serv ...
.
Henry Gannett Henry Gannett (August 24, 1846 – November 5, 1914) was an American geographer who is described as the "father of mapmaking in America."Evans, Richard Tranter; Frye, Helen M. (2009).History of the Topographic Branch (Division) (PDF). ''U.S. Geo ...
's book, ''The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States'', proposes
Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...
as the town's namesake.


History

The village of Mahomet was first settled in 1832 on the banks of the
Sangamon River The Sangamon River is a principal tributary of the Illinois River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 13, 2011 in central Illinois in the United Sta ...
. It was the first community to be established in modern-day Champaign County. The original village name was Middletown, possibly because it is 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 Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
,
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
,
Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
, and
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
and chose to reside in Mahomet because there was abundant water from the
Sangamon River The Sangamon River is a principal tributary of the Illinois River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 13, 2011 in central Illinois in the United Sta ...
and abundant trees. Currently, most residents commute around to the cities of
Champaign Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in the state outside the Chicago metr ...
and Urbana to work, although the village has a thriving small business district. In 2007, the citizens of Mahomet voted to repeal the alcohol
prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...
order that had been in place since
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.


Geography

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Mahomet has a total area of , of which (or 99.29%) is land and (or 0.71%) is water.


Demographics

As of the 2020 census there were 9,434 people, 3,030 households, and 2,501 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 3,594 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 89.47%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 1.08%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.19% Native American, 2.78% Asian, 0.06%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 0.81% from other races, and 5.61% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 3.51% of the population. There were 3,030 households, out of which 43.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.24% were married couples living together, 8.78% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.46% were non-families. 14.52% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.26 and the average family size was 2.93. The village's age distribution consisted of 29.4% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 25% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 8.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males. The median income for a household in the village was $113,871, and the median income for a family was $122,585. Males had a median income of $70,487 versus $42,898 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the village was $41,978. About 0.8% of families and 2.2% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including none of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.


Parks and recreation

The most popular tourist attractions in Mahomet are all Champaign County Forest Preserve District properties: Lake of the Woods Park and its award-winning Hartwell C. Howard Golf Course, and the River Bend Forest Preserve. Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve is a park along the
Sangamon River The Sangamon River is a principal tributary of the Illinois River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 13, 2011 in central Illinois in the United Sta ...
. The park features a botanical garden, a lake, a picturesque covered bridge and also offers activities like boating, fishing, cross country skiing, and sledding. Within Lake of the Woods Park is the Museum of the Grand Prairie (formerly called the Early American Museum), which has a collection that features life in the 19th and early 20th century in East-Central Illinois. The park has a bike path and a bell tower. The Hartwell C. Howard Golf Course is an 18-hole regulation course, a 9-hole par 3 course, and a practice range. The River Bend Forest Preserve is , of which is water. The park has two large lakes, one of them being the largest lake in Champaign County and of forest along the Sangamon River.


Education

The Mahomet School District has 2,980 students and 183 instructors spread over five schools.


Notable people

*
Melanie Paxson Melanie Moore Paxson (née Moore; born September 26, 1972) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Jaclyn in ''Cupid'', Sara Brennan in '' Happy Family'', and Julie in ''Notes from the Underbelly''. She also played Fairy Godmother ...


Points of interest

* Mabery Gelvin Botanical Garden * Hazen Bridge - A registered historical bridge northeast of Mahomet.
Mahomet Public Library


Notes


External links


Village of Mahomet Illinois, Web siteMahomet-Seymour Schools web siteMahomet-Seymour Alumni web site
{{authority control Villages in Champaign County, Illinois Populated places established in 1832 1832 establishments in Illinois Villages in Illinois