Alma, IL

Alma is a village in Marion County, Illinois, United States. The 2020 census counted 318 residents. Alma was originally called "Rantoul", and under the latter name was laid out in 1854. The present name, adopted in 1855, commemorates the Battle of the Alma in the Crimean War. That mix gives Alma a clear local shape within Illinois, with older layers still visible in current places. The local scoop is a place whose streets, landmarks, and institutions keep its earlier story close to the present. Alma is located in northern Marion County. Illinois Route 37 passes through the village center, leading northeast 5 miles to Kinmundy and south 7 miles to Salem, the county seat.