Minier, IL

Minier is a Tazewell County village west of Bloomington and part of the Peoria metropolitan area. The 2020 census counted 1,154 residents. Village streets still carry the imprint of the rail crossroads that created Minier, while Olympia West Elementary gives the town a current school institution. The school serves students from Minier, Armington, and Hopedale inside an Olympia district that reaches across eight communities and five counties. Farming, village offices, a library, and local businesses fill out the present-day map.

George Washington Minier founded the settlement in 1866 at the crossing of the Chicago and Alton Railroad and the Illinois and Midland Railroad. It was first called Broadway, then renamed Minier on November 26, 1867. The founder was a farmer, educator, minister, surveyor, and agricultural leader, and the village grew quickly as lots, homes, businesses, a telephone line, electric service, and a newspaper followed. The rail lines have changed, but Minier's school, main streets, and farm connections still reflect that early self-supporting community.