Potomac, IL

Potomac is a village in Vermilion County, Illinois, United States. The 2020 census counted 689 residents. Potomac is part of the Danville, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town was originally named Marysville after the wives of the two founders, John Smith and Isaac Meneley, who started businesses here circa 1840. That mix gives Potomac 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. On May 13, 1871, a post office was established at the town and was named Potomac, most likely after the Potomac River. Potomac is located approximately 18 miles northwest of the county seat of Danville. U.S. Route 136 passes east–west through town.