Williamsville, IL

Williamsville began under another name before taking the name of Colonel John Williams, a Springfield merchant, banker, and pioneer. The village sits in Sangamon County within the Springfield metro, close enough to share that regional orbit while keeping its own village streets and school district. The Williamsville-Sherman district office is here, tying the village to the neighboring community of Sherman as well. The name is the quick local hook, but the older story is about how central Illinois villages changed names, organized schools, and grew around the people who owned land or ran businesses nearby. Think Sangamon County, John Williams, and a village with Springfield in the background.