Jamaica, Illinois

Jamaica
Unincorporated community
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Vermilion
Township	Jamaica
Elevation	676 ft (206 m)
Coordinates	39°59′28″N 87°48′24″W / 39.99111°N 87.80667°WCoordinates: 39°59′28″N 87°48′24″W / 39.99111°N 87.80667°W
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Area code	217
Location of Jamaica within Illinois
Location of Illinois within the United States

Jamaica is an unincorporated community in Jamaica Township, Vermilion County, Illinois.

History

Like so many other small towns in the late 19th century, Jamaica developed because of the railroads. When the C&EI railroad came through the township, Jamaica thrived. However, when the Fairmount quarries closed, the town began to dwindle. It is now a small unincorporated area. School consolidation led to the new school being built near the town to replace the older Fairmount, Indianola, and Sidell high schools, and it was called Jamaica High School. Rob Weller lived here for 18 years.^[1]

Geography

Jamaica is located at 39°59′28″N 87°48′24″W / 39.99111°N 87.80667°W ( 39.9911467, -87.8066939).

References

1. Stapp, Katherine; W. I. Bowman (1968). History Under Our Feet: The Story of Vermilion County, Illinois. Danville, Illinois: Interstate Printers and Publishers, Inc. p. 22.