Rankin, IL

Rankin Map

Rankin is a village in Butler Township, Vermilion County, Illinois, United States. It is part of the 'Danville, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area'. The population was 617 at the 2000 census.

This town was named after W. A. Rankin, a wealthy landowner in the area. In 1872, a dispute between him and W. H. Pells (who was on the board of directors of the Lake Erie and Western Railroad) over the location of a railroad station. Ultimately, over the course of several years, Rankin won out over Pellsville, which was located a mile and a half to the west. There were railroad maintenance shops in Rankin until 1932 when they were moved to Frankfort, Indiana, and some of the residents of Rankin followed.

Rankin is located at 40°27?50?N 87°53?46?W / 40.46389°N 87.89611°W / 40.46389; -87.89611 (40.463836, -87.896055).

Nearby cities include Paxton, Penfield, Buckley, Hoopeston, Potomac.