Biohazard Cleanup Near South Jerome Jerome, IL

Jerome is a small village in Sangamon County that sits directly against Springfield, the Illinois state capital, and is part of the Springfield metropolitan area.

Jerome takes its name from Jerome Leland, the farmer whose land the community was built on, west of Springfield in what was then Woodside Township.

Jerome grew out of modest residential subdivisions — West Grand, Leland Highpoint and Alta Sita — that were still quasi-rural in the 1930s.

Jerome incorporated as a village in 1939, largely so its residents could organize and borrow money to build water mains and connect to Springfield's new municipal water system, since Springfield required unincorporated neighborhoods to incorporate before extending service.

Jerome was one of several Springfield-area communities — along with Southern View and Grandview — that incorporated in 1939 in the rush to gain modern water service.

Jerome had 1,691 residents in the 2020 census, down from 1,932 in 1990, a slow decline typical of Springfield's inner-ring villages.

Jerome covers only about 0.45 square miles, making it one of the smallest municipalities in the Springfield area, yet it maintains its own village government and police department.