Illinois' McLean County is home to Bloomington, a city and the county seat. Bloomington-Normal is the second-largest city in the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan region and is located next door to Normal. 135 miles southwest of Chicago and 162 miles northeast of St. Louis, Bloomington is the second-largest city in Illinois. The city's population was estimated at 78,680 people in the 2020 Census, making it Illinois' 13th most populous city and the state's fifth most populous city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area. Around 130,000 people live in the twin cities of Bloomington and Normal together. Illinois Wesleyan University and Illinois State University are located in the Bloomington region. State Farm Insurance and Country Financial both have their headquarters here, making it a convenient location for both.
Before the first Euro-American settlers came in the early 1820s, the Bloomington region was a huge grove inhabited by the Kickapoo people. Bloomington was established as the county seat of McLean County on December 25, 1830, from the hamlet of Keg Grove, subsequently renamed Blooming Grove.
People from all over came to the town's center, which is now called Downtown Bloomington, to trade and do business. Abraham Lincoln, who was working as a lawyer in Springfield, Illinois, was one of the people who came to the town center. A well-known Bloomington resident, Jesse W. Fell, came up with the idea for Lincoln-Douglas debates in 1854 and played a big part in getting Lincoln to run for President.
First two decades of the 20th century saw Bloomington grow even more than it already had. People in Bloomington and its downtown area grew because of agriculture, the building of highways and railroads, and the growth of the insurance business (especially State Farm Insurance). The downtown area became a place where people from other counties came to buy things. There were more labor unions and they became more powerful.
Ray and Irene Denbesten established Denbesten Real Estate in 1977 in Bloomington, Illinois. Their daughter, Cathy Denbesten, is presently in charge of the business. If you're interested in buying or selling a house, call (309) 6662-4228 now.
In the 2010 census, the city had 76,610 residents and 30,454 families. 2,814.8/sq mile (1,099.5/km2) population density 1261.5 housing units per square mile (492.8/km2) = 34,339 dwelling units The city's racial composition was 77.5 percent white, 10.1 percent black, 0.3 percent native, 7.0 percent Asian, 1.42 percent other, and 2.9 percent mixed. 5.6 percent of the population was Hispanic or Latino.
The City of Bloomington and McLean County make up the fastest-growing area in Illinois. The population of the area has grown 28% from 1990 to 2006. When the US Census Bureau did a special census of Bloomington in February 2006, it found that the city had grown by 15.7 percent in less than six years. This is where the fastest growth has been taking place.
In 2010, there were 34,339 households. 28.8% of them had children under the age of 18, 46.7% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder without a husband, and 41.1% were not families. Only 32.6% of all homes had people living alone; 9.2% had someone who was 65 or older living alone. The average size of a household was 2.41, and the average size of a family was 3.12.
The city had a median income of $58,662, and the median income for a family was $81,166. Compared to women, males had a median income of $56,597, while women had a median income of $38,191. There was $32,672 in per capita income for the city. 1.1% of the population was living below the poverty line, including 12.6% of people under 18 and 6.3% over 65.
There is an indoor public ice skating facility called the Bloomington Ice Center, which was previously called the Pepsi Ice Center. It has a full-size sheet of ice: 200' x 85'. The facility has ice skating lessons, public skating sessions, a full hockey program, learn to curl and curling leagues, skate rental, and a concession stand where you can buy food and drink.
A previous home of the Central Hockey League's PrairieThunder and Blaze, the Grossinger Motors Arena (originally the U.S. Cellular Coliseum) opened in 2006 near southwest downtown Bloomington. As of 2014, it also hosts games for the Illinois State University club hockey team and area youth hockey programs. The Coliseum has a fixed seating capacity of 7,000 but can accommodate over 8,000 for special events. The venue may also be used as a theatre with a retractable curtain, seating 2,500-5,000 people. Since its inception, the Coliseum has staged concerts, family performances, ice shows, racing, and tradeshows.
Citizens for a New Public Library forms a Friends of the Library organization in 1976 to lobby for bond approval to fund a new public library. The effort was successful, and the library reopened as "Bloomington Public Library." in 1977, at its present location at 205 East Olive Street. The library now provides a variety of public events, including a Bookmobile that distributes to local areas, which was initially introduced in 1926 as Library on Wheels.
A group called the Bloomington Parks & Recreation Department is made up of four parts: Parks, Recreation, Golf and the Miller Park Zoo. 44 parks and three golf courses make up the Department's 1,100 acres (4.5 km2) of land. They include: Airport Park, Atwood Wayside, Angler's Lake Nature Preserve, Bittner Park and Brookridge Park. They also include: Ewing Park 1, Ewing Park 2, EwingPark 3 and Fell AvenuePark. The Department also runs Lincoln Leisure Center and the Lincoln Recreation Center. The Department also runs the Lincoln Recreation Center and the Lincoln Recreation Center.
Numerous exhibits and encounters with zookeepers are available at Miller Park Zoo. Alligators, tortoises, bearded dragons, sun bears, sea lions, red pandas, lemus bald eagles, and wolves are just few of the animals that call the zoo home. Among the various exhibits of the zoo are the Katthoefer Animal Building, the Wallaby WalkAbout, ZooLab, and the Children's Zoo. It's the Tropical America Rainforest that's new to the Zoo.
At Normal City Hall Annex, the east–west section crosses the north segment and continues east to Towanda-Barnes Road. The Liberty Branch runs from Commerce Drive to the Old Farm Lakes Subdivision, starting at Commerce Drive and ending at Old Farm Lakes Subdivision. From Lincoln Street to Route 9 West, the Freedom Branch runs. Throughout the region, parking is accessible in adjacent lots. Walkers, runners, in-line skaters, skateboarders, cyclists, wheelchair users, and other non-motorized modes of transportation are welcome to utilize the path. It is not cleared of snow during the winter months and is open to skiers weather permitting.
As part of Illinois State University's 150th anniversary celebrations, the Genevieve Green Gardens at Ewing Cultural Center were dedicated in 2007. The late Bruce V. Green, an ardent gardener who pioneered the project with a generous $5.2 million contribution, was among the architects and landscape designers that contributed to the arduous effort of developing the gardens. A new public entrance leads to a formal plaza, the manor's entrance, a grass patio, a theater walk with a broader promenade, and extra plants.
Bloomington is home to Illinois Wesleyan University (1850) and a Heartland Community College campus (1990), whereas Normal is home to Illinois State University (1857). The American Passion Play is an annual spring event. Bloomington has museums dedicated to history and aviation, a zoo, and a summer Shakespeare festival, and the residence (1872) of Supreme Court associate judge David Davis is a state historic monument. Both Vice President Adlai E. Stevenson (1893–97) and his grandson, Illinois Governor Adlai E. Stevenson II, are buried at Evergreen Cemetery. In Shirley, southwest of the city, there is a gem and mineral museum. 1839 was the year of incorporation. (2000) 64,808 people; Bloomington-Normal Metro Area 150,433 people; (2010) 76,601 people; Bloomington-Normal Metro Area 169,572 people
The McLean County Cultural Center, which has been serving Central Illinois for more than 130 years, is one of the Midwest's oldest arts institutions. The annual Holiday Treasurers display and sale, as well as the annual Amateur Competition and Exhibition, which has been showcasing the greatest amateur artists in Central Illinois for over 70 years, are held each year. The Sugar Creek Arts Festival in Uptown Normal and the Spring Bloom Arts Festival in Bloomington are two of the many community activities that the Arts Center organizes.
The Jerome Mirza Theatre in McPherson Hall houses the Illinois Wesleyan University School of Theatre Arts. Every year, four major stage plays are chosen from a repertoire ranging from Shakespeare to musicals. Built in 1963, McPherson Hall has a 300-seat theatre, a scene shop, classes, and other amenities.
At least 200 music majors and a few hundred IWU students use the Westbrook Auditorium each year. During each semester, there are a lot of musical performances from all different time periods. Most concerts are free and open to the public with general seating.
Every year, the Miller Park Outdoor Summer Theatre, a Bloomington-based amateur theatre company, puts on two major theatrical shows.
The Illinois Shakespeare Festival has shows in an outdoor, Elizabethan-style theater at historic Ewing Manor every summer. It's a good idea for people to bring their own food to eat on the grounds before each show so they can be entertained by strolling Madrigal singers, jesters, and other performers, as well as a Green Show.
A Civil War reenactment, traditional craft displays, children's activities, musical performances, presentations, and tours are all part of the Lincoln's Bloomington Festival each July in Downtown Bloomington.
The Prairie Aviation Museum has a collection of preserved aircraft on display, including a Bell Sea Cobra, Huey helicopter, and F-14 Tomcat.
The former Montefiore Synagogue is one of Illinois' rare Moorish Revival structures and one of America's oldest synagogues.
There is an audio tour of Lincoln's Bloomington and Normal, Illinois, by the McLean County Museum of History. In this CD-based audio tour, President Abraham Lincoln talks about the places he visited and how important they were to him when he was there. It was written by James Keeran and narrated by him. It includes Kersey Fell's law office, where Jesse Fell told Lincoln to run for president; the home of Asahel Gridley, Lincoln's friend and client in a slander suit; the Miller-Davis Building, where Lincoln practiced law; and 14 other places.
The Bloomington-Normal Area Convention and Visitors Bureau conducts monthly Twin City Tours. Tours start at the McLean County Museum.
Downtown Bloomington has museums, banks, a legal and governmental center, residential living, a lot of artists, and a lot of businesses and services for people who live there and work there. There are a lot of restaurants and a lively nightlife in this city. Tour de Chocolat, Farmer's Market, Tour de Metro, Pub Crawl, and Once Upon a Holiday are just a few of the special events that give people a chance to see the area. Bloomington's downtown area is home to government offices for the City of Bloomington and McLean County. It also has a lot of big businesses, like State Farm Insurance and a lot of small businesses like bars, restaurants, and art galleries.
Beer Nuts Brand Snacks are solely produced in Bloomington, Illinois. In Bloomington, there are two locations of the Beer Nuts Company Stores that give a video tour of the facility and the history of Beer Nuts Snacks.
Central Catholic High School, Corpus Christi Catholic School Elm./Jr. School, Epiphany Catholic School Elm./Jr. School, St. Mary's Catholic School, Trinity Lutheran School, and Cornerstone Christian Academy are among the private schools in Bloomington. Metcalf Elm./Jr. School and University High School, both at Illinois State University, are other options for Bloomington students.
The McLean County Museum of History, which has a big dome on top, is a good way to find the city's old parts. The courthouse square is surrounded by buildings that were built in the 1800s. Many of them have interesting history. museums, banks, a legal and government center, residential living, a lot of artists, and a lot of businesses and services are all available to visitors. People can go to a lot of restaurants and have fun at night.