Bloomington, Illinois

Wiki Article

Bloomington is the county seat of McLean County, Illinois. It is the larger of the two major municipalities in the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan region. 135 miles southwest of Chicago, and 162 miles northeast of St. Louis, Bloomington The city has 78,680 residents in the 2020 Census, making it the 13th most populous in Illinois and the sixth most populous outside the Chicago Metropolitan Area. The twin cities have a combined population of around 130,000. Illinois Wesleyan and Illinois State Universities are in Bloomington. It's also home to State Farm and Country Financial.

Bloomington is a city in central Illinois, United States, that serves as the seat of McLean County (1830). It is roughly midway between Chicago and St. Louis, Missouri, and is near to Normal (north). The land was first occupied in 1822 and was called as Keg Grove, then Blooming Grove, due to the abundance of wildflowers in the region. Bloomington was called when the town was set out in 1831. A plaque marks the spot where Abraham Lincoln made his famous "lost speech" against slavery during a convention to create the Republican Party in Illinois in 1856 at Major's Hall in Bloomington. The city is located in a fertile agricultural area, and its economy is mostly focused on farming (primarily maize and soybeans), cattle keeping, and the production of farm seeds; insurance, confectionery, and vacuum cleaner manufacturing are also significant.

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.

A fire at a laundry across the street from the old city hall and police station was noticed by a patrol officer in 1900. He raised the alarm, but the fire completely devastated the downtown area, particularly the sections north and east of the courthouse. The burned-out region, however, was soon rebuilt using local architects George Miller and Paul O. Moratz's plans.

Ray and Irene Denbesten founded Denbesten Real Estate in 1977. Cathy Denbesten, their daughter, now runs it. Call them at (309) 6662-4228 for assistance purchasing or selling a house.

The city has a population of 76,610 at the 2010 census, with 30,454 homes. 2,814.8 people per square mile (1,099.5/km2) was the population density. At an average density of 1,261.5 units per square mile (492.8/km2), there were 34,339 dwelling units. 7.75% White; 10.1% African American; 0.3 % Native American; 7.0 % Asian; 1.42 % other races; 2.9% two or more races; and 2.9 percent from two or more races. 5.6 percent of the population was of Hispanic or Latino origin.

A total of 34,339 homes were found in 2010; 28.8% of these had children under the age of 18, 46.7 percent of these were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder without a husband present, and 41.1 percent were non-families. A total of 32.6% of all households were made up of single people, and of them, 9.2% had a resident over the age of 65. There were 2.41 households and 3.12 families in the United States.

A lot of people lived in the city, with 27.3 percent under the age of 20 and 9.0 percent between the ages of 18 and 24. There were 29.8 percent between the ages of 25 and 45, as well as 23.8 percent between the ages of 45 and 64. It was 33 years old in the middle. The number of men in a group of 100 women was 95.4 for every 100.

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.

At the Bloomington Ice Center (formerly known as Pepsi Ice Center), the Bloomington Parks & Recreation Department operates an indoor public skating rink, which is 200 feet wide by 85 feet long. Recreational and competitive programs are available at the venue. Skate rental is also available as well as a snack stand.

Previously known as the U.S. Cellular Coliseum, the Grossinger Motors Arena in southwest downtown Bloomington debuted in 2006 and is now home to the Bloomington Edge of the Indoor Football League. To host certain games of ISU's club hockey team and local youth hockey programs as well as the USHL's Central Illinois Flying Aces since its opening in 2014 The Coliseum has a permanent seating capacity of 7,000, but can accommodate up to 8,000 people for special events. Retractable curtains allow the theater to be transformed into an intimate venue that seats 2,500-5,000 people. Concerts, family entertainment, ice performances, racing, and tradeshows have all taken place at the Coliseum since it opened.

1976: People who want to build a new public library start a group called "Followers of the Library." They want voters to let bonds be sold that will raise money for the library. The campaign worked, and the library reopened in 1977 at 205 East Olive Street as "Bloomington Public Library." Public programs are still available at the library. One of them is a Bookmobile, which was first called "Library on Wheels" in 1926. It delivers books to people in their own neighborhood.

Alcoholic drinks, smoking, and dogs are all forbidden in the parks, which are open from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Water spray parks, extensive playgrounds, miniature golf, baseball/softball diamonds, soccer fields, cricket grounds, and illuminated tennis courts are all common features of these facilities. Indoor tennis courts are available at the Evergreen Racket Club. O'Neil Park (west) and Holiday Park both include free, open-to-the-public swimming pools (east). Indoor pools are available in YMCA, YWCA, and private fitness clubs.

There are several exhibits at Miller Park Zoo, as well as chances for visitors to interact with zookeepers. Among the animals you'll see in the San Diego Zoo are a Sumatran tiger, an otter, a Galapagos tortoise, an Amur leopard, a sun bear, reindeer, a sea lion, and red pandas. ZooLab, Children's Zoo, Asia's Animals, and The Katthoefer Animal Building are just a few of the numerous attractions available to visitors. Tropical America Rainforest is the Zoo's newest exhibit.

Normal City Hall Annex is where the east–west segment meets the north segment. It goes east to Towanda-Barnes Road. A branch called the Liberty Branch starts on Commerce Drive and ends at the Old Farm Lakes Subdivision, which is near there. The Freedom Branch starts at Lincoln Street and ends at Route 9 West. This is where the branch goes. Parking is available in nearby parking lots all over the area. Walkers and runners, as well as skateboarders and cyclists, are welcome on the trail. Wheelchair users, in-line skaters, skateboarders, and other people who don't use motorized vehicles are also welcome. Skiers can go there if the weather is good enough.

The Ewing Cultural Center's Genevieve Green Gardens were inaugurated in 2007 as part of Illinois State University's 150th anniversary celebration. The gardens were designed by a number of architects and landscape designers, including the late Bruce V. Green, an ardent gardener who generously donated $5.2 million to get the project off the ground. An expanded pathway and more flora have been included in the grounds, which feature a formal plaza that leads guests to the manor's main entrance, grass terrace, and theater walk.

Illinois Wesleyan University and a campus of Heartland Community College, which opened in 1990, are both in Bloomington. Illinois State University, which opened in Normal in 1857, is in Normal, too. American Passion Play is staged every year in the springtime. The home of Supreme Court associate justice David Davis, built in 1872, is a state historic site. Bloomington has museums about history and aviation, a zoo, a summer Shakespeare festival, and a lot of other things. People who were vice presidents of the United States, Adlai E. Stevenson, and his grandson, Adlai E. Stevenson II, are both buried in Evergreen Cemetery. In Shirley, which is southwest of the city, there is a gem and mineral museum that you can visit. When did this happen? 64,808 people lived there in 2000. The Bloomington-Normal Metro Area had 150,433 people. In 2010, there were 76,601 people living there.

Central Illinois' McLean County Cultural Center is one of the Midwest's oldest arts organizations, having been in existence for more than 130 years already. For almost 70 years, the annual Amateur Competition and Exhibition has been a showcase for the greatest amateur artists in Central Illinois, showcasing the best of the best each year. Sugar Creek Arts Festival in Uptown Normal and Spring Bloom Arts Festival in Bloomington are both sponsored by the Arts Center.

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.

The Westbrook Auditorium at Illinois Wesleyan University serves around 200 music majors and a few hundred students each year. Most concerts are free and open to the public, and there are many different musical acts to choose from each semester.

Ewing Manor's historic Ewing Manor is the setting for the Illinois Shakespeare Festival's outdoor, Elizabethan-style theater each summer. In addition to the Green Show, wandering Madrigal singers, jesters, and other performers amuse the crowd before each performance.

For more information, visit the Lincoln's Bloomington Festival website.

During the McLean County Fair in Bloomington, Illinois, each August, the fair is called "Home of the World's Largest County 4-H Fair" Among 4-H's events are livestock shows, a film festival, and displays about food, nutrition, and health as well as plant science, engineering and technology, and the environment and natural resources. People can watch tractor pulls and different musical acts at the Grandstand in the evening, as well.

The McLean County Museum of History has been around since 1892, when the McLean County Historical Society was started. This is when the museum started. The museum is housed in the old McLean County Courthouse. It has permanent and rotating exhibits that show how Central Illinois has changed over time. This place is on the National Register of Historic Places.

In addition to members of the Stevenson family, the Bloomington-Normal community is buried in the Evergreen Memorial Cemetery, popularly known as the Evergreen Cemetery. Among those buried there are Adlai E. Stevenson I, Grover Cleveland's vice president, and Adlai E. Stevenson II, Illinois governor, ambassador to the United Nations, and two-time Democratic presidential contender. Letitia Green Stevenson, Stevenson's wife and the second National President-General of the Daughters of the American Revolution, is buried in the same cemetery as her sister Julia Green Scott. There are also the graves of Abraham Lincoln's friend and mentor David Davis, baseball great Charles Radbourn, and Dorothy Gage, the inspiration for the main heroine in The Wizard of Oz and the niece of author L. Frank Baum, all of whom are buried there.

The David Davis Mansion offers a glimpse into the life friend and mentor to Abraham Lincoln, David Davis, who served as a United States Supreme Court Justice and was a key component during Lincoln's bid for the 1860 presidential nomination. The Davis Mansion, completed in 1872, combines Italianate and Second Empire architectural features and is a model of mid-Victorian style and taste. His Bloomington home, which remained in the Davis family for three succeeding generations, contains the most modern conveniences of that era: a coal-burning stove, gas lighting and indoor plumbing. The David Davis Mansion is a historic landmark on the National Register of Historic Places.

The former Montefiore synagogue building is one of Illinois' rare Moorish Revival structures and one of the country's oldest synagogues.

More info

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.

Bloomington is also home to several private schools, including Central Catholic High School, Corpus Christi Catholic School Elm./Jr. School, Epiphany Elm./Jr. School, St. Mary's Catholic School, Trinity Lutheran School, and Cornerstone Christian Academy. Bloomington students also may enroll at Metcalf Elm./Jr. School and University High School, laboratory schools located at Illinois State University.

There are 2,100 students at Illinois Wesleyan University, which was established in 1850. The student/faculty ratio is 12 to 1. For a long time, it was a part of the United Methodist Church. The College of Liberal Arts has 17 academic departments; the College of Fine Arts has professional schools of art, music, and theatre; and the School of Nursing is part of the university. The College of Liberal Arts is divided into three divisions. The five-story Ames Library, the Center for Natural Science, and the Shirk Center for Athletics and Recreation have all been added at Illinois Wesleyan in the last decade. There have been more than 100 athletes from Illinois Wesleyan University elected to the Academic All-American team since 1970. Hairmasters Institute of Cosmetology offers classes in pivot point hair sculpture, hair design and long hair design, hair texture, hair color, people skills and salon management training.

There are government buildings in downtown Bloomington, including those for the City of Bloomington and McLean County. There are also a lot of great specialty stores, bars, restaurants, and art galleries there, as well as government buildings.