Bloomington, IL

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Bloomington is the county seat of McLean County, Illinois, and is the largest city in the county. It is the more populated of the two major municipalities in the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan region, and it is close to the town of Normal. Bloomington is located around 135 miles (217 kilometers) southwest of Chicago and 162 miles (261 kilometers) northeast of St. Louis. The city has a population of 78,680 people according to the 2020 Census, making it Illinois' 13th most populous city and the state's fifth most populous city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area. The twin cities, when combined with Normal, have a population of almost 130,000 people. Illinois Wesleyan University and Illinois State University are both located in Bloomington. It's also where State Farm Insurance and Country Financial have their headquarters.

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 close to Normal (north). The region was called as Keg Grove and then as Blooming Grove because of the area's wildflowers when it was first colonized in 1822. Bloomington was called in 1831, when the town was set out. During a conference to form the Republican Party in Illinois in 1856, Abraham Lincoln gave his famous "lost speech" against slavery at Major's Hall in Bloomington; a plaque marks the location. The city is located in a fertile agricultural area, and its economy is mostly focused on agriculture (primarily maize and soybeans), cattle keeping, and the production of farm seeds; insurance, confectionery, and vacuum cleaner manufacturing are also significant.

Before the arrival of the first Euro-American immigrants in the early 1820s, the Bloomington region was populated by the Kickapoo people. Bloomington, born of Keg Grove, became the county seat of McLean County on December 25, 1830.

Fire at a laundry across from the old city hall and police station was found in 1900. But the fire engulfed most of downtown, notably north and east of the courthouse. Rebuilt by local architects George Miller and Paul O. Moratz, the charred portion was rapidly restored.

Ray and Irene Denbesten founded Denbesten Real Estate in 1977 in Bloomington, IL. Their daughter, Cathy Denbesten, now runs it. You may reach them at (309) 6662-4228 for assistance.

The city has a population of 76,610 people in 2010, with a total of 30,454 dwellings. There were 1,099.5 people per square kilometer, or 2,814.8 people per square mile. At a density of 1,261.5 per square mile (492.8/km2), there were 34,339 dwellings. In terms of race, 77.5 percent of the city was White, 10.1 percent African American, 0.3 percent Native American, 7.0 percent Asian, 1.42 percent from other races, and 2.9 percent from two or more races. 5.6 percent of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race, regardless of ethnicity.

In 2010, there were 34,339 homes, 28.8% of which had children under the age of 18, 46.7 percent of which were married couples, 9.1 percent of which had a female householder without a husband present, and 41.1 percent of which were non-families. Individuals made up 32.6 percent of all households, and 9.2 percent included someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The average family size was 3.12, and the average household size was 2.41.

27.3 percent of the city's population was under the age of 20, 9.0 percent between the ages of 18 and 24, 29.8 percent between the ages of 25 and 45, and 23.8 percent between the ages of 45 and 64. The median age was 33 years old. There were 95.4 men for every 100 women.

When the Grossinger Motors Arena opened in 2006, it was called the U.S. Cellular Coliseum. It is now home to the Bloomington Edge of the Indoor Football League and used to be home to teams from the Central Hockey League. This rink has been home to the Central Illinois Flying Aces of the U.S. Hockey League since 2014. It also hosts some games for the club hockey team at Illinois State University and youth hockey programs in the area. In total, the Coliseum has more than 180,000 square feet (17,000 m2) of space. The Coliseum has a fixed seating capacity of 7,000, but it can hold more than 8,000 for special events. When the facility is used as a theater with a retractable curtain, it can be set up to seat 2,500-5,000 people in a more intimate way. As long as the Coliseum has been open, it has been used for a wide range of events, from concerts to family events and trade shows.

A new public library is funded through bonds approved by voters in 1976 by Citizens for a New Public Library, a Friends of the Library organization. Success! The library reopened as the "Bloomington Public Library." in 1977 at 205 East Olive Street. This includes a Bookmobile, which began as Library on Wheels in 1926.

They open at 6am and close at midnight, but you can't drink alcohol or smoke in the parks. You can take your pet with you on a leash. These parks often have water spray parks, elaborate playgrounds, miniature golf, baseball/softball diamonds, soccer fields, cricket grounds, and lighted tennis courts, as well as other types of fields. During the winter, there are tennis courts at the Evergreen Racket Club. At O'Neil Park (to the west) and Holiday Park (to the east), there are two outdoor public swimming pools (east). Some private health clubs have swimming pools inside. These include the YMCA, the YWCA, and other groups.

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.

The Bloomington-Normal Constitution Track is a 24-mile (39-kilometer) running, walking, cycling, and rollerblading trail that runs across most of the city on dedicated right-of-way. When traversing the main streets, the route is separated from traffic by bridges and tunnels. From Kerrick Road in Normal to Grove Street in Bloomington, the path follows the abandoned Illinois Central Gulf (ICG) railroad north–south.

At Normal City Hall Annex, the east–west section crosses the north segment and continues east to Towanda–Barnes Road. From Commerce Drive to Old Farm Lakes Subdivision, the Liberty Branch runs. From Lincoln Street to Route 9 West, the Freedom Branch is located. Throughout the region, parking is accessible in nearby lots. Runners, walkers, in-line skaters, skateboarders, bicycles, wheelchair users, and other non-motorized modes of transportation are all welcome on the route. It is not cleaned of snow during the winter months, although skiers may use it if the weather permits.

Heartland Community College's campus in Bloomington and Illinois State University's in Normal are two of the state's oldest colleges. The American Passion Play is an annual spring event. David Davis's house, built in 1872, is a state historic monument. Bloomington is home to museums dedicated to history and aviation, zoos, and a Shakespeare festival. Vice President Adlai E. Stevenson (1893–97) and his grandson Adlai E. Stevenson II (1899–2002), Governor of Illinois and two-time Democratic Party presidential contender, are buried in the Evergreen Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois. Shirley, southwest of the city, is a gem and mineral museum. 1839, Inc. Bloomington-population Normal's has grown from 64,808 in 2000 to 76,601 in 2010.

This is the heart of Bloomington's new Cultural District, which also includes the McLean County of Arts Center, a new festival park, and a new center for arts education. The Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts is where all of these things will be. The center is also home to over twenty area performing arts ensembles. This is where more than 400 shows and community events happen each year.

For more than a century, the McLean County Arts Center has served Central Illinois as a cultural hub. 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.

A 1,000-seat theater called the Castle Theatre opened in 1916. It was built by the famous theater builders Balaban & Katz, who were the first to think of the classic movie palace. For a long time, the property was one of the best places to go in the area. The Castle has just had a $1.5 million renovation to bring it back to its former glory. Today, the Castle has live music, corporate events, public events, and private events going on at the same time.

In McPherson Hall's Jerome Mirza Theatre, the Illinois Wesleyan University School of Theatre Arts showcases its skills. Every year, four main stage plays are chosen from a playbill that includes anything from Shakespeare to musicals, and they are produced here. McPherson Hall, was opened in 1963 and is named after IWU's 10th President, Harry W. McPherson, has a 300-seat theater, a scene shop, classrooms, 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.

As of 2011, USA Ballet is an international ballet company that is celebrating its 21st birthday. A group called USA Ballet gives kids' workshops and does outreach programs. They perform at Illinois Wesleyan University's McPherson Theater three times a year, and they do this three times each year.

The McLean County Fair, which takes place in August at the McLean County Fairgrounds in Bloomington, is touted as the "Home of the World's Largest County 4-H Fair". In addition to livestock exhibitions and a film festival, 4-H members may participate in exhibits on topics such as food, nutrition, and health, plant science, engineering, and natural resources management. Tractor pulls and different musical groups are part of the evening grandstand entertainment.

Bloomington architect Phil Hooten created Ewing Manor in the post-Victorian Channel-Norman style, which was popular among the wealthy. Jens Jensen, the landscape architect who developed Springfield's Lincoln Memorial Gardens, also planned the adjacent gardens. Every summer, the Illinois Shakespeare Festival is held at the on-site theater.

People who were important in Bloomington-Normal are buried there, including members of the Stevenson family. Evergreen Memorial Cemetery, also known as the Evergreen Cemetery, is the burial place for many of these people. Both Adlai E. Stevenson I, Grover Cleveland's vice president, and Adlai E. Stevenson II, governor of Illinois, ambassador to the United Nations, and two times Democratic candidate for president of the United States, are buried in the same place. People who are also buried there are Letitia Green Stevenson's husband and Julia Green Scott. Letitia was the second President-General of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and Julia is her sister, the seventh President-General, and both are buried there. Other historical figures who are buried there include David Davis, a friend and mentor of Abraham Lincoln; Charles Radbourn, one of the best pitchers in 19th-century baseball; and Dorothy Gage, the niece of author L. Frank Baum and the inspiration for the main character in the Wizard of Oz.

In the David Davis Mansion, you can see how Abraham Lincoln's friend and mentor David Davis lived his life. Davis was a member of the U.S. Supreme Court and played a big role in Lincoln's bid for the 1860 presidential nomination. When the Davis Mansion was finished in 1872, it had both Italianate and Second Empire architectural features. It is a good example of what was popular in the mid-19th century. Bloomington, where he lived, was owned by the Davis family for three generations after he died. It has all the modern conveniences of the time, like a coal-burning stove and gas lighting. The David Davis Mansion is on the National Register of Historic Places, which is a list of places that are important to people.

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Lincoln's Bloomington and Normal, Illinois is a driving trip offered by the McLean County Museum of History. President Abraham Lincoln is shown in the CD-based audio tour as a returning guest who discusses his visits to various locations and the significance they have. With narration by James Keeran, the tour takes you to the law office of Jesse Fell, who first suggested that Lincoln run for president, the home of Asahel Gridley, a close friend and Lincoln's client when the latter was sued for slander, the Miller-Davis Building where Lincoln practiced law, and 14 other places of significance.

On the south side of town is a big artist's colony with a variety of specialized retail stores and related services. There are several restaurants and a busy nightlife. Tour de Chocolat, Farmers' Market, Tour de Metro, Pub Crawl, and Once Upon a Holiday are just a few of the district's notable events. Local, state, and federal government buildings are located downtown Bloomington, as are important companies like State Farm Insurance.

Beer Nuts Brand Snacks are solely produced in Bloomington, Illinois. It is possible to take a video tour of the Beer Nuts Brand Snacks facility in Bloomington, as well as learn more about its history.

There are two school districts that serve Bloomington. Bloomington Public Schools District 87 serves the city's interior, with one high school (Bloomington High School), one junior high school (Bloomington Junior High School), six elementary schools (Oakland, Washington, Bent, Irving, Sheridan, and Stevenson elementary schools), and one pre-school (Sarah Raymond Pre-School) (named for the first female superintendent for Bloomington).

As the city grows, it moves into a second district in McLean County, Unit District No. 5. Unit Five used to serve only suburban areas like Normal, but now most of its students come from Bloomington. Unit Five runs two high schools and four junior high schools. There are also a lot of elementary schools in the area. As of 2010, Unit Five was building its fourth junior high school, which is called George Evans Junior High School, or EJHS. There were two new elementary schools built in Bloomington in 2011 as well as the new high school. Unit 5 is also planning to build another high school in the area.

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.

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 Methodist Church. Of addition to the 17 academic departments in the College of Liberal Arts, the College of Fine Arts, which includes the professional Schools of Art, Music, and Theater Arts, and the School of Nursing, the University has 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. Hairmasters Institute of Cosmetology, Inc. provides programs in pivot point hair sculpting, long hair design, hair texture, hair color, people skills and salon management teaching. Illinois Wesleyan has had more than 100 players voted to the Academic All-American team since 1970.

The McLean County Museum of History, with its majestic dome, marks the city's historic centre. The courthouse plaza is surrounded by historic structures. An array of speciality retail companies and related services are available to visitors. There are several restaurants and a busy nightlife.

Downtown Bloomington, IL is home to City of Bloomington and McLean County government buildings, as well as a variety of specialized shops, pubs, restaurants, and art galleries.