Bloomington, IL

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McLean County, Illinois, is home to the city of Bloomington, which also serves as the county seat. Bloomington-Normal is the second-largest city in the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan region and is located next door to Normal. Bloomington is located 162 miles (261 kilometers) northeast of St. Louis and 135 miles (217 kilometers) southwest of Chicago. The city had a population of 78,680 in 2020, making it the 13th-largest city in Illinois and the fifth-largest city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area, according to the census. There are around 130,000 people living in the twin cities when they are combined with Normal. Illinois Wesleyan University and Illinois State University are located in the Bloomington-Normal, Illinois, metro region. area. State Farm Insurance and Country Financial are also headquartered there.

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.

All over the world, people came to trade and do business in the town's center, which is now called Downtown Bloomington. Abraham Lincoln, who was working as a lawyer in Springfield near the town, was one of them, too. A well-known Bloomington resident, Jesse W. Fell, came up with the idea for Lincoln-Douglas debates in 1854 and played a big role 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.

As mayor of New York City in 1997, Judy Markowitz became the city's first Jewish woman and first mayor to be female. As Mayor, Markowitz built an arena in downtown Bloomington and started to fix up the city's performing arts center during his two terms in the office. In 2002, Bloomington would also pass a law that protects gay rights. In 2021, Mboka Mwilambwe became the first black mayor of the city.

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.

There were 34,339 homes in 2010, with 28.8% having children under the age of 18, 46.7 percent being married couples, 9.1 percent having a female householder without a husband, and 41.1 percent being non-families. Individuals made up 32.6 percent of all households, with 9.2 percent having someone 65 or older living alone. The average family size was 3.12 members, with a household size of 2.41 members.

In the city, 27.3 percent were under the age of 20, 9.0 percent were 18-24, 29.8 percent were 25-44, 23.8 percent were 45-64, and 10.2 percent were 65 or over. 33 was the median age. 95.4 men for every 100 females.

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.

The Grossinger Motors Arena (formerly the U.S. Cellular Coliseum) in southwest downtown Bloomington opened in 2006 and is home to the Bloomington Edge of the Indoor Football League. It was formerly the home of the Central Hockey League's PrairieThunder and Blaze. Since 2014, it has served as the home rink for the United States Hockey League's Central Illinois Flying Aces, as well as hosting games for Illinois State University's club hockey team and local youth hockey programs. The Coliseum has a set seating capacity of 7,000 people but can accommodate over 8,000 people for special events because to its 180,000 square feet (17,000 m2) of area. The venue may also be set up as a theatre with a retractable curtain, allowing concerts to be seated in a more intimate setting for 2,500-5,000 people. Concerts, family entertainment, ice performances, racing, and tradeshows have all taken place at the Coliseum since it first opened.

The Ladies' Library Association, which was founded in 1856, inaugurated the Bloomington Public Library in 1857. Book contributions and membership fees were the primary sources of funding for the modest library. The library moved to 105 West North Street in 1871. (which is now West Monroe Street.) The library reopened when local citizens contributed $1,100 to sustain it after it closed owing to a lack of money in 1880. On property provided by Mrs. Sarah B. Withers, the library moved into a new two-story facility at the intersection of East and Washington streets in 1888. The library was christened "Withers Library." in recognition of the contribution.

To gather funds for a new public library, Citizens for a New Public Library forms the Friends of the Library organisation in 1976. When the campaign was successful in 1977, "Bloomington Public Library." reopened in its present location at 205 East Olive Street. Public services offered by the library include a Bookmobile that distributes to nearby areas and was initially introduced in 1926 under the name "Library on Wheels."

This department is comprised of four sections: parks, recreation, golf, and the Miller Zoo. At least 44 park sites and three golf courses are maintained by the Department of Parks and Recreation: Airport Park, Alton Depot Park, Angler's Lake Nature Preserve; Atwood Wayside; Bittner Park; Brookridge Park; Buck-Mann; Clearwater; Eagle Crest; Emerson; Ewing; Fell Avenue; Franklin; Friendship; Highland Park Golf Course; Lincoln Leisure Center; Holiday Park; and the City of Alton.

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 Trail is a 24-mile-long (39-kilometer-long) running, walking, cycling, and rollerblading path that runs across most of the city on dedicated right-of-way. When the route crosses the major streets, bridges and tunnels are utilized to isolate it from traffic. From Kerrick Road in Normal to Grove Street in Bloomington, the north–south portion of the path follows the abandoned Illinois Central Gulf (ICG) railroad.

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, a campus of Heartland Community College, and Illinois State University are located in Bloomington and Normal, respectively. The American Passion Play is an annual spring event. One of Bloomington's state historic sites was the home of Supreme Court associate judge David Davis, who lived there from 1872 to 1873. This cemetery is where both Adlai E. Stevenson, who served as vice president from 1893 to 1997, and his grandson (and two-time Democratic Party presidential candidate) Adlai E. Stevenson II, are laid to rest. Nearby Shirley, a gem and mineral museum is located. Founded in 1839. People in Bloomington-Normal Metro Area (2000): 64,808; 2010, 76,601; Bloomington-Normal Metro Area (2010): 169,572.

There's a festival park going up and a creative center for arts education in Bloomington's new Cultural District. Over twenty local performing arts groups call the facility home. The Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts hosts over 400 performances and community activities annually.

Towanda Avenue and Robinhood Lane in Towanda are home to one of the oldest community theaters entirely run by volunteers. Since its inception in 1923, the theater has run for a total of 88 seasons.

Located in McPherson Hall's Jerome Mirza Theatre, the Illinois Wesleyan University School of Theatre Arts showcases its students and faculty. From a playbill ranging from Shakespeare to musicals, four main stage plays are staged here each year. Theater, scene shop, classrooms and other facilities may be found in McPherson Hall, which was constructed in 1963 and named after IWU's 10th president, Harry W. McPherson.

Miller Park Outdoor Summer Theatre, a Bloomington, Indiana-based amateur theater company, puts on two major plays a year.

In 2011, the USA Ballet celebrated its 21st year as an international ballet company. Three times a year, USA Ballet performs at Illinois Wesleyan University's McPherson Theatre, providing children's classes and outreach activities.

An open-air Elizabethan theatre at historic Ewing Manor hosts the Illinois Shakespeare Festival every summer. Pre-show entertainment includes strolling Madrigals, jesters, and other performers, as well as a Green Show.

Downtown Bloomington hosts a festival each July called "Lincoln's Bloomington." It includes Civil War reenactments and traditional craft demonstrations as well as children's activities. There are also talks, tours, and talks about Lincoln.

The McLean County Fair, which takes place in August at the McLean County Fairgrounds in Bloomington, is touted as "Home of the World's Largest County 4-H Fair" Livestock exhibitions, a film festival, and displays on food, nutrition, and health, plant science, engineering & technology, and environment & natural resources are among the 4-H events. 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. Each year, the Illinois Shakespeare Festival performs in the grounds' theater.

When it was completed in May of that year, the Miller Park Pavilion & War Memorial was re-dedicated after being repaired in 1977. Central Illinois people killed or missing in action in Korea and Vietnam are listed on red walkways around the black granite monument.

The Prairie Aviation Museum has a lot of planes that have been kept in good condition. They include a Bell Sea Cobra, a Huey helicopter, and an F-14 Tomcat.

The David Davis Mansion depicts the life of Abraham Lincoln's friend and mentor, David Davis, a United States Supreme Court Justice who was instrumental in Lincoln's 1860 presidential campaign. The Davis Mansion, built in 1872, is a paragon of mid-Victorian elegance and taste. His Bloomington house, which has been in the Davis family for three generations, has a coal-burning furnace, gas lights, and indoor plumbing. The David Davis Mansion is a National Historic Landmark.

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

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The house is a forerunner of today's contemporary residences and comfort systems, and it serves as a reminder of Illinois' significance in American history during Abraham Lincoln's presidency. A customized Tea Ladies Inc. event may also be organized at the estate.

The McLean County Museum of History, capped by a stately dome, serves as a landmark to identify the historic core of the city. Turn-of-the-century buildings, many with interesting historical pasts, flank the courthouse square. A visitor can find museums, banks, a legal and governmental center, residential living, a large artists’ community, plus an assortment of specialty retail businesses and supportive services. There is an abundance of restaurants and a lively night scene.