A significant Kickapoo settlement was located just outside Bloomington before the first European-American immigrants arrived in the early 1820s. Originally known as Blooming Grove, the hamlet of Keg Grove became the county seat of newly formed McLean County on December 25, 1830.
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 center. When Lincoln and Douglas debated in 1854, a well-known Bloomington resident named Jesse W. Fell came up with the idea and helped push Lincoln to run for President.
A Bloomington, IL real estate company called Denbesten Real Estate was started in 1977 by Ray and Irene Denbesten. Today, Cathy Denbesten is in charge. They can help you buy or sell your house: (309) 6662-4228. They can also help you with that.
Judy Markowitz, the city's first female and Jewish mayor, was elected in 1997. During Markowitz's two tenure as Mayor, a new arena was erected in downtown Bloomington, and work on the city's performing arts complex started. In 2002, Bloomington would also pass an LGBT rights ordinance. Mboka Mwilambwe, the city's first black mayor, was elected in 2021.
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.
Bloomington and McLean County are the state's fastest expanding metro areas. From 1990 to 2006, the area's population grew 28%. Bloomington has had the most rapid expansion, with a population of 74,975 in February 2006, up 15.7% in less than six years.
In 2010, there were 34,339 homes, of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18, 46.7% were married couples, 9.1% had a female householder living alone, and 41.1% were non-families. Individuals made up 32.6% of all households, and 9.2% of those living alone were over 65. The typical home had 2.41 members and a family had 3.12.
This population was evenly distributed, with 27.3 percent aged under 20; 9.0 percent between the ages of 18 and 24, 29.8 percent between the ages of 25 and 45; 23.8 percent between the ages of 45 and 64; 10.2 percent between the ages of 65 and over. The average age was 33 years. There were 95.4 men for every 100 females in the study.
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.
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.
Citizens for a New Public Library forms a Friends of the Library organization in 1976 to lobby for voter approval of bonds to fund a new public library. The effort was successful, and the library reopened as "Bloomington Public Library." in 1977, at 205 East Olive Street. Currently, the library provides a variety of public services, including a Bookmobile that distributes to local areas, which was initially established in 1926 as Library on Wheels.
This department is divided into four sections: Parks, Recreation, Golf and the Miller Park Zoo. Airport Park, Alton Depot Park, Angler's Lake Nature Preserve, Atwood Wayside, Bittner Park, Brookridge Park, Buck-Mann Park, Clearwater Park, Eagle Crest Park, Emerson Park, Evergreen Park, Ewing Park 1, 2, 3, Fell Avenue Park, Forrest Park, Franklin Park, Friendship Park, Highland Park Golf Course, Holiday Park, Lincoln Leisure Center
Many animals and zookeepers can be seen at Miller Park Zoo. Zoo inhabitants include a Sumatran tiger, river otter, Galapagos tortoise, Amur leopard, sun bears, reindeer, sea lion, red pandas, lemus, bald eagles, pallas cats and red wolves. The zoo has a lot of different things to see, like Wallaby WalkAbout, ZooLab, the Children's Zoo, Animals of Asia, and the Katthoefer Animal Building. New to the Zoo is the Tropical America Rainforest.
Normal City Hall Annex is where the east–west segment meets the north segment. Towanda-Barnes Road is where the east–west segment ends. The Liberty Branch starts at Commerce Drive and ends at the Old Farm Lakes Subdivision, which is where it ends. The Freedom Branch starts at Lincoln Street and ends at Route 9 West. This is where the branch is. Parking is available at other parking lots in the area. Walkers and runners, as well as skateboarders and cyclists, are welcome on the trail. Wheelchair users, in-line skaters, skateboarders, and other non-motorized transportation are also welcome on the trail. During the winter, it isn't cleaned of snow, so skiers can use it if the weather is good.
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.
They play at the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts, where they have five Masterworks concerts, two Pops concerts, and three Chamber Orchestra shows each year.
On Robinhood Lane off Towanda Avenue, the Community Players Theater is one of the oldest community theaters that is entirely run by volunteers. When the theater first opened in 1923, it was the 88th time it had run.
There are two major plays each year that the Miller Park Outdoor Summer Theatre, an amateur theater group that the City of Bloomington helps fund, puts on for free.
The 21st anniversary of USA Ballet, a world-renowned dance group, will be commemorated in 2011. The McPherson Theatre at Illinois Wesleyan University hosts USA Ballet three times a year for performances and seminars for youngsters.
The 92nd season of American Passion Play is the country's longest-running Passion Play. The Passion Play is set in Palestine and depicts the full life of Christ. It is performed each spring at the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts.
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.
During March, the McLean County Arts Center hosts the Spring Bloom Arts Festival, which is an event for artists. Inside there are more than 100 artists who work in a wide range of mediums, from woodworking to glass art to sculpture to paintings and handcrafted jewelry.
The McLean County Historical Society was established in 1892 and is the ancestor of the McLean County Museum of History. In the ancient McLean County Courthouse, the museum houses a collection of exhibits that chronicle the region's past. The National Register of Historic Places recognizes this place.
Pavilion in Miller Park
In 1977, the Miller Park Pavilion and War Memorial was repaired and reopened. It was reopened in May 1988. Among the red sidewalks are the names of Central Illinois residents who died or were missing in action in the Korean and Vietnam wars. The black granite memorial is surrounded by them.
An F-14 Tomcat, Bell Sea Cobra, and Huey helicopter are all on exhibit at the Prairie Aviation Museum.
The David Davis Mansion provides an insight into the life of Abraham Lincoln's friend and mentor, David Davis, who served as a United States Supreme Court Justice and was a crucial figure in Lincoln's presidential campaign in 1860. The Davis Mansion, erected in 1872, is a paragon of mid-Victorian design and taste, combining Italianate and Second Empire architectural aspects. His Bloomington house, which was passed down through three generations of the Davis family, had all of the contemporary amenities of the time: a coal-burning furnace, gas lights, and indoor plumbing. The David Davis Mansion is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic landmark.
The former Montefiore synagogue building is one of Illinois' rare Moorish Revival structures and one of the country's oldest synagogues.
The David Davis Mansion provides group and private tours of Judge David Davis' 36-room house. Through portray the rich social and cultural history of America's western frontier from the 1850s to the 1880s. Family history (with an emphasis on children) and Victorian architecture are among the subjects covered.
The house is a forerunner of today's contemporary residences and comfort systems, and it serves as a reminder of Illinois' historical significance during Abraham Lincoln's presidency. A customized Tea Ladies Inc. event at the estate may also be arranged.
Bloomington's primary retail mall is Eastland Mall. Eastland Mall offers dining, shopping, and entertainment, as well as a range of recreational activities. Stores include Aeropostale, American Eagle Outfitters, Applebee's, Buckle, Finish Line, Limited, Old Navy, Rogers & Hollands, Talbot's, and more. The mall, however, has been in decline in recent years, in accordance with the overall downturn of retail malls throughout America.
Beer Nuts Brand Snacks are solely produced in Bloomington, Illinois. In Bloomington, there are two Beer Nuts Company Stores, each with a video tour of the Bloomington facility and the history of the Beer Nuts Brand Snacks.
McLean County Unit District No. 5 has expanded the city's limits to include a second district. The majority of Unit Five's pupils are now from Bloomington, despite the fact that the school was initially intended to serve the suburbs. School districts in Unit Five include two high schools, four junior high schools, as well as a slew of elementary and middle schools. George Evans Junior High School, or EJHS, was the fourth junior high school to be built by Unit Five in 2010. As of 2011, Unit 5 has completed the building of two new Bloomington primary schools and anticipates the need for a third high school in the near future.
Some of Bloomington's private schools are also there, like Central Catholic High School, Corpus Christi Catholic School, Epiphany Elm./Jr. School, St. Mary's Catholic School, St. Mary's Catholic School, Trinity Lutheran School, and Cornerstone Christian Academy, among others. Bloomington students can also go to Metcalf Elm./Jr. School and University High School, both of which are lab schools at Illinois State University, if they want to.
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.
Many great specialty stores, bars, restaurants, and art galleries can be found in Downtown Bloomington, which is also home to many government offices.