Bloomington, Illinois

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Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, in the United States. It is the county seat and the place where people live. It is next to the town of Normal, and it is the most populous of the two main cities in the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area. People who live in Bloomington are about 135 miles (217 km) southwest of Chicago and about 162 miles (261 km) northeast of St. Louis, so they're not far from each other. There were 78,680 people living in the city at the time of the 2020 Census. This made it the 13th-largest city in Illinois, and the fifth-largest city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area. Together, the twin cities have a population of about 130,000. The Bloomington area is home to Illinois Wesleyan University and Illinois State University, both of which are in the area. State Farm Insurance and Country Financial are also based there.

An official county seat for McLean was created when the county was formed. The statute, on the other hand, indicated that the location of Bloomington "would be located later." It was announced that James Allin, one of the proponents of the new county, had volunteered to give his property to the new town. Bloomington was planned out after his proposition was accepted. On July 4th, 1831, it was auctioned off to a large and boisterous crowd. Many new farmers came to settle in the newly constituted county because of the fertile soils that existed at that time, but there were few roadways for them to use.

People from all around, including Abraham Lincoln, who was practicing law in Springfield, Illinois, flocked to the town's heart, now known as Downtown Bloomington, to trade and transact business. For Lincoln-Douglas debates in 1854, Jesse W. Fell, who created the Bloomington Pantagraph and was a major Bloomington real estate developer, was a key figure in the campaign.

At least for the next two decades, Bloomington's population grew. Rise in Bloomington's downtown area was also affected by agriculture, the development of roads and rail lines, as well as the growth of the insurance industry (especially State Farm Insurance). The downtown area was transformed into a regional retail destination, bringing in customers from neighboring counties as a result. The power of labor unions increased.

Ray and Irene Denbesten founded Denbesten Real Estate in 1977 in Bloomington, Illinois. Today, the business is handled by Cathy Denbesten, their daughter. They can assist you purchase or sell a house by calling (309) 6662-4228.

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.

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.

City: The median income for a household in the city was $58,662. For a family, the median income was $81,166. This is how it worked out: Males made $56,597 on average compared to $38,190 for women. The city had a per capita income of $32,672. Families: 5.7 percent of families and 11.0 percent of the population were living below the poverty line. This included 12.6 percent of people under 18 and 6.3 percent of people who were 65 and older.

In 1976, Citizens for a New Public Library starts a group called "Friends of the Library." They want to get voters to let the city build a new public library by getting them to pass bonds that will raise money. It was a success, and the library reopened in 1977 at 205 East Olive Street as "Bloomington Public Library." Public programs are still available at the library, including a Bookmobile, which was first called "Library on Wheels" in 1926. The Bookmobile delivers books to people in their own neighborhoods.

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.

It's not allowed to drink alcohol or smoke in any of the parks, but you can take your pet with you if they're on a leash in all parks. 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 sports fields. The Evergreen Racket Club has tennis courts that are indoors. Outdoor public swimming pools are found at O'Neil Park (to the west) and Holiday Park (to the east) (east). In the YMCA, the YWCA, and private health clubs, there are indoor pools.

The Miller Park Zoo has a lot of different animals and zookeepers you can meet and talk to. There are a Sumatran tiger, an Amur leopard, sun bears, reindeer, sea lions, red pandas, lemus, bald eagles, pallas cats and red wolves in the zoo, too. This is one of the many things you can see at the zoo. There are many things to see at the zoo, like the Wallaby WalkAbout. New to the Zoo is the Tropical America Rainforest, which is a new place to visit.

The east–west section joins the north segment near Normal City Hall Annex and continues east to Towanda-Barnes Road. Commerce Drive to Old Farm Lakes Subdivision is the Liberty Branch. It runs from Lincoln Street to Route 9 West. There are lots nearby for parking. Users of all non-motorized modes of transportation are welcome on the path including walkers, runners and skateboarders, among others. The slope is open to skiers throughout the winter months.

It is the centerpiece of Bloomington's new Cultural District, which also includes the McLean County of the Arts Center, a festival park, and a center for the arts in education that will open in 2017. Over twenty local performing arts groups call the facility home. The Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts hosts more than 400 performances and community activities each year.

Five Masterworks, two Pops and three Chamber Orchestra performances are held each year by the Illinois Symphony Orchestra at the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts.

The Castle Theatre was built by famed theater builders Balaban & Katz, the original creators of the traditional movie palace, and initially opened in 1916 as a 1,000-seat theater. The property was one of the area's most popular tourist sites for decades. With a $1.5 million refurbishment, the Castle was just brought back to its former splendour. Live music, corporate, public, and private events are all held at the Castle these days.

The Westbrook Auditorium at Illinois Wesleyan University serves around 200 music majors and a few hundred students each year. Every semester, a variety of musical performances from various time periods are presented, and public admission seating is free at most of them.

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.

The American Passion Play is now in its 92nd season. It is the oldest Passion Play in the United States that has been going on for that long. Each spring, the Passion Play is put on at the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts. It's set in Palestine and shows the whole life of Christ, from his birth to his death.

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

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.

Each March, the McLean County Arts Center hosts the Spring Bloom Arts Festival. This indoor fine art festival features over 100 artists working in woodworking, glass, sculpture, paintings, prints, photographs, and jewelry.

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.

There is a pavilion in Miller Park

The Miller Park Pavilion & War Memorial was restored in 1977 and dedicated in May 1988. The black granite memorial is surrounded by red sidewalks that list the names of Central Illinois residents killed or missing in action in the Korean and Vietnam battles.

Many noteworthy Bloomington-Normal residents, including members of the Stevenson family, are buried at the Evergreen Memorial Cemetery, often known as the Evergreen Cemetery. There are two Adlai E. Stevensons buried there: Adlai E. Stevenson I, Grover Cleveland's vice president, and Adlai E. Stevenson II, governor of Illinois, UN ambassador, and twice Democratic presidential contender. Stevenson's wife, Letitia Green Stevenson, who served as the Daughters of the American Revolution's second National President-General, and her sister, Julia Green Scott, the Daughters of the American Revolution's seventh National President-General, are also buried there. David Davis, Abraham Lincoln's friend and mentor; Charles Radbourn, probably 19th-century baseball's finest pitcher; and Dorothy Gage, the basis for the main heroine in the Wizard of Oz and the niece of author L. Frank Baum, are among the other important personalities buried there.

When it came time for Abraham Lincoln's presidential campaign in 1860, the David Davis Mansion functioned as a crucial part of Lincoln's team of advisers and lifelong friend, Supreme Court Justice David Davis. Davis Mansion, built in 1872, has Italianate and Second Empire architectural elements and is a shining example of mid-Victorian aesthetics and elegance. The coal-burning stove, gas lighting, and indoor plumbing at his Bloomington house, which was passed down through three generations of the Davis family, are among the most advanced features of that period. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is the David Davis House.

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Docents from the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts lead Behind the Curtain Tours. During the visits, you'll learn about the building's neo-classical interior architecture as well as its many additions and modifications.

The David Davis Mansion provides tours of the 36-room home of Judge David Davis to both groups and individuals. Docents explore the rich social and cultural history of America's western frontier from the 1850s through the 1880s using artifacts and tales about the Davis family. Servant life, domestic life, and technology at the beginning of the industrial era, family history (with a concentration on children), and Victorian architecture are just a few of the topics covered.

The house serves as a reminder of the pivotal role Illinois played in the nation's history during Abraham Lincoln's presidency, as well as a predecessor to contemporary dwellings and comfort systems. Special Tea Ladies Inc. events may also be arranged at the estate.

This tour is sponsored by the Bloomington-Normal Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. Tours begin at the McLean County Museum.

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 magnificent dome of the McLean County Museum of History serves as a marker for locating the city's historic centre. The courthouse plaza is flanked by turn-of-the-century buildings, many of which have fascinating histories. Museums, banks, a legal and administrative center, residential housing, a substantial artist community, as well as a variety of specialist retail companies and supporting services, are all available to visitors. Restaurants abound, and the nightlife is vibrant.