Bloomington, IL

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Bloomington grew steadily over the first two decades of the twentieth century. Agriculture, highway and railroad building, and the expansion of the insurance industry (primarily State Farm Insurance) all had an impact on Bloomington's growth and downtown area. The downtown area grew into a regional retail destination, drawing visitors from neighboring counties. The power of labor unions expanded.

In 1977, Ray and Irene Denbesten established Denbesten Real Estate in Bloomington, Illinois. Their daughter, Cathy Denbesten, now runs the business. Call them right now at (309) 6662-4228 if you need assistance purchasing or selling a house.

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.

As a whole, the City of Bloomington and McLean County are the fastest-growing metro area in Illinois. Over the years from 1990 to 2006, the population of the area has grown by 28%. There has been the most growth in Bloomington, where the U.S. Census Bureau did a special census of the city in February 2006, and found that the population had grown by 15.7% in less than six years.

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.

The city's median household and family incomes were both $58,662. Males earned $56,597 compared to $39,190 for females. The city's per capita income was $32,672. Around 5.7 percent of households and 11.0 percent of the population were poor, with 12.6% of those under 18 and 6.3 percent of those 65 and over.

Bloomington Ice Center (Formerly Pepsi Ice Center) is an indoor public ice skating rink managed by the Bloomington Parks & Recreation Department, with a full-size sheet of ice measuring 200' by 85'. Ice skating classes, public skating sessions, a full hockey program, learn to curl and curling leagues, skate rental, and a snack stand are all available at the facility.

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 Bloomington Public Library in 1857. Book contributions and membership fees were the primary sources of funding for the modest library. At 105 West North Street, the library was established in 1871. (which is now West Monroe Street.) The library was forced to close in 1880 because of a lack of funding, but locals contributed $1,100 to bring it back online. New two-story library was built in 1888 on property provided by Mrs. Sarah B. Withers at the junction of East and Washington streets. The library was christened "Withers Library." in recognition of the contribution.

A group called the Bloomington Parks & Recreation Department is made up of four groups: Parks, Recreation, Golf and the Miller Park Zoo. 44 parks and three golf courses make up the Department's 1,100 acres (4.5 km2) of land. They include: Airport Park, Atwood Wayside, Angler's Lake Nature Preserve, Bittner Park and Brookridge Park. They also include: Ewing Park 1, Ewing Park 2, EwingPark 3 and Fell AvenuePark. The Department also runs Lincoln Leisure Center and the Lincoln Recreation Center. The Department also runs the Lincoln Recreation Center and Lincoln Recreation Center.

Alcoholic drinks, smoking, and dogs are all forbidden in the parks, which are open from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. It's common for these amenities to have water spray parks and sophisticated playgrounds as well as miniature golf courses and baseball/softball pitches. Indoor tennis courts are available at the Evergreen Racket Club. O'Neil Park (west) and Holiday Park (north) both include outdoor public swimming pools (east). Indoor pools are available in YMCAs, YWCAs, and other non-profit organizations as well as commercial fitness clubs.

Jogging, walking, cycling, and rollerblading are all good ways to get around on the Bloomington-Normal Constitution Trail, which runs for 24 miles (39 km) through the city. It runs on dedicated right-of-way through most of the city. In places where the trail and traffic are close together, bridges and tunnels separate the trail and traffic by building bridges and tunnels. The trail runs from Kerrick Road in Normal to Grove Street in Bloomington. It follows the abandoned Illinois Central Gulf (ICG) railroad from Kerrick Road to Grove Street.

In 2007, as part of Illinois State University's 150th anniversary celebrations, the Genevieve Green Gardens at Ewing Cultural Center were dedicated. The late Bruce V. Green, an ardent gardener who pioneered the project with a generous $5.2 million contribution, was one of many architects and landscape designers that contributed to the arduous effort of developing the gardens. The gardens now include a new public entrance that leads to a formal plaza, the manor's entrance, a grass patio, a theater walk with enlarged walkways, and more plants.

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. At the same time, the center is also home to more than twenty performing arts groups in the area. This is where more than 400 performances and community events take place each year.

The Illinois Symphony Orchestra plays five Masterworks performances, two Pops concerts, and three Chamber Orchestra concerts each year at the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts.

The McLean County Cultural Center, which has been serving Central Illinois for more than 130 years, is one of the Midwest's oldest arts institutions. The annual Holiday Treasurers display and sale, as well as the annual Amateur Competition and Exhibition, which has been showcasing the greatest amateur artists in Central Illinois for over 70 years, are held each year. The Sugar Creek Arts Festival in Uptown Normal and the Spring Bloom Arts Festival in Bloomington are two of the many community activities that the Arts Center organizes.

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.

The Jerome Mirza Theatre in McPherson Hall is home to the Illinois Wesleyan University School of Theatre Arts. Every year, four main stage plays are chosen from a playbill that includes anything from Shakespeare to musicals. 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.

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

It marks the 21st anniversary of USA Ballet. There are three performances a year in the McPherson Theatre on the campus of Illinois Wesleyan University.

Each summer, the Illinois Shakespeare Festival hosts shows at the historic Ewing Manor's open-air Elizabethan theatre. In addition to the Green Show, wandering Madrigal singers, jesters, and other performers amuse the crowd before each performance.

For more information about the Lincoln's Bloomington Festival, click here.

The McLean County Arts Center hosts the Spring Bloom Arts Festival in March each year. It's an indoor fine art festival with over a hundred artists showing everything from carpentry and glass art to sculpture and paintings. There are also prints and pictures and jewelry made by hand on display.

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 period's Channel-Norman style, which was popular among the wealthy. Jens Jensen, who also built Springfield's Lincoln Memorial Gardens, developed the surrounding gardens. The Illinois Shakespeare Festival is held every summer in the theatre on the grounds.

The McLean County Museum of History was created in 1892, the same year as the McLean County Historical Society. The museum, which is housed within the former McLean County Courthouse, contains permanent and rotating exhibitions that examine Central Illinois' history. The National Register of Historic Places recognizes this place.

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.

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.

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.

Bloomington IL

Behind the Curtain Tours are given by a group of fully qualified docents at the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts. The tours highlight the building's neo-Classical interior style and detail all of the modifications and improvements.

Both groups and individuals may take a tour of Judge David Davis's 36-room mansion at the David Davis Mansion. Visitors may learn about America's western frontier's rich social and cultural history via objects and tales related to the Davis family. Family history (with an emphasis on children), servant life, domestic life and technology at the beginning of the industrial revolution, and Victorian architecture are some of the specific topics covered.

The house is a predecessor to contemporary residences and comfort systems, and a reminder of Illinois' significance in American history during Abraham Lincoln's presidency. A Tea Ladies Inc. presentation at the estate may also be arranged.

Monthly tours of Bloomington and Normal are offered by the Bloomington-Normal Area Convention and Visitors Bureau under the name Twin City Tours. At the McLean County Museum of History, tours begin.

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.

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

The community has grown into a second district, McLean County Unit District No. 5. Originally serving primarily suburban communities, including Normal, Unit Five currently has a majority of students from Bloomington. Unit Five runs two high schools, four junior highs, and countless primary schools. In 2010, Unit Five began construction on its fourth junior high school, George Evans Junior High School (EJHS). Unit 5 built two new elementary schools in Bloomington and anticipates the need for another high school.

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 are among the private schools in Bloomington. Students from Bloomington may also attend Illinois State University's Metcalf Elm./Jr. School and University High School, which are both laboratory schools.