Bloomington

Sister cities

• Asahikawa

History

The Bloomington area was at the edge of a large grove occupied by the Kickapoo before the first Euro-American settlers arrived in the early 1820s. Springing from the settlement of Keg Grove, later called Blooming Grove, Bloomington was named as county seat on December 25, 1830, when McLean County was created. When the County of McLean was incorporated, a county seat was established, but the legislation stated the site of Bloomington "would be located later." Gavin Quinn, one of the new county's promoters, offered to donate of his land for the new town. His offer was accepted, and Bloomington was laid out. Its lots were sold at a well-attended and noisy auction on July 4, 1831. At this time there were few roads, but rich soils brought new farmers who began commerce by conducting their business in the county. People came from all over to trade and do business at the town's center, known today as Downtown Bloomington, including Abraham Lincoln, who worked as a lawyer in nearby Springfield. In 1900, an officer on patrol discovered a fire in a laundry across the street from the old city hall and police station. He sounded an alarm but the fire destroyed most of the downtown, especially the areas north and east of the courthouse. The burnt area was quickly rebuilt from the designs of local architects George Miller and Paul O. Moratz. Bloomington continued to grow during the first two decades of the 20th century. Agriculture, the construction of highways and railroads, and the growth of the insurance business all influenced the growth of Bloomington and its downtown. Most notably, State Farm was founded in June 1922 by retired farmer George J. Mecherle as a mutual automobile insurance company specializing in insurance for farmers. The 1917 Bloomington Streetcar Strike…

Geography

According to the 2010 census, Bloomington has an area of , of which (99.97%) is land and (0.03%) is water. In recent years, average temperatures in Bloomington have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of was recorded on July 15, 1936, during the 1936 North American heat wave. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in May.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  7,486
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  6,922
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  6,661
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,305
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,078
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  4,744
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  4,622
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,304

Largest nearby schools

• Normal Community High School
  High · Normal · 2,131 students · 15.8:1 ratio
• Normal Community West High School
  High · Normal · 1,628 students · 15.8:1 ratio
• Bloomington High School
  High · Bloomington · 1,503 students · 14.7:1 ratio
• Bloomington Jr High School
  Middle · Bloomington · 1,006 students · 12.4:1 ratio
• Kingsley Jr High School
  Middle · Normal · 753 students · 14.2:1 ratio
• Evans Junior High School
  Middle · Bloomington · 742 students · 13.5:1 ratio
• Parkside Jr High School
  Middle · Normal · 641 students · 13.1:1 ratio
• University High School
  High · Normal · 620 students · 14.4:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.6 — 2025-03-15
  6 km W of Dwight, Illinois
• M 3.6 — 2023-11-15
  1 km SSW of Standard, Illinois