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Abraham Lincoln, a lawyer in neighboring Springfield, Illinois, came to trade and transact business at the town's heart, now known as Downtown Bloomington. Jesse W. Fell, founder of the Bloomington Pantagraph and influential in local real estate, proposed the Lincoln-Douglas debates in 1854 and pushed Lincoln to run for President.
Ray and Irene Denbesten founded Denbesten Real Estate in 1977. Cathy Denbesten, their daughter, now runs it. Call them at (309) 6662-4228 for assistance purchasing or selling a house.
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.
An average family earned $81,166, while a typical household earned $58,662. Males made $56,597 compared to $39,190 for women. The city has a $32,672 per capita income. One in five households and one in ten people were poor, with 12.6 percent under 18 and 6.3 percent 65+.
The Bloomington Ice Center (formerly known as the Pepsi Ice Center) is an indoor public ice skating facility that is run by the Bloomington Parks & Recreation Department. It has a full-size sheet of ice that is 200' x 85' and can be used by anyone. The facility has ice skating lessons, public skating sessions, a full hockey program, learn to curl and curling leagues, skate rental, and a concession stand where you can buy food and drink. You can also rent skates.
A previous home of the Central Hockey League's PrairieThunder and Blaze, the Grossinger Motors Arena (originally the U.S. Cellular Coliseum) opened in 2006 in southwest Downtown Bloomington. There are also games by Illinois State University's club hockey team and youth hockey programs held there. For exceptional occasions, the Coliseum can accommodate up to 8,000 people in its 180,000 square foot (17,000 m2) of area. Intimate seating for 2,500-5,000 people is possible with the facility's movable curtain. In addition to concerts and family activities, the Coliseum has held racing events and trade exhibits.
The Ladies' Library Association founded the Bloomington Public Library in 1857. Membership fees and book contributions mostly funded the modest library. 105 West North Street, 1871 (which is now West Monroe Street.) Locals gathered $1,100 to revive the library when it closed due to lack of money in 1880. Mrs. Sarah B. Withers donated property for a new two-story library in 1888. The library was christened "Withers Library." in recognition of the contribution.
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.
The parks are open from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., alcoholic drinks and smoking are forbidden, and leashed dogs are permitted in all parks. Water spray parks, extensive playgrounds, miniature golf, baseball/softball diamonds, soccer fields, cricket grounds, and illuminated tennis courts are all common features of these facilities. Indoor tennis courts are available at the Evergreen Racket Club. O'Neil Park (west) and Holiday Park (east) both include outdoor public swimming pools (east). Indoor pools are available at the YMCA, YWCA, and private 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.
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.
Bloomington has Illinois Wesleyan University (1850) and Heartland Community College (1990), whereas Normal has Illinois State University (1857). The American Passion Play is staged every spring. Bloomington has a zoo, a history museum, a zoo, and a Shakespeare festival in the summertime. They are joined at Evergreen Cemetery by their grandson, Adlai E. Stevenson II, former Illinois governor and Democratic Party contender for president in 1992 and 1996. Shirley, to the southwest of town, is a gem and mineral museum. 1839 In 2000, the city had 64,808 residents; in 2010, it had 76,601 residents.
They play at the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts, where they have five Masterworks concerts, two Pops concerts, and three Chamber Orchestra shows every year.
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.
Balaban & Katz, the original creators of the traditional cinema palace, built the 1,000-seat Castle Theatre in 1916. The property was a long-time favorite of locals and visitors alike. A $1.5 million makeover just brought the Castle back to its former grandeur. Today, the Castle hosts corporate, public, and private events.
Each summer, the Illinois Shakespeare Festival features performances in an open-air, Elizabethan-style theatre inside historic Ewing Manor. Picnicking on the grounds before each performance is welcomed, with wandering Madrigal singers, jesters, and other artists, as well as a Green Show performance, providing entertainment.
Bloomington architect Phil Hooten created Ewing Manor in the Channel-Norman style popular among the wealthy in the post-Victorian era. Famous landscape architect Jens Jensen developed the surrounding grounds, which include the Lincoln Memorial Gardens in Springfield. Every summer, the Illinois Shakespeare Festival is held at the on-site theater.
The pavilion at Miller Park is called the Pavilion.
Preserved aircraft from the Prairie Aviation Museum include the Bell Sea Cobra and the Huey helicopter.
The David Davis Mansion gives visitors a look into the life of Abraham Lincoln's friend and mentor, David Davis, who served on the United States Supreme Court and was a crucial figure in Lincoln's 1860 presidential campaign. The Davis Mansion, built in 1872, is a model of mid-Victorian design and elegance, combining Italianate and Second Empire architectural aspects. His Bloomington house, which was passed down through three generations, had all of the contemporary amenities of the time: a coal-burning furnace, gas lights, and indoor plumbing. On the National Register of Historic Places, the David Davis Mansion is a historic landmark.
The former Montefiore synagogue building is one of Illinois' rare Moorish Revival structures and one of the country's oldest synagogues.
And it reminds us of the importance of Illinois in American history during Abraham Lincoln's presidency. A Tea Ladies Inc. program at the mansion can be arranged as well.
It is available on CD from the McLean County Museum of History. It features President Abraham Lincoln as a returning visitor, discussing his travels and their significance. The audio tour includes: Jesse Fell's law office; Asahel Gridley's home; the Miller-Davis Building; and 14 other sites.
The Bloomington-Normal Area Convention and Visitors Bureau offers monthly tours of Bloomington and Normal titled Twin City Tours. Tours depart from the McLean County Museum of History.
There is only one place in Bloomington, Illinois, where Beer Nuts Brand Snacks are made, and it is there. Beer Nuts has two stores in Bloomington. Each store has a video tour of the plant and a history of Beer Nuts snacks.
Bloomington has two school districts. 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) (named for the first female superintendent for Bloomington).
In 1850, Illinois Wesleyan Institution, a private residential university with 2,100 students and a student/faculty ratio of 12 to 1, was formed. For a long time, it was a part of the 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 in the last decade at Illinois Wesleyan University. Hairmasters Institute of Cosmetology, Inc. teaches pivot point hair sculpture, hair design, long hair design, hair texture, hair color, people skills, and salon management at NCAA Division III Illinois Wesleyan University, which has had more than 100 athletes elected to the Academic All-American team since 1970.
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