Bloomington, IL

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A fire at a laundry across the street from the old city hall and police station was noticed by a patrol officer in 1900. He raised the alarm, but the fire completely devastated the downtown area, particularly the sections north and east of the courthouse. The burned-out region, however, was soon rebuilt using local architects George Miller and Paul O. Moratz's plans.

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.

The City of Bloomington and McLean County make up the fastest-growing area in Illinois. The population of the area has grown 28% from 1990 to 2006. When the US Census Bureau did a special census of Bloomington in February 2006, it found that the city had grown by 15.7 percent in less than six years. This is where the fastest growth has been taking place.

Among the 34,339 homes in 2010, 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder without a husband present, and 41.1% were non-families.. 32.6 percent of all households were made up of people, and 9.2 percent included an elderly person living alone. The average number of people living in a home was 2.41, while the average number of people in a family was 3.12.

(formerly Pepsi Ice Center) is an indoor public ice skating facility managed by Bloomington Parks & Recreation. Learn to curl or join a league at the facility. Rental skates and refreshments are available.

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 first Bloomington Public Library was built in 1857 by the Ladies' Library Association, which was formed in 1856. The Ladies' Library Association built the library. The small library was mostly funded by donations of books and fees for becoming a member. At 105 West North Street in 1871, the library moved to a new place (which is now West Monroe Street.) People in the area raised $1,100 to keep the library open after it closed in 1880 because of a lack of money. In 1888, the library moved into a new two-story building at the corner of East and Washington streets. The land was given to the library by Mrs. Sarah B. Withers, and the library moved in. The library was renamed "Withers Library." in honor of the money.

A new public library is funded through bonds approved by voters in 1976 by Citizens for a New Public Library, a Friends of the Library organization. Success! The library reopened as the "Bloomington Public Library." in 1977 at 205 East Olive Street. This includes a Bookmobile, which began as Library on Wheels in 1926.

A group called the Bloomington Parks & Recreation Department is made up of four parts: 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 the Lincoln Recreation Center.

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.

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.

East–west intersects north at Normal City Hall Annex and continues east to Towanda-Barnes Road. Beginning at Commerce Drive and ending at the Old Farm Lakes Subdivision, the Liberty Branch is Lincoln Street serves as the starting point of the Freedom Branch, which finishes at Route 9 West. There are many adjacent parking lots in the vicinity where you may park. Wheelchair and other non-motorized users are welcome on the path. The trail is available to walkers, runners and other non-motorized users. Skiers may use it if the snow isn't too deep and the weather cooperates throughout the winter months.

Both Illinois Wesleyan University (1850) and Heartland Community College (1990) have campuses in Bloomington. The American Passion Play is an annual spring event. Bloomington has a zoo, a history and aviation museum, and a summer Shakespeare festival. Former Vice President Adlai E. Stevenson and Illinois Governor Adlai E. Stevenson II are buried at Evergreen Cemetery. Shirley, southwest of town, is a gem and mineral museum. 1839. (2000) 64,808; (2010) 76,601; Bloomington-Normal Metro Area 169,572.

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.

To date, The McLean County Arts Center has served Central Illinois for more than 130 years. For almost 70 years, the annual Amateur Competition and Exhibition has been a showcase for the greatest amateur artists in Central Illinois, showcasing the best of the best each year. Sugar Creek Arts Festival in Uptown Normal and Spring Bloom Arts Festival in Bloomington are both sponsored by the Arts Center.

The famed theater architects Balaban & Katz, the original creators of the traditional cinema palace, built the initial 1,000-seat Castle Theatre in 1916. One of the area's most popular attractions for decades, the property has been demolished and replaced. A $1.5 million makeover has brought the Castle back to its former splendour. Live music, corporate, public, and private events may be found at the Castle nowadays.

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

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.

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 Museum of History was established in 1892, the same year as the McLean County Historical Society. The museum, which is housed within the ancient McLean County Courthouse, contains permanent and rotating exhibits about Central Illinois' history. The National Register of Historic Places has designated this site.

In addition to a Bell Sea Cobra, Huey helicopter, and F-14 Tomcat, the Prairie Aviation Museum has a collection of restored aircraft on exhibit.

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, Illinois

Docents from the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts lead Behind the Curtain Tours. Visitors may learn about all of the building's changes and improvements as well as its neo-Classical interior architecture.

Lincoln's Bloomington and Normal, Illinois is a driving trip offered by the McLean County Museum of History. President Abraham Lincoln is shown in the CD-based audio tour as a returning guest who discusses his visits to various locations and the significance they have. With narration by James Keeran, the tour takes you to the law office of Jesse Fell, who first suggested that Lincoln run for president, the home of Asahel Gridley, a close friend and Lincoln's client when the latter was sued for slander, the Miller-Davis Building where Lincoln practiced law, and 14 other places of significance.

There is just one place in the world where Beer Nuts Brand Snacks are made: Bloomington, Illinois. In Bloomington, there are two locations of the Beer Nuts Company Stores that give a video tour of the facility and the history of the brand.

There are two public school districts in Bloomington, which are both located in the city. Schools in Bloomington's inner suburbs are part of Bloomington Public Schools District 87, which has a single high school (Bloomington High School), a single middle school (Bloomington Junior High School), and six elementary schools (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.

Many great specialty stores, bars, restaurants, and art galleries can be found in Downtown Bloomington, which is also home to many government offices.