Overview
Bloomington and Normal, IL are known as twin cities, much like Minneapolis/St. Paul. It’s almost impossible to mention one without the other. With barely a 10 minute drive from one city to the other, many people just call the area “B-N”.

In 2006, Money magazine ranked Bloomington as one of the 100 Best Places to Live in America. When choose their “Best” cities, Money uses criteria like low cost of living, affordable housing, quality schools, low crime rates, shopping and leisure activities, and even the quality of the air.

This is heartland, farm land, classic raise-a-family Norman Rockwell country, where you can settle down and get to know your neighbors--and at the same time enjoy some of the finest culture in the United States. Every year we’re swarmed with tourists who flock to the Illinois Shakespeare Festival, considered one of the finest Shakespearean festivals in the country.

And if it’s not tourists, it’s students. We are home to some of Illinois’s best  colleges and universities, including Illinois State University, Heartland Community College, Lincoln College, and Wesleyan University.

Another criteria Money magazine uses to determine it’s “Best” cities is commute time for workers. The average commute in Bloomington-Normal is 12 minutes. State Farm Insurance is headquartered here, and the colleges and universities employ thousands of locals. The median family income is about $70,000 and the median house price is around $100,000 – nearly two-thirds less than houses in other top Money magazine cities.

Transportation

Bloomington-Normal lies in the center of the state on Rte. 55, about 2 hours southwest of Chicago and an hour northeast of Springfield. Our buses, the Bloomington-Normal Public Transit System, has service all over the area.

Brief History

Wikipedia had this to say about Bloomington’s history:

Prior to the 1820s, the area of today's Bloomington was at the edge of a large grove enjoyed by the Kickapoo people before the first Euro-American settlers arrived in the early 1820s. Springing from the settlement of Blooming Grove in 1822, 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. However, the legislation stated the site of Bloomington "would be located later." James Allen, who was one of the promoters of the new county, offered to donate 60 acres of his own land for the new town. His offer was accepted and Bloomington was laid out. Its lots were sold at a big party on the 4th of July 1831. At this time there were few roads, but rich soils brought new farmers who began commerce by conducting their business in the newly formed 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 was working 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 the alarm but the fire eventually destroyed the majority of the downtown, especially the areas north and east of the courthouse. However, the burnt area was quickly rebuilt from the designs of local architects George Miller, Paul O. Moratz and A.L. Pillsbury.

During the first two decades of the 20th century Bloomington continued to grow. Agriculture, the construction of highways and railroads, and the growth of the insurance business (mainly State Farm Insurance) all influenced the growth of Bloomington and its downtown area.