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A significant Kickapoo settlement was located just outside Bloomington before the first European-American immigrants arrived in the early 1820s. Originally known as Blooming Grove, the hamlet of Keg Grove became the county seat of newly formed McLean County on December 25, 1830.

An officer on patrol noticed a fire at a laundry across the street from the municipal hall and police station in 1900. A large portion of downtown was destroyed when an arsonist set fire to a building only blocks away. When it came to rebuilding the neighborhood that had been destroyed, local architects George Miller and Paul O. Moratz came to the rescue.

Ray and Irene Denbesten founded Denbesten Real Estate in 1977 in Bloomington, IL. Their daughter, Cathy Denbesten, now runs it. You may reach them at (309) 6662-4228 for assistance.

As the state's fastest-growing metropolitan region, Bloomington-McLean County is home to both cities. There has been a 28% increase in the area's population between 1990 and 2006. When the U.S. Census Bureau performed a special count of Bloomington in February 2006, it showed a population of 74,975, an increase of 15.7% in less than six years. This was the city with the fastest growth.

In 2010, there were 34,339 households, 28.8% of which had children under the age of 18, 46.7 percent were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder without a husband present, and 41.1 percent were not-family households. Only 32.6% of all homes had people living alone. 9.2% had someone who was 65 or older living alone. The average size of a household was 2.41, and the average size of the average family was 3.12.

Families in the city made an average of $81,166, with a median family income of $58,662. The median income for men was $56,597, while the median income for women was $39,190. The city's average annual income was $32,672. 5.7 percent of households and 11.0 percent of the population were living below the poverty line, including 12.6 percent of those under the age of 18 and 6.3 percent of those over 65.

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.

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.

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.

Many exhibits and zookeeper interactions are available at Miller Park Zoo. A Sumatran tiger, river otter, Galapagos tortoise, Amur leopard, sun bears, reindeer, sea lion, red pandas, lemus, bald eagles, pallas cats, and red wolves are among the zoo's residents. Wallaby WalkAbout, ZooLab, Children's Zoo, Animals of Asia, and the Katthoefer Animal Building are just a few of the zoo's attractions. The Tropical America Rainforest is the Zoo's newest exhibit.

The Bloomington-Normal Constitution Track is a 24-mile (39-kilometer) running, walking, cycling, and rollerblading trail that runs across most of the city on dedicated right-of-way. When traversing the main streets, the route is separated from traffic by bridges and tunnels. From Kerrick Road in Normal to Grove Street in Bloomington, the path follows the abandoned Illinois Central Gulf (ICG) railroad north–south.

As part of Illinois State University's 150th anniversary celebration, the Genevieve Green Gardens were dedicated in 2007. The gardens were created with the help of several architects and landscape designers, notably the late Bruce V. Green, an ardent gardener who donated $5.2 million to the project. They feature a new public entrance leading to a formal plaza, the manor entrance, grass patio, theater walk with wider pathway and more vegetation.

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.

Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts hosts the Illinois Symphony Orchestra's five Masterworks, two Pops, and three Chamber Orchestra performances each year.

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 talented students of the Illinois Wesleyan University School of Theatre Arts. From a playbill ranging from Shakespeare to musicals, four main stage plays are staged here each year. Completed in 1963, Harry W. McPherson Hall at IWU is home to a 300-seat theater, a scene shop, and a variety of other amenities.

The Westbrook Auditorium at Illinois Wesleyan University serves around 200 music majors and a few hundred students each year.. Every semester, a variety of musical performances from various time periods are presented, and public admission seating is free at most of them.

As of 2011, USA Ballet is an international ballet company that is celebrating its 21st birthday. A group called USA Ballet gives kids' workshops and does outreach programs. They perform at Illinois Wesleyan University's McPherson Theater three times a year, and they do this three times each year.

Every July in Downtown Bloomington, the Lincoln's Bloomington Festival comprises Civil War reenactments, traditional craft displays, children's activities, musical performances, presentations, and tours.

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.

The pavilion at Miller Park is called the Pavilion.

Many famous Bloomington-Normal residents, including members of the Stevenson family, are buried at the Evergreen Memorial Cemetery. Adlai E. Stevenson I, Grover Cleveland's vice president, and Adlai E. Stevenson II, Illinois governor, UN ambassador, and twice Democratic presidential contender, are buried there. Stevenson's wife, Letitia Green Stevenson, was the second National President-General of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and her sister, Julia Green Scott, was the eighth. Dorothy Gage, inspiration for the main heroine in The Wizard of Oz and niece of author L. Frank Baum, are both buried there.

The former building of the Montefiore synagogue in Illinois is one of the few Moorish Revival buildings in the state. It is also one of the oldest synagogues in the United States, making it one of the oldest in the country.

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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.

The house serves as a reminder of the pivotal role Illinois played in the nation's history during Abraham Lincoln's presidency, as well as a predecessor to contemporary dwellings and comfort systems. A Tea Ladies Inc. event may also be organized in the estate.

Lincoln's Bloomington and Normal, Illinois, is a driving trip offered by the McLean County Museum of History. Abraham Lincoln returns to the sites he previously visited on the CD-based audio tour to discuss their significance. Asahel Gridley, Lincoln's friend and a client in a defamation claim, was a friend and client in Lincoln's slander suit, as well as 14 other venues. The audio tour was written and performed by James Keeran and covers these locations:

Twin City Excursions are monthly tours of Bloomington and Normal offered by the Bloomington-Normal Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. The McLean County Museum of History serves as the starting point for tours.

Bloomington's primary retail mall is Eastland Mall. Eastland Mall offers dining, shopping, and entertainment, as well as a range of recreational activities. Stores include Aeropostale, American Eagle Outfitters, Applebee's, Buckle, Finish Line, Limited, Old Navy, Rogers & Hollands, Talbot's, and more. The mall, however, has been in decline in recent years, in accordance with the overall downturn of retail malls throughout America.

Museums, banks, a legal and administrative center, residential housing, a strong artists' community, and a variety of specialized retail stores and related services may all be found in downtown Bloomington, IL. There are many restaurants to choose from, as well as a vibrant nightlife. Tour de Chocolat, Farmers' Market, Tour de Metro, Pub Crawl, and Once Upon a Holiday are just a few of the spectacular events that take place in the neighborhood. Downtown Bloomington is home to City of Bloomington and McLean County government buildings, as well as important businesses such as State Farm Insurance and a variety of specialized shops, pubs, restaurants, and art galleries.

Beer Nuts Brand Snacks are created only in Bloomington, Illinois. In Bloomington, there are two Beer Nuts Company Stores, each of which offers a video tour of the Bloomington facility as well as information on the history of Beer Nuts Brand Snacks.

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).

McLean County Unit District No. 5 has grown so large that the city has strayed over its bounds. The majority of Unit Five's pupils are now from Bloomington, despite the fact that the school was initially intended to serve the suburbs. School districts in Unit Five include two high schools, four junior high schools, as well as a slew of elementary and middle schools. George Evans Junior High School, also known as EJHS, was under construction as of 2010 when Unit Five was building its fourth junior high school. It was completed in 2011 and Unit 5 was also building two primary schools in Bloomington and predicting the need for another high school.

Some of Bloomington's private schools are also there, like Central Catholic High School, Corpus Christi Catholic School, Epiphany Elm./Jr. School, St. Mary's Catholic School, St. Mary's Catholic School, Trinity Lutheran School, and Cornerstone Christian Academy, among others. Bloomington students can also go to Metcalf Elm./Jr. School and University High School, both of which are lab schools at Illinois State University, if they want to.

the student/faculty ratio is 12 to 1 at Illinois Wesleyan University, founded in 1850. It used to be a United Methodist Church. The University is divided into three colleges: Liberal Arts, Fine Arts, and Nursing. Illinois Wesleyan has added the Ames Library, the Center for Natural Science, and the Shirk Center for Athletics and Recreation in the last decade. Hairmasters Institute of Cosmetology, Inc. offers classes in pivot point hair sculpture, long hair design, hair texture, hair color, people skills, and salon management.

Downtown Bloomington is home to several outstanding specialized boutiques, pubs, restaurants, and art galleries.