Click Here to visit the City of Bloomington
Bloomington-Normal/McLean County continues to be an economic leader in Illinois. The economy finds its strength in insurance, education, healthcare, agribusiness and industry.
Bloomington-Normal/McLean County is located at the crossroads of Midwest commerce. Converging at the community are Interstates 39, 55 and 74. McLean County is within a three-hour drive of metropolitan centers Chicago, St. Louis and Indianapolis.
The advantages of the Chicago/St. Louis rail corridor make the area attractive for land-based transportation. Rated as one of the top non-hub airports in the nation for growth, the Central Illinois Regional Airport at B-N is a regional hub for air transportation, offering commuter and jet service to major national and international destinations.
Many opportunities remain for entry into Bloomington-Normal/McLean County's dynamic markets. An enterprise zone, tax increment financing and business incentives are available on a case-by-case basis for commercial interests. The area offers a wide range of business development opportunities and residential choices
- Stats:
www.BloomingtonNormalCVB.org
- Population:
City of Bloomington - 74,975
Town of Normal - 50,519
McLean County - 165,733
*Source: 2000 census figures plus 2005 Town of Normal special
census and 2006 City of Bloomington special census.
- Education:
Public Schools: McLean County Unit #5 School District: 2 high schools, 3 junior high schools and 15 elementary schools, As well as Disctrict 87 of Bloomington.
Parochial Schools: 2 high schools and 2 elementary schools
Illinois State University Laboratory Schools: 1 high school and 1 elementary school
Colleges and Universities: Illinois State University, Heartland Community College and Lincoln College.
www.Normal.org
What others think of Bloomington-Normal
In their most current rankings, Golf Digest ranked the Bloomington-Normal area as the Fifth Best American City for Golf in their "Best in America - Metro Golf Rankings".
The book Cities Ranked & Rated listed Bloomington-Normal as No. 42 out of 400 metro areas citing the area's small-town atmosphere, stable economy and educational attainment as pros of living in the Twin Cities.
Expansion Management rated Bloomington-Normal as one of 72 metro areas with a five-star quality of life, giving the community high rankings in areas such as standard of living, quality of schools and traffic and commute.
Forbes rates Bloomington-Normal No. 20 out of 200 as best small place for business.
Forbes also recently ranked Bloomington-Normal No. 20 on its list of the Smartest Cities in America.
A recent article on the CNNMoney Web site found that Bloomington-Normal had one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation at 2.7 percent (U.S. Average = 5.7 percent), and only 12 metropolitan areas had lower rates.