Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States and the county seat. It is adjacent to Normal, Illinois, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal Metropolitan Statistical Area^[1] which is often referred to simply as "Bloomington-Normal." A 2006 special census indicated that Bloomington's population was 74,975  Bloomington is the host of the Illinois Shakespeare Festival, which is nationally known as one of the top Shakespearean festivals in the country.

Bloomington stands out from the surrounding Central Illinois area and, indeed, most US cities. In June, 2006, Money Magazine named the city as one of the eighty best places to live in the United States. In November, 2007, the IT publication Computerworld named Bloomington-Normal as #6 of the top ten "techiest" communities in the USA; the Silicon Valley was #1 and Seattle was #10. In February, 2008, Forbes.com named Bloomington-Normal as #20 on its list of the 25 smartest communities in the United States. Golf Digest has also named Bloomington-Normal as one of the 5 best places to play golf in the USA.

Geography

Bloomington is located at 40°29′03″N 88°59′37″W. The city is at an elevation of 797 feet above sea level. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 22.5 square miles (58.3 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 64,808 people, 26,642 households, and 15,718 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,880.3 people per square mile (1,112.1/km²). There were 28,431 housing units at an average density of 1,263.6/sq mi (487.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.92% White, 8.64% African American, 0.18% Native American, 3.02% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.42% from other races, and 1.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.32% of the population.

The City of Bloomington and McLean County comprise the fastest-growing metropolitan area in Illinois. The area's population has grown 28% from 1990 through 2006. The fastest growth has been in Bloomington, as the U.S. Census Bureau conducted a special census of that city in February, 2006, showing a population of 74,975, a 15.7% increase in less than six years.

In 2000, there were 26,642 households out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.3% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.0% were non-families. 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.9% under the age of 18, 12.5% from 18 to 24, 33.3% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $46,496, and the median income for a family was $61,093. Males had a median income of $41,736 versus $29,077 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,751. About 4.3% of families and 7.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.5% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.