Bloomington, Indiana facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bloomington
City
Downtown Bloomington Indiana University Buskirk-Chumley Theater Eskenazi Museum of Art Assembly Hall
Flag Seal Logo
Location of Bloomington in Monroe County, Indiana
Bloomington Location in Indiana Show map of Indiana Bloomington Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Indiana
County	Monroe
Townships	Bloomington, Perry, Richland, Van Buren
Government
• Type	Mayor–council government
Area
• City	23.43 sq mi (60.69 km2)
• Land	23.25 sq mi (60.22 km2)
• Water	0.18 sq mi (0.48 km2)
Elevation	804 ft (245 m)
Population  (2020)
• City	79,168
• Density	3,405.08/sq mi (1,314.72/km2)
• Metro	175,506
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes	47401–47408
Area code	812 & 930
FIPS code	18-05860
GNIS ID	2394196

Bloomington is a city in Monroe County, Indiana, United States. It is the county seat, which means it is the main city where the county government is located. In 2020, about 79,168 people lived there. This makes it the seventh-largest city in Indiana.

Bloomington is famous for being home to Indiana University Bloomington. This is the main campus of the Indiana University system, and it was started in 1820. Over 45,000 students attend Indiana University Bloomington.

The city was founded in 1818 by settlers from states like Kentucky and Virginia. They were so impressed by the many beautiful flowers that they called the place "Bloomington." The city is the center of the Bloomington metropolitan area, which had over 161,000 residents in 2020. Bloomington has been recognized as a Tree City USA since 1984. The city was also featured in the 1979 movie Breaking Away, which won an Oscar. The movie showed a bike race called the Little 500, which is held every year at Indiana University.

History of Bloomington

The land where Bloomington is now was once home to Native American groups. These included the Delaware, Potawatomi, Miami, and Eel River Miami tribes.

Bloomington was officially planned out in 1818. A post office opened there in 1825, and the city became incorporated in 1827.

The city's current logo was chosen in 1986. It combines the shapes of a peony and a trout lily. These flower designs were inspired by old quilt patterns made by local artists in the 1800s. The logo also looks like the shape of the Downtown Square.

Many African Americans moved to Bloomington between the 1860s and 1880s. They came from states like Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. The city also attracted Scotch-Irish Presbyterians from South Carolina.

Geography and Climate

In 2010, Bloomington covered about 23.36 square miles (60.5 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 23.16 square miles (60.0 square kilometers), is land. The rest, about 0.199 square miles (0.52 square kilometers), is water.

Bloomington's Climate

South Central Indiana, where Bloomington is located, gets a lot of rain. On average, it receives almost 50 inches (127 cm) of rain each year.

Geology of the Area

Bloomington is in an area with a special type of limestone ground. This means it has many natural features like sinkholes, deep valleys, cracks, and underground rivers and caves. This makes the land look very different from the flatter parts of central and northern Indiana.

Water Sources

Griffy Lake, once the central source of drinking water for the city

Bloomington is on high ground, between two branches of Indiana's White River. Because there are no big natural lakes or rivers right in the city, and not much underground water, the city built several dams over the years. These dams created reservoirs to provide water for Bloomington and Monroe County.

One important reservoir is Griffy Lake, built north of the city in the 1920s. Later, in the 1950s, two much larger reservoirs were created: Lake Lemon and Monroe Lake. Monroe Lake was originally built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to control floods. Today, it also supplies drinking water to Bloomington and the county.

The city gets its drinking water from Monroe Lake. This water is treated at the Monroe Water Treatment Plant, which can clean 30 million gallons of water every day. Wastewater from the northern part of the city is treated and released into the Bean Blossom Creek. Wastewater from the southern part goes to another plant and is released into Clear Creek.

Environment and Cleanup

For a long time, there was concern about PCB pollution in the area. This was linked to the operations of Westinghouse. Several sites, like Bennett's Dump and Lemon Lane Landfill, were listed as Superfund sites, meaning they needed special cleanup. Most of these cleanup operations were finished by 2012.

People and Population

Bloomington is the main city in the Bloomington metropolitan area, Indiana. This area includes Greene, Monroe, and Owen counties. In 2010, the total population of this metropolitan area was 192,714 people.

2010 Census Information

In 2010, Bloomington had 80,405 people living in 31,425 households. The city had a population density of about 3,472 people per square mile (1,341 per square kilometer).

Most residents, about 83%, were White. About 4.6% were African American, and 8% were Asian. People of Hispanic or Latino background made up 3.5% of the population.

The average age in the city was 23.3 years. A large number of residents, 44.5%, were between 18 and 24 years old, likely due to the university students.

Economy and Jobs

Intersection of Kirkwood and College, Courthouse Square Historic District

The Bloomington and Monroe County area has many important employers. These businesses work in different fields like education, life sciences (which includes things like medicine and biology), advanced manufacturing, and technology.

Bloomington is a key economic hub, largely because of Indiana University. It also has many businesses in areas like medicines, medical devices, technology, healthcare, and the arts. The number of jobs in life sciences in Bloomington is six times higher than the average for the U.S. Jobs in the technology sector have grown by over 80% recently. Some companies based here include Cook Group, Author Solutions, and Singota Solutions.

Inc. Magazine has called Bloomington one of "America's Best Cities for Doing Business." Entrepreneur Magazine also listed it as one of the "Hottest Small Cities for Entrepreneurs." Plus, Forbes Magazine ranked Bloomington No. 3 for "Best Places for Business Careers."

Education in Bloomington

Bloomington High School North

Bloomington High School South

Schools for Kids

Bloomington is served by the Monroe County Community School Corporation. This public school system includes 14 elementary schools and three middle schools. For high school, students can attend Bloomington High School North or Bloomington High School South. There are also private high schools like Harmony School.

Colleges and Universities

Indiana University Bloomington is the main campus of Indiana University. It has over 40,000 students and is known for its very high level of research.

Bloomington also has a campus of Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana. This is the state's public community college system.

Public Library

The city has a public library, which is a branch of the Monroe County Public Library.

Media and News

Newspapers and Magazines

• The Herald-Times: A local newspaper.
• Indiana Daily Student: The newspaper for Indiana University students.
• Bloom Magazine: A local magazine.

Television and Radio

• WTIU is a PBS TV station owned by Indiana University.
• WTTV is a TV station licensed to Bloomington but based in Indianapolis.

Bloomington also gets TV stations from Indianapolis. The Monroe County Public Library hosts a public-access television station called CATS. This station lets local people create and show their own TV programs.

There are many radio stations in Bloomington, playing different types of music and news:

• W203BL 88.9 FM: Christian music.
• W241CD 96.1 FM (Rock 96.1 The Quarry): Rock music.
• WBWB 96.7 FM (B97): Top 40 music.
• WCLS 97.7 FM: Classic rock music.
• WFHB 91.3 and 98.1 FM: Local community radio.
• WFIU 103.7 FM: The NPR station, owned by Indiana University.
• WGCL AM 1370 and 98.7 FM: Local news talk radio.
• WHCC 105.1 FM (Hoosier Country 105): Country music and sports.
• WIUX 99.1 FM: Indiana University's student radio station.
• WTTS 92.3 FM: Adult Album Alternative music.

Getting Around Bloomington

Bloomington Transit Center

Airports Near Bloomington

• Monroe County Airport: This airport does not have regular commercial flights.
• Indianapolis International Airport: This is the closest airport with commercial flights, about 50 miles (80 km) away.

Biking in the City

Bloomington is known as a "gold-rated" bicycle-friendly community. This means it's a great place for biking! There are several important bike trails, like the B-Line Trail. This trail runs almost four miles through downtown Bloomington. Another trail has recently been built along 7th Street.

Major Roads

For many years, Bloomington was one of the biggest cities without a major interstate highway. However, Interstate 69 was completed to Bloomington in December 2015. This connected the city to other major places like Evansville and Indianapolis.

SR 37 used to be the main highway through Bloomington. Now, it ends on the south side of the city where it meets I-69.

State Road 45 (SR 45) and State Road 46 (SR 46) run together through Bloomington on a four-lane highway called the "bypass."

Public Transportation

Local bus service in Bloomington is provided by Bloomington Transit. You can also take bus services to Indianapolis or shuttle services to the Indianapolis International Airport.

Notable People from Bloomington

Note: This list does not include students attending Indiana University except for locals. Please see List of Indiana University (Bloomington) people for famous alumni.

Fun Places to Visit

• The Bloomington Playwrights Project: A theater that produces new plays by American writers.
• Indiana University Bloomington: You can explore the beautiful campus.
• Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction (Bloomington): A research center.
• Lake Lemon: A lake about 10 miles northeast of Bloomington, great for outdoor activities.
• Griffy Lake: Another lake within the city limits.
• Captain Janeway Birthplace Statue: A statue honoring the fictional Captain Kathryn Janeway from Star Trek: Voyager, who is said to be from Bloomington.

Sister Cities

Bloomington has special connections with other cities around the world, called sister cities:

• Santa Clara, Cuba
• Posoltega, Nicaragua
• Palo Alto, California

See also

In Spanish: Bloomington (Indiana) para niños