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The Illinois Shakespeare Festival is known nationally in the theatre community as one of the top Shakespeare Festivals. The Illinois Office of Tourism nominated the Illinois Shakespeare Festival as one of the top 120 attractions in the country.
Some stats
Bloomington-Normal Population:
Approximately 110,000
McLean County Population:
Approximately 145,000
Major employers include:
State Farm Insurance Companies, Mitsubishi Motor Manufacturing of America, Inc., Illinois State University, COUNTRY Insurance & Financial Services, BroMenn Healthcare, St. Joseph Medical Center, BroMenn Healthcare, Nestlé USA
More than 200 restaurants
Seven movie theatres and several live theatres
Two shopping malls
Factory shopping mall
Several shopping centers featuring hundreds of specialty stores
Upper Limits Indoor Rock Climbing
Eight public golf courses (including an Arnold Palmer signature golf course)
Nine outdoor swimming pools
Forty-nine area parks
Fifty-two tennis courts
Boating and fishing at Clinton Lake, Dawson Lake, Evergreen Lake, Lake Bloomington, and Miller Park
Constitution Trail; more than 14 miles of hard-surface trail for walking, jogging, biking, and roller-blading
Illinois State University’s campus is in the twin-city community of Bloomington-Normal near the geographic center of the state, 137 miles southwest of Chicago and 164 miles northeast of St. Louis. Interstate highways 74, 55, and 39, U.S. Route 150, and Illinois Route 9 intersect in Bloomington-Normal, creating a transportation hub. An Amtrak passenger station is just two blocks from the University, and the local airport is served by five scheduled airlines, one charter air service, and three rental car agencies.
Illinois State University is easily accessible by several modes of transportation. The following list includes means of transportation frequently used by the Illinois State University community.
Bloomington residents like to eat at restaurants. Bloomington ranks No. 15 nationally in terms of towns with the most frequent restaurant patrons.
McLean Stevenson, who played Lt. Col. Henry Blake on the top-rated sitcom M*A*S*H*, put Bloomington-Normal on the map with his frequent references on the show to “back home in Bloomington.” This former Bloomington resident was a member of the same family that gave American politics two famous Adlai Stevensons—one was vice president of the United States and the other was governor of Illinois, twice was the Democratic party’s nominee for president, and was U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Bloomington-Normal was home to the first Steak 'n Shake restaurant, which opened in 1934.
Abraham Lincoln purchased his hard-to-find size 14 shoes from a cobbler located on Bloomington’s downtown square.
Stand on the top floor of Illinois State's Watterson Towers and you are at the highest point in Illinois between Chicago and St. Louis.
Bloomington’s Kathryn Beich Candies, a division of Nestlé, holds the record for manufacturing the largest candy bar, according to the Guinness Book, famous for chronicling world records. The 7,200 pound candy bar, the ultimate fantasy for chocoholics, was 25 feet long, 6 1/2 feet wide, and 7 5/8 inches thick.
Mitsubishi Motor Manufacturing of America, Inc., has built more than two million automobiles at its Normal plant, which opened in 1988. Among models that have rolled off the high-tech assembly line are the Eclipse, Chrysler Sebring coupe, Eclipse Spyder, and the Dodge Stratus.
McLean County produced two ambassadors to the United Nations - Adlai Stevenson II and Illinois State grad Donald McHenry.
That VISA credit card that’s tucked into your wallet was born in Bloomington. The McLean County Bank, now Magna Bank, originated that credit card, whose concept was sold to BankAmericard. The acronym VISA stands for Vacation Insurance Savings Account.
The Eureka Company of Bloomington made the first electric vacuum cleaner in 1901. They later did hush-hush work for the Pentagon during World War II, including making bomb sites.
Beer Nuts, the unique sweet-and-salty snack food, were first sold by the scoop at the Caramel Crisp Shoppe in Bloomington in the 1950s. More than four million pounds of Beer Nuts are produced annually.
Bloomington-Normal ranks among the top three areas worldwide for corn and soybean production. Ironically, the twin cities have seven streets named for fruits—including, Cherry, Apple, and Bayberry—but none are named for vegetables.
Illinois State used to field sports teams with the nickname, the Cardinals. However, a sports editor at the Pantagraph, the local newspaper, changed the moniker to the Redbirds so that the collegiate sports teams wouldn’t be confused with the St. Louis Cardinals, a major league baseball team.
© 2007 Illinois State University • Contact information • An equal opportunity/affirmative action university encouraging diversity. This document is available in alternative formats upon request by contacting the Office of Admissions at (309) 438-2181 or toll free (800) 366-2478 (Voice) or (309) 438-2006 (TTY)
