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Bloomington, Indiana

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City of Bloomington, Indiana
City
Bloomington from above, looking west
Bloomington from above, looking west
Official logo of City of Bloomington, Indiana
Location in the state of Indiana
Location in the state of Indiana
CountryUnited States
StateIndiana
CountyMonroe
Government
 • MayorMark Kruzan (D)
Area
 • Total19.9 sq mi (51.6 km2)
 • Land19.7 sq mi (51.1 km2)
 • Water0.2 sq mi (0.5 km2)
Elevation
771 ft (235 m)
Population
 (2000)
 • Total69,291
 • Density3,512/sq mi (1,356.0/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes
47400-47499
Area code812
FIPS code18-05860Template:GR
GNIS feature ID0431207Template:GR
Websitewww.bloomington.in.gov

Bloomington is a city and the county seat of Monroe County in the south central region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 69,291 at the 2000 census. The 2007 estimate put the population at 72,254.

Bloomington is the home to Indiana University which was established in 1820 and is attended by approximately 40,000 students and is the original and largest campus of the Indiana University system. In 1991, Thomas Gaines, a landscape artist, published a book, The Campus As a Work of Art, in which he named the Bloomington University campus one of the five most beautiful in America. Most of the campus buildings are built of Indiana limestone. Due to the presence of the university, Bloomington is more diverse demographically than is typical for the state.

Bloomington is also the home of the Indiana University School of Law - Bloomington, the world renowned Jacobs School of Music and Kelley School of Business, the Kinsey Institute, and The Midwest Proton Radiotherapy Institute.

Bloomington has been named a Tree City for more than 20 years. The city was the site of the Academy Award-winning movie Breaking Away, featuring Indiana University's annual bicycle race Little 500. Bloomington is also famous for its rock quarries, also featured in Breaking Away, which residents have been known to use as swimming holes (although nowadays would-be swimmers may have to deal with security officers issuing citations and towing cars at the quarries).

Bloomington has sister-city relationships with Posoltega, Nicaragua, Santa Clara, Cuba, and Luchou Township, Taiwan.

Geography

A Fourth of July parade passes the Monroe County courthouse in Bloomington, Indiana

Bloomington is located at 39°9′44″N 86°31′45″W / 39.16222°N 86.52917°W / 39.16222; -86.52917Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (39.162147, -86.529045)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.9 square miles (51.6 km²), of which, 19.7 square miles (51.1 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.5 km²) of it (1.00%) is water.

Bloomington is an area of irregular limestone terrain characterized by sinks, ravines, fissures, underground streams, active steam vents, and caverns. It is situated in the rolling hills of southern Indiana. The relatively varied topography of the city provides a sharp contrast to the flatter terrain more typical of other portions of Indiana.

Climate

Bloomington receives ample rainfall; annual precipitation averages 44.2 inches, with 19 inches of snow. January temperatures average 36 degrees, with July temperatures averaging 86 degrees. Relative humidity is generally high throughout the year.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 69,291 people, 26,468 households, and 10,454 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,511.1 people per square mile (1,356.0/km²). There were 28,400 housing units at an average density of 1,439.1/sq mi (555.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.03% White, 4.24% African American, 0.29% Native American, 5.26% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 1.10% from other races, 2.01% from two or more races, and Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.49% of the population. 22.9% were of German, 10.2% Irish, 9.1% English and 8.4% American ancestry according to Census 2000. 89.3% spoke English, 2.9% Spanish, 1.3% Korean, 1.1% German and 1.0% Chinese or Mandarin as their first language.

Of the households 17.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 29.2% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 60.5% were non-families. 39.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.76.

In the city the population was spread out with 12.7% under the age of 18, 42.3% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 12.6% from 45 to 64, and 7.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females there were 94.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,377, and the median income for a family was $50,054. Males had a median income of $32,470 compared to $26,100 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,481. About 10.3% of families and 29.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.3% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Colleges

Elementary Schools

  • Arlington Elementary School
  • Childs Elementary School
  • Clear Creek Elementary School
  • Fairview Elementary School
  • Grandview Elementary School
  • Highland Park Elementary School
  • Lakeview Elementary School
  • Marlin Elementary School
  • Rogers-Binford Elementary School
  • Summit Elementary Schools
  • Templeton Elementary School
  • Unionville Elementary School
  • University Elementary School
  • Harmony School
  • Bloomington Montessori School

Middle Schools

  • Batchelor Middle School
  • Jackson Creek Middle School
  • Tri-North Middle School
  • Harmony School

High Schools

  • Aurora Alternative High School
  • Bloomington High School South
  • Bloomington High School North
  • Bloomington New Tech High School
  • Harmony School
  • Hoosier Hills Career Center

News and Media

Newspapers

Television

Radio Stations

Transportation

Airports

Highways

Bus Service

Politics

The Democratic Party recently has dominated city politics and has retained the mayor's office since 1972. The current mayor of the city is Mark Kruzan and the democrats control the city council 8-1.

Bloomington was the first city in the state to ban smoking in all public and private businesses, including private clubs. It was also the first city in the state to pass an anti-discrimination ordinance protecting employees from discrimination based on sexual orientation, including a recent law adding "gender identity" to the list of protected human rights.

Festivals

  • Arts Fair on the Square
  • Bloomington Early Music Festival
  • Chocolate Festival
  • EastFest
  • Fourth Street Arts and Crafts Festival
  • Indiana Heritage Quilt Show
  • Lotus World Music and Arts Festival
  • Pride Film Festival
  • Taste of Bloomington
  • Theta Antique Show
  • Third and High Festival
  • Weekly Farmer's Market

Major Employers

Notable residents

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

Nearby points of interest

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bloomington, Indiana.

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