OVERVIEW:
I am absolutely sold on Bloomington, Indiana as a great place to live, and it’s fun to see other people fall in love with this place as well. Bloomington’s got so many of the advantages of the big city, like academics, great restaurants, and excellent cultural life, but at 65,000 people it’s still small enough to know your neighbors. Our cost of living is low, taxes are low, and the quality of life is excellent, as verified by our ranking as the 7th least stressful city in America.
One of the biggest advantages to living in Bloomington is that you can also make a living here. You can be at work (or just about anywhere in Bloomington) within 20 minutes, which beats the heck out of commuting through city traffic. We’ve got plenty of industry, plus the University, that offer employment. In fact, Bloomington has one of the lowest unemployment rates in both the state of Indiana and the country.
Bloomington has been designated an all-American city on two occasions, and been a Tree City for over 20 years.
We’ve got strong community and business participation, plus the beauty and intellectual atmosphere of the campus (which has been called a work of art); plus southern Indiana’s rolling hills, wide open farmland, and natural and manmade lakes; plus international students and tourists and flavor. It is all these factors that make our quality of life so outstanding.
The city and surrounding area have enough entertainment to amuse even the most ardent city-dweller. Art festivals, beer festivals, IU’s world famous bike race, the Little 500, and of course all of IU’s great sports teams; Shakespeare, opera, world music festivals, and restaurants of just about every kind can all be found here, all under one roof, so to speak.
Transportation and Location
The icing on the cake is our central proximity to some of the nation’s greatest cities. We are only 1 hour away from Indianapolis, 2 hours to either Louisville, KY or Cincinnati, OH; 4 hours to St. Louis; and 4-1/2 to either Nashville, TN or Chicago.
Major highways 37 and 45 make transportation easy. Or if you’re flying, Indianapolis International Airport is about on hour away. Bloomington Transit, with its hybrid (gas/electric) buses is a great option for public transportation, especially going to or from the University.
History:
Like all of North America, Indiana was originally settled by the Indians, principally the Miami tribe. French Europeans arrived in the 1600s, and the English in the 1700s.
Academically-minded right from the start, Indiana was the first state in the Union to have state-funded (as opposed to private) schools. Indiana’s state constitution called for a “a general system of education, ascending in a regular graduation, from township schools to a state university,”* At the same time, it set aside land for a public university, and it was on that land that Indiana University at Bloomington was born.
* Carmony, Donald F. A Brief History of Indiana. Indiana Historical Bureau. Indianapolis, 1961
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