Population & Size
With a population of nearly 70,000, the City of Bloomington includes 20 square miles. Monroe County has a total population of nearly 123,000 and covers 394 square miles.
Over 90% of Bloomington's population has a high school diploma and over 80% have a college degree or higher.
Cultural Diversity
Although US Census numbers indicate that 87% of Bloomington's population is Caucasian, the presence of Indiana University ensures a lively mix of cultures and ethnicities around Bloomington. Of the remaining population, slightly over 5% are Asian, just over 4 percent are African American and 2.5% are Latino. Bloomington is home to centers celebrating the cultures of Tibetan Buddhists, African Americans, Asian Americans, Jewish Americans and Latinos.
Location
Bloomington and Monroe County are located in the Midwest region of the United States, among the beautiful rolling hills of south central Indiana. Bloomington is approximately 50 miles from Indianapolis and within 100 miles of both Cincinnati, Ohio and Louisville Kentucky. Over half of the United States population lives within a day's drive of Bloomington.
Climate
Bloomington has four distinct seasons. Summer temperatures average highs in the mid 80's. Average winter temperatures are in the mid 30's. See the table below for more specific information on each month's averages.
| Month |
High (F) |
Low (F) |
Precipitation (in) |
| January |
34 |
18 |
2.7 |
| February |
39 |
21 |
2.5 |
| March |
49 |
30 |
3.6 |
| April |
63 |
42 |
3.7 |
| May |
73 |
52 |
3.7 |
| June |
82 |
61 |
4.0 |
| July |
85 |
65 |
4.3 |
| August |
84 |
63 |
3.5 |
| September |
78 |
55 |
2.7 |
| October |
66 |
43 |
2.5 |
| November |
51 |
33 |
3.0 |
| December |
30 |
24 |
3.0 |
Tourism
Bloomington's tourism industry employs nearly 4,000 full-time equivalent residents bringing home over $51 million in incomes, making tourism the third largest industry in the area. Over $225 million in economic impact is attributed to the travel and tourism industry in Bloomington. During 2000, traveler expenditures in the Bloomington area also led to the receipt of $19.5 million in state government revenues and $10.5 million in local government revenues. Bloomington hosts an average of 3 million visitors per year.
Transportation
Bloomington is conveniently located near several state highways, including Highway 37 and just minutes from Interstate 65, making it an easy trip for automobile travelers. Less than one hour from the Indianapolis International Airport, Bloomington is easily accessible for air travelers as well and Bloomington Shuttle Service provides nine convenient round trips per day to and from the airport. Once in town, transportation is as easy as hopping onto a city or campus bus, renting a car, calling a cab or limo or chartering a shuttle for large groups.
Indiana University
IU enrolled its first 10 students in 1824 as the first college west of the Allegheny Mountains. Now, total enrollment is approaching 40,000 and includes students from all 50 states and more than 130 countries. Students choose IU for its outstanding research resources, facilities and academic programs, 110 of which are ranked in the top 20 nationally. IU is also home to several visitor attractions and performance venues including the I.M. Pei designed IU Art Museum and the IU Auditorium, which hosts a number of nationally-known performers and Broadway shows each year. And, of course the Hoosiers athletic teams have won 24 NCAA titles over the years in everything from Basketball to Soccer to Swimming!
Total # of Hotel Rooms
1800
Room Tax
5%
Sales Tax
6%
Major Attractions
- Indiana University Campus
- Hoosier National Forest
- Lake Monroe
- Lake Lemon
- Lake Griffy
- Morgan-Monroe State Forest
- Downtown Bloomington
- Oliver Winery
- Butler Winery
- WonderLab Museum
- IU Art Museum
- Mathers Museum of World Culture
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- Lilly Rare Book Library
- Monroe County History Center
- Tibetan Cultural Center
- IU School of Music
- John Waldron Arts Center
- Dillman Farms
- Freeman Family Farm
- Farmers Market
- IU Theatre & Drama
- Limestone Heritage/Architecture
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Annual Festivals & Events
| Month |
Events |
| January |
PRIDE: Bloomington's GLBT Film Festival |
| February |
Chocolate Festival
Eagle Watch Weekend
Winter Wine Festival
Arts Week
Theta Antique Show
|
| March |
Indiana Heritage Quilt Show
Wylie House Heirloom Seed Sale
Spring Wine Festival
IU First Nations Pow Wow
|
| April |
Little 500 Weekend |
| May |
Bloomington Early Music Festival |
| June |
Bloomington Garden Walk
Art Fair on the Square
Taste of Bloomington
Limestone Symposium
|
| July |
Picnic with the Pops
BubbleFest
Monroe County Fair
|
| August |
Latino Summer Festival
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| September |
4th Street Festival of the Arts
3rd and High Festival
Lotus World Music and Arts Festival
Bloomington Multi-Cultural Festival
Soul Food Picnic
Monroe County Fall Festival
|
| October |
Hilly Hundred Bicycle Weekend
Bloomington Beer Festival
|
| November |
Hoagy Carmichael Festival
Canopy of Lights
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| December |
Chimes of Christmas
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| Multiple Dates |
Farmers Market - Saturdays, May - October
Downtown Gallery Walks - First Friday, Aril, July, Oct. & Dec.
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Athletics
Home of the Indiana Hoosiers, Bloomington has a rich athletic tradition, but the Hoosiers aren't the only athletic action in town! Bloomington Parks and Recreation maintains the Frank Southern Ice Arena for loads of wintertime fun including hockey, figure skating and public ice skating. Bloomington also plays host to several state, regional and national athletic events including the Indiana State High School Athletic Association Track and Field Finals, the Big Ten Swimming and Diving Finals, the Speedo Champions Swimming Series, Amateur Softball Association National Tournaments, American Youth Basketball Tournaments, Amateur Athletic Union events and more!
Interesting Facts
The 1979 Academy Award winning movie Breaking Away was filmed in Bloomington, Indiana and features the Indiana University Little 500 Bicycle Race and the area's limestone heritage.
Limestone from Bloomington area quarries has been used in structures around the world. A few examples include the Indiana Sate Capitol building along with 26 other state capitols, the National Cathedral, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Pentagon in Washington, DC, and the Empire State Building in New York City.
Legendary musician and composer Hoagy Carmichael was raised in Bloomington and attended Indiana University where he received a degree in law and also performed regularly at the Book Nook, a popular campus hangout. It is rumored that Carmichael wrote the first few notes to Stardust late one night at the Book Nook piano.
The Tibetan Cultural Center in Bloomington was founded by the Dalai Lama's brother and is the only center of its kind in the United States. As a result the Dalai Lama has been a visitor to the Bloomington area on more than one occasion.
Oliver Winery is the oldest and largest winery in Indiana. It began in the 1950's when IU law professor William Oliver got his children to stomp grapes for his winemaking hobby. The winery has been operating commercially since the spring of 1972.
Indiana University was the first state university in the nation to admit women when it first did so in 1867. The first woman to graduate from IU was Sarah Parke Morrison in 1869.
The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction can be traced back to 1938 when biologist Dr. Alfred Kinsey was asked to coordinate a course for students who were married or contemplating marriage. Today, the institute pursues research, collects and archives scientific, cultural and artistic materials and disseminates information to both the scientific community and the public. Recently there has been renewed interest in the Kinsey Institute due to the 2004 Fox Searchlight films picture Kinsey starring Liam Neeson and Lara Linney.
Singer, songwriter, producer and actor John Mellencamp has recorded some of the most powerful and popular American Anthems of the past two decades. Mellencamp was born in Seymour Indiana and currently lives in Bloomington with his wife Elaine Irwin Mellencamp and their two sons.
Visitor Information
Bloomington/Monroe County
Convention & Visitors Bureau
2855 N. Walnut Street
Bloomington, IN 47404
812-334-8900 or 800-800-0037
www.visitbloomington.com
For a free color travel information guide from Bloomington, Indiana click here.
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