Bloomington - in the heart of Illinois
Nothing to do ? Well, no, I wouldn’t say that... We stayed in Bloomington for about 2 weeks and we managed to find things to do :-)Actually, we enjoyed our stay there very much. Of course it ain’t Chicago, but staying with my aunt’s friends was the best way for me to experience the real “American way of life”...Although Josette is half Belgian, so it was more the Belgian-American way of life :-) But I truely had the time of my life ! Just relax and have interesting discussions with family and friends is a great way to spend one’s holiday as well.
Malls and stores are differents from what we knew at home, and of course it is always funny to discover new brands and products, like salted pop-corn :-)
The city center is practically inexistant in comparison to European towns, you can’t go shopping without a car for example.
During the 13 days we were staying with them, Josette and Terry kindly showed us around and we visited Chicago for a week-end, Saint Louis the other week-end, Springfield and New Salem. So I wanted to write this page to thank them for their warm welcome... We were very sad to leave, really... And I can’t wait to go back :-)
"Some facts"
Located in the heart of central Illinois, southwest of Chicago, and north of Springfield, the state Capital, and of Saint Louis, the growing Bloomington is also the County Seat of McLean County (the largest in Illinois).
The agricultural area in which Bloomington lies is one of the most productive in the whole nation but the economy is quite diverse. The city counts, in addition to the major manufacturers and industries, two universities, three hospitals, a convention center, two indoor malls, an outdoor outlet mall, and many banks and Savings & Loan Associations.
Bloomington is also a twin city with the town of Norlmal and this certainly played a role in the fact that the town is one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in Illinois.
The main company in Bloomington is probably State Farm Insurance, as the headquarters are located in the city.


Center for Natural Sciences
State Farm Headquarters
curb appeal