Bloomington, IL 60 Apartments for Rent

Affectionately known as Bloomtown, B-Town, and the Bloomies, the city of Bloomington, Illinois has grown from an old farm town into a unique city. Here, you can drive through a thriving urban center of dining, eats, clubbing, and museums, then follow the 24-mile Constitution Trail through suburbia-land, and even farther east into the farmlands. Discover the ever-changing landscape with this quick, straightforward guide.

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Transportation. As mentioned above, much of this city can be travelled by way of Constitution Trail. It meanders from the city center through parks and neighborhoods, all the way to the farmlands east of town. It’s a very pleasant bike ride with little traffic worries. However, practically speaking, extreme temperatures during the summer and winter peaks would make any quick bike ride pretty painful. It’s best to have at least one vehicle during periods of harsh weather, but you can get by on public transportation if you look for apartments along one of the 11 color-coded fixed routes of the Bloomington-Normal Public Transit System. And, if you miss the bright lights, big city atmosphere, you can always catch one of the daily Amtrak trains to St. Louis or Chicago.

Neighborhoods in Bloomington:

Near East. Just east of Main Street, this area includes some of the city’s most popular attractions. There is a fun park, which includes an arcade, miniature golf course, and bumper cars. For theater and culture fans, there is Ewing Park, home to gardens and the popular Shakespeare Festival. There is live music and events at the Castle Theater, as well as raunchy bands and parties at Fat Jacks. A little farther east are some suburban neighborhoods with country clubs and beautiful parks. And, you can travel among all of these hot spots by way of the Constitution Trail.

East. The farther east you go, the more suburban it gets. This is the area east of I-55, where neighbors walk the streets among small lakes, green, grassy parks, neighborhood baseball fields, and country clubs.

Near West. This area has some secluded neighborhoods with amazing attractions and unique character. There are tons of bars, clubs, and restaurants along the west side of Main Street. Miller Park is located here, featuring a nice lake, an indoor ice skating rink, an outdoor theater, and a zoo. You can catch some great local bands at Six Strings. And, last but not least, you can visit the US Cellular Coliseum for concerts, hockey games, tradeshows, and ice shows.

West. There is a nice lake at White Oak Park, and lots of creeks meandering through the woodsy neighborhoods near Bloomington Heights.

So that’s the low down on this little town in the heart of Illinois’ beef and grain belt. It’s certainly not cow town anymore. It’s a Bloomtown.

-By Katy Comal