Overview

Introduction to Normal, Illinois

The Illinois town of Normal, located in McLean County, was originally known as North Bloomington before its incorporation in 1865. The derivation of the town's name came from the term used to describe the type of school being set up in the town around that time. The general name for all schools designated as teacher’s colleges was a "normal" school, and this is what the new state university (and later the town itself) was called upon its opening in the town in 1861. In later years, this school would no longer be a teachers-training college but would instead become a multipurpose university and would come to be known as Illinois State University.

Normal is adjacent to the city of Bloomington and the two are often linked together as the "Twin Cities." The town is also situated 133 miles southwest of Chicago, to which it is connected by Interstate-55. Other nearby cities are Peoria (38 miles to the west) and Champaign (53 miles to the southeast). The town is also serviced by Interstates 39 and 74. Normal is home to Illinois State University, and Illinois Wesleyan University is in neighboring Bloomington.

Area Attractions in and around Normal

The downtown area of Normal was recently made the home of the new Children's Discovery Museum, featuring three floors of unique hands-on exhibits. The district is also home to the historic and non-profit Normal Theater, a 1937 theater restored in Art Deco motif showing classic and independent films. Other attractions in the Normal-Bloomington area include:

  • Challenger Learning Center at Prairie Aviation Museum: Offers an interactive simulated space science experience for students and the general public
  • Fairview Family Aquatic Center: Features multiple water slides
  • Grady’s Family Fun Park: Bloomington-Normal’s only amusement park with kiddie rides, mini-golf, batting cages, bumper boats, and go-carts
  • Evergreen Cemetery: Buried here are McLean County natives Adlai Stevenson I (Vice-President for Grover Cleveland) and Adlai Stevenson II (former Governor of Illinois, Ambassador to the United Nations and two-time Democratic candidate for the United States Presidency)
  • Illinois State University Planetarium
  • Miller Park Zoo
  • Timber Pointe Outdoor Center
  • Upper Limits Indoor Rock Climbing Gym
  • Pepsi Ice Center
  • David Davis Mansion State Historic Site
  • McLean County Museum of History
  • Miller Park Pavilion & War Memorial
  • Community Players Theatre
  • Heartland Theatre
  • Illinois Shakespeare Festival
  • Prairie Fire Theater

Collegiate sports fans can follow their sport locally with the Illinois State University Redbirds, a Division I athletic program. The Redbirds football team competes in the Gateway Football Conference while most of the other Redbird teams compete in the Missouri Valley Conference. At one time, Illinois State fielded teams nicknamed the Cardinals, but a local sports editor changed the nickname to Redbirds to avoid confusion with the St. Louis Cardinals in newspaper headlines.

Fans of Minor League Baseball can enjoy games played locally by the Bloomington Soy Sox, an independent team which plays in the Upper Mississippi Baseball League (UMBL). For the price of a drive lasting only a little longer than two hours, fans can find major league action galore in the city of Chicago, home to the following teams:

  • Football: NFL's Chicago Bears
  • Baseball (MLB): Chicago Cubs (National League) and Chicago White Sox (American League)
  • Basketball (Men): NBA's Chicago Bulls
  • Basketball (Women): WNBA's Chicago Sky
  • Hockey: NHL's Chicago Blackhawks
  • Lacrosse: MLL's Chicago Machine
  • Soccer: MLS's Chicago Fire
  • Arena Football: AFL's Chicago Rush
  • ABA (American Basketball Association) Basketball: Chicago Rockstars

Demographics

People

Total Population54,808
Male Share of the Population46.7%
Female Share of the Population53.3%
Senior Citizens9.9%
Employed Population 16+28,807
Age of the Population25

Families

% of people married36.7%
Average household size3

Education and Earnings

Population % with Bachelor Degree or Higher37.3%
Median Earnings25+$43,823
Median Earnings Without High School Qualification$26,739
Median Earnings With High School Degree$28,232

Wealth

Median Family Income$86,494
% Above Poverty Level76%
% Below Poverty Level24%

Commute & Sprawl

Average Commute Time17 minutes
% Working from Home4.7%
% Walking and Biking to Work7.3%
% Using Public Transportation2.3%

Housing

People Living Alone28.4%
Median Gross Rent$854
Median House Value$169,700

Ancestry

Other(often includes Hispanic and African American)20.9%
Irish13.6%
English9.1%
Italian4.1%
Polish4.1%
African2.4%
French Except Basque2.3%
Swedish2.3%
Dutch1.7%
Scottish1.5%
Norwegian1.1%
Greek0.8%
Czech0.7%
Russian0.6%
Arab0.6%
Swiss0.6%
Danishn0.6%
Hungarian0.5%
Welsh0.4%
Brazilian0.3%
Slovak0.3%
Canadian0.2%
Croatian0.2%
Ukrainian0.2%
Nigerian0.2%
West Indian0.2%
Palestinian0.2%
Lithuanian0.2%
Finnish0.2%
Belgian0.2%
Austrian0.2%
Turkish0.1%
Jamaican0.1%
Egyptian0.1%
Slovene0.1%
Serbian0.1%
Romanian0.1%
German0.1%
Lebanese0.1%
Kenyan0.1%
Iraqi0.1%
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Normal Almanac

CategoryValue
CountyMclean County, McLean County
Standard Zip Codes61761
Company Zip Codes61790
Phone Area Codes309
Time ZoneAmerica/Chicago
Approximate Latitude40.51
Approximate Longitude-88.99

Normal Climate

Nearest Weather Stations

Notes:

  • Temp ranges are avg daily min and max for the month
  • Precipitation is rainfall (and rainfall equiv of snowfall)

StationNORMAL
Distance0.5 miles
Jan Temp14 to 31 F
Apr Temp40 to 61 F
Jul Temp65 to 86 F
Oct Temp42 to 65 F
Annual Precip37.4 inches
StationCHENOA
Distance20.9 miles
Jan Temp15 to 32 F
Apr Temp40 to 63 F
Jul Temp64 to 86 F
Oct Temp43 to 66 F
Annual Precip34.6 inches
StationMINONK
Distance27.9 miles
Jan Temp13 to 30 F
Apr Temp38 to 62 F
Jul Temp62 to 86 F
Oct Temp41 to 66 F
Annual Precip37.2 inches

Nearby Cities and Towns

LocationPopulationMedian Family Income
Bloomington78,331$90,931
Carlock549$70,938
Danvers1,108$83,125
Downs886$92,500
Hudson2,073$97,125
Towanda491$73,333

Normal Public Libraries

Normal Public Library
206 WEST COLLEGE AVENUE
Normal, Illinois
(309) 452-1757

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More Information for Librarians

Normal Hospitals

Advocate Health And Hospitals Corporation - Dba Advocate Bromenn Medical Center
1304 Franklin Avenue
(309) 454-1400

Normal Public Schools

Chiddix Jr High School
300 S Walnut St
ZIP: 61761
(309) 557-4405
Middle
Total Enrollment 720
Colene Hoose Elem School
600 Grandview Dr
ZIP: 61761
(309) 557-4414
Primary
Total Enrollment 509
Fairview Elem School
416 Fairview St
ZIP: 61761
(309) 557-4415
Primary
Total Enrollment 282
Glenn Elem School
306 Glenn Ave
ZIP: 61761
(309) 557-4418
Primary
Total Enrollment 260
Grove Elementary School
1101 Airport Rd
ZIP: 61761
(309) 557-4417
Primary
Total Enrollment 633
Kingsley Jr High School
303 Kingsley St
ZIP: 61761
(309) 557-4407
Middle
Total Enrollment 914
Normal Community High School
3900 E Raab Rd
ZIP: 61761
(309) 557-4401
High
Total Enrollment 2003
Normal Community West High School
501 N Parkside Rd
ZIP: 61761
(309) 557-4402
High
Total Enrollment 1608
Oakdale Elem School
601 S Adelaide St
ZIP: 61761
(309) 557-4421
Primary
Total Enrollment 426
Parkside Elementary School
1900 W College Ave
ZIP: 61761
(309) 557-4422
Primary
Total Enrollment 340
Parkside Jr High School
101 N Parkside Rd
ZIP: 61761
(309) 557-4408
Middle
Total Enrollment 708
Prairieland Elementary School
1300 E Raab Rd
ZIP: 61761
(309) 557-4424
Primary
Total Enrollment 553
Sugar Creek Elem School
200 N Towanda Ave
ZIP: 61761
(309) 557-4425
Primary
Total Enrollment 546
Ybmc Charter Sch
360 Wylie Dr Ste 305
ZIP: 61761
(309) 454-3898
High
Total Enrollment 35
Thomas Metcalf School
107 S University St
ZIP: 61790
(309) 438-7621
Primary
Total Enrollment 407
University High School
601 Gregory St
ZIP: 61790
(309) 438-8542
High
Total Enrollment 607

Normal Private Schools

Calvary Christian Academy
1017 N School St
ZIP: 61761
Combined Elementary And Secondary
Total Enrollment 328
Epiphany Catholic School
1002 E College Ave
ZIP: 61761
Elementary
Total Enrollment 307
Mulberry School
1101 Douglas St
ZIP: 61761
Elementary
Total Enrollment 17
Sources :
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Normal Colleges
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Historic Normal

photo

Soldiers' orphans' home between 1890 and 1901

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Soldiers' orphans' home between 1890 and 1901

Normal school at Normal between 1890 and 1901

Track to be straightened between 1900 and 1905

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