Bloomington-Normal has made a list of the top college towns in the nation.
The ranking from the American Institute for Economic Research looked at towns under a quarter million in population. The institute ranked the twin cities tenth in the top twenty. The assessment includes a strong arts and entertainment scene with the Castle Theater and numerous art galleries.
Though the overall ranking for Bloomington-Normal was lower than for the home towns of Indiana University and the University of Illinois, Bloomington did turn up second in Arts and Entertainment, fifth in low youth unemployment, and fourth in college educated population.
The area finished near the bottom of the top twenty in rent, city access, bars and restaurants, and innovation.
The institute cautions that to get around in Bloomington you will need a car and refers to Bloomington, not Normal, as the home of ISU.
Tops on the list of great college towns is Boulder, Colorado. Following are: Champaign IL, Flagstaff AZ, Ithaca NY, Iowa City IA, Bloomington IN, College Station TX, and Columbia MO.
Bloomington-Normal finished ahead of Charlottesville VA, Fargo ND, Athens GA, State College PA, Rochester MN, Blacksburg VA, Jacksonville NC, LaCrosse WI, and Bellingham WA.
On the Institute's web site it cites origins at the Massachussetts Institute of Technology during the Great Depression. The American Institute for Economic Research (AIER) now says it conducts independent, scientific, economic research to educate individuals, thereby advancing their personal interests and those of the Nation.
The Institute said it represents no fund, concentration of wealth, or other special interests. Advertising is not accepted in its publications. Financial support for the Institute is provided primarily by the small annual fees from several thousand sustaining members, by receipts from sales of its publications, by tax-deductible contributions, and by the earnings of its wholly owned investment advisory organization, American Investment Services, Inc.
