Bloomington. 1 City (2020 pop. 78,680), seat of McLean co., central Ill.; inc. 1839. The economy is based on farming; electrical equipment is also manufactured. In 1856 the state Republican party was organized in Bloomington, at which time Lincoln delivered his famous “lost speech” (no copy of it is known to exist). The city is the seat of Illinois Wesleyan Univ.; Illinois State Univ. is in adjacent Normal (formerly North Bloomington). Of interest are the burial place of Adlai E. Stevenson and the David Davis mansion, a state historic shrine. 2 City (2020 pop. 79,168), seat of Monroe co., S central Ind., in a forested region; settled 1816, inc. 1878. Electrical and electronic equipment, furniture, and elevators are manufactured. Quarrying and marketing of the limestone abundant in the area has sustained the city's economy for many years. Bloomington is the seat of Indiana Univ., and its growth is closely related to the development of that institution. In the area are Hoosier National Forest and lakes Monroe (Indiana's largest) and Lemon. 3 City (2020 pop. 89,987), Hennepin co., SE Minn., a suburb adjacent to Minneapolis; inc. 1953. The city has diversified manufactures and is the site of the Mall of America, one of the world's largest.
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