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Illinois Wesleyan University
- Local Atmosphere

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Illinois Wesleyan University - Local Atmosphere - College ProwlerCollege Prowler3.46

Local Atmosphere

B
Where does this grade come from?View all Local Atmosphere rankingsReview this school to add your opinion

Comparable Schools' Local Atmosphere Grades:

Quick Stats

Points of Interest
  • Historic Downtown Bloomington
  • Miller Park
  • Starved Rock Preservation

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

Most Illinois Wesleyan University students will never escape the Wesleyan bubble. The bubble captures students and keeps them on campus for lack of a car, motivation, time, and so on. When students manage to make it off campus, popular draws are downtown and ISU. Since most students hail from the suburbs, they acquaint themselves with Main Street, and the rest of the town might as well not exist. There are a good number of bookstores and coffeeshops for students who want to relax off campus, and they are fairly easy to find; it’s a small town. You’ll have to go to nearby Peoria or Champaign to go to larger events, like concerts. Champaign is a big draw for its bars since no one under the age of 21 is allowed inside Bloomington bars.

Bloomington has a lot to offer for a small community. The people here acknowledge that Bloomington is in central Illinois, the Midwest—not the most exciting or geographically diverse expanse of land in the nation. The community here embraces that. There is enough diversity in lifestyle choice and just enough eccentric people downtown to make things interesting. There is always something to do in town, but oftentimes, it turns out to be the same thing: catch a movie, go downtown, or visit ISU. The new Coliseum built in downtown Bloomington draws a number of large shows and concerts, as well as hosting indoor football games, ice hockey, and the occasional rodeo and Monster truck rally. The University of Illinois is located nearby in Champaign, and many students make the 45-minute drive to party.

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Illinois Wesleyan Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Local Atmosphere at Illinois Wesleyan University

alifeyoul0ve

'14

Political Science and Government

3.1
B-

Mixed Bag

Bloomington-Normal is smack dab in the heart of Illinois. For some people, that's great-- it's close to home, it's a decent size (125,000), and having ISU in town adds a lot to the recreational activities available. Others, however, can't help but notice that for a town so large, it's still Central Illinois, and the people there are just what you'd expect. Lots of farms, lots of Republicans.

Oct 15, 2011

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Local Atmosphere at Illinois Wesleyan University

shavontay

'11

English

5.0
A+

Illinois Wesleyan Is Great

The area is relatively safe. There are a ton of grocery stores and movie theaters. Bloomington Normal police are available to students on campus as well.

Nov 15, 2010

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Local Atmosphere at Illinois Wesleyan University

jordynmagz

'12

Computer and Information Sciences

3.1
B-

Not That Many Distractions

Bloomington is a pretty small town with not a lot going on. Illinois State University is just down the road in Normal, and there is a suitable mall for the size of the town. The one great thing about bloomington is the collection of restaurants with a very diverse option of cuisine. If your ever around, you'll have to check out Puran!

May 25, 2010

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Page 1 of 5

Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

Rate the local atmosphere on the following topics

What is the local atmosphere like at your school?

What is the proximity to other universities? Is there much interaction?

Can you see yourself living here after graduation?

Facts

Shopping Centers
  • Eastland Mall
  • The Shoppes at College Hills
  • The Shoppes at Grand Prarie
Major Sports Teams None:
City Web Sites
Distances to Nearest Major Cities
  • Chicago: IL: 2 hours, 20 minutes
  • St. Louis: MO: 2 hours, 40 minutes
Did You Know?


Five Fun Facts about Bloomington:
• The first Steak ‘n Shake was built in Bloomington-Normal. It has since been converted into a Monical’s Pizza.

• Bloomington and Normal are twin cities. Normal was named after the founding of Illinois Normal State University by the town’s founder.

• Three major corporations got their start in Bloomington: State Farm Insurance, Beer Nuts, and Nestle Beich.

• Central Illinois is prone to tornadoes, but Bloomington has never suffered a direct hit. This is because Bloomington-Normal is on low-lying land surrounded by rolling hills, which creates a valley.
• Bloomington is home to the American Rabbit Breeders Association’s headquarters.

Famous People from Bloomington:
Adlai Stevenson; Sean Hayes and John Malkovich both attended ISU.

Local Slang:
Hellaboosy – Awesome
Weak Sauce – Lame
What’s good in the hood? – What’s going on in the neighborhood?
Yessir – Correct, affirmative

Movie TheatersWhat's This?

Castle Theater
209 E. Washington St.
Bloomington
(309) 829-4647

University Cinemas
1010 S. Main St.
Normal
(309) 862-2221

Most Recent Student Author

College Prowler guides are in the hands of students throughout the entire process. Because you can't make student-written guides without the students, we have students at each campus who write, edit, and survey their peers for every guide that we publish. Thanks to our most recent student author at IWU

Name: Diego Báez

Major: English Writing

see all student author bios >

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College Prowler is seeking talented student authors to assist with writing and updating the College Prowler guides to their schools. This is a great opportunity for a student to gain experience and tremendous exposure, utilize new media techniques, and share advice with high school students about what life is really like at your college.

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