Bloomington IN is a large town in Indiana. The town makes its living off of selling college apparel, hosting the yearly Little 500 bicycle race, and being the home of Indiana University’s main campus. Growing in population by 4.5% each year, Bloomington IN is one of the few places that you can move to and get a job nearly anywhere.

Bloomington IN has an area of about 28 square miles and houses 80,000 people on any given day (450000 during summer) with another 180000 commuting from nearby areas such as Indianapolis and Terre Haute.

It is located just south of Indianapolis which maintains employment for most non-student residents who commute into town everyday despite housing prices that are more expensive than many other towns in Central Indiana.

Bloomington was originally part of the Northwest Territory before Congress approved Indiana to become a state in 1816, with Bloomington serving as the state capital for two years at which point Indianapolis took over. During the civil war it was home to Camp Morton, a prisoner-of-war camp that housed more than 12,000 Confederate soldiers. The camp closed in 1865 after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation went into effect.

During World War I it was used as a training ground for aerial bombing techniques and hosted 40 planes which were referred to as “the government’s flying circus.” Many of these pilots went on to fight in Europe while others remained at Bloomington IN and trained new recruits during World War II. After Memorial Day a commemoration service is held at the National Cemetery to honor those who died during either of these wars.