We asked our graduate students to tell us what made Bloomington a remarkable place to live, and were surprised by the range of answers we received. Whether you are into nightlife, the arts, sports, good food, nature, or just want to live in a great community, Bloomington is known as one of the best college towns in the country.
USA Today named Bloomington "one of the top ten places for rich campus culture."
Rand-McNally selected Bloomington as one of the eight most desirable places to live in the United States, based on economy, personal safety, climate, housing, services, and leisure activities. And it is affordable: Periodic surveys conducted by the American Chamber of Commerce Researchers Association have shown that the cost of living in Bloomington is consistently at or below the national average.
Bloomington is distinguished by the people who live here, and by those who spend time here as part of the university. Home to a diverse and international community, it is marked by Midwestern charm, open-minded residents, and a peaceful, community-minded way of life.
There are numerous community opportunities for auditions and volunteer engagement in theatre, drama, music, and dance. Explore some of the arts organizations in Bloomington:
The enormous popularity of sketch comedy and improvisation is alive on campus and in our community. Check out various groups or consider starting one of your own: Midnight Snack Comedy, Awkward Silence Comedy, Full Frontal Comedy, and All Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble. Why just sit there when comedy can be such a powerful cathartic outlet?
Bloomington is such a wonderful artistic nook. There are so many opportunities to enrich your artistic life in Bloomington. During my tenure at IU, I worked with local professional theatres Cardinal Stage Company and Bloomington Playwrights Project, a commercial shoot as a casting director, on small film shoots, and I got to sing at a few different special events around town. This is all in addition to the countless students and department projects I was involved with at school. If you're looking for a school to expand your horizons and embrace you as one of their own, IU is the place!
Ashley Dillard, M.F.A. 2017
Ours is one of the most beautifully landscaped and wooded campuses in America, marked by graceful limestone buildings. Cited as one of the five most beautiful campuses in the United States by Thomas A. Gaines in his book The Campus as a Work of Art, it includes wooded pathways and an arboretum.
The Indiana Memorial Union is one of the largest student unions in the country, with a hotel and conference facilities.
Besides the Herman B Wells full research library, the campus hosts a dozen satellite libraries, the Lilly Library rare books and manuscripts archive, and the archives of the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction.
The Eskenazi Museum of Art includes remarkable works by Picasso, Braque, Davis, Rembrandt, Monet, Pollock, Rivera, as well as stunning ancient and non-Western collections.
Never before have I been to a place where it was so easy to make friends. At the university, on the bus, in a store. Bloomingtonians are warm and welcoming, and that, above all, makes life livable in this town. Bloomington was chosen as one of the top ten college towns in the U.S. for its rich mixture of atmospherics and academia.
Edward B. Fiske, former education editor of The New York Times
The College of Arts