AARP’s Great Places to Live: Bloomington-Normal, Illinois

Twin cities have urban amenities and easy access to big cities

Tara McClellan McAndrew,

AARP

Published November 19, 2025

AARP’s Great Places to Live is a list of 10 communities that have many of the qualities older people value: good health care, social opportunities, a nice climate, ease in getting around, a thriving job market and rank highly on AARP's Livability Index (find out more about the Livability Index here, including how your community ranks). One set of twin cities that made the list: Bloomington-Normal, Illinois. To see more Great Places to Live, click here.

Population: Bloomington: 78,788 / Normal: 52,193
AARP Livability Index score: Bloomington: 58 / Normal: 57
Average monthly housing cost: $1,200
Perfect-weather days*: 131 per year

A mix of college town (Illinois State University and Illinois Wesleyan University are here) and corporate base (State Farm Insurance, Rivian Motors and the Ferrero sweets maker have operations here), the twin cities of Bloomington and Normal form a cosmopolitan outpost in central Illinois.

At 131,000 residents combined, this community has much of the culture, sports, transportation and services of a larger locale. “Bloomington-Normal is like a smaller version of Chicago,” says Rick Lewis, 64, a retired Illinois state administrator.

Ninety percent of older residents rate BloNo, as it’s nicknamed, as a “great place to live,” says Susan Real, CEO of the East Central Illinois Area Agency on Aging. Adds retiree and longtime resident Susan Marquardt Blystone, 63, “Retirees marvel that they don’t have enough time to take in all they want to do here.”

To Ryan Gruenenfelder, senior director of advocacy and outreach for AARP Illinois, the pace of life is particularly appealing. “One of the things that stands out to me is its access to grocery stores, farmers markets, parks, libraries and jobs,” he says. “The ability to walk safely in a neighborhood with good sidewalks and good crosswalks makes a community feel livable.”

Another selling point is its location: about equidistant to Chicago and St. Louis on Interstate 55. If you need a big-city fix, just drive about 2 1/2 hours in either direction. Amtrak service is also available to those cities. In addition, Bloomington has a commercial airport — with free parking!

Affordability

BloNo has a relatively low cost of living, but recent growth has created a housing shortage that has hiked some rent and home prices. Still, the cost of living is about 13 percent lower than Chicago’s metro area, according to Forbes. In summer 2025, the median price for a home in Bloomington-Normal was $265,000.

Health care

With two hospitals, a cancer center, eye clinics and specialists, residents have ample access to high-quality medical care. For more serious issues, “it’s easy to get to the next level of care because we’re close to major medical centers,” says Marquardt Blystone. Peoria, which has more medical facilities, is only about an hour away.

Culture

The popular Illinois Shakespeare Festival stages the Bard’s and others’ works in an intimate outdoor theater. It's part of the sprawling, castle-like, stone-and-timber Ewing Mansion and its many gardens. Bring a picnic and relax on the manicured lawn.

A popular hangout for older people is the Activity and Recreation Center, or ARC. For an annual $30 fee, it offers pickleball, tai chi, Strat-O-Matic (a baseball simulation game) and a walking track, plus movie showings and meals. “It’s a nice place to go to establish friendships,” says Michael Fulford, 74, retired from the military and teaching.

Sports-wise, locals dink with the Bloomington-Normal Pickleball Club, tee off at several golf courses, cheer at Illinois State Redbirds football and basketball games, or watch the new minor league hockey team, the Bloomington Bison, at the multi-event Grossinger Motors Arena.

Getting around

Forget long commutes. “If I drive, I can get anywhere in town in 15 minutes,” says Lewis. Sometimes he’ll bike or walk the Constitution Trail, a network of paved paths, totaling more than 50 miles, that radiate out from the center of Normal.

Climate

Central Illinois can get hot and humid in summer, and cold and snowy in winter. But spring and fall are temperate. You’ll find many people strolling through BloNo’s parks.

Job market

Bloomington-Normal is booming. New and growing corporations have created more jobs in recent years, and “employers are happy to hire retirees” for full- or part-time positions, especially in office, retail or customer service, says Shelly Purchis, manager of workforce development at the McLean County Chamber of Commerce.

Going-out guide

Sunny-day location: The Bloomington farmers market around the downtown square is the place to be on Saturday mornings from May through October, with an array of food vendors and entertainment.

Weekday evening hangout: Illinois State University concerts on the quad. The tree-lined steps to the limestone Cook Hall (nicknamed Altgeld’s Castle) are alive with music — ranging from Creole to opera — every Monday evening in July, presented by the Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts and School of Music.

Where to take visitors first: Uptown Normal Circle. This popular hangout near Illinois State University is a roundabout park adorned with trees, fountains and benches. Like spokes on a wheel, four tree-lined streets extend from it with restaurants (some with outdoor patios), novelty stores and snack shops, the Normal Theater, the Children’s Discovery Museum (great for grandkids) and the Amtrak station.

AARP initiatives

AARP Illinois recently worked with the Illinois State University Center for Civic Engagement’s Deliberative Dialogue Program to hold educational sessions on Social Security for area residents.

*High temperature between 60 and 85 degrees, with less than 1 millimeter of rain. Source: Yahoo News analysis of federal data

Tara McClellan McAndrew is a lifelong resident of central Illinois who has covered the state and its history for many media outlets, including The Hollywood Reporter, Chicago Tribune Magazine and public radio.

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