Bloomington, Indiana

College towns dominated by student populations and their schools have a number of common characteristics that are ideal for the right kind of person(often a family). The towns are typically beautiful(great architecture), have big sports energy during the school year, dynamic cafe/bar/restaurant scenes, outsized cultural offerings via school programs, and often have great public school systems that the education culture drives. Bloomington has all of this and so families tend to love it.

A note from a graduate student about living in Bloomington:
What I like/admire about Bloomington:
- It is a small, hip college town. I'll admit, it is a pretty cool town to go to college since it caters to the students and social life revolves around the university.
- It is unique compared to other cities in the region and state. I've been through other small towns in Indiana by bus and Bloomington certainly stands out remarkably.

While there is stuff to do in Bloomington it is remote, small and if you're not into the campus life it can get very quiet. A lot of professors commute from outside the city or even Indianapolis(a little over an hour) so they get a bigger social/cultural scene at home. If you don’t want a nightlife built for college kids you’re going to find it snoozy. For families it works great. For young professionals ready to move past the college pub scene it may not be your best choice.

Comment from local on living in Bloomington in 20's/30's: There's a gap in the late 20s/30s age range in Bloomington. There's families of people who work here, students, and not much else. Pay is low, living expenses are high, and there isn't a whole lot of reason for graduates to stick around unless they're already doing the family thing. Most grown-up, non-student places you go to work, you'll be on the very young side.

Bloomington is generally considered a cool, liberal town. There are pretty diverse eats here that serve the college kids all sorts of pretty cheap interesting fare. As noted there are some cultural opportunities with downtown housing theaters, live music, and other performing arts. Those are also available to locals at I.U. The town though is pretty divided between those at school and families who take advantage of the relatively affordable real estate, great family amenities and excellent public schools. This is Main Street America, in a more rural sense in all its glory and so expect that kind of lifestyle.