If Bloomington is big enough to warrant having five Krogers, it’s big enough that you might need a guide to the different parts of town. Divvying up the city into sections is a subjective matter, but here is a general layout of our ‘blooming- town'.
Campus
This part of Bloomington doesn’t require much explanation. University areas such as classrooms, labs and athletic fields are the heart of IU. Campus abuts the downtown area and is flanked by student housing options, including rental homes and small apartments.
Downtown
The area bounded in by 10th Street to the north, Indiana Avenue to the east, Third Street to the south and North Morton Street to the west is what I consider the downtown area. Worth noting are Kirkwood Avenue and the square around the Monroe County Courthouse, filled with restaurants, bars and shops. Fourth Street is the place to go for international cuising such as Indian, Tibetan and Korean.
The north side
Once you get north of 17th Street (or West Vernal Pike if you’re west of I-69), you’ve arrived in an area that is largely residential and recreational. Many of the housing options in this part of the city are homes and duplexes, as opposed to apartments.
One of Bloomington’s five Krogers is on the north side, as is Griffy Lake Nature Preserve, a city-administered reservoir where you can hike, fish and kayak.
The south side
In my mind, anything south of 2nd Street counts as the south side of Bloomington. Frank Southern Ice Arena, Bryan Park and Switchyard Park are all on this side of town.
Like the north side, this area is quite residential. Closer to downtown, the Vinegar Hill Historic District boasts older, lovely homes. Further south, there’s a higher number of apartment complexes, and the Monroe County Library has a branch to the southwest, too.
The east side
Bloomington's east side — demarcated by State Road 46/South College Mall Road — is dominated by the College Mall area, where there are stores such as Target, Kroger and Morgenstern Books & Cafe. There are also many apartment options nearby for student living.
The west side
I start thinking that I’m on the west side once I’ve crossed Rogers St. Many of Bloomington’s larger stores, such as Walmart, Sam’s Club and Lowes, can be found in this part of town. The AMC Classic Bloomington 12 and Ivy Tech Community College are over that way as well.
More industrial aspects of Bloomington are on display on the west side, between the Cook Medical campus and the plethora of auto services available. This isn’t to the exclusion of green spaces, however, since Karst Farm Park covers 120 acres and includes athletic fields and a dog park.
This article was originally published in the Housing & Living Guide, an IDS special publication.
