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is an incorporated town in McLean County, Illinois, United States. It had a population of 45,386 as of the 2000 census. The smaller of two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area in area and population, Normal's population had risen to 50,519 by 2005.
Originally known as North Bloomington, the town was founded under the name of Normal in
February 1865 and officially incorporated in 1867. The name was taken from Illinois State Normal University, a normal school (teacher-training institution) located there. The school has since been renamed Illinois State University after becoming a general four year university. Normal is adjacent to Bloomington, Illinois, and when mentioned together they are known as the "Twin Cities," "Bloomington-Normal," or simply "B-N." In February, 2008, Forbes.com named Bloomington-Normal as #20 on its list of the 25 smartest communities in the United States. The current mayor of Normal is Chris Koos.
The main campus of Illinois State University, a four-year, fully accredited institution, Illinois oldest public university, is located in Normal, as is Heartland Community College, a two-year, fully accredited institution, also there is a satellite campus of Lincoln College, which offers associate degrees as well as four-year programs.
Uptown Normal (formerly Downtown Normal) is currently being revitalized to attract new businesses, and it was recently made the home of the new Children's Discovery Museum. The district is also home to the historic and non-profit Normal Theater, a restored Art Deco theater owned by the Town of Normal that runs classic and independent films. In 2007, the town council agreed (with each other) to rename Downtown Normal to "Uptown Normal," despite much ridicule from hundreds of long-time Normal residents who think "Uptown" just sounds stupid. To those residents, it shall remain (and will always be referred to) as Downtown Normal.
A large percentage of residents of Normal are employed by Illinois State University, State Farm Insurance (Corporate Headquarters in Bloomington), COUNTRY Financial (Corporate Headquarters in Bloomington), Unit 5 schools, and the Mitsubishi Motors North America manufacturing facility, which manufactures the Eclipse, Eclipse Spyder, Endeavor, and Galant.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 13.7 square miles (35.4 km