[5] The city was established in 1818 by a group of settlers from Kentucky, Tennessee, the Carolinas, and Virginia who were so impressed with "a haven of blooms" that they called it Bloomington.

[7][8] The city was also the location of the Academy Award–winning 1979 movie Breaking Away, featuring a reenactment of Indiana University's annual Little 500 bicycle race.

[13] It was a combination of peony and trout lily, inspired by both quilt patterns used by regional folk artists in 19th century and the shape of Downtown Square.

[21] It is in the rolling hills of southern Indiana, resting on the intersection of the Norman Uplands and the Mitchell Plain.

The city's relatively varied topography is a sharp contrast to the flatter terrain more typical of central to northern portions of Indiana.

Because natural lakes or rivers or groundwater are absent from the city and its environs, a number of dams have been constructed on nearby creeks over the last 100 years to provide for the water needs of Bloomington and Monroe County.

Despite all efforts, the city was never able to fully stop the leakage and had to resort to pumping leaking water back to the reservoir.

A new reservoir, known as Griffy Lake, was constructed in a more geologically suitable area north of the city.

Monroe Lake was created by the US Army Corps of Engineers for flood control but has since been used to supply the city and the county with water.

Originally opened in 1967, it was expanded in 2014, and now is capable of producing 30 million gallons of water per day.

[23] The sewer water from the northern part of the city is treated at the Blucher Poole Wastewater Treatment Plant (constructed 1968) and discharged into the Bean Blossom Creek.

[24] The sewer water from the southern half of the city goes to Dillman Road Wastewater Treatment Plant (constructed 1982) and is then discharged into the Clear Creek.

The Bloomington and Monroe County region is home to major employers representing a diverse collection of fields, including education, the life sciences, advanced manufacturing and technology.

[34] Bloomington is a regional economic center anchored by Indiana University and home to a diverse business community involved in pharmaceuticals, medical devices, technology, health care, and the arts.

The site at 1425 South Curry Pike was acquired by plastics lid and cap maker Phoenix's Enclosures, Incorporated in 2017.

A five-channel public-access television station is housed in the Monroe County Public Library.

The station, known as Community Access Television Services or CATS, was established in 1973 and serves as a "dedicated constitutional forum".

[41] In April 1995, Rox, a program produced at CATS (then Bloomington Community Access Television, or BCAT), became the first TV series distributed via the web, with an episode titled "Global Village Idiots".

[44] Bloomington and Indiana University briefly ran a dockless bikeshare program called Pace, launched in June 2018.

SR 37 used to be the main highway through Bloomington running as a four-lane expressway on the westside of the city.

However, after the completion of I-69 throughout the state in August 2024, SR 37 now ends on the southside of Bloomington at an interchange with the interstate.