Bloomington, city, seat of Monroe County, south central Indiana; incorporated 1877. It has industries manufacturing electronic equipment, household appliances, elevators, and medical devices. It is the seat of Indiana University. Limestone quarries, Lake Monroe, and several state parks are nearby. The community was settled about 1816, when President James Monroe selected the site for a seminary (now Indiana University); the name probably was chosen because the first settlers found a profusion of flowers in bloom. Population 51,646 (1980); 60,633 (1990); 69,291 (2000).
