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WGLT's series that helps Bloomington-Normal's newest residents learn about the community as it exists, and empowers them to make it the home they want it to be.

Welcome Home: Realtors dish on crucial advice for transplants

Constitution Trail
Staff
/
WGLT
Recreational amenities such as the Constitution Trail add quality of life for newcomers to Bloomington-Normal.

Newcomers to Bloomington Normal can be a mirror to the community. The things they want, the things they value, offer insight to people already living in the Twin Cities — and they help each other have a better understanding of what it is to be part of the community.

Realtors are in a unique position to facilitate that understanding. They are among the first people to encounter newcomers to Bloomington-Normal. In the latest installment of our Welcome Home series, we learn what transplants to the Twin Cities most want when they arrive, and the stuff Realtors think is helpful for them to know.

The one thing most newcomers want to know about is schools, said Realtors Amanda Wycoff, Monica Bullington, and Meenu Bhaskar.

Wycoff said the presumption is one school district is markedly better than others. And that's really not the case. The three said they point buyers to state websites for school building data. The newcomer preconceptions extend beyond the quality of the education system.

“They always want to know what's the good one? Which town is better or worse? Which one should I pick? There's got to be a big difference. And we that live here? No, there's really not a huge difference,” said Bullington.

What people come in asking about, and what Bullington thinks is important, also may be different.

“I'm always trying to find out how they spend their weekends. That way I can tailor everything to them. What kind of food do they like to eat? Do they like Indian food? Well, great. I can give you three recommendations off the top of my head. The festivals that Uptown Normal has, what weekends are going to be busy for that. That to me is more impressive than anything,” said Bullington.

Some Realtors said they make a point of taking out-of-town buyers on a community tour.

Bhaskar shows different neighborhoods, often working in school visits, restaurants, and the Illinois State and Illinois Wesleyan university campus areas.

“This takes the whole day for us, but it gives them a very good sense of belonging, a feel whether they will like it or they don't like it,” said Bhaskar.

The order of the tour depends on the needs of the client: cultural life, schools, or urban living.

Wycoff was born and grew up in Bloomington-Normal, but was away for seven years in London and LA. When she came back and started her realty business, Wycoff said she did it with fresh eyes and appreciated how many locally-owned restaurants had sprung up in her absence. She said her palate didn't suffer.

“We have, of course, Uptown Normal and downtown Bloomington, which have great opportunities to eat. One of my favorite restaurants is the Mystic Kitchen and tasting room in downtown Bloomington right across from the McLean County Museum of History. The food is great and it's owned by two gals who are wine experts. And Medici is also a nice option in Uptown Normal. The Epiphany Farms group has also expanded,” said Wycoff.

"When I tell people you can get to the other side of town on a busy day in 20 minutes, they're shocked by that."
Monica Bullington, Realtor

Wycoff sees the community as well-cultured with a variety of performance options from Grossinger Motors Arena to the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts to the Castle Theater and smaller venues. Bullington said she makes a point to go beyond what newcomers can find themselves by Googling.

“I want to show them the hidden gems. It's really easy to find the chain restaurants. What's not easy to find is that White Oak Park is a great place to watch the sunset and then like walk over to Carl's and get ice cream. Those are the things that will really enrich their experience and their lives here,” said Bullington.

Bullington said she tells transplants about accessibility to walking and biking trails, about walking to Uptown Normal for music on some summer nights, about First Fridays and the farmers market in downtown Bloomington. There are little tips like getting up early on Saturday because the peaches sell out early at the market.

Bhaskar said newcomers tend to want the same things they have in the communities they're coming from.

“Mostly people coming from Ohio or Michigan are more open to a suburban kind of area. They don't want a condo or a city place. They want a yard. There is a difference,” said Bhaskar.

And there are differences in regional sensibilities in those coming to town.

“We hear two different talks. When people are coming from California, they're expecting more on the art side; what the city has to offer. Is there any museum? Are there any drama places? People who are coming from Michigan are different in the questions we get from them,” said Bhaskar.

Right now, real estate agents said they see a lot of West Coast people from California and Washington state. A fair number come from Michigan, a few from Las Vegas. Those people tend to be Rivian transplants. There are still State Farm transfers from their regional hubs in the south and west. Higher education folks and doctors come from all over. Ferrero transplants haven't started arriving much yet, said the agents.

Bullington said the cultural values people from Michigan and California have are very different than the Midwest values that persist in Bloomington-Normal.

“Transplants are so surprised to how nice we are, our ability to make eye contact with everybody that we pass on the sidewalk,” said Bullington.

Some things townies take for granted come as a surprise to incoming residents — livability and drivability, for instance.

“When I tell people you can get to the other side of town on a busy day in 20 minutes, they're shocked by that,” said Bullington.

Counterintuitively, Bullington said, people moving into the community might be more adventurous and open to some activities in the areas of the community than townies are, just because the transplants are used to a larger community.

And if they want to branch out, Bullington said the Twin Cities are always right in the middle of how to get to somewhere else. It's two hours to Chicago by Amtrak, and an easy drive to St. Louis or Indianapolis. And air service, she said, is pretty neat, too.

“I love telling people how amazing our airport is; the fact that you can go through security in about 30 seconds at CIRA. It's the most painless airport experience you'll ever have,” said Bullington.

Amanda Wycoff said she emphasizes parks and recreational opportunities with clients.

“We have the Children's Discovery Museum and Uptown Normal. I will take them to Rader Farms because that is the epitome of the Midwest, you know pumpkin picking and all that jazz,” she said.

Locals may think of ISU and IWU,but Wycoff said she tells transplants that Heartland Community College has come a long way, too.

“They have the Challenger Learning Center, which I think is wonderful. They're always trying to expand and do great things and the campus is huge and it's just beautiful,” said Wycoff.

The Realtors said the mix of higher education and traditional business strength of State Farm makes the Twin Cities unlike most other mid-sized communities. With the addition of manufacturing jobs brought by Rivian, Bullington said it's an unusual mix.

“In a small space having this really white-collar community, but also really being known for being a college town, too. Yeah, it's interesting to explain to people, well, you're 'gonna have a lot of students but you're 'gonna have a lot of insurance people hanging out in the same place,” said Bullington.

Bhaskar was once a newcomer and transplant more than two decades ago.

“Within 10 days, the feeling just came to me, my gut start saying oh! I belong to this place. It just gives me a feeling of security. Since then, I have never looked anywhere else,” she said.

And like Bhaskar, for most of these newcomers, Realtors say Bloomington-Normal will become a welcoming home.

WGLT Senior Reporter Charlie Schlenker has spent more than three award-winning decades in radio. He lives in Normal with his family.
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