The town of Normal, Illinois, spans less than 17 square miles and has a population of just over 50,000 people. Home to the first Steak ''''n Shake restaurant, the farmland around Normal, and its sister-city Bloomington, population 70,000, ranks in the world’s top three for corn and soybean production. There are two dozen hotels in the Bloomington-Normal area, including a new Hampton Inn & Suites®, part of the area’s mid-priced hotel segment. Construction on the hotel, located on south Towanda Avenue, began in the spring of 2006, with a grand-opening set in autumn.
