Editing Normal, Illinois (section)

==Economy==
The original [[Steak 'n Shake]] restaurant opened in Normal in 1934.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.steaknshake.com/about-us |title=About Us &#124; Steak 'n Shake |publisher=Steaknshake.com |date=January 12, 2012 |access-date=July 17, 2012 |archive-date=July 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120705062646/http://www.steaknshake.com/about-us/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Mitsubishi Motors North America]] and [[Chrysler Corporation]] established a manufacturing plant under the joint venture [[Diamond-Star Motors]] in 1986. It was Mitsubishi's only North American car manufacturing facility. It was closed May 31, 2016,<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.pantagraph.com/business/local/it-s-over-last-of-mitsubishi-workforce-leaves-plant/article_10872a27-1a11-501f-ac9f-62f5dfce2002.html| title = It's over: Last of Mitsubishi workforce leaves plant {{!}} Local Business {{!}} pantagraph.com| date = June 2016| access-date = June 8, 2016| archive-date = April 11, 2022| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220411224331/https://pantagraph.com/business/local/it-s-over-last-of-mitsubishi-workforce-leaves-plant/article_10872a27-1a11-501f-ac9f-62f5dfce2002.html| url-status = live}}</ref> and purchased by [[Rivian Automotive]] in January 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://electrek.co/2017/01/09/rivian-automotive-electric-vehicle-startup-mitsubishi-plant-illinois/|title=An electric vehicle startup comes out of stealth mode and buys shuttered Mitsubishi plant in Illinois|first=Fred|last=Lambert|date=January 9, 2017|work=Electrek|access-date=January 9, 2017|archive-date=January 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170110020723/https://electrek.co/2017/01/09/rivian-automotive-electric-vehicle-startup-mitsubishi-plant-illinois/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Farnsworth Group, a national architecture and engineering firm with over 500 employees, announced it will be relocating its headquarters to Uptown Normal in the 5-story, $30M, Trail East Development expected to open in 2020, though as of September 2024 the development had stalled.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/normal-s-trail-east-building-percent-booked-before-construction/article_35c62246-b47b-550c-a4d0-6dbaf3a2053f.html|title=Normal's Trail East building 85 percent booked before construction|first=DEREK|last=BEIGH|website=pantagraph.com|date=February 19, 2019 |language=en|access-date=April 23, 2019|archive-date=April 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190423132829/https://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/normal-s-trail-east-building-percent-booked-before-construction/article_35c62246-b47b-550c-a4d0-6dbaf3a2053f.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Afni, a national customer service firm, and Illinois State University's Small Business Development Incubator (SBDI) are also expected to move into Trail East.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://week.com/news/bloomington-normal-news/2019/03/18/isu-seeks-to-start-up-new-business-incubator-in-uptown-normal/|title=ISU seeks to start up new business incubator in Uptown Normal|date=March 18, 2019|website=WEEK|language=en-US|access-date=April 23, 2019|archive-date=April 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190423132831/https://week.com/news/bloomington-normal-news/2019/03/18/isu-seeks-to-start-up-new-business-incubator-in-uptown-normal/|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Rivian]]'s largest U.S. manufacturing plant is in Normal, where it builds all-electric vehicles since 2021.<ref>{{cite news |title=Optimism returns to Normal as electric truck startup Rivian gains traction |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-normal-rivian-auto-plant-20190215-story.html |access-date=January 12, 2020 |work=chicagotribune.com |archive-date=May 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200513065840/https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-normal-rivian-auto-plant-20190215-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Amazon (company)|Amazon]] has ordered more than 100,000 electric vehicles to be built at the plant.<ref>{{cite news |title=Electric vehicle startup Rivian scores $1.3 billion investment from T.Rowe Price, others |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/23/rivian-scores-1point3-billion-investment-from-trowe-price-others.html |access-date=January 12, 2020 |work=CNBC |date=December 23, 2019 |language=en |archive-date=January 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200112173053/https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/23/rivian-scores-1point3-billion-investment-from-trowe-price-others.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[The New York Times]] has described how the company has had a transformational effect on Normal.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Scheiber |first1=Noam |last2=Townsend |first2=Akilah |date=September 13, 2021 |title=Can a Green-Economy Boom Town Be Built to Last? |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/13/business/rivian-illinois-electric-vehicles.html |access-date=March 11, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220311012542/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/13/business/rivian-illinois-electric-vehicles.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The town's major retail center is on Veterans Parkway on the east side of town. It includes [[The Shoppes at College Hills]], an outdoor mall on the site of the former College Hills Mall.