Bloomington is the fifth largest city in Minnesota, USA. Located on the central eastern part of the state, it covers 38.4 sq mi (99.4 sq km) in Hennepin County, and has a populaton of 83,000 people, within the metropolitan area of Minneapolis. The city is 10 miles (16 km) south of downtown Minneapolis.

Old Town Hall, BloomingtonOld Town Hall, Bloomington
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bloomington_Town_Hall.jpg
Author: Elkman
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Bloomington is today the home of several big companies. It is also the location of Mall of America, the largest enclosed shopping center in the United States. Although often regarded as a bedroom community to Minneapolis/Saint Paul, it actually has more jobs per capita than both cities combined.

The earliest European to live in the Bloomington area was a couple, Peter and Louisa Quinn, who was sent by the government to live among the Native Americans of the Ojibwa nation, and to teach them farming methods. They were joined by missionary Gideon Pond. Arrival of Europeans settlers accelebrated with the 1851 Treaty of Traverse des Sioux.

Mall of America, BloomingtonMall of America, Bloomington
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mall_of_America-2005-05-29.jpg
Author: Jeremy Noble
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The town of Bloomington was incorporated in 1858, when Minnesota became a state. At that time, its population was only 25 people. It grew to 820 in 1880 and surpassed a thousaand by 1900. Population growth was particularly robust in the post-World War II years, fueled by birth increase in the baby boomer generation.

The Mall of America was opened to the public in 1992, putting Bloomington on shoppers' radar. It was joined by IKEA in 2004 and Water Park of America, the 9th largest indoor waterpark in the country, in 2006.

Visiting Bloomington

Bloomington is intersected by Interstate 35 running north-south and Interstate 494 running east-west. The Minneapolis/St Paul International Airport is quite near Bloomington. If you fly in, you can take a taxi to reach it.

Wave pool at Water Park of America, BloomingtonWave pool at Water Park of America, Bloomington
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wave_Pool_at_Water_Park_of_America.JPG" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Muka
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Places of Interest in Bloomington

  1. Bloomington Civic Theater
    Performing arts theater where plays and concerts are held.

  2. Mall of America
    The largest indoor shopping center in the United States, with IKEA next door.

  3. Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge
    Sanctuary for local wildlife and birds, this refuge has nature trails and picnic grounds.

  4. Underwater Adventures Aquarium
    Said to be the world's largest underground aquarium, this facility has some 5,000 fish and other marine life.

  5. Water Park of America
    One of the largest indoor waterparks in the country.

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Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.

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