Bloomington

theme-park rides at the Mall of America

Bloomington, city, Hennepin county, southeastern Minnesota, U.S. It is a suburb of Minneapolis, located south of the city, and lies on the Minnesota River. Sioux Indians lived there when settlers first arrived. It was settled in 1843 by Peter and Louisa Quinn, who taught farming techniques to the local Native Americans. That year Gideon Pond established a mission in the area. It became a township in 1858 and was named for the Illinois city (see Bloomington, Illinois). A population increase after World War II was accompanied by an expansion of diversified industry.

Bloomington: Gideon and Agnes Pond House

Bloomington’s most famous attraction is the Mall of America (opened 1992), the largest indoor shopping mall in the United States. The mall’s 4.2 million square feet (390,000 square metres) of space includes restaurants, nightclubs, a theme park, a wedding chapel, an aquarium, a miniature golf course, and more than 500 stores. Tourism is the city’s leading industry, but there is also some manufacturing (including computer equipment, lawn and garden equipment, refrigeration systems, industrial filtration systems, welding equipment, metal products, and semiconductors). From 1956 to 1985 the city was the site of Metropolitan Stadium, which was the home ballpark (1961–81) of Major League Baseball’s Minnesota Twins and the National Football League’s Minnesota Vikings. The city is home to a community college (1968). Bloomington adjoins Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport, and a light-rail line links the city with Minneapolis. Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge lies along the river, with Fort Snelling State Park nearby. Inc. village, 1953; city, 1960. Pop. (2000) 85,172; Minneapolis–St. Paul–Bloomington Metro Area, 2,968,806; (2010) 82,893; Minneapolis–St. Paul–Bloomington Metro Area, 3,279,833.