Bloomington is a city in
Hennepin County, Minnesota
Hennepin County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,281,565, and was estimated to be 1,273,334 in 2024, making it the most populous county in Minnesota and the 34th-most populous count ...
, United States. It is located on the north bank of the
Minnesota River
The Minnesota River () is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 332 miles (534 km) long, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It drains a watershed of in Minnesota and about in South Dakota and Iowa.
It rises in southwestern ...
above its confluence with the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...
, south of downtown
Minneapolis
Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
and just south of the
Interstate 494/
694 Beltway
A ring road (also known as circular road, beltline, beltway, circumferential (high)way, loop or orbital) is a road or a series of connected roads encircling a town, city or country. The most common purpose of a ring road is to assist in reducin ...
. The population was 89,987 at the
2020 census,
making it Minnesota's
fourth-largest city.
Bloomington was established as a
post–World War II housing boom suburb connected to Minneapolis's urban street grid, and is serviced by four major freeways:
Interstate 35W running north-south through the approximate middle of the city,
Minnesota State Highway 77, also signed as Cedar Avenue, running north-south near the eastern end of the city,
U.S. Highway 169, running north-south along the western boundary of the city, and
Interstate 494 running east-west at the northern border.
Minnesota State Highway 100 also terminates within city limits at Interstate 494. Large-scale commercial development is concentrated along the I-494 corridor. Besides an extensive city park system, with over of parkland per capita,
Bloomington is also home to
Hyland Lake Park Reserve in the west and
Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge in the southeast.
Bloomington has more jobs per capita than either Minneapolis or Saint Paul, due in part to the United States' largest enclosed
shopping center
A shopping center in American English, shopping centre in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English (see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, spelling differences), shopping complex, shopping arcade, ...
, the
Mall of America, which is located inside of the city.
The mall has over 500 stores and contains
an amusement park. The headquarters of
Dayforce
Dayforce, Inc., formerly Ceridian, is a provider of human resources software and services with employees across its global footprint in the United States, Canada, Europe, Middle East, Latinamerica, Africa (EMEA), and the Asia Pacific Japan (AP ...
,
Donaldson Company,
Great Clips,
Dairy Queen
International Dairy Queen, Inc. (DQ) is an American multinational fast food chain founded in 1940 and currently headquartered in Bloomington, Minnesota. The first Dairy Queen was owned and operated by Sherb Noble and first opened on June 22, ...
,
HealthPartners, and
Toro
Toro may refer to:
Places
*Toro, Molise, a ''comune'' in the Province of Campobasso, Italy
*Toro, Nigeria, a Local Government Area of Bauchi State, Nigeria
*Toro, Shizuoka, an archaeological site in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan
*Toro, Zamora, a ''m ...
, and major operations of
Pearson,
General Dynamics
General Dynamics Corporation (GD) is an American publicly traded aerospace and defense corporation headquartered in Reston, Virginia. As of 2020, it was the fifth largest defense contractor in the world by arms sales and fifth largest in the Unit ...
,
Seagate Technologies, and
Express Scripts
Express Scripts Holding Company is a pharmacy benefit management (PBM) organization. In 2017 it was the 22nd-largest company in the United States by total revenue as well as the largest pharmacy benefit management (PBM) organization in the Unit ...
are also based in the city.
The city was named after
Bloomington, Illinois
Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census showed the city had a population of 78,680, making it the List of municipalities in Illinois, 13th-most populous ci ...
.
History
In 1839, with renewed conflict with the
Ojibwa
The Ojibwe (; syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the northern plains, extending into the subarctic and thro ...
nation, Chief
Cloud Man relocated his band of the
Mdewakanton
The Mdewakanton or Mdewakantonwan (also spelled ''Mdewákhaŋthuŋwaŋ'' and currently pronounced ''Bdewákhaŋthuŋwaŋ'') are one of the sub-tribes of the Isanti (Santee) Dakota people, Dakota (Sioux). Their historic home is Mille Lacs Lake (Da ...
Sioux
The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin ( ; Dakota/ Lakota: ) are groups of Native American tribes and First Nations people from the Great Plains of North America. The Sioux have two major linguistic divisions: the Dakota and Lakota peoples (translati ...
from
Bde Maka Ska
Bde Maka Ska ( , previously named Lake Calhoun) is the largest lake in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, and part of the city's Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway#Paths_around_lakes, Chain of Lakes. Surrounded by city park land and circled b ...
in
Minneapolis
Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
to an area named Oak Grove in southern Bloomington, close to present-day Portland Avenue.
In 1843, Peter and Louisa Quinn, the first European settlers to live in Bloomington, built a cabin along the
Minnesota River
The Minnesota River () is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 332 miles (534 km) long, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It drains a watershed of in Minnesota and about in South Dakota and Iowa.
It rises in southwestern ...
in the area.
[History of Bloomington](_blank)
The government had sent them to teach the Native Americans European-derived farming methods.
Gideon Hollister Pond, a
missionary
A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...
who had been following and recording the Dakota language from Cloud Man's band, relocated later that year, establishing Oak Grove Mission, his log cabin. Pond and his family held church services and taught the Dakota school subjects and Western farming. Passage across the Minnesota River in Bloomington came in 1849 when William Chambers and Joseph Dean opened the Bloomington Ferry. It remained operational until 1889, when the
Bloomington Ferry Bridge was built.
After the
Treaty of Traverse des Sioux
The Treaty of Traverse des Sioux () was signed on July 23, 1851, at Traverse des Sioux in Minnesota Territory between the United States government and the Dakota people, Upper Dakota Sioux bands. In this land cession treaty, the Sisseton and Wahpe ...
in 1851, the territory west of the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...
, including Bloomington, was opened to settlers. A group of pioneers settled in Bloomington, including the Goodrich, Whalon, and Ames families. They named the area Bloomington after the city they were from,
Bloomington, Illinois
Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census showed the city had a population of 78,680, making it the List of municipalities in Illinois, 13th-most populous ci ...
. Most early jobs were in
farming
Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...
,
blacksmithing, and
flour milling.
The Oxborough family, who came from Canada, built a trading center on
Lyndale Avenue and named it Oxboro Heath. Today, the Clover Shopping Center rests near the old trading center site and the nearby Oxboro Clinic is named after them. The Baliff family opened a grocery and general store at what is today Penn Avenue and Old Shakopee Road, and Hector Chadwick, after moving to the settlement, opened a blacksmith shop near the Bloomington Ferry. In 1855, the first public school for all children was opened in Miss Harrison's house, with the first school, Gibson House, built in 1859.
On May 11, 1858, the day Minnesota was admitted into the union and officially became a state, 25 residents incorporated the Town of Bloomington. By 1880, the population had grown to 820.
In 1892, the first town hall was built at Penn and Old Shakopee Road. By then, the closest Dakota to Minneapolis lived at the residence of Gideon Pond.
1900s to 1930s
After 1900, the population surpassed 1,000 and Bloomington began to transform into a city. With rising population came conflict among citizens over social issues. Among the major issues during this period were parents' unwillingness to consolidate the individual schools into a single, larger school, and fear of mounting taxes. By 1900, there were six rural schools spread throughout the territory with over 200 students enrolled in grades first through eighth. In 1917, the school consolidation issue was settled when voters approved the consolidation. A year later,
secondary education
Secondary education is the education level following primary education and preceding tertiary education.
Level 2 or ''lower secondary education'' (less commonly ''junior secondary education'') is considered the second and final phase of basic e ...
and
school bus
A school bus is any type of bus owned, leased, contracted to, or operated by a school or school district. It is regularly used to Student transport, transport students to and from school or school-related activities, but not including a charter ...
transportation began throughout the city.
Telephone
A telephone, colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that enables two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most ...
service and
automobiles
A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...
appeared.
1940s to 1950s
From 1940 to 1960, the city's population increased to nine times that of the population at the turn of the century. During the 1940s, the city's development vision was
low-cost,
low-density housing, each with its own
well
A well is an excavation or structure created on the earth by digging, driving, or drilling to access liquid resources, usually water. The oldest and most common kind of well is a water well, to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The ...
and
septic system. The rapid population growth was due in part to the post-World War II boom and subsequent birth of the
baby boomer
Baby boomers, often shortened to boomers, are the demographic cohort preceded by the Silent Generation and followed by Generation X. The generation is often defined as people born from 1946 to 1964 during the mid-20th century baby boom that ...
generation. In 1947, the first
fire station
__NOTOC__
A fire station (also called a fire house, fire hall, firemen's hall, or engine house) is a structure or other area for storing firefighting apparatuses such as fire apparatus, fire engines and related vehicles, personal protective equ ...
was constructed and equipped at a cost of $24,000 and the Bloomington
Volunteer Fire Department
A volunteer fire department (VFD) is a fire department of volunteers who perform fire suppression and other related emergency services for a local jurisdiction. Volunteer and retained (on-call) firefighters are expected to be on call to respo ...
was established with 25 members.

The 1950s saw a considerable expansion of the city and its infrastructure, with the city shifting away from its small-town atmosphere and feel. In 1950, because of the increasing population, the first elementary school, Cedarcrest, was built. It was evident that one consolidated school could no longer serve the growing population, and ten new schools were built in this decade to meet the need. In 1952, the first large business,
Toro Manufacturing Company, moved to Bloomington. The significance of this can be seen in Bloomington today, which is home to hundreds of businesses of all types.
In 1953, Bloomington changed from a
township
A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries.
Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...
to a village form of government. This more professional approach to government was accompanied by open council meetings, land use plans, and published budgets. The effects of this new form of government began immediately, first with the formation of the city police department (at a cost of $2 per taxpayer) and then with the first parkland acquisition. Both
Bush Lake Beach and Moir Park were established at a cost of one dollar to each residence. Today, about 1/3 of the city's land area is devoted to city and regional parks, playgrounds, and open space. In 1956, the first city land-use plan was initiated with the construction of
Interstate 35W and
Metropolitan Stadium
Metropolitan Stadium (often referred to as "the Met", "Met Stadium", or now "the Old Met" to distinguish from the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Metrodome) was an outdoor sports stadium in the West North Central states, north central United State ...
.
In 1957,
Bloomington High School opened at West 88th Street and Sheridan Avenue South.
In 1958, the city changed from a village government to a
council-manager form. One of the first policies the council adopted was encouragement of commercial and industrial development, low-cost housing, and shopping centers. Due to the rapid population increase during this time, police and fire departments changed to a 24-hour dispatching system, and the fire department (now with 46 members) converted a garage into the second fire station.
1960s to 1970s

The 1960s saw accelerated school and business growth throughout the city. On November 8, 1960, Bloomington officially became a city as voters approved the city's organizing document, the city charter. The charter provides for a council-manager form of government in which the city council exercises the city's legislative power and determines all city policies (see
City of Bloomington Government). In 1965, a second high school,
John F. Kennedy High School, was built, and Bloomington High School was renamed
Abraham Lincoln High School. In 1967, a second and third official fire station were approved and built to more effectively combat fires in the increasingly large city. In 1968, Normandale State Junior College opened with an initial enrollment of 1,358 students. In 1974, it was renamed
Normandale Community College to reflect expanded courses of study.
From 1961 to 1981, Bloomington was home to most of Minnesota's major sports teams. In 1961, after the completion of
Metropolitan Stadium
Metropolitan Stadium (often referred to as "the Met", "Met Stadium", or now "the Old Met" to distinguish from the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Metrodome) was an outdoor sports stadium in the West North Central states, north central United State ...
in 1956, both the
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...
and
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...
began regular-season play. Though originally built for the
American Association Minneapolis Millers
The Minneapolis Millers were an American professional minor league baseball team that played in Minneapolis, Minnesota, through 1960. In the 19th century a different Minneapolis Millers were part of the Western League. The team played first in ...
, a
minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...
baseball team, Metropolitan Stadium was renovated and expanded for
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
and the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
. The first Twins game was held on April 21 (
Washington 5, Twins 3) and the first Vikings game was held on September 17 (Vikings 37,
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...
13). On August 21, 1965,
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
played Metropolitan Stadium, their only stop ever in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. In 1967, with the expansion of the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
, the
Metropolitan Sports Center
The Met Center was an indoor arena that stood in Bloomington, Minnesota, United States, a suburb of Minneapolis. The arena, which was completed in 1967 by Minnesota Ice, just to the north of Metropolitan Stadium, seated 15,784. It was the home o ...
was built near Metropolitan Stadium and the
Minnesota North Stars
The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the team's colors for ...
began play later that year.
A number of new city buildings were constructed in the 1970s. In 1970,
Thomas Jefferson High School, Bloomington Ice Garden rink one, and a fourth fire station were built. In 1971, school enrollment peaked with 26,000 students, and the fire department had grown to a force of 105 men. (In 1974, after a six-hour city council meeting, women were allowed to join the Bloomington Fire Department, but the city's first female firefighter, Ann Majerus Meyer, did not join the department until 1984; she retired in 2013). In 1975, a second rink was added to the Bloomington Ice Garden and a fifth fire station built, with a sixth added in 1979.
1980s to present
The 1980s brought radical change to Bloomington with the departure of the Twins and Vikings. On September 30, 1981, the last baseball game was played at Metropolitan Stadium (
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...
5, Twins 2) as the Twins and Vikings moved to the newly constructed
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in
downtown Minneapolis
Central is a defined community in Minneapolis that consists of six smaller official neighborhoods around the downtown and central business core. It also includes the many old flour mills, the Mill District, and other historical and industri ...
for the 1982 season. In 1985, the Bloomington Port Authority purchased the Met Stadium site and in less than two years approved first site plans for
Mall of America. Two years later, groundbreaking took place for the new megamall, and in 1992, it opened to the public. Today, tenants of Mall of America, when combined, constitute the largest private-sector employer in Bloomington, employing about 13,000 people.
In 1993, the Minnesota North Stars moved to
Dallas
Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
, and a year later the
Metropolitan Sports Center
The Met Center was an indoor arena that stood in Bloomington, Minnesota, United States, a suburb of Minneapolis. The arena, which was completed in 1967 by Minnesota Ice, just to the north of Metropolitan Stadium, seated 15,784. It was the home o ...
was demolished. In 2004, an
IKEA
IKEA ( , ) is a Multinational corporation, multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in Sweden that designs and sells , household goods, and various related services.
IKEA is owned and operated by a series of not-for-profit an ...
store opened on the west end of the former Met Center site. The remainder of the property is planned to be the site for Mall of America Phase II. In May 2006, the
Water Park of America (now Great Wolf Lodge) opened.
In 2019, Bloomington passed an ordinance that forbade filming students of
Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in a public park. This led to a successful lawsuit in the
United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (in case citations, 8th Cir.) is a United States federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the following United States district courts:
* Eastern District of Arkansas
* Western ...
against the city to reinstate the
First Amendment
First most commonly refers to:
* First, the ordinal form of the number 1
First or 1st may also refer to:
Acronyms
* Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array
* Far Infrared a ...
rights of the parties involved.
Keith Ellison
Keith Maurice Ellison (born August 4, 1963) is an American politician and lawyer serving since 2019 as the 30th attorney general of Minnesota. A member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), Ellison was the U.S. representative for fr ...
had previously asked the court to drop the case.
Bloomington was a potential site for hosting the
Expo 2027. However, in June 2023,
Belgrade
Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
,
Serbia
, image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg
, national_motto =
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg
, national_anthem = ()
, image_map =
, map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
was chosen for hosting the Expo 2027.
Geography

According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has an area of , of which is land and or 9.73% is water.
There are three primary land types in the city. The northeastern part of the city is a sand plain, low hills dominate the western part, and the far south lies within the valley of the
Minnesota River
The Minnesota River () is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 332 miles (534 km) long, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It drains a watershed of in Minnesota and about in South Dakota and Iowa.
It rises in southwestern ...
.
About a third of the city is permanently reserved for park purposes, including two large natural areas—the Minnesota Valley's
wetland
A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...
s (controlled by the City and the
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is a List of federal agencies in the United States, U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of the Interior which oversees the management of fish, wildlife, ...
) and the Hyland Lake Park Reserve (controlled by the
Three Rivers Park District).
Water bodies in the city include
Bush Lake, Long Meadow Lake,
Normandale Lake, Marsh Lake (Hennepin), Nine Mile Creek, Penn Lake and about 100 small lakes and ponds with their
wetland
A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...
habitat
In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...
s.
The city is informally divided by
Interstate 35W into "West Bloomington" and "East Bloomington". West Bloomington is mostly residential with newer housing stock, along with multi-story office high-rises along
Interstate Highway 494 in the north, whereas East Bloomington contains more
industry
Industry may refer to:
Economics
* Industry (economics), a generally categorized branch of economic activity
* Industry (manufacturing), a specific branch of economic activity, typically in factories with machinery
* The wider industrial sector ...
, destination
retail
Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is the sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholes ...
centers, and the majority of Bloomington's less expensive housing. The dividing line may be placed as far west as France Avenue, where the high school attendance boundaries meet.
Economy
The city is home to a large contingent of employers, providing more than 100,000 jobs. Benefiting from its proximity to major transportation routes and the
Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport, Bloomington is a major hospitality center with nearly 8,000 hotel rooms.
Ceridian
Dayforce, Inc., formerly Ceridian, is a provider of human resources software and services with employees across its global footprint in the United States, Canada, Europe, Middle East, Latinamerica, Africa ( EMEA), and the Asia Pacific Japan (A ...
,
Donaldson Company, the
Evangelical Free Church of America,
Great Clips,
Leeann Chin,
HealthPartners,
Holiday Stationstores
Holiday Stationstores is an American chain of gasoline and convenience stores based in Bloomington, Minnesota. The chain operated roughly 500 locations in 10 states, mostly in its home state of Minnesota, as well as the Northern Tier (United Stat ...
, Highland Bank,
Thermo King,
Dairy Queen
International Dairy Queen, Inc. (DQ) is an American multinational fast food chain founded in 1940 and currently headquartered in Bloomington, Minnesota. The first Dairy Queen was owned and operated by Sherb Noble and first opened on June 22, ...
and
Toro
Toro may refer to:
Places
*Toro, Molise, a ''comune'' in the Province of Campobasso, Italy
*Toro, Nigeria, a Local Government Area of Bauchi State, Nigeria
*Toro, Shizuoka, an archaeological site in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan
*Toro, Zamora, a ''m ...
have their headquarters in Bloomington.
Top employers

According to the City's 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:
Other major employers include
Express Scripts
Express Scripts Holding Company is a pharmacy benefit management (PBM) organization. In 2017 it was the 22nd-largest company in the United States by total revenue as well as the largest pharmacy benefit management (PBM) organization in the Unit ...
,
Thermo King Corporation/
Ingersoll Rand Inc., and Polar Semiconductor Inc.
Development
While the city is still largely suburban in nature, Bloomington has promoted the development of several urban nodes, particularly in areas well-served by public transportation. The Penn-American District, located near the center of the city, is home to
Southtown Center and several new apartment buildings, and is served by the
Metro Orange Line. The
Normandale Lake District contains a large office complex and is situated between Normandale Lake and
Interstate 494. Finally, the South Loop District, which forms the area around the Mall of America, encompasses the
Minnesota River
The Minnesota River () is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 332 miles (534 km) long, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It drains a watershed of in Minnesota and about in South Dakota and Iowa.
It rises in southwestern ...
bluff and many new hotel, apartment, office, and retail buildings, including the
Bloomington Central Station development on the
Metro Blue Line light rail.
Education
ISD 271 has served the pre-kindergarten to grade 12 educational needs of the city since the 1960s, with an operating fund revenue of $148.1 million in 2020. Fifteen public schools in Bloomington are operated by the district as well as a K-12 online school, governed by a seven-member elected school board, which appointed Superintendent Eric Melbye in 2021. The previous superintendent, Les Fujitake, served from 2006 until 2020. The city's first public
charter school
A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autono ...
, Seven Hills Preparatory Academy, opened in 2006. As many families remain in or continue to move into the city, there has been support for levy increases. In 1999, the then-largest school bond issue in Minnesota history was approved, funding a $107 million school expansion and renovation project.
The district's two high schools are
John F. Kennedy High School in the east and
Thomas Jefferson High School in the west. New Code Academy is an online high school for students in any area. The determining boundary for high school attendance runs near the center of Bloomington on France and Xerxes Avenues, though both schools have open enrollment.
Bloomington's third high school,
Abraham Lincoln High School (originally Bloomington High School), closed in 1982 and was sold to the
Control Data Corporation
Control Data Corporation (CDC) was a mainframe and supercomputer company that in the 1960s was one of the nine major U.S. computer companies, which group included IBM, the Burroughs Corporation, and the Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), the N ...
in the mid-1980s. Bloomington Stadium, next to the former high school, is still used by both
Kennedy High School and
Jefferson High School for
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
,
lacrosse
Lacrosse is a contact team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game w ...
, and
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
games.
Mindquest, the nation's first
online
In computer technology and telecommunications, online indicates a state of connectivity, and offline indicates a disconnected state. In modern terminology, this usually refers to an Internet connection, but (especially when expressed as "on lin ...
public high school
A state school, public school, or government school is a primary school, primary or secondary school that educates all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in part by taxation and operated by the government of the state. State-f ...
, operated between 1995 and 2003 through the Bloomington Public Schools.
Private schools
* Bloomington Lutheran School is a K–8 Christian school associated with the
WELS
Wels (; Central Bavarian: ''Wös'') is a city in Upper Austria, on the Traun River near Linz. It is the county seat of Wels-Land, and with a population of approximately 60,000, the List of cities and towns in Austria, eighth largest city in Aus ...
. The school is near Bloomington Ferry Road and Old Shakopee Road.
* Nativity of Mary School is on Lyndale Avenue. It is associated with the Nativity of Mary Catholic Church and community.
*
United Christian Academy provides K–12 Christian Education. Just west of France Avenue on 98th Street, it is interdenominational with representation of over 60 different Christian churches.
Higher education

*
Normandale Community College is a two-year college with about 18,000 full- and part-time students,
founded in 1968. It is part of the
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system or Minnesota State, previously branded as MnSCU, comprises 26 state colleges and 7 state universities with 54 campuses throughout Minnesota. The system is the largest higher education syste ...
(MnSCU) system.
*
Northwestern Health Sciences University focuses on
alternative health care and patient research, in the areas of
chiropractic
Chiropractic () is a form of alternative medicine concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, especially of the spine. It is based on several pseudoscientific ideas.
Many c ...
,
acupuncture
Acupuncture is a form of alternative medicine and a component of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in which thin needles are inserted into the body. Acupuncture is a pseudoscience; the theories and practices of TCM are not based on scientif ...
,
oriental medicine
Traditional Asian medicine is a collective term for several types of traditional medicine practiced in Asia.
These include the medical traditions of:
* East Asia
** Traditional Chinese medicine, China
*** Traditional Tibetan medicine, Tibet
** Kam ...
, and
massage
Massage is the rubbing or kneading of the body's soft tissues. Massage techniques are commonly applied with hands, fingers, elbows, knees, forearms, feet, or a device. The purpose of massage is generally for the treatment of body stress or pa ...
.
*
Rasmussen University
Rasmussen University is a private for-profit university with multiple locations throughout the United States. It offers associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees as well as certificates and diplomas in career-focused areas at 20 cam ...
offers more than 70 programs leading to associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, and a variety of certificates and diplomas.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 census, there were 89,987 people, 38,080 households, and 22,394 families residing in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 39,600 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 69.3%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 9.9%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.8%
Native American, 6.6%
Asian, 0.1%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 6.2% from some other races and 7.1% from two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 9.9% of the population.
2022 American Community Survey (ACS)
There are 37,653 households accounted for in the 2022 ACS, with an average of 2.33 persons per household. The city's a median gross rent is $1,426 in the 2022 ACS. The 2022 ACS reports a median household income of $87,381, with 67.0% of households are owner occupied. 7.9% of the city's population lives at or below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
(down from previous ACS surveys). The city boasts a 68.8% employment rate, with 44.9% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 92.8% holding a high school diploma.
The top nine reported ancestries (people were allowed to report up to two ancestries, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were German (22.7%), Norwegian (12.2%), Irish (8.3%), English (5.2%), Polish (3.6%), Subsaharan African (3.6%), French (except Basque) (2.9%), Italian (1.6%), and Scottish (0.8%).
The median age in the city was 40.0 years.
2010 census
As of the
2010 census, there were 82,893 people, 35,905 households, and 21,618 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 37,641 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 79.7%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 7.2%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.4%
Native American, 5.9%
Asian, 0.1%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 3.7% from
other races, and 3.1% from two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 6.8% of the population. East Bloomington is notably more diverse than West Bloomington.
There were 35,905 households, of which 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.6% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.8% were non-families. Of all households 32.2% were made up of individuals, and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.89.
The median age in the city was 42.7 years. 19.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.1% were from 25 to 44; 28.9% were from 45 to 64; and 18.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.4% male and 51.6% female.
Of the 19.7% of the population under 18, much of the young population is considerably more diverse than the mostly white adult population.
Government and politics
Politics
Bloomington is governed by a seven-member part-time city council. Members include the mayor and six council members, of whom four are elected from districts and two elected at-large. Members are elected to four-year terms, except during redistricting when all district council members have a two-year term. Elections are
nonpartisan Nonpartisan or non-partisan may refer to:
__NOTOC__ General political concepts
* Nonpartisanship, also known as Nonpartisanism, co-operation without reference to political parties
* Non-partisan democracy, an election with no official recognition ...
; since 2021, they have been conducted by
ranked-choice voting after more than 51% of voters voted yes on a ballot question on the topic. An effort to repeal ranked-choice voting failed after a petition again put it on the ballot in 2024, with over 51% of voters voting against the repeal.
City operations are controlled by three interrelated entities: the City itself, the Port Authority, and the Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA). The Port Authority was formerly responsible for managing development in the South Loop District, in the easternmost part of the city, where the Mall of America is. In 2022, it expanded its economic development services to the entire city. The HRA handles low-income housing in the city and manages the city's redevelopment activities. Membership on the boards of the Port Authority and HRA is controlled by the City Council. Several boards and commissions also exist that are advisory to the City Council: the Advisory Board of Health, Charter Commission, Creative Placemaking Commission, Human Rights Commission, Local Board of Appeal and Equalization, Merit Board, Parks, Arts, and Recreation Commission, and the Sustainability Commission.
The city's organizing document, the City Charter, was approved by voters on November 8, 1960.
*
Mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
: Tim Busse
* Councilmember - District I: Dwayne Lowman
* Councilmember - District II: Shawn Nelson
* Councilmember - District III: Lona Dallesandro
* Councilmember - District IV: Victor Rivas
* Councilmember - At Large: Jenna Carter
* Councilmember - At Large: Chao Moua
Municipal services
The Bloomington Fire Department operates out of six
fire station
__NOTOC__
A fire station (also called a fire house, fire hall, firemen's hall, or engine house) is a structure or other area for storing firefighting apparatuses such as fire apparatus, fire engines and related vehicles, personal protective equ ...
s, and uses the latest in fire-fighting equipment. The department has 30 fire-fighting vehicles, including pumpers, hook and ladders, specialty units (one vehicle compact enough to navigate the Mall of America's parking ramps), and spares, all of which are equipped with
Opticom System equipment, which automatically switches traffic signals to expedite emergency runs. The average response time is four minutes. In 2021, the city began transitioning to a full-time fire department through SAFER grants in 2022 and 2024. It was formerly one of Minnesota's largest remaining volunteer fire departments,
Public safety is protected by Bloomington's 142-officer
police department
The police are a constituted body of people empowered by a state with the aim of enforcing the law and protecting the public order as well as the public itself. This commonly includes ensuring the safety, health, and possessions of citize ...
. The current police chief is Booker T. Hodges. The officers have Ford Police Interceptor squad SUV's, with each containing a computer-assisted dispatching center that contains a computerized records system, mobile digital terminals that allow officers direct access to
warrant information and state motor vehicle and driver's license records, and
Opticom System equipment, which automatically switches traffic signals. The police department is also supported by seven
canine teams: six dual-purpose patrol dogs, and a single-purpose narcotics dog. The police department has one of Minnesota's four
bomb squads and a 20-member
SWAT team.
State and federal representation
In the
Minnesota Legislature
The Minnesota Legislature is the bicameral legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota consisting of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Senators are elected from 67 single-member districts. In order to account for decenn ...
, Bloomington is represented by Representatives
Julie Greene (District 50A),
Steve Elkins (District 50B), and
Nathan Coulter (District 51B), and Senators
Alice Mann (District 50) and
Melissa Halvorson Wiklund (District 51).
Bloomington is in
Minnesota's 3rd congressional district, represented by
Democrat Kelly Morrison in the
U.S. House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...
. In the
U.S. Senate
The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...
, Minnesota is served by
Democrats Tina Smith
Christine Elizabeth Smith (née Flint, born March 4, 1958) is an American politician, retired Democratic political consultant, and former businesswoman serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States Senate, United Sta ...
and
Amy Klobuchar
Amy Jean Klobuchar ( ; born May 25, 1960) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Minnesota, a seat she has held since 2007. A member o ...
.
Transportation
Bloomington is served by several local and express bus routes operated by
Metro Transit,
Minnesota Valley Transit Authority,
SouthWest Transit, and the
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...
. Several rapid transit routes also operate within the city. The
Metro Blue Line, a light rail line, runs between the Mall of America in Bloomington and downtown Minneapolis. It also connects to both terminals of the nearby
Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport. Bloomington is also served by three
bus rapid transit (BRT) lines. The
Metro Red Line runs between the Mall of America in Bloomington and
Apple Valley, Minnesota
Apple Valley is a city in northwestern Dakota County, Minnesota, and a suburb of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities. The population was 56,374 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the 17th most populous city in Minnes ...
. The
Metro Orange Line, which runs between
Burnsville, Minnesota
Burnsville ( ) is a city south of downtown Minneapolis in Dakota County, Minnesota. The city is situated on a bluff overlooking the south bank of the Minnesota River, upstream from its confluence with the Mississippi River. Burnsville and nea ...
and downtown Minneapolis, finished construction in 2021 and travels through Bloomington on Interstate 35W. Additionally, the
Metro D Line operates between the Mall of America and
Brooklyn Center Transit Center
Brooklyn Center Transit Center (BCTC) is a Transport hub#Public transport, transit center in the Minneapolis, Minnesota, Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. Owned and operated by Metro Transit (Minnesota), Metro Transit, it is one of ...
through downtown Minneapolis.
Arts and media
Museums
The Works is an experiential technology learning museum for youth.
The Bloomington History Museum focuses on the history of Bloomington, ranging from the prehistoric period through the present day and operates out of a historic town hall building.
The NWA History Museum documents the history of
Northwest Airlines
Northwest Airlines (often abbreviated as NWA) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1926 until it Delta Air Lines–Northwest Airlines merger, merged with Delta Air Lines in 2010. The merger made Delta the largest airline ...
.
Theater
Artistry is a professional theater and visual arts nonprofit that produces musicals and plays in the 366-seat Schneider Theater at the municipally owned and operated Bloomington Center for the Arts.
The Theater program at
Normandale Community College presents five productions during the academic year.
The high school theater companies at Jefferson and Kennedy each stage three full length productions, a one-act, and a combined fifth production in the summer, annually.
Visual arts
Artistry curates two galleries in the Bloomington Center for the Arts.
Mhiripihri Gallery features
Zimbabwe
file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map
Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...
an sculpture in a gallery.
Public art
Muralist Erik Pearson's 2007 work "Creating Together" adorns the flyloft of the theater at Bloomington Center for the Arts. Pearson also created the mural "Science and Nature" in the city's South Loop district, at the Bass Ponds trailhead entrance.
2015 marked the unveiling of "Convergence", by sculptor James Brenner. Bloomington also adopted a creative placemaking plan for its South Loop District near the Mall of America and established the Creative Placemaking Commission.
In 2018, the Wright's Lake Park mural, "Seasons of Becoming", was completed by GoodSpace Murals. It is located on Old Cedar Avenue facing Wright's Lake Park. It was inspired, designed, and painted both by the general public and by students from Valley View Middle School, from a gifted program called Nobel, focused on creativity.
In 2021, the WE Mural was completed. WE, a tapestry of murals was curated and produced by Ua Si Creative, and commissioned by the City of Bloomington as part of their creative placemaking efforts; an initiative by the City of Bloomington and the nonprofit arts organization, Artistry, to establish the South Loop as a vibrant, distinctive community. The mural faces American Boulevard and 30th Avenue South along two walls of an Xcel Energy Substation in Bloomington's South Loop District. WE Artists include: Andrés Guzman + Xee Reiter, City Mischief featuring Thomasina Topbear and Tom Jay, Reggie LeFlore, Marlena Myles, Martzia Thometz, and Ua Si Creative.
Also in 2021, The Goldfinch sculpture was installed in South Loop District, by artist Donald Lipski with support from sculptor Christopher Collins, fabricators Yetiweurks and FAST Fiberglass, and project manager John Grant. It is located at the intersection of Old Shakopee Road and Killebrew Drive. Artist Donald Lipski was inspired by the more than 250 species of birds that pass yearly through the nearby, spectacular Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. He entrusted the choice of species to a public poll, and the goldfinch was the overwhelming favorite.
Bloomington adopted a citywide creative placemaking plan in 2025 in order to improve community spaces in alignment with the city's strategic plan.
Television
Comcast
Comcast Corporation, formerly known as Comcast Holdings,Before the AT&T Broadband, AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation, not th ...
provides access to four Bloomington
cable television
Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with bro ...
stations for
public, educational, and government access
Public-access television (sometimes called community-access television) is traditionally a form of non-commercial mass media where the general public can create content television programming which is narrowcast through cable television special ...
(PEG) programming. They include The Bloomington Channel 14, a comprehensive source of Bloomington information and programming. The
government-access television (GATV) channel features City Council and school board meetings, a weekly news magazine show called "Bloomington Today", "Roll Call", a weekly update on public safety news produced by the Bloomington Police Department, arts events, and sports. Bloomington Educational Community Television (BEC-TV) highlights educational and school-based programs from the Bloomington's public and private schools. Programming on this channel includes
educational-access television content, concerts, choir shows, graduations, and sporting events. Two student produced shows are also on BEC-TV. Tomorrow's Voices Today (TVT) is a teen news show that highlights the good things teens are doing around the city and talks about teen related issues. YRU-Up was a late night call-in
Public-access television
Public-access television (sometimes called community-access television) is traditionally a form of non-commercial mass media where the general public can create content television programming which is Narrowcasting, narrowcast through cable tele ...
cable TV
Cable television is a system of delivering television broadcast programming, programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This ...
talk show, airing from 1991 to 2017. Skits for the show were produced by students and the show was live every Friday night (Sat. Morning) at 12:30am on TBC (Channel 14). A third channel, BCAT, (Bloomington Cable Access Television) is a Public-access channel that allows individuals and organizations to learn video production and create television shows. The schedules for these channels can be found on a channel called the B.R.A.I.N. The PEG channels are funded by
Cable television franchise fee
In the United States cable television industry, a cable television franchise fee is an annual fee charged by a local government to a private cable television company as compensation for using public property it owns as right-of-way for its cable ...
s collected in the city.
Film
Parts of the
Coen brothers
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, together known as the Coen brothers (), are an American filmmaking duo. Their films span many genres and styles, which they frequently subvert or parody. Among their most acclaimed works are '' Blood Simple'' (198 ...
film ''
A Serious Man
''A Serious Man'' is a 2009 black comedy-drama film written, produced, edited and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Set in 1967, the film stars Michael Stuhlbarg as a Minnesotan Jewish man whose life crumbles both professionally and personally, ...
'' were filmed in an East Bloomington neighborhood. The neighborhood was chosen for its original suburban
ranch-style houses and young trees (due to a storm knocking older ones down), giving it a 1960s new-development look.
Sports and recreation

Hyland Park includes both a ski area and Nordic ski jumps. The ski jumps are maintained by the Minneapolis Ski Club Minneapolis Ski Club and are some of the most urban ski jumps in the U.S. Several U.S. Olympic ski jumpers have come from this ski club. The Minneapolis Ski Club hosted the 2013 Junior National competition. The city also operates the Bloomington Ice Garden (BIG), which contains three ice rinks, one of which is Olympic-size and the other of which has a capacity of 2,500. It appeared in the film
Miracle
A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divi ...
, with the team practicing there before the
Olympics
The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competit ...
. During the winter, the Parks and Recreation Department creates 10+ outdoor skating rinks.
Bloomington was the point of growth for
pickleball
Pickleball is a racket or paddle sport in which two or four players use a smooth-faced paddle to hit a perforated, hollow plastic ball over a net until one side is unable to return the ball or commits a rule infraction. Pickleball is played i ...
in Minnesota, beginning about 2005 when retirees brought the sport back from their southern-states retirement homes. From the Westwood Athletic Fields in southern Bloomington, other groups formed and grew to an active statewide player population in excess of 1,500. Bloomington is also the home of Pickleball Minnesota, the Pickleball website serving the state and the Upper Midwest.

Bloomington has two major sports complexes. Dred Scott Playfields, named after
Dred Scott
Dred Scott ( – September 17, 1858) was an enslaved African American man who, along with his wife, Harriet, unsuccessfully sued for the freedom of themselves and their two daughters, Eliza and Lizzie, in the '' Dred Scott v. Sandford'' case ...
, is on the far West side and contains a variety of recreational activities, including baseball, softball, football, sand volleyball, tennis, and basketball. Also within the complex are an outdoor batting cage and a miniature golf course that are privately owned. Valley View Playfields on the East side contains softball and baseball fields,
bocce
(, or , ), sometimes anglicized as bocce ball, bocci, or boccie, is a ball sport belonging to the boules family. Developed into its present form in Italy, it is closely related to English bowls and French , with a common ancestry from anc ...
ball courts, and the Bloomington Family Aquatic Center. Bush Lake Beach (BLB) is on
Bush Lake and is open in the summer to recreational swimmers.
Notable people
*
Cole Aldrich,
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Two branch campuses are in the Kansas City metropolitan area on the Kansas side: the university's medical school and hospital ...
center and
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
player
*
Lyle G. Abeln, Minnesota state legislator and educator
*
William V. Belanger Jr., Minnesota state legislator and businessman
*
Tom Burnett, one of the passengers aboard
United Airlines Flight 93
United Airlines Flight 93 was a domestic scheduled passenger flight that was hijacked by four al-Qaeda terrorists on the morning of September 11, 2001, as part of the September 11 attacks. The hijackers planned to crash the plane into a feder ...
*
Kelly Carlson, actress and model
*
Ben Clymer, retired NHL player
*
Mike Crowley, retired NHL player
*
Joseph Cure, ice hockey player and actor (''
Miracle
A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divi ...
'').
*
Pete Docter
Peter Hans Docter (born October 9, 1968) is an American filmmaker and animator, who has served as chief creative officer (CCO) of Pixar since 2018. He has directed the company's animated films ''Monsters, Inc.'' (2001), ''Up (2009 film), Up'' ( ...
, film director, animator, screenwriter, producer, and voice actor, known for ''
Monsters, Inc.
''Monsters, Inc.'' (also known as ''Monsters, Incorporated'') is a 2001 American animated comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. Featuring the voices of John Goodman, Billy Crystal, Steve Buscemi, James Cobu ...
'', ''
Up'', ''
Inside Out'' and ''
Soul
The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...
''
*
Christian Elder, racing driver
*
Verne Gagne
the Minnesota Golden Gophers wrestling, Minnesota Golden Gophers
Laverne Clarence "Verne" Gagne ( ; February 26, 1926 – April 27, 2015) was an American amateur wrestling, amateur and professional wrestling, professional wrestler, Amer ...
, former professional wrestler and member of the
WWE Hall of Fame
The WWE Hall of Fame is a List of halls and walks of fame, hall of fame which honors professional wrestlers and professional wrestling personalities maintained by WWE. Originally known as the "WWF Hall of Fame", it was created in 1993 when An ...
*
Tom Gilbert, NHL player, grew up in Bloomington and attended Jefferson High School,
*
Bud Grant
Harry Peter "Bud" Grant Jr. (May 20, 1927 – March 11, 2023) was an American professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). Grant was head coach of the NFL's Minnesota Viki ...
, retired pro football player and coach. Head coach of
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...
from 1967 to 1985
*
Joseph P. Graw, Minnesota state legislator and businessman
*
Tim Harrer, retired NHL player
*
Julia Hart, Professional Wrestler for All Elite Wrestling (AEW)
*
Joyce Henry, Minnesota state legislator
*
John Himle, Minnesota state legislator
*
Kent Hrbek
Kent Alan Hrbek (; born May 21, 1960), nicknamed "Herbie", is an American former Major League Baseball first baseman. He played his entire 14-year baseball career with the Minnesota Twins (1981–1994). Hrbek batted left-handed and threw right-ha ...
, retired
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...
player
*
Kyle Jacobs, country music songwriter and husband to
Kellie Pickler
Kellie Dawn Pickler (born June 28, 1986) is an American country music singer, actress and television personality. Pickler gained fame as a contestant on the fifth season of ''American Idol'' and finished in sixth place. In 2006, she signed to ...
*
Erik Johnson, NHL player for the
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. The Avalanche compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Con ...
, also for Team USA during the
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Vancouver 2010 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held from February 12 to 28, 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with ...
*
Lane Kiffin
Lane Monte Kiffin (born May 9, 1975) is an American football coach who is the head coach at Ole Miss Rebels football, Ole Miss. Kiffin was the offensive coordinator at USC Trojans football, USC from 2005 to 2006, head coach of the National Foo ...
, head coach of
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi (Epithet, byname Ole Miss) is a Public university, public research university in University, near Oxford, Mississippi, United States, with a University of Mississippi Medical Center, medical center in Jackson, Miss ...
(Ole Miss)
*
Lloyd Lee, former
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...
linebackers coach
*
Mark P. Mahon, Minnesota state legislator
*
Frank Moe, Minnesota state legislator and educator
*
Peter Mueller, NHL player for the
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Panthers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team initially played it ...
*
Tony Oliva, retired
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...
player
*
Zach Parise, NHL player for the
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...
, former player for the Minnesota Wild
*
Mark Parrish
Mark Daniel Parrish (born February 2, 1977) is an Americans, American former professional ice hockey winger (ice hockey), right winger. Parrish played 11 seasons and over 700 games in the NHL with the Florida Panthers, New York Islanders, Los Ang ...
,
retired
NHL
The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
player
*
Tom Pederson, retired NHL player
*
Remo Drive, alternative rock band
*
Steve Rushin, former ''
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...
'' columnist
*
Bryan Schmidt
Bryan Schmidt (born July 27, 1981) is an American professional ice hockey player who is currently playing for Nottingham Panthers of the EIHL.
Awards and honors
*Regular season MVP, Merrimack College
Merrimack College is a Private univers ...
, AHL and
DEL
Del, or nabla, is an operator used in mathematics (particularly in vector calculus) as a vector differential operator, usually represented by the nabla symbol ∇. When applied to a function defined on a one-dimensional domain, it denotes ...
player
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Donny Schmit, 1990 125cc and 1992 250cc Motocross World Champion
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Jenna Smith, University of Illinois Women's basketball and WNBA Washington Mystics
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Warren Spannaus, former Minnesota Attorney General
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Ryan Stoa, NHL player for the
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NH ...
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Milt Sunde, retired NFL player who played for the Vikings; graduate of Bloomington Lincoln
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Mod Sun, singer, songwriter, and rapper
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Paul Thissen, 58th Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives and Minnesota Supreme Court Justice
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Dan Trebil, retired NHL player
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Blackie Wangerin, racing driver
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Melissa Wiklund, state senator
References
External links
City of Bloomington – official websiteBloomington Convention and Visitors BureauBloomington Historical Society
{{Authority control
1843 establishments in Iowa Territory
Cities in Hennepin County, Minnesota
Cities in Minnesota
Populated places established in 1843