Bloomington Minnesota, probably best known for being home to the world famous "Mall of America" opened in 1992, and is actually Minnesota's 5th largest city in population. Although it is, in fact, a suburb of Minneapolis, it is so large that there is a geographical distinction between East Bloomington and West Bloomington divided by the famous 35W, 10 miles or so south of the infamous 35W bridge collapse.

East Bloomington lies directly south of Minneapolis, separated only by Richfield, and contains some industry, destination retail locations and mixes with some residences and hotels. West Bloomington is south of Edina and southwest of Minneapolis and is primarily residential with several major hotels along the "494 strip". It is further bordered on the west by Eden Prairie, Shakopee at its southwest corner, Savage directly south, Burnsville to the southeast and Eagan on its eastern border.

Pioneers began settling the area in 1852, six years before Minnesota was officially accepted as a state of the union. The first hotel established in Bloomington was called the "Half-Way House" because it was half way from St. Paul to Shakopee. Now the city boasts the largest number of hotels in the state, with over 7,000 rooms, more even than either downtown Minneapolis or St. Paul. Bloomington's residential areas really started booming in the late 40's to early 50's spreading from the east to the west.

Many of the homes in West Bloomington were completed from the early 60's to 70's as the city filled. Evidence of this is notable in the 50's & 60's style of construction throughout much of the city. Population peaked in 1998 at 88,375 and has declined since then at about 84,000 with a trend towards fewer occupants per home now compared to the 90's.

Bloomington today is known for its excellent public schools, of which there are 15, governed by a 7 member school board with a reputation for quality. In 1999 they were approved for the (then) largest school bond issued in Minnesota history of $107 million dollars toward renovation and expansion of their schools.

Alex Anderson

Bloomington, MN Realtor

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