Early pioneers who moved to the Bloomington area in 1851 named their new settlement after their hometown: Bloomington, Illinois. The name, ironically enough, means flowering field.

The history of Bloomington, MN is as rich and interesting as the community itself. According to the city’s historical society the area was first established in 1818 by settlers from Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and the Carolinas. They were so impressed with all the lush, green life that surrounded them that they dubbed the area Blooming Grove. The settlement was later incorporated as a city in 1831 and boasted a population of 150. The population continued to grow from Minnesota’s 1858 admission to statehood, through WWI and into the 1950s.

After WWII, the development of low-cost housing, the completion of Interstates 35W and 494 and the relocation of many large businesses to the Bloomington area sparked major growth and expansion. In the 1960s, another boost came from the Minnesota Twins and Vikings who both played their home games in Bloomington’s Metropolitan Stadium. Sporting events brought traffic and revenue to the city, until the teams were relocated to the Metrodome in 1982. The old “Met Stadium” was transformed into an even bigger draw – the Mall of America®. Today, Mall of America and the hospitality industry are the largest private employers in Bloomington.

Since its founding Bloomington has thrived, emerging as a dynamic urban township that rivals nearby Minneapolis and St. Paul as a major Twin Cities retail and hospitality center. The city has grown leaps and bounds from where Bloomington, Minnesota’s history began and now has a population of over 86,000.

As its past attests, Bloomington, Minnesota’s history of continual development has helped to foster this beautiful city into the thriving hospitality hub it is today.