Bloomington, Minnesota

Bloomington is a city located in Hennepin County, Minnesota, a suburb south of Minneapolis. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 85,172. It is the site of the United States' largest—and the world's second-largest—shopping center, the Mall of America.

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 99.4 km² (38.4 mi²). 91.9 km² (35.5 mi²) of it is land and 7.5 km² (2.9 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 7.53% water.

Demographics As of the census of 2000, there are 85,172 people, 36,400 households, and 22,750 families residing in the city. The population density is 926.9/km² (2,400.5/mi²). There are 37,104 housing units at an average density of 403.8/km² (1,045.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 88.12% White, 3.42% African American, 0.35% Native American, 5.09% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.25% from other races, and 1.72% from two or more races. 2.69% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 36,400 households out of which 25.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.2% are married couples living together, 8.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 37.5% are non-families. 29.6% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.30 and the average family size is 2.87.

In the city the population is spread out with 20.6% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 40 years. For every 100 females there are 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 90.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $54,628, and the median income for a family is $67,135. Males have a median income of $42,924 versus $32,606 for females. The per capita income for the city is $29,782. 4.0% of the population and 2.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 4.2% are under the age of 18 and 3.4% are 65 or older.

Local Information

Bloomington is culturally split into two areas by US Interstate 35W. The highway creates a geographic barrier which carries through into most of the daily life and language of residents. The area west of I-35 is locally known as "West Bloomington," and the area east is called "East Bloomington." West Bloomington functions largely as a bedroom community—East Bloomington contains most of the industry, as well as lower-income housing, and the Mall of America.

Most locals will refer to themselves as either from "East" or "West" Bloomington, when they describe where they live. East and West Bloomington have separate high schools, Kennedy and Jefferson, respectively.

Bloomington's third high school, Lincoln High, was sold to the Control Data Corporation in the mid 1980s, where it was used primarily for defense contracting work.