Bloomington
Bloomington is the fifth largest city, as of 2016 estimates, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is located in Hennepin County on the north bank of the Minnesota River, above its confluence with the Mississippi River. Bloomington lies 10 miles (16 km) south of downtown Minneapolis.[6] As of the 2010 census the city’s population was 82,893,[7] and in 2016 the estimated population was 85,319.[4]
Established as a post–World War II housing boom suburb connected to the urban street grid of Minneapolis and serviced by two major freeways, Interstate 35W and Interstate 494, Bloomington’s residential areas include upper-tier households in the western Bush Lake area and traditional middle-class families in its rows of single-family homes in the central to eastern portions. Large-scale commercial development is concentrated along the Interstate 494 corridor. Besides an extensive city park system, with over 1,000 square feet (93 m2) of parkland per capita,[8] 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 to the United States’ largest enclosed shopping center, the Mall of America[9] , and the only IKEA in Minnesota. The headquarters of Ceridian, Donaldson Company, HealthPartnersand Toro, and major operations of Express Scripts, Seagate Technologies and Wells Fargo Bank are also based in the city.
The city was named after Bloomington, Illinois.[10]