Bloomington, Minnesota? (Minneapolis, St. Paul: cul-de-sac, apartment, credit)

[anita483]

What is it like living there? (Schools, colleges, jobs etc)
In which month does the new academic year start?

[GBCommenter]

Bloomington, MN is a second-ring post-WWII suburb of Minneapolis. It is also home of the famed (or notorious, depending on your point of view) Mall of America. It is near MSP Airport. Overall, given it's size there are a fair number of jobs within the city, and being part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul area nearby more jobs and companies.

Unofficially, there is what many consider "East Bloomington" and "West Bloomington". Where the "divide" happens is up for debate, but I would say it is around Interstate 35W divide. The East side is generally more grid streets that follow Minneapolis grid street layout, more rambler style houses and/or apartment buildings, somewhat less affluent, and generally more diverse than its "west" cousin. West Bloomington will be more affluent housing, cul-de-sacs.

Keep in mind when you talk about "good" and "bad" public school districts in MN, it is relative to each other as opposed to other areas of the country. MN schools are generally overall rated fairly highly. That said, Bloomington will likely offer an average MN school education, with West side schools offering a slightly better education than East. There are better districts in the state, but if you are an involved parent I suspect your son/daughter will receive at least an education to prepare them generally in life.

In Minnesota, the academic year starts in September - usually right around Labor Day or very soon thereafter.

Colleges in Bloomington itself will be Normandale Community College for general education credits and some private for-profit schools. The University of Minnesota in Minneapolis is approximately a 20 minute drive (with many other private colleges about the same amount of driving time).

[anita483]

Thanks very much. That was really helpful. We haven't decided which part of Bloomington we'll be residing yet but the place sure looks good. Looking forward to moving soon.