Our Town

I've lived in Bloomington for almost 58 years. It has changed a lot over those years. Bloomington was on the outer edge of civilization when my parents built their house on farmland. There were no paved roads--only dirt, mud when it rained. There were no grocery stores, only a dairy store near the edge of town. Actually, Bloomington wasn't even a town, just a village. All my schools were newly built and were instantly filled with baby boomers just like me. There were no school buses. All the kids walked to school. I walked a mile each way, even in the winter. The girls had to wear warm snowpants under their dresses to keep their legs warm, because girls did not wear slacks to school. There wasn't much traffic, and there were no traffic lights. That is, until the Miller boy was hit by a car at 90th and Nicollet. There were many farms. If we wanted to buy corn on the cob, we only had to go over to the Bodecher farm where they sold their sweetcorn at a roadside stand. A fire engine siren sounded every day at noon. I was never sure why, because we certainly had clocks. And Town Hall (photo above) was also used as a church and a school.

Today Bloomington is a large, bustling city with the fifth largest population in Minnesota (85,172), bus service, light rail service, the Mall of America, 15 schools, a community college, and the list goes on. There is only one farm left, a sheep farm right across the street from the Mall of America. Today City Hall is a modern building that fills two city blocks and includes art exhibits and two theatres. I suppose I've changed too.
Posted by Patty