Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Bloomington, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Bloomington and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Bloomington
- Astronomy & Satellites ...
- Whether using binoculars, a small telescope or the naked-eye, the Heavens-Above website can help you to find your way around the night-time sky. In addition to detailed sky charts, their website will help you find planets, asteriods, comets, satellites and their tracks across the sky.
- To give accurate results, Heavens-Above requires the latitude and longitude of your location. As a starting point, when we link to Heavens-Above, we pass this GPS location for Bloomington:
- 44.840747, -93.298259
- Once you're on the Heavens-Above website, you can improve its accuracy by giving a more precise longitude and latitude as your actual position.
- The Heavens-Above Website, centered on Bloomington
- Bird Watching ...
- We enjoy finding new spots for bird watching and we use the eBird website for local sighting reports and to help identify hotspots.
- The eBird website is organized on a county-by-county basis. We have selected Hennepin County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Hennepin County
- Since Bloomington is near Scott County and also Dakota County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Scott County
- eBird sighting report for Dakota County
- Waymarking ...
- Looking for somewhere out of the ordinary? Find a unique place and want to share it with others? Then it's time to visit Waymarking.com:
- Waymark.com
Communities Also Named Bloomington ...
We found 32 communities that share the name Bloomington.
Within Minnesota, the name Bloomington is unique.
Beyond Minnesota, we know of another 32 communities that are located throughout in the United States and Canada. Of these 32 communities, 30 are located in the United States and three are in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alabama
- Jackson County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Alabama community of Bloomington [Jackson County].
- Arkansas
- Van Buren County
- This community is historic<2> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Arkansas community of Bloomington [Van Buren County].
- California
- San Bernardino County
- This Bloomington is located in San Bernardino County and lies 1,476 miles [2,375.4 km]<3> to the west southwest of the Bloomington that is located in Hennepin County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the San Bernardino County community of Bloomington.
- Idaho
- Bear Lake County
- This Bloomington is located in Bear Lake County and lies 922 miles [1,483.8 km]<3> to the west of the Bloomington that is located in Hennepin County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Bear Lake County community of Bloomington.
- Illinois
- McLean County
- This Bloomington is located in McLean County and lies 372 miles [598.7 km]<3> to the southeast of the Bloomington that is located in Hennepin County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the McLean County community of Bloomington.
- Indiana
- Monroe County
- This Bloomington is located in Monroe County and lies 523 miles [841.7 km]<3> to the southeast of the Bloomington that is located in Hennepin County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Monroe County community of Bloomington.
- Iowa
- Story County
- This Bloomington is located in Story County and lies 192 miles [309 km]<3> to the south of the Bloomington that is located in Hennepin County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Story County community of Bloomington.
- Kansas
- Atchison County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kansas community of Bloomington [Atchison County].
- Butler County
- This Bloomington is located in Butler County and lies 534 miles [859.4 km]<3> to the south southwest of the Bloomington that is located in Hennepin County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Butler County community of Bloomington.
- Coffey County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kansas community of Bloomington [Coffey County].
- Osborne County
- This Bloomington is located in Osborne County and lies 465 miles [748.3 km] to the southwest of the Bloomington that is located in Hennepin County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Osborne County community of Bloomington.
- Riley County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kansas community of Bloomington [Riley County].
- Kentucky
- Grayson County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kentucky community of Bloomington [Grayson County].
- Magoffin County
- This Bloomington is located in Magoffin County and lies 714 miles [1,149.1 km]<3> to the southeast of the Bloomington that is located in Hennepin County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Magoffin County community of Bloomington.
- Maryland
- Garrett County
- This Bloomington is located in Garrett County and lies 815 miles [1,311.6 km]<3> to the east southeast of the Bloomington that is located in Hennepin County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Garrett County community of Bloomington.
- Missouri
- Macon County
- This Bloomington is located in Macon County and lies 350 miles [563.3 km]<3> to the south of the Bloomington that is located in Hennepin County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Macon County community of Bloomington.
- Nebraska
- Franklin County
- This Bloomington is located in Franklin County and lies 438 miles [704.9 km]<3> to the southwest of the Bloomington that is located in Hennepin County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Franklin County community of Bloomington.
- New York
- Ulster County
- This Bloomington is located in Ulster County and lies 985 miles [1,585.2 km]<3> to the east of the Bloomington that is located in Hennepin County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Ulster County community of Bloomington.
- North Carolina
- Stanly County
- This Bloomington is located in Stanly County and lies 947 miles [1,524 km]<3> to the southeast of the Bloomington that is located in Hennepin County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Stanly County community of Bloomington.
- Nova Scotia
- This Bloomington lies 1,377 miles [2,216.1 km]<3> to the east of the Bloomington that is located in Hennepin County.
- Ohio
- Clinton County
- This Bloomington is located in Clinton County and lies 611 miles [983.3 km]<3> to the southeast of the Bloomington that is located in Hennepin County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Clinton County community of Bloomington.
- Oklahoma
- Greer County
- This Bloomington is located in Greer County and lies 757 miles [1,218.3 km]<3> to the south southwest of the Bloomington that is located in Hennepin County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Greer County community of Bloomington.
- Ontario
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Ontario community of Bloomington.
- Pennsylvania
- Clearfield County
- This Bloomington is located in Clearfield County and lies 793 miles [1,276.2 km]<3> to the east southeast of the Bloomington that is located in Hennepin County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Clearfield County community of Bloomington.
- Lackawanna County
- This Bloomington is located in Lackawanna County and lies 928 miles [1,493.5 km] to the east of the Bloomington that is located in Hennepin County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lackawanna County community of Bloomington.
- South Dakota
- Charles Mix County
- This community is historic<2> and although located in Charles Mix County, we don't know where within the county.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Charles Mix County community of Bloomington.
- Tennessee
- Pickett County
- This Bloomington is located in Pickett County and lies 710 miles [1,142.6 km]<3> to the southeast of the Bloomington that is located in Hennepin County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Pickett County community of Bloomington.
- Putnam County
- We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Tennessee community of Bloomington [Putnam County].
- Texas
- Victoria County
- This Bloomington is located in Victoria County and lies 1,135 miles [1,826.6 km]<3> to the south southwest of the Bloomington that is located in Hennepin County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Victoria County community of Bloomington.
- Utah
- Washington County
- This Bloomington is located in Washington County and lies 1,183 miles [1,903.9 km]<3> to the west southwest of the Bloomington that is located in Hennepin County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Washington County community of Bloomington.
- West Virginia
- Roane County
- This community is historic<2> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the West Virginia community of Bloomington [Roane County].
- Wisconsin
- Grant County
- This Bloomington is located in Grant County and lies 178 miles [286.5 km]<3> to the southeast of the Bloomington that is located in Hennepin County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Grant County community of Bloomington.
- Alabama
Curious and Interesting Names Near Bloomington ...
As we travel, we always see a community with a name that gives pause. While there are names which are interesting or familiar, some catch our attention or strike our fancy. We always wonder about such a name. If time permits and the community is not too far, we'll usually try to make a side-trip.
- Apple Valley
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Apple Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apple Valley
- Apple Valley is located in Dakota County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 54,847 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Apple Valley <5>
- Cedar Grove
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Grove
- Cedar Grove is located in Dakota County
- Deer Park
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south) - Eden Prairie
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eden Prairie
- Eden Prairie is located in Hennepin County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 64,894 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eden Prairie <5>
- Edina
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edina
- Edina is located in Hennepin County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 52,477 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Edina <5>
- Glen Lake
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest) - Golden Valley
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Golden Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golden Valley
- Golden Valley is located in Hennepin County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 21,612 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Golden Valley <5>
- Grainwood
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest) - Orchard Garden
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orchard Garden have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orchard Garden
- Orchard Garden is located in Dakota County
- Prior Lake
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prior Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prior Lake
- Prior Lake is located in Scott County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 27,317 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Prior Lake <5>
- Savage
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Savage have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Savage
- Savage is located in Scott County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 32,858 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Savage <5>
- Sunfish Lake
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sunfish Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunfish Lake
- Sunfish Lake is located in Dakota County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 551 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sunfish Lake <5>
How Far From Bloomington to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers, Almanacs & Directories that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a city such as Bloomington to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Bloomington and extending to:
- Minneapolis, which is the Seat of Hennepin County, lies 9 miles [14.5 km]<3> to the north. If you could walk a straight line from Bloomington to Minneapolis, with an average speed<6> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take four to five hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take a little over three hours.
- Saint Paul, which is the State Capital of Minnesota, lies 12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast (NE). The buggy would take nearly four hours and walking would take five to six hours.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 929 miles [1,495.1 km] to the east southeast (ESE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take most of two days, a buggy would take 37 days and walking would take 53 days.
- The shortest distance<7> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,230 miles [10,026.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,985 miles [11,241.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,893 miles [7,874.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<10>
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Bloomington: www.ci.bloomington.mn.us/
The official website for Hennepin County: www.hennepin.us/
The official website for State of Minnesota: https://mn.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If we encounter the name of what might be a community, our methodology is to add that name to our Gazetteer as a placeholder. As we find more information about that community, it will be added to our Gazetteer. Just as a reminder: Our definition of a community is rather broad and includes those places (or areas) where several families lived and had a name which identified that place. For example, you might hear somebody say that they are going over to Mile's to see Pete ... Mile's is just a gas station and a couple of homes at the crossroads. While it might not be on the map, everybody in the area knows it by that name. Places of interest include buildings at a crossroad, several families clustered in a hollow or maybe the location of a way station. It also includes places like mines, lumber camps, ferry crossings, etc. The community might still exist, is now gone or only existed for just a short period of time. Also keep in mind that Bloomington could have been on the original document by mistake, misspelled, the original/alternate name of a community that we've listed elsewhere or was placed in the wrong county. Sometimes a post office or train station would have a different name than the community where it's located, so two names might be referring to the same community - we're working to straighten it all out. |
| <2> | We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Bloomington, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Bloomington) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Bloomington. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.8407, Longitude: -93.2983 |
| <4> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <5> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <6> | While we have tried to pick reasonable speeds, the rate of travel is very theoretical - obstacles like fences, hills, lakes, river crossings and rest stops have been ignored. When we say 'Days' of travel, we're assuming 8 hours of travel per day. |
| <7> | The shortest line can be visualized by stretching a string on a Globe from Point A to Point B - this is known as a Great Circle Route. Where you might expect the shortest route from Bloomington to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <8> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 318.319 degrees. |
| <9> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 316.167 degrees. |
| <10> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 310.695 degrees. |