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History · Bloomington

Bloomington dates to 1864, and 27% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1967 on and the census since 1910.

1864founded
0on the National Register
27%homes built before 1940
2famous people
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Quick answers

How Bloomington began

When was Bloomington founded?

1864

Bloomington dates its founding to 1864 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 539 in 19102020 census: 199162 years
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1867.

What stands out about Bloomington’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Bloomington are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Bloomington’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Bloomington’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Bloomington, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Bloomington yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Bloomington is a city in Bear Lake County, Idaho, United States. The population was 199 at the 2020 census. It was first settled in 1864.

Bloomington was established in 1864. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 206 to 199 (-3%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Bloomington, 1864 to 1967

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1864
    FoundingBloomington is established
  3. 1866Born hereCharles H. Hart is born here
  4. 1867Post officeThe Bloomington post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1916Born hereEdward L. Hart is born here
  7. 1967On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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On the map

Bloomington on the map, 1967 to 2005

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Bloomington. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Bloomington on the 1967 USGS mapBloomington on the 2005 USGS map1967Paris sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Bloomington.

People over time

Bloomington, census by census

0100200300400500600192019401960198020002020Peak: 539

Between 186 and 539 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Bloomington’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Bloomington

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Charles H. HartAmerican Mormon leader · b. 1866
E
Edward L. HartAmerican poet · b. 1916

Questions about Bloomington’s history

What year was Bloomington founded?

In 1864, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Bloomington’s post office opened in 1867, and the census of 1910 counted 539 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.