37 Magnificent Facts About The Mall Of America

In this article, we dive into the over-the-top world of the Mall of America, uncovering 30 magnificent facts that make it an unparalleled shopping and leisure destination.

The Mall of America (MOA) stands as a testament to modern consumerism. It is a mecca for shopaholics and tourists alike. This colossal shopping complex draws in millions of visitors every year with a wide range of stores, entertainment options, and attractions.

1. The Mall of America can be found in Bloomington, Minnesota. It’s the largest mall in America and the biggest shopping complex in the Western Hemisphere. It sits just outside the top 10 largest malls in the world in 11th place.

2. The mall covers an astonishing 5.6 million square feet (520,000 square meters) and contains more than 500 stores. That makes it approximately 2.6 million square feet (241,547 square meters) bigger than the second largest mall in America – the American Dream Mall in New Jersey.

3. MOA is so massive that it was assigned its unique postal code by the United States Postal Service. The zip code for the Mall of America is 55425.

4. If the MOA was a country, it wouldn’t be the smallest. Impressively, the mall is 900,000 square feet (83,612 square meters) bigger than Vatican City, which is only 4.7 million square feet (436,644 square meters) in size.

5. The mall is home to 520+ stores, with 13,000 employees at peak periods.

6. The MOA is also home to one of the largest car parks in the world. The car park at the mall can hold more than 13,000 cars. 

7. Despite its vast size, the Mall of America doesn’t have a central heating system. Instead, it relies on passive solar heating, skylights, and body heat generated by crowds to regulate the temperature.

8. The Mall’s temperature is maintained at a pleasant 70°F (21°C). No matter whether it’s summer, fall, winter, or spring, it’s always that temperature.

9. The Mall of America is owned by Triple Five Group, which is owned by the Ghermezian Family. This family also owns the former largest shopping mall in North America, West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. This mall is 3.8 million square feet (350,000 square meters) in size and is home to more than 800 stores.

10. Construction of the MOA broke ground in 1989 on the former site of the Metropolitan Stadium. It officially opened its doors for business in 1992. It cost over $650 million to build the mall.

11. MOA has a huge economic impact on the state of Minnesota. It’s one of the largest taxpayers in the state, having generated more than $1.2 billion in tax revenue since its opening. 

12. The mall employs more than 11,000 people all year round. During peak seasons, this figure can rise to over 13,000.

13. The mall has been the center of criminal activity in the past. In 2022, five people were arrested after fatally shooting a man on the first floor of the complex. Crime did increase in Bloomington as a result of the mall’s construction but it still only accounts for just over 10% of crime calls in the city. 

14. In 2022, flooding in the MOA car park left some vehicles damaged. There were reports of one car being fully submerged in water.

15. The Sea Life Aquarium in the mall has 1.3 million gallons of water. That’s enough water to keep everyone in the city of Phoenix, Arizona hydrated for a day (if they were willing to drink fish water, that is…)

16. Every day, over 100 pounds of food are fed to the animals in this aquarium. The amount doubles on days when the sharks are fed. The aquarium also has turtles, rays, jellyfish, seahorses, and more.

17. In its early days, the Mall of America had an unexpected visitor: a bat colony. During construction, workers discovered that over 1,000 bats had taken residence inside the mall’s structure. Conservationists carefully relocated the bats to a safer habitat.

18. Approximately 40 million people visit the Mall of America every year. This is more than the combined population of New York State, New Jersey, and Virginia. To put that into context, only 4 million people visit the Empire State Building in New York City each year. It’s believed that roughly 40% of visitors to the mall travel more than 150 miles to get there.

19. The MOA offers visitors 4 unique floors to explore. The first stores to open for visitors were Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, and Sears. Today, shoppers can find popular brands such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Nike, GameStop, and L’Occitane.

20. In Minnesota, clothing is generally taxed, but visitors to the MOA are in for a surprise as the mall does not impose a sales tax on clothing purchases. There’s no sales tax on shoes, either.

21. Shopping isn’t the only thing on the agenda for the mall’s visitors. The Mall also offers a huge range of exciting attractions, including the Amazing Mirror Maze, Nickelodeon Universe indoor theme park, and the Crayola Experience.

22. Nickelodeon Universe, the mall’s amusement park, has 28 rides and spans 7 acres. Since opening, the park’s rides have been enjoyed over 200 million times.

23. The amusement park’s tallest tree is over 35 feet (10.6 meters tall). It is but one of over 400 trees and 30,000 live plants in the Mall. Sixty-five large semi-trucks were required to bring in the trees alone.

24. It was once possible for couples to tie the knot at the mall in the Chapel of Love, an actual wedding chapel located within the complex. However, after almost 30 years of marrying couples, the chapel closed its doors in 2022. In total, nearly 9000 weddings have been performed in the Mall.

25. Adrenaline junkies enjoy riding Fly Over America at the mall. This virtual ride sees tourists dangled over an enormous spherical screen. They are then taken on a 10,0000-mile (1,693 km) virtual flight over America.

26. Golf enthusiasts can enjoy a round of mini-golf at Moose Mountain Adventure Golf, an 18-hole course set in a captivating Northwoods-themed environment. The Rock of Ages Backlight Minigolf course lets visitors putt their way through different eras of music too.

27. The owners of the Mall of America are currently in the process of creating a waterpark. Mystery Cove is set to open in 2024. It could bring almost 1 million extra visitors to the complex annually.

28. The mall’s Lost & Found department is famous for receiving some bizarre items. In the past, the department has received prosthetic limbs, wedding dresses, and a Segway.

29. The Mall recycles over 64 million pounds (290 million kilograms) of trash every year. That’s a similar weight to 8000 elephants!

30. The Mall of America has been a host to numerous unusual events, some of which have broken Guinness World Records. Examples include the most people wearing conical party hats in one gathering and the most cupcakes iced in one hour.

31. In 2015, a Black Lives Matter protest shut down the Mall of America. Thousands of people gathered there and at Minneapolis-St Paul airport to protest against the recent killing of Jamar Clark by police near the city.

32. MOA has earned a global reputation for entertaining guests with exciting events. MOA hosts more than 400 events every year. This includes charitable initiatives, book signings, meet and greets, movie premiers, live music, and more.

33. Over the years, the Mall of America has welcomed numerous celebrities from various fields, including actors, musicians, athletes, and social media influencers. Everyone from Michael Jackson and Kate Hudson to Angelina Jolie and Arnold Schwarzenegger is said to have visited the mall.

34. The MOA gained significant exposure in the 1990s through its appearances in the popular “Mighty Ducks” film franchise. The mall is featured in scenes from “D2: The Mighty Ducks” (1994) and “D3: The Mighty Ducks.” (1996).

35. The 1996 holiday comedy film “Jingle All the Way” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sinbad features scenes filmed at the Mall of America.

36. MOA is also the setting for various scenes in “Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2” (2015). This is the sequel to the popular “Mall Cop” (2009) movie that was filmed in Burlington Mall, Massachusetts.

37. The MOA has been featured in a variety of television shows over the years. This includes the popular reality TV shows “The Amazing Race,” and “The Bachelor”. MOA also appeared in “Modern Family” and was the inspiration for the Mall of Spongebob in “Spongebob Squarepants”.

All images used in this article are from the Mall of America Press Page unless otherwise noted.