After Nearly 34 Years, Minnesota’s MOA Earns Top Honor

It's been attracting visitors from across the Land of 10,000 Lakes and the world for over three decades, and now this Minnesota classic has been called the most iconic landmark in the entire state.

This August will mark 34 years that the Mall of America (MOA) has been welcoming visitors, and a lot has changed since then. From its early days as the new kid on the retail block to becoming one of the most-visited tourist attractions in the country, MOA has been a Minnesota icon from the start. And now it's THE most iconic landmark in the North Star State.

How the Mall of America Became a Minnesota Icon

MOA (which, of course, wasn't called by that name back then) first opened its doors in Bloomington in August of 1992 on the site where both the Vikings and the Twins used to play-- in the old Metropolitan Stadium.

SEE ALSO: Largest Ariat Store in U.S. To Open This Fall at MOA

Crews broke ground to start construction on the gigantic shopping center waaay back in 1989, so it was big news in Minnesota when MOA (again, we didn't call it that back then) opened that late summer in 1992. I was in college at UW-Eau Claire at the time, and remember seeing the coverage of the opening on various Twin Cities TV stations.

Mall of America by the Numbers: 33 Years of Growth

The Mall of America was, of course, the largest shopping mall in total area and the largest in total store vendors in the United States when it opened 33 years ago. MOA says when it opened its doors for the first time on August 11, 1992, 330 stores opened for business, and more than 10,000 employees started their first day of work.

Today, 33 years later, MOA is still known as a shopping mecca, of course, but it's also more than that: 

MOA hosts more than 300 events a year, ranging from concerts to celebrity appearances and fashion shows. Each year, 32 million people from around the world visit the mall, generating nearly $2 billion each year in economic impact for the state.

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Why the Mall of America Was Named Minnesota's Most Iconic Landmark

And now, according to Daily Passport, MOA has been included as Minnesota's entry in their list of the Most Iconic Landmarks in Every State. Daily Passport's survey said they looked at other Minnesota landmarks, like the Cathedral of St. Paul and the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.

But, in the end, the survey noted that, 'We had to go with the largest mall in the nation as Minnesota’s most iconic landmark,' noting the massive impact MOA has had on our fair state. (Check out one of MOA's first TV commercials from the year it opened below!)

I don't disagree that MOA is a massively iconic attraction in Minnesota, but I'm a little surprised that places along the North Shore, like the waterfalls at Tettegouche State Park or Split Rock Lighthouse in Two Harbors, didn't make the cut.

Behind the Cheddar Curtain over in Wisconsin, Lambeau Field, home of the NFL's Green Bay Packers since 1957, was named the most iconic landmark in the state, while Iowa's entry on the list was the state Capitol building in Des Moines. Theodore Roosevelt State Park was North Dakota's most iconic landmark, while Mount Rushmore took the honors for South Dakota.

Of course, while MOA is still with us 33, not ALL chains that were once popular are still around. How many of THESE brands that went out of business do YOU remember? Keep scrolling to check it out!