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Saint Paul, Minnesota

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For an overview of the Twin Cities metropolitan area, see Minneapolis-St. Paul.
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Flag of Saint Paul, Minnesota
Flag
Official seal of Saint Paul, Minnesota
Seal
Location in Ramsey County and the state of Minnesota.
Location in Ramsey County and the state of Minnesota.
Country
State
Counties		United States
Minnesota
Ramsey
Government
 • MayorChris Coleman (DFL)
Population
 (2000)
 • City
287,151
 • Metro
2,968,805
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
Websitehttp://www.stpaul.gov/

Saint Paul is the capital and second-largest city of the state of Minnesota in the United States. It is the county seat of Ramsey County. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 287,151, although that number had decreased to 276,963 in the Census' 2004 estimates. Saint Paul and the adjacent city of Minneapolis form the core of the area known as the Twin Cities.

History

Minnesota State Capitol building in Saint Paul
File:Saintpaulcityhall-int.jpg
The Saint Paul City Hall boasts a striking interior

Saint Paul began its life in the early 1800s when a collection of fur traders, explorers and missionaries came to the area for the protection that Fort Snelling offered. Many of these people had come south from Canada and were of French descent; others had come from the East after treaties with Native Americans officially opened the area.

In the early years the settlers lived close to the fort along the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers, but as a whisky trade started to flourish the military officers in Fort Snelling banned them from the lands the fort controlled with one retired fur trader turned bootlegger, Pierre "Pig's Eye" Parrant, particularly irritating the officials. By the early 1820s the area had become important as a trading center and a destination for settlers heading west and was known as Pig's Eye Landing. In 1841 Father Galtier established the St. Paul Church and that same year the name of the settlement was formally changed to Saint Paul in honor of the newly constructed church and Father Galtier's favorite saint.

The next 10 years saw continued growth in the area and in response to that, Minnesota was named a territory in 1849 with St Paul named as its capital. In 1850, the city narrowly survived a proposed law to move the capital to St. Peter when territorial legislator Joe Rolette disappeared with the approved bill. In 1854 St Paul incorporated as a city and in 1858 Minnesota was admitted to the union with St. Paul becoming the 32nd state capital.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 145.5 km² (56.2 mi²). 136.7 km² (52.8 mi²) of it is land and 8.8 km² (3.4 mi²) of it (6.07%) is water.

The city is located just south of 45 degrees north latitude. In the northern suburb of Roseville, on the east side of Cleveland Avenue, a block north of Roselawn Avenue and just a few feet north of where Loren Street T's into Cleveland, there is a stone containing a plaque, marking a point on 45th parallel.[1].

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 287,151 people, 112,109 households, and 60,987 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,101.0/km² (5,441.7/mi²). There were 115,713 housing units at an average density of 846.6/km² (2,192.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 67.02% White, 11.71% African American, 1.13% Native American, 12.36% Asian (mostly Hmong and Vietnamese), 0.07% Pacific Islander, 3.84% from other races, and 3.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.91% of the population.

Saint Paul has the world's second largest urban Hmong population.

There were 112,109 households out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.1% were married couples living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.6% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.32.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.1% under the age of 18, 12.5% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 18.0% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 93.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $38,774, and the median income for a family was $48,925. Males had a median income of $35,111 versus $29,432 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,216. About 11.7% of families and 15.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.2% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.

Neighborhoods

File:Stpaul.png

Saint Paul is noted for its neighborhoods; the city has been called "fifteen small towns with one mayor", owing to the neighborhood-based life of much of the city.

The city's fifteen main neighborhoods, from northwest to southeast, include:

Saint Anthony Park [2]
A tree-shaded, upscale, upper-income neighborhood adjacent to the University of Minnesota Saint Paul campus, bordering Northeast Minneapolis on the west and the Minnesota State Fairgrounds on the east. It was the home to three Minnesota governors (William Marshall, 1866-70; Andrew McGill, 1887-1889; and Elmer L. Andersen; 1961-63). Originally set out as estates for the wealthy of Minneapolis, it has become a neighborhood of college professors, professionals, international students and ordinary working people. It is centrally located in the Twin Cities, providing a quaint, pedestrian-friendly business district that contains many services - including many independently owned shops and restaurants. The Carnegie Library, with an excellent new addition for children, and the top-rated St. Anthony Park Elementary School are the focal points of the neighborhood. St. Anthony Park, known to residents as SAP, is home to two colleges, the St. Paul campus of the University of Minnesota and the Luther Seminary, and thus home to graduate students from across the world. The largest area park is named for former St. Anthony Park resident Nathaniel P. Langford, who was responsible for the world's first national park (Yellowstone). Langford's most famous book, The Discovery of Yellowstone Park [3] was published in 1905.
Merriam Park [4]
A well-to-do neighborhood bordering the Mississippi River on the west.
Macalester-Groveland [5]
Wealthy neighborhood with three post-secondary institutions (Macalester College, the College of Saint Catherine and the University of Saint Thomas), with scenic East River Parkway and a gorgeous view of the Mississippi River as its western border. East River Parkway (and West River Road, on the Minneapolis side) are public park land and have walking path all the way along themselves. These roads are residentially zoned and have very high property values due to the Mississippi river.
Highland Park [6]
Another wealthy neighborhood. Includes the Ford Motor Company Twin Cities Assembly Plant where the Ford Ranger and Mazda B-Series pickup trucks are produced. In April, 2006, Ford announced the closure of the plant in 2007, and what will become of the 1/4 square mile of prime real estate along the Mississippi is yet to be decided. Highland Park became the city's primary Jewish neighborhood after most of the Jewish population moved from the Summit-University neighborhood in the mid-1900s, and it is home to most of the city's synagogues.
The Midway [7]
Middle-class neighborhood which derives its name from being midway between the downtowns of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Includes the city's primary warehouse district and passenger rail terminal. Famous Midway natives include Peanuts cartoonist Charles Schultz.
Como Park [8]
Cozy upper-class neighborhood situated around Lake Como, the city's main recreational lake. The Como Park neighborhood has many recreational facilities, including a golf course, bike path, various open fields, a pavilion, a municipal pool, and the Como Zoo, the only zoo in the city of Saint Paul. The Como area is also home to many of the city's gingko trees. There are several schools in Como Park, the public schools in the area being the well-regarded Chelsea Heights Elementary School and the Como Park Elementary School, the only school in the city to have its own planetarium. The primary secondary school in Como Park is Como Park Senior High School, one of the highest rated schools in the state according to Newsweek. [citation needed]
North End [9]
A traditionally blue-collar neighborhood based on the Rice Street corridor, a long, straight street that has many fast-food restaurants, bars and clubs.
Thomas-Dale
More usually called "Frogtown", the neighborhood has been in transition for decades. The neighborhood experienced massive problems as the center of Saint Paul's drug and prostitution trades in the 1980s and 1990s.
Summit-University [10]
Another neighborhood in transition, "Summit-Uni" is the heart of the local Hmong community as well as the city's other Asian communities, of whom Vietnamese, Laotians and Cambodians are represented in large numbers. Summit-University also incorporates the remnants of the old "Rondo" neighborhood - once a full-fledged neighborhood of the city, Rondo was the center of the Cities' African-American community dating back to the Civil War. Rondo was destroyed by the construction of Interstate 94 in the 1950's through the 1970's. Famous Summit-University natives include baseball great Dave Winfield.
Summit Hill [11]
Also called "Crocus Hill" by locals, the neighborhood's focal point is Summit Avenue, the traditional home of the city's aristocracy; the boulevard is lined with the mansions of Saint Paul's traditional "old money", most notably that of railroad tycoon James J. Hill. At Summit's east end, overlooking Downtown, is the Saint Paul Cathedral, home of the Archdiocese of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. With its vista of downtown and the Mississippi River, it is among the priciest neighborhoods in the Twin Cities. It was home to artists as diverse as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Sinclair Lewis, August Wilson and, currently, Garrison Keillor.
West Seventh [12]
Officially known as the Fort Road area, due to its location on old native American and fur trader paths along the Mississippi from downtown to Fort Snelling. Known as "The West End" by locals (as distinguished from "the West Side", more on that below), the West Seventh neighborhood is a traditional immigrant neighborhood located below Summit Hill and along the western bluffs of the Mississippi River, spanning the entire length of West Seventh St.(Old Fort Rd.) The West End is the historical center of the Twin Cities' Irish, German, Polish, Italian and Bohemian immigrant communities, and is currently the center of Saint Paul's Russian immigrant population.
Downtown [13]
Downtown Saint Paul for the most part is a ghost town after 4 PM. Its glory days were in the 1940s, and the neighborhood - always overshadowed by Downtown Minneapolis - is constantly trying to regain jobs and prestige. Home to Xcel Energy Center, home of the Minnesota Wild hockey team, Galtier Plaza, McNally Smith College of Music and the Minnesota World Trade Center. When the Wild are playing or there is some other event, downtown can become brimming with people but generally people are scarce and sidewalks are clear.
West Side [14]
The name is somewhat confusing to newcomers, as the neighborhood is actually somewhat east of the line bisecting the city; it's the neighborhood across the Mississippi River to the south of Downtown, but technically on the west bank of the predominantly north-south river. It is the home to the largest Hispanic neighborhood in the Twin Cities, based along César Chávez Boulevard.
Payne-Phalen [15]
The neighborhood ranges from a toughish, blue-collar area to the south, to a solid middle-class area north of Maryland Avenue, and includes some fairly upscale real estate around scenic Lake Phalen.
Dayton's Bluff [16]
Dayton's Bluff is another highly-transitional neighborhood. The lower part of the Bluff, a sub-neighborhood called "Swede Hollow", is traditionally a fairly tough area; the Hollow and the Bluff in general have been home, sequentially, to most of the Twin Cities' immigrant communities, from Swedes and Germans in the mid-1800's, through waves of Italians, Eastern Europeans, African-Americans, Asians, Hispanics, and now Somali and Eritrean immigrants.
Greater East Side [17]
A largely middle-class neighborhood which borders on (and traditionally supplied much of the workforce for) neighboring 3M Corporation, one of Minnesota's biggest employers, whose corporate headquarters is just across McKnight Road from the Greater East Side in the suburb of Maplewood.
Battle Creek
A large, middle-class neighborhood on the southeast side of the city, featuring some spectacular views of the Mississippi River and Downtown Saint Paul. Traditionally a bedroom community for 3M, it's become much more diverse in the past 30 years.

A series of District Councils contribute to discussions of individual neighborhood issues in Saint Paul.

Government and politics

The city's current mayor is Chris Coleman, a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. Coleman spent eight years working in Hennepin County as a public defender and prosecutor. Proposals to build a metal shredder along the Mississippi River in Saint Paul inspired his first run for the Saint Paul City Council. Mayor Coleman represented Saint Paul's Ward 2 from 1997 to 2003. Currently, he is also an investment management consultant working with non-profit organizations and is also president of United Family Practice Clinic (serving people without insurance and/or with low income).

The city's former mayor was Randy Kelly, a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. Mayor Kelly caused controversy when in 2004, he endorsed US President George W. Bush for re-election. In what most political observers saw as a result of the Bush endorsement, Kelly was ejected from the Mayor's office on November 8, 2005 in favor of Chris Coleman. Kelly lost the election by almost 40 percentage points.

Participants in a political discussion list maintain background information relevant to Saint Paul Politics.

The City Council President is Kathy Lantry. Other key players in Saint Paul City Council include Jay Benanav, Patrick Harris, and Dave Thune.

The city of Saint Paul has elected a large number Irish mayors. The current mayor, Chris Coleman is an Irish-American. The city has had three mayors who were natives of Ireland, William Dawson, Christopher D. O'Brien, and Frank Doran. Other former Irish-American mayors of Saint Paul include: William Mahoney, William H. Fallon, John J. McDonough, Edward K. Delaney, John C. Daubney, Joseph E. Dillon, Thomas R. Byrne, and Randy Kelly.

Minneapolis/St. Paul are jointly bidding for both the 2008 Democratic National Convention and the 2008 Republican National Convention. St. Paul's Xcel Energy Center would be the venue if the Democrats choose Minneapolis/St. Paul for their convention.

Education

Saint Paul contains the following educational institutions, sorted by type:

Primary

Public Secondary

  • Saint Paul Public Schools official web site [22]
  • Arlington Senior High School [23]
  • Battle Creek Middle School
  • Central Senior High School[24]
  • Cleveland Quality Middle School
  • Como Park Senior High School [25]
  • Creative Arts Senior High School [26]
  • Harding Senior High School [27]
  • Highland Park Senior High School [28]
  • Highland Park Junior High School
  • Humbolt Senior High School [29]
  • Humboldt Junior High School
  • Johnson Senior High School [30]
  • Murray Junior High School [31]
  • Open School
  • Ramsey Junior High School [32]
  • Washington Technology Middle School [33]
  • Hazel Park Academy Middle School [34]

Private Secondary

Public Post-Secondary

Private Post-Secondary

Post-Graduate

Culture

Sites of interest

Areas of interest include the Science Museum of Minnesota [51], Ordway Center for the Performing Arts [52], the state Capitol, and RiverCentre, which serves as the city's civic center. Saint Paul is also home to the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the St. Paul Saints minor league baseball team, the Minnesota Thunder, professional soccer team, the Minnesota Swarm of the National Lacrosse League and the Minnesota Wild National Hockey League team, which plays at the city's Xcel Energy Center.

Grand Avenue is a much-frequented street for Saint Paul locals. The shopping includes boutiques and brand name stores and the dining on Grand Avenue makes it a favorite destination for people in and around Saint Paul. The intersection of Grand and Snelling features the premier bakery Breadsmith, Jamba Juice, and a Saint Paul original, Dunn Bros. Coffee. Other notable restaurants on Grand Avenue include: Cafe Latte, The Lexington and The Grand Ol' Creamery.

The Cathedral Hill area, centered on Selby and Western Avenues, is home to some of the best dining in the Twin Cities. Establishments range from traditional bars and pubs (such as Costello's and the Muddy Pig) to the upscale fine dining of W.A. Frost and Moscow on the Hill. In addition to fine dining, the area is also home to the College of Visual Arts and the Saint Paul Curling Club, the largest member owned club of its kind in the United States.

Nearby attractions include the Mississippi River which forms the southwest border of Saint Paul, the Mall of America in Bloomington, and the Minnesota State Fair's grounds. The fair - the largest state fair in the United States - is open during the two weeks prior to and including Labor Day. It takes place in northern Saint Paul next to the suburb of Falcon Heights, and just north of the Midway neighborhood, appropriately defining the midway point between downtown districts of the Twin Cities (see "Neighborhoods"). Immediately west of the state fairgrounds is the Saint Paul Campus of the University of Minnesota (however, like the Fairgrounds, the campus is located in Falcon Heights). The Cathedral of Saint Paul is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, and numerous other religious organizations exist in the metropolitan area. Bordering the southwest edge of Saint Paul and the southeastern tip of Minneapolis is the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. Also notable is the Fort Snelling National Historic Site, which lies on the bluff above the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers. Just below the bluff is Fort Snelling State Park [53], which incorporates Pike Island named for the explorer Zebulon Pike. The Como Zoo and Conservatory is a free zoo with a year round inside garden and amusement park.

Saint Paul is the birthplace of renowned author, F Scott Fitzgerald, as well as cartoonist Charles M. Schulz (Peanuts). Because of the association with Schulz, Saint Paul regularly has events centering around the Snoopy family. For the past several years, local artists have painted and decorated giant Peanuts sculptures around the city. These have been very popular with tourists.

Major corporations headquartered in the Saint Paul area include 3M, source of products such as Scotch-Tape™, Thinsulate™ and Post-It™ notes; St Paul Travelers, a major insurance firm; Ecolab, a chemical and cleaning product company; Lawson Software, a business software and support company; and Gander Mountain, the largest outdoor lifestyle retailer in the country.

Media

Main article: Media in the Twin Cities

Television stations in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area:

Newspapers:

Magazines:

Sports

Logo Club Sport League Venue Championships
Minnesota Wild Logo Minnesota Wild Ice Hockey National Hockey League; Western Xcel Energy Center
Saint Paul Saints Logo Saint Paul Saints Baseball American association; North Division Midway Stadium Northern League Championship: 1993, 1995, 1996, 2004
Minnesota Thunder Logo Minnesota Thunder Football USL First Division James Griffin Stadium
Minnesota Swarm Logo Minnesota Swarm Indoor lacrosse National Lacrosse League; Western Division Xcel Energy Center

Transportation

Ground transportation

Most of the citizens of Saint Paul utilize a car to move throughout the region, although the bus system, provided by Metro Transit, is also used by those with and without cars. Metro Transit also operates the Hiawatha Line, a light rail transit system, which connects downtown and south Minneapolis with the southern suburb of Bloomington and the Mall of America. It also serves Saint Paul through coordinated buses from the train stations. The expansion of the light rail system, when it occurs, is expected to connect downtown Minneapolis to downtown Saint Paul.

In the downtown area, buildings are connected by a skyway system in which buildings are directly connected to each other, and pedestrians may walk from one building to another without going outside. Another system of transportation gaining popularity in Saint Paul is biking, especially with the advent of additional bike lanes throughout the city and the metropolitan area. Bike trails interconnect with those of Minneapolis and other neighboring cities.

The layout of streets around downtown St. Paul has often drawn complaints. Jesse Ventura famously brought up the city's roadways during an appearance on Late Night with David Letterman in his days as Governor of Minnesota. Ventura drew a lot of criticism for his remark that the streets had been designed by "drunken Irishmen," although people had already been complaining about the fractured grid system for more than a century by that point. Some of the road structure comes from the curve of the Mississippi River, conflicts between leaders of different neighborhoods in the early city, and grand plans only half-realized. Outside of downtown, the roads are less confusing, but the city is also somewhat unusual in the fact that most roads are named rather than numbered. Another complaint is the changing of the name of Concord St, which is near Highway 52, one of the major highways in St. Paul. Many people are given directions to follow Concord St. until it becomes Wabasha. The problem is that at the 52 junction, Concord St. turns into Cesar Chavez, going in the direction of Wabasha. Many people become confused, and end up following Concord in the opposite direction, towards South Saint Paul.

Interstate Highways that serve the city are Interstate 35E running N-S, and Interstate 94 running E-W.

Air transportation

The major airport for the area is the Minneapolis/Saint Paul International Airport. Its major provider is Northwest Airlines, although low priced discount airlines are beginning to gain strength in the area. Saint Paul is also served by the smaller St. Paul Downtown Airport.

Twin cities

Saint Paul is twinned with:

See also

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