Saint Paul, Minnesota

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For an overview of the Twin Cities metropolitan area, see Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Saint Paul, Minnesota
Downtown Saint Paul skyline
Image:StPaulMN.gif Flag Seal
Location in Ramsey County and the state of Minnesota.
Coordinates: 44°56′38.76″N, 93°05′6.72″W
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
Counties	Ramsey
Mayor	Chris Coleman (DFL)
Area
- City	56.2 mi² - 145.5 km²
- Land	52.8mi² - 136.7 km²
- Water	3.4 mi² - 8.8 km²
Elevation	214 m
Population
- City (2000)	287,151
- Density	2,100.6/km² (5,438/sq mi)
- Metro	2,968,805
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Website: http://www.stpaul.gov/

Saint Paul is the capital and the second most populous city of the state of Minnesota. 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 2004 Census estimates. Saint Paul and the adjacent city of Minneapolis form the core of the Twin Cities metropolitan area.

Contents 1 History 2 Geography 3 Demographics 3.1 Religion 3.2 Neighborhoods 4 Government and politics 4.1 City 4.2 State 4.3 Federal 5 Education 6 Culture 6.1 Performing arts 6.2 City attractions 6.3 Nearby attractions 6.4 The city's famed creators 6.5 Museums 6.6 Shopping and eating 7 Economy 7.1 Major employers 7.2 Media 8 Sports 9 Transportation 9.1 Ground transportation 9.2 Air transportation 10 Twin cities 11 References 12 External links

[edit] History

About 2000 years ago the Hopewell culture Native Americans lived in the vicinity, burying their dead in mounds, now located in Indian Mounds Park. The Dakota Indians later used the same site to bury their dead.^[1][2] From about 1600 to 1837 the Dakota Indians lived near the site of the Mounds.^[1] In the early 1800s a disparate group 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, a destination for settlers heading west, and was known as Pig's Eye Landing. In 1837, a treaty between Henry Schoolcraft and about 200 Dakota Indians displaced the natives from the site.^[1] In 1841 Father Galtier established the Saint Paul Catholic Church and 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, the Minnesota Territory was formalized in 1849 with St Paul named as its capital. In 1850, the city narrowly survived a proposed law to move the capital to Saint Peter when territorial legislator, Joe Rolette disappeared with the approved bill.^{[citation needed]} In 1854, Saint Paul incorporated as a city and, in 1858, Minnesota was admitted to the union with Saint Paul becoming the 32nd state capital.

[edit] Geography

Saint Paul is located at 44°53′00″N, 93°12′00″W (44.8833, -93.2).^GR1 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 Mississippi River runs through the city, and forms a municipal boundary on the city's southwest and southeast sides. Minneapolis, the state's larger city lies to the west; Falcon Heights, Lauderdale, Roseville, and Maplewood are north; Maplewood is also to the east; the cities of West Saint Paul and South Saint Paul are to the south; and Lilydale, Mendota and Mendota Heights lie across the river from the city to the south. The city's largest lakes are Pig's Eye Lake, in the river, Lake Phalen, and Lake Como.

[edit] 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 (incl. white) were 7.91% of the population. Saint Paul has the world's second largest urban Hmong population.^{[citation needed]}

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 individuals. 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 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.

[edit] Religion

The majority of residents are Christian, split between Catholic and various sects of Protestantism. There is also a Jewish temple and relatively small populations of Hindus, Muslims, Buddists, and Pagans.^[3]

[edit] Neighborhoods

Main article: St. Paul neighborhoods

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 include:

Saint Anthony Park Merriam Park Highland Park Battle Creek Como Park Dayton's Bluff

Downtown Greater East Side Macalester-Groveland North End Payne-Phalen Summit Hill

Summit-University The Midway Thomas-Dale West Seventh West Side

The "West" Side neighborhood seems oddly located to the south, but is so named because riverboat captains considered it to be on the western side of the Mississippi.

[edit] Government and politics

[edit] City

The city's current mayor is Chris Coleman, a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL). 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).

As of 2006: The Saint Paul City Council includes

• Debbie Montgomery, Ward 1
• Dave Thune, Ward 2
• Pat Harris, Ward 3
• Jay Benanav, Ward 4
• Lee Helgen, Ward 5
• Dan Bostrom, Ward 6
• Kathy Lantry, City Council President, Ward 7

The city has had three mayors who were natives of Ireland, William Dawson, Christopher D. O'Brien, and Frank Doran. Other 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, Randy Kelly, and the current mayor, Chris Coleman.

[edit] State

Saint Paul is the capital of the state of Minnesota. The city hosts the capitol building, designed by Cass Gilbert, and the house and senate office buildings. The governor's mansion, which is used for some state functions is on Summit Avenue.

[edit] Federal

Saint Paul is located in Minnesota's 4th congressional district, represented by Betty McCollum, a progressive Democrat, scoring 91% progressive by a progressive group^[4] and 13% conservative by a conservative group^[5] on a range of issues.

Saint Paul's Xcel Energy Center will be the host of the 2008 Republican National Convention.

[edit] Education

Main article: Education in St. Paul, Minnesota

Saint Paul supports a robust network of publicly-funded primary and secondary schools. It is also home to three private secondary prep-schools, three public and eight private colleges and universities, and five post-secondary institutions.

[edit] Culture

[edit] Performing arts

• Ordway Center for the Performing Arts^[6]
• RiverCentre, which serves as the city's civic center
• The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
• The Fitzgerald Theater

[edit] City attractions

Additional attractions include the Mississippi River, Lake Como, the Como Zoo and Conservatory, Rice Park, Indian Mounds Park, Battle Creek Regional Park, Harriet Island Regional Park, Highland Park, the Saint Paul Winter Carnival, the Landmark Center, the Wabasha Street Caves, and the Cathedral of Saint Paul.

[edit] Nearby attractions

Nearby attractions include the Minnesota State Fair. The fair is open during the two weeks prior to and including Labor Day. It takes place in the suburb of Falcon Heights, just north of the Midway neighborhood. Immediately west of the state fairgrounds is the Saint Paul Campus of the University of Minnesota. Historic Fort Snelling lies on the bluff above the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers. Just below the bluff is Fort Snelling State Park,^[7] which incorporates Pike Island named for the explorer Zebulon Pike. The Henry Hastings Sibley home is the oldest stone home in Minnesota. And Bloomington's Mall of America boasts 520 stores and an indoor amusement park.

[edit] The city's famed creators

Saint Paul is the birthplace of renowned author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, as well as the childhood home of cartoonist Charles M. Schulz (Peanuts) who, while born in a Minneapolis hospital, lived from infancy until the early 1960's in the city. Because of the association with Schulz, Saint Paul regularly has events centering around the Snoopy family, such as distributing painted and decorated giant Peanuts sculptures around the city. Playwright August Wilson lived in the city from 1978 until 1990, living much of that time in the Cathedral Hill neighborhood because it reminded him of his native New York.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Museums

• The Science Museum of Minnesota,^[8]
• The Minnesota Children's Museum
• The Shubert Club Instrument Museum
• The Minnesota Museum of American Art
• The Traces Center for History and Culture^[9]
• The Minnesota History Center
• The Alexander Ramsey House
• The James J. Hill House
• The Minnesota Transportation Museum
• The Twin City Model Railroad Museum

[edit] Shopping and eating

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 Brothers 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.

[edit] Economy

[edit] Major employers

Major corporations headquartered in Saint Paul area include St Paul Travelers, a major insurance firm, St. Jude Medical, a manufacturer of medical devices, Ecolab, a chemical and cleaning product company, patterson, a dental and veterinary supply company, Minnesota Life an insurance company, Lawson Software, a business software and support company, and Gander Mountain, a retailer of sporting goods.

[edit] Media

Main article: Media in the Twin Cities

Residents of Saint Paul can receive 10 broadcast television stations, five of which broadcast from within Saint Paul. One daily newspaper serves the city, the St. Paul Pioneer Press, and one weekly neighborhood paper, the East Side Review. Several media based in neighboring Minneapolis also serve the Saint Paul community. And the magazine, Saint Paul Illustrated is published in Bloomington.

[edit] Sports

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

The Minnesota Timberwolves, Twins, and Vikings all play in Minneapolis

[edit] Transportation

[edit] 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 many. Metro Transit operates the Hiawatha Line, a light rail transit system, which connects downtown Minneapolis with the Mall of America. It serves Saint Paul via coordinated buses from the train stations. The Central Corridor, which would connect downtown Minneapolis to downtown St. Paul, is in the planning stages.

In the downtown area, buildings are connected by a skyway system in which buildings are directly connected to each other above street level, and pedestrians may walk from one building to another without going outside. Another mode 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 and Metro Transit buses feature bike racks for combination commuters.

The layout of streets around downtown Saint Paul has often drawn complaints. Jesse Ventura famously brought up the city's roadways during an appearance on the Late Show 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 city road design is the result of 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 many roads are named, rather than numbered, increasing the difficulty for non-natives to navigate. Due to neighborhood autonomy, some roads suddenly change names without warning.

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

[edit] Air transportation

The major airport for the area is the Minneapolis/Saint Paul International Airport. It is a hub for Northwest Airlines and Sun Country Airlines, but is also served by most major carriers. Saint Paul is also served by the smaller St. Paul Downtown Airport.

[edit] Twin cities

Saint Paul is twinned with:

Nagasaki, Japan, since 1955 Hadera, Israel, since 1981 Culiacan, Mexico, since 1983 Changsha, China, since 1987 Lawaaikamp, South Africa, since 1988 Modena, Italy, since 1989

Novosibirsk, Russia, since 1989 Ciudad Romero, El Salvador, since 1991 Tiberias, Israel, since 1996 Neuss, Germany, since 1999 Manzanillo, Mexico, since 2002

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Trimble, Steve (July 2, 2000). A SHORT HISTORY OF INDIAN MOUNDS PARK. Neighborhood Pride Celebration. daytonsbluff.org. Retrieved on 2006-12-07.
2. ^ Indian Mounds Park. Mississippi National River and recreation Area. National Park Service. Retrieved on 2006-12-07.
3. ^ American Religious Identification Survey. Exhibit 15. The Graduate Center, City University of New York. Retrieved on 2006-11-24.
4. ^ Grossman, Joshua. ProgressivePunch Leading with the Left. All Issues. ProgressivePunch. Retrieved on 2006-11-02.
5. ^ Congressional Voting Scorecard 2005 (pdf). SBE Council’s Congressional Voting Scorecard 2005. Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (June, 2006). Retrieved on 2006-11-02.
6. ^ Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. Ordway Center for the Performing Arts (2006). Retrieved on 2006-12-07.
7. ^ Fort Snelling State Park. Minnesota DNR (2006). Retrieved on 2006-12-07.
8. ^ The Science Museum of Minnesota. The Science Museum of Minnesota. Retrieved on 2006-12-07.
9. ^ St. Paul Culture:Museums. M.R. Danielson Advertising Associates (2002). Retrieved on 2006-12-07.

[edit] External links

• Official city website
• Official tourism site
• Housing 5000 Initiative
• Saint Paul E-Democracy discussion list
• The City of Saint Paul Department of Parks and Recreation, a list of city parks, programming, recreation centers, opening hours and other information.
• Saint Paul Public Library

• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 44.95° -93.094°
  • Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
  • Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA

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