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EspañolSAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA
:''For an overview of the Twin Cities metropolitan area, see Minneapolis-Saint Paul.''
'Saint Paul' is the capital and the second most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Ramsey County. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 287,151, although that number had decreased to 275,150 in the 2005 Census estimates [1]. In 1820, it was an extreme outpost in the American Old West, where Native Americans, European explorers, and American soldiers (from neighboring Fort Snelling, just upstream on the Mississippi River) lived in close proximity. Saint Paul and the adjacent city of Minneapolis form the core of the Twin Cities metropolitan area.
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. A SHORT HISTORY OF INDIAN MOUNDS PARK [1] From about 1600 to 1837 the Dakota Indians lived near the site of the Mounds. 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 whiskey 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. 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. In 1847 Harriet Bishop came from New York and opened the city's first school. The Story of Minnesota's Past, , Rhonda R., Gilman, Minnesota Historical Society Press, , German-Jewish pioneers formed Saint Paul's first synagogue in 1856.
The Minnesota Territory was formalized in 1849 with Saint 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.[2] 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.
Natural geography played a role in the settlement and development of Saint Paul as a trade and transportation center. The Mississippi River valley in this area is defined by a series of stone bluffs that line both sides of the river. Saint Paul grew up around Lambert's Landing, the last place to unload boats coming upriver at an easily accessible point, some fourteen river miles downstream from Saint Anthony Falls, the geographic feature that defined the location of Minneapolis and its prominence as the Mill City. This made Saint Paul a gateway to the Upper Midwest for westbound settlers heading for the Minnesota frontier or the Dakota Territory. In 1958 more than 1,000 steamboats unloaded cargo and passengers at Saint Paul. A cart and wagon road to the Red River valley was the first manifestation, followed by the establishment of numerous railroads that were headquartered in Saint Paul, such as the Great Northern Railway and Northern Pacific Railway, which are today part of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway. For well over a hundred years, Saint Paul was a frontier town and a railroad town. Today it is more influenced by commerce and its function as the state capital. It has been called "The Last City of the East." [3]
Saint Paul is located in east-central Minnesota. 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 west, 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.
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. 20.1% were of German, 9.0% Irish and 7.0% Norwegian ancestry according to Census 2000. Saint Paul has one of the world's largest contingents of urban Hmong populations.
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 living below the poverty line, including 23.2% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.
The majority of residents claiming religious affiliation are Christian, split between the Roman Catholic Church and various Protestant denominations. There is a Jewish synagogue and relatively small populations of Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, and Pagans.[4]
Main articles: 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. But in fact Saint Paul is broken into not fifteen but seventeen City Districts. And while some City District boundaries perfectly overlap the boundaries of well-recognized neighborhoods, especially in wealthier areas, that's not the case throughout Saint Paul.
The city's seventeen City Districts include:
The "West" Side neighborhood seems oddly located to the south, but is so named because it is on the west bank of the Mississippi River. And the "East" Side conglomeration of neighborhoods actually includes the entire eastern third of the city and its populace.
The city's current mayor is Chris Coleman, a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL).
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.
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.
Saint Paul is located in Minnesota's 4th congressional district, represented by Betty McCollum, a progressive Democrat, scoring 92% progressive by a progressive group[5] and 4% conservative by a conservative group[6] on a range of issues.
Saint Paul's Xcel Energy Center will be the host of the 2008 Republican National Convention.
Main articles: 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. Well-known colleges and universities include: the College of Saint Catherine, Concordia University, Hamline University, Macalester College, and the University of St. Thomas. Metropolitan State University and Saint Paul College, which focus on non-traditional students, are based in Saint Paul, as is William Mitchell College of Law.
The Saint Paul Public Schools district is the state's second largest school district and serves approximately 42,000 students. The district is extremely diverse with students from families speaking 70 different languages, although only 4 languages are used for most school communication. Those languages are English, Spanish, Hmong and Somali. The district runs 67 different schools including 48 elementary schools, 8 middle schools, 7 high schools, 3 alternative schools and one special education school. The district also employs over 6,500 teachers and staff.[7] The school district also oversees community education programs for pre-K and adult learners, including Early Childhood Family Education, GED Diploma, language programs and various learning opportunities for community members of all ages.
In 2006, the Saint Paul Public Schools celebrated its 150th anniversary. Notable graduates of Saint Paul Public Schools include former U.S. Supreme Court justices Harry Blackmun and Warren Burger, civil rights leader Roy Wilkins, creator of the Peanuts cartoon strip Charles Schultz, astronaut Duane G. Carey, hockey coach Herb Brooks and many others from various professions and notable achievements.
A variety of K-12 private, parochial and public charter schools are also represented in the city. In 1993, Saint Paul became the first city in the U.S. to sponsor and open a charter school, now found in most states across the nation. Saint Paul is currently home to 21 charter schools as well as 38 private schools.[8]
★ Circus Juventas a youth performing arts circus school
★ Ordway Center for the Performing Arts[9]
★ RiverCentre, which serves as the city's civic center
★ The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
★ The Fitzgerald Theater
★ SteppingStone Theatre
★ Park Square Theatre
★ Starting Gate Productions
★ Artists' Quarter, a jazz club in downtown.
★ Turf Club, a bar in the Midway.
★ Station 4, a bar downtown that has live music every night, mostly metal, and sometimes all-ages shows.
★ Shamrocks, an Irish pub on West 7th Street and Randolph Avenue occasionally has live music.
★ O'Garas, an Irish pub on Selby and Snelling has live shows.
★ Minnesota Music Cafe is a big venue with nightly live music.
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. The historic Landmark Center is located at the heart of Saint Paul; it is home to SteppingStone Theatre, a youth theater company and the Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists, a high school located on the 5th floor of the building which is sponsored by the Ordway.
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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,[10] which incorporates Pike Island named for the explorer Zebulon Pike. The Henry Hastings Sibley home, in Mendota is the oldest stone home in Minnesota. And Bloomington's Mall of America boasts 520 stores and an indoor amusement park.
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 1960s 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, at the suggestion of his friend director Claude Purdy, who helped him secure a job writing educational scripts for the Science Museum of Minnesota. Renowned painter LeRoy Neiman is also a native of Saint Paul and was born there in 1927.
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, Wuollet Bakery, 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.
Major corporations headquartered in Saint Paul include Travelers, a major insurance firm, St. Jude Medical, a manufacturer of medical devices, Ecolab, a chemical and cleaning product company, Patterson Dental, Minnesota Life an insurance company, Lawson Software, a business software and support company, 3M, an international conglomerate, and Gander Mountain, a retailer of sporting goods.
Main articles: 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, the ''St. Paul Pioneer Press'', one weekly neighborhood newspaper, the ''East Side Review'', and several monthly neighborhood papers serve the city. Several media outlets based in neighboring Minneapolis also serve the Saint Paul community, including the Star Tribune. And the magazine, ''Saint Paul Illustrated'' is published in Bloomington.
The Minnesota Timberwolves, Twins, and Vikings all play in Minneapolis
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 Saint 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. Other freeways within the city limits include U.S. Highway 52, Minnesota State Highway 280, and Minnesota State Highway 5.
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.
Saint Paul has 11 sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International:
1. Indian Mounds Park
2. Joe Rolette, Fur Trader and Legislator
3. http://www.oah.org/pubs/nl/2007feb/wingerd.html
4. American Religious Identification Survey
5. ProgressivePunch Leading with the Left
6. ACU Ratings of Congress, 2006
7. About Us St Paul Public Schools
8. Alphabetical List of Nonpublic Schools Minnesota Department of Education and Charter Schools
9. Ordway Center for the Performing Arts
10. Fort Snelling State Park
11. St. Paul Culture:Museums
★ Official city website
★ Official tourism site
★ 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
★ Saint Paul Photo Blog
'Saint Paul' is the capital and the second most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Ramsey County. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 287,151, although that number had decreased to 275,150 in the 2005 Census estimates [1]. In 1820, it was an extreme outpost in the American Old West, where Native Americans, European explorers, and American soldiers (from neighboring Fort Snelling, just upstream on the Mississippi River) lived in close proximity. Saint Paul and the adjacent city of Minneapolis form the core of the Twin Cities metropolitan area.
History
Bridge linking Ft. Snelling with Saint Paul, c.1880
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. A SHORT HISTORY OF INDIAN MOUNDS PARK [1] From about 1600 to 1837 the Dakota Indians lived near the site of the Mounds. 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 whiskey 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. 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. In 1847 Harriet Bishop came from New York and opened the city's first school. The Story of Minnesota's Past, , Rhonda R., Gilman, Minnesota Historical Society Press, , German-Jewish pioneers formed Saint Paul's first synagogue in 1856.
The Minnesota Territory was formalized in 1849 with Saint 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.[2] 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.
The city seen from Indian Mounds Park in 2007.
Natural geography played a role in the settlement and development of Saint Paul as a trade and transportation center. The Mississippi River valley in this area is defined by a series of stone bluffs that line both sides of the river. Saint Paul grew up around Lambert's Landing, the last place to unload boats coming upriver at an easily accessible point, some fourteen river miles downstream from Saint Anthony Falls, the geographic feature that defined the location of Minneapolis and its prominence as the Mill City. This made Saint Paul a gateway to the Upper Midwest for westbound settlers heading for the Minnesota frontier or the Dakota Territory. In 1958 more than 1,000 steamboats unloaded cargo and passengers at Saint Paul. A cart and wagon road to the Red River valley was the first manifestation, followed by the establishment of numerous railroads that were headquartered in Saint Paul, such as the Great Northern Railway and Northern Pacific Railway, which are today part of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway. For well over a hundred years, Saint Paul was a frontier town and a railroad town. Today it is more influenced by commerce and its function as the state capital. It has been called "The Last City of the East." [3]
Geography
Saint Paul is located in east-central Minnesota. 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 west, 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.
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high °F (°C) | 23 (-5) | 30 (-1) | 42 (6) | 58 (14) | 71 (22) | 79 (26) | 83 (28) | 81 (27) | 72 (22) | 59 (15) | 41 (5) | 27 (-3) |
| Avg low temperature °F (°C) | 6 (-14) | 12 (-11) | 24 (-4) | 36 (2) | 48 (9) | 58 (14) | 63 (17) | 61 (16) | 52 (11) | 40 (4) | 26 (-3) | 12 (-11) |
Saint Paul from the Mississippi River
Demographics
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1860 | 10,401 |
| 1870 | 20,030 |
| 1880 | 41,473 |
| 1890 | 133,156 |
| 1900 | 163,065 |
| 1910 | 214,744 |
| 1920 | 234,698 |
| 1930 | 271,606 |
| 1940 | 287,736 |
| 1950 | 311,349 |
| 1960 | 313,411 |
| 1970 | 309,980 |
| 1980 | 270,230 |
| 1990 | 272,235 |
| 2000 | 287,151 |
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. 20.1% were of German, 9.0% Irish and 7.0% Norwegian ancestry according to Census 2000. Saint Paul has one of the world's largest contingents of urban Hmong populations.
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 living below the poverty line, including 23.2% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.
Religion
The majority of residents claiming religious affiliation are Christian, split between the Roman Catholic Church and various Protestant denominations. There is a Jewish synagogue and relatively small populations of Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, and Pagans.[4]
Neighborhoods
Main articles: 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. But in fact Saint Paul is broken into not fifteen but seventeen City Districts. And while some City District boundaries perfectly overlap the boundaries of well-recognized neighborhoods, especially in wealthier areas, that's not the case throughout Saint Paul.
Saint Paul from Indian Mounds Park in the Dayton's Bluff neighborhood, east of downtown
The city's seventeen City Districts 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 ★ Hamline-Midway ★ Thomas-Dale ("Frogtown") ★ West Seventh ("the West End") ★ West Side |
The "West" Side neighborhood seems oddly located to the south, but is so named because it is on the west bank of the Mississippi River. And the "East" Side conglomeration of neighborhoods actually includes the entire eastern third of the city and its populace.
Saint Paul skyline from the West Side neighborhood
Government and politics
City
The Saint Paul City Hall boasts a striking interior
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.
Minnesota State Capitol building in Saint Paul, designed by Cass Gilbert
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.
Federal
Saint Paul is located in Minnesota's 4th congressional district, represented by Betty McCollum, a progressive Democrat, scoring 92% progressive by a progressive group[5] and 4% conservative by a conservative group[6] on a range of issues.
Saint Paul's Xcel Energy Center will be the host of the 2008 Republican National Convention.
Education
Main articles: 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. Well-known colleges and universities include: the College of Saint Catherine, Concordia University, Hamline University, Macalester College, and the University of St. Thomas. Metropolitan State University and Saint Paul College, which focus on non-traditional students, are based in Saint Paul, as is William Mitchell College of Law.
The Saint Paul Public Schools district is the state's second largest school district and serves approximately 42,000 students. The district is extremely diverse with students from families speaking 70 different languages, although only 4 languages are used for most school communication. Those languages are English, Spanish, Hmong and Somali. The district runs 67 different schools including 48 elementary schools, 8 middle schools, 7 high schools, 3 alternative schools and one special education school. The district also employs over 6,500 teachers and staff.[7] The school district also oversees community education programs for pre-K and adult learners, including Early Childhood Family Education, GED Diploma, language programs and various learning opportunities for community members of all ages.
In 2006, the Saint Paul Public Schools celebrated its 150th anniversary. Notable graduates of Saint Paul Public Schools include former U.S. Supreme Court justices Harry Blackmun and Warren Burger, civil rights leader Roy Wilkins, creator of the Peanuts cartoon strip Charles Schultz, astronaut Duane G. Carey, hockey coach Herb Brooks and many others from various professions and notable achievements.
A variety of K-12 private, parochial and public charter schools are also represented in the city. In 1993, Saint Paul became the first city in the U.S. to sponsor and open a charter school, now found in most states across the nation. Saint Paul is currently home to 21 charter schools as well as 38 private schools.[8]
Culture
Performing arts
★ Circus Juventas a youth performing arts circus school
★ Ordway Center for the Performing Arts[9]
★ RiverCentre, which serves as the city's civic center
★ The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
★ The Fitzgerald Theater
★ SteppingStone Theatre
★ Park Square Theatre
★ Starting Gate Productions
Live music
★ Artists' Quarter, a jazz club in downtown.
★ Turf Club, a bar in the Midway.
★ Station 4, a bar downtown that has live music every night, mostly metal, and sometimes all-ages shows.
★ Shamrocks, an Irish pub on West 7th Street and Randolph Avenue occasionally has live music.
★ O'Garas, an Irish pub on Selby and Snelling has live shows.
★ Minnesota Music Cafe is a big venue with nightly live music.
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. The historic Landmark Center is located at the heart of Saint Paul; it is home to SteppingStone Theatre, a youth theater company and the Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists, a high school located on the 5th floor of the building which is sponsored by the Ordway.
Nearby attractions
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The 2004 Ice Castle
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,[10] which incorporates Pike Island named for the explorer Zebulon Pike. The Henry Hastings Sibley home, in Mendota is the oldest stone home in Minnesota. And Bloomington's Mall of America boasts 520 stores and an indoor amusement park.
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 1960s 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, at the suggestion of his friend director Claude Purdy, who helped him secure a job writing educational scripts for the Science Museum of Minnesota. Renowned painter LeRoy Neiman is also a native of Saint Paul and was born there in 1927.
Museums
★ The Goldstein Museum of Design, (University of Minnesota) ★ The Science Museum of Minnesota ★ The Minnesota Children's Museum ★ The Schubert Club Instrument Museum ★ The Minnesota Museum of American Art ★ The Traces Center for History and Culture[11] | ★ The Minnesota History Center ★ The Alexander Ramsey House ★ The James J. Hill House ★ The Minnesota Transportation Museum ★ The Twin City Model Railroad Museum |
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, Wuollet Bakery, 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.
Economy
Major employers
Major corporations headquartered in Saint Paul include Travelers, a major insurance firm, St. Jude Medical, a manufacturer of medical devices, Ecolab, a chemical and cleaning product company, Patterson Dental, Minnesota Life an insurance company, Lawson Software, a business software and support company, 3M, an international conglomerate, and Gander Mountain, a retailer of sporting goods.
Media
Main articles: 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, the ''St. Paul Pioneer Press'', one weekly neighborhood newspaper, the ''East Side Review'', and several monthly neighborhood papers serve the city. Several media outlets based in neighboring Minneapolis also serve the Saint Paul community, including the Star Tribune. And the magazine, ''Saint Paul Illustrated'' is published in Bloomington.
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 | |
| Minnesota Ripknees | Basketball | Premier Basketball League | Roy Wilkins Auditorium |
The Minnesota Timberwolves, Twins, and Vikings all play in Minneapolis
Transportation
Ground
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 Saint 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.
Saint Paul Downtown Airport
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. Other freeways within the city limits include U.S. Highway 52, Minnesota State Highway 280, and Minnesota State Highway 5.
Air
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.
Sister cities
Saint Paul has 11 sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International:
★ 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 |
References
1. Indian Mounds Park
2. Joe Rolette, Fur Trader and Legislator
3. http://www.oah.org/pubs/nl/2007feb/wingerd.html
4. American Religious Identification Survey
5. ProgressivePunch Leading with the Left
6. ACU Ratings of Congress, 2006
7. About Us St Paul Public Schools
8. Alphabetical List of Nonpublic Schools Minnesota Department of Education and Charter Schools
9. Ordway Center for the Performing Arts
10. Fort Snelling State Park
11. St. Paul Culture:Museums
External links
★ Official city website
★ Official tourism site
★ 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
★ Saint Paul Photo Blog
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