Saint Paul

St. Paul, Minnesota

St. Paul, Minnesota

St. Paul, city, capital of Minnesota, U.S., and seat of Ramsey county. Situated in the southeastern part of the state, St. Paul is at the head of navigation on the Mississippi River near its confluence with the Minnesota River. The city adjoins Minneapolis on the west, and together they form the Twin Cities metropolitan area, the largest conurbation in the state and in the U.S. north-central region. Suburban communities include Roseville (north), Maplewood (north and east), Woodbury (east), Cottage Grove (southeast), and South St. Paul and Eagan (south).

St. Paul, the state’s second most populous city (behind Minneapolis), lies along a deep S-shaped bend of the Mississippi and is built on a series of bluffs rising from the river to the surrounding plains. Eight lakes are located wholly or partially within the municipal boundaries, and the city maintains more than 160 parks. The climate is cool temperate, with long, cold winters and warm summers. High river levels in spring have caused damaging floods on occasion, as in 1965 and 1993, but control measures have been undertaken to reduce the problem. Inc. village, 1849; city, 1854. Area city, 56 square miles (145 square km). Pop. (2010) 285,068; Minneapolis–St. Paul–Bloomington Metro Area, 3,279,833; (2020) 311,527; Minneapolis–St. Paul–Bloomington Metro Area, 3,690,261.