109-764: The Mendota Bridge (full name Fort Snelling–Mendota Bridge ), in the US state of Minnesota carries State Highway 55 (MN 55) and MN 62 over the Minnesota River between Fort Snelling and Mendota Heights . It is the final bridge over the Minnesota River before the Minnesota flows into the Mississippi River at the "Meeting of the waters" or "Mendota" in the Dakota language . Traffic on
218-418: A palisade erected around the encampment on Pike Island, just below the fort, to protect native people from the soldiers and settlers. Conditions there were poor and between 125 and 300 died of disease. Around 400 Dakota men were tried after the war. 303 were sentenced to death, but Abraham Lincoln reviewed the convictions and approved 39 of the death sentences. In December 1862, 38 of them were hanged, this
327-503: A city park and Lake George. In 2019, it moved to a new 69-acre, $ 104 million facility on the southwest edge of the city. The historic 1917 building has been acquired for use by city government. Apollo opened in 1970 and serves the expanding north side of the city. Other high schools and secondary schools that serve St. Cloud include St. Robert Bellarmine's Academy, St. Cloud Christian School, Immaculate Conception Academy, St. John's Preparatory School , St. Cloud Alternative Learning Center, and
436-497: A diverse population in terms of age, birthplace, ancestry, and socioeconomic status, with a well-educated populace and a median household income around $ 77,000. Minnesota's racial demographics have significantly diversified since its early settlement period. As of 2020, according to U.S. census data, the white population had fallen to 77.5% from over 98% in the early to mid-20th century. Concurrently, other racial populations have markedly increased. The Black population has risen to 7%,
545-577: A letter to Bishop Joseph Francis Busch thanking him for his support of the war effort. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has an area of 41.08 square miles (106.40 km ); 40.04 square miles (103.70 km ) is land and 1.04 square miles (2.69 km ) is water. The city developed on both sides of the Mississippi River . Part of the Sauk River runs along its northern edge. Just south of downtown
654-511: A male householder with no wife present, and 47.5% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age in the city was 28.8 years. 18.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 23.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.5% were from 25 to 44; 21.5% were from 45 to 64; and 10.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of
763-459: A new K-8 school in St. Joseph, and two major public high schools, St. Cloud Technical High School and St. Cloud Apollo High School . St. Cloud also has a major private high school, Cathedral High School . Both public high schools offer a broad selection of Advanced Placement courses and rank high in the state in the number of AP tests taken and of test takers. St. Cloud Tech opened in 1917 across from
872-499: A third of the state forested . Nearly all Minnesota's prairies and oak savannas have been fragmented by farming, grazing, logging, and suburban development. While loss of habitat has affected native animals such as the pine marten , elk , woodland caribou , and bison , others like whitetail deer and bobcat thrive. Minnesota has the nation's largest population of timber wolves outside Alaska, and supports healthy populations of black bears , moose , and gophers . Located on
981-632: A third of the state is forested . Much of the remainder is prairie and farmland. More than 60% of Minnesotans (about 3.8 million) live in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area, known as the "Twin Cities", which is Minnesota's main political , economic , and cultural hub and the 16th-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. Other minor metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas include Duluth , Mankato , Moorhead , Rochester , and St. Cloud . Minnesota, which gets its name from
1090-545: A time when resources were directed toward the World War I effort. He was later convicted and imprisoned for attempting to defraud investors. According to documents at the Stearns History Museum, more than 2,000 residents from the heavily German-American St. Cloud area served in the U.S. military against their ancestral homeland during World War I . On 26 January 1918, President Woodrow Wilson wrote
1199-400: A variety of events including regional conferences, consumer/trade shows, small group meetings and social events. The city is home to: The city maintains 95 parks, totaling more than 1,400 acres (5.7 km ) and ranging in size from 80 acres (0.32 km ) "neighborhood and mini parks" to 243 acres (0.98 km ). The largest developed park, Whitney Memorial Park, is the former location of
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#17327801512051308-716: A vast wilderness of pine and spruce trees mixed with patchy stands of birch and poplar . Much of Minnesota's northern forest has undergone logging, leaving only a few patches of old growth forest today in areas such as the Chippewa National Forest and the Superior National Forest , where the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness has some 400,000 acres (162,000 ha) of unlogged land. Although logging continues, regrowth and replanting keep about
1417-425: Is 107 °F (42 °C). The record low temperature is −43 °F (−42 °C). Over the past two decades, the racial and ethnic landscape of St. Cloud has experienced significant changes. In the year 2000, the population was predominantly White. However, by 2020, this percentage had dropped to 67%. The Black or African American demographic saw a substantial increase from 2% in 2000 to nearly 20% in 2020, marking
1526-440: Is Bloomington's Mall of America . Minnesota is one of 45 U.S. states with its own lottery ; its games include multi-jurisdiction draws , in-house draws, and other games. St. Cloud, Minnesota St. Cloud or Saint Cloud ( / ˈ s eɪ n t k l aʊ d / ; French: [sɛ̃ klu] ) is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the largest population center in the state's central region . The population
1635-614: Is a 72-mile-long (116 km) corridor along the Mississippi River through the Minneapolis–St. Paul Metropolitan Area connecting a variety of sites of historic, cultural, and geologic interest. Saint Paul , in east-central Minnesota along the banks of the Mississippi River, has been Minnesota's capital city since 1849, first as capital of the Territory of Minnesota , and then as the state capital since 1858. Saint Paul
1744-821: Is adjacent to Minnesota's most populous city, Minneapolis; they and their suburbs are collectively known as the Twin Cities metropolitan area , the country's 16th-largest metropolitan area and home to about 55% of the state's population. The remainder of the state is known as " Greater Minnesota " or "Outstate Minnesota". The state has 17 cities with populations above 50,000 as of the 2010 census. In descending order of population, they are Minneapolis , Saint Paul , Rochester , Duluth , Bloomington , Brooklyn Park , Plymouth , Saint Cloud , Woodbury , Eagan , Maple Grove , Coon Rapids , Eden Prairie , Minnetonka , Burnsville , Apple Valley , Blaine , and Lakeville . Of these, only Rochester, Duluth, and Saint Cloud are outside
1853-527: Is dedicated to the "Gopher Gunners", 151st Field Artillery who died in World ;War I. It has a length of 4,113 feet (1,254 m) and was the longest continuous concrete arch bridge in the world when it was constructed in 1924–1926. It consists of 13 arches each 304 feet (93 m) wide. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Between 1940 and 1965,
1962-516: Is home to 11 federally recognized Native American reservations (seven Ojibwe, four Dakota), and its culture, demographics, and religious landscape reflect Scandinavian and German influence. This heritage continues to affect the state's racial demographics, making it one of the country's least diverse states, but in recent decades, Minnesota has become more multicultural, due to both larger domestic migration and immigration from Latin America, Asia,
2071-468: Is known as the Driftless Zone for its absence of glacial drift . Much of the remainder of the state has 50 feet (15 m) or more of glacial till left behind as the last glaciers retreated. Gigantic Lake Agassiz formed in the northwest 13,000 years ago. Its flatbed now is the fertile Red River valley, and its outflow, glacial River Warren , carved the valley of the Minnesota River and
2180-531: Is located between the downtown area and the Beaver Islands, which form a maze for a two-mile stretch of the Mississippi. The approximately 30 undeveloped islands are a popular destination for kayak and canoe enthusiasts during safe river levels and flow. and are part of a state-designated 12-mile stretch of wild and scenic river. St. Cloud owns and operates a hydroelectric dam on the Mississippi,
2289-515: Is made up of Stearns and Benton Counties. The city was included in a newly defined Minneapolis–St. Paul–St. Cloud Combined Statistical Area (CSA) in 2000. St. Cloud as a whole has never been part of the 13-county MSA comprising Minneapolis , St. Paul , Bloomington and parts of western Wisconsin , though the Sherburne County portion is part of the 13-county MSA. St. Cloud State University , Minnesota's third-largest public university,
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#17327801512052398-542: Is the 7-acre, 35-feet-deep Lake George. In 2021, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) credited decade-long city investments in stormwater filtration with reducing Lake George's phosphorus levels well below the state standard. It called Lake George one of three "success stories" in the state, and planned to remove it from a list of impaired waters. Granite bedrock quarried in the area has been estimated to be 1.7 billion years old and
2507-493: Is the center of a contiguous urban area , with Waite Park , Sauk Rapids , Sartell , St. Joseph , Rockville , and St. Augusta directly bordering the city, and Foley , Rice , Kimball , Clearwater , Clear Lake , and Cold Spring nearby. The St. Cloud metropolitan area had a population of 199,671 at the 2020 census. It has been listed as the fifth-largest metro with a presence in Minnesota, behind Minneapolis–St. Paul , Duluth–Superior , Fargo-Moorhead , and Rochester . But
2616-459: Is the largest at 962,700 acres (389,600 ha; 3,896 km ) and deepest (at 1,290 ft (390 m)) body of water in the state. Minnesota has 6,564 natural rivers and streams that cumulatively flow for 69,000 miles (111,000 km). The Mississippi River begins its journey from its headwaters at Lake Itasca and crosses the Iowa border 680 miles (1,090 km) downstream. It is joined by
2725-631: Is the largest mass execution in United States history. In early 1863, Ramsey resigned as governor to become the Federal Indian Commissioner . His successor, Governor Henry Swift , raised the bounty to $ 200/scalp. A total of $ 325 was paid out to four people collecting bounties, including for Little Crow who was killed in July 1863. Upon becoming Indian Commissioner, Ramsey set out to get Ojibwe lands too. In 1863 he negotiated
2834-697: The Dakota language , has been inhabited by various Native Americans since the Woodland period of the 11th century BCE. Between roughly 200 and 500 CE, two areas of the indigenous Hopewell tradition emerged: the Laurel complex in the north, and Trempealeau Hopewell in the Mississippi River Valley in the south. The Upper Mississippian culture , consisting of the Oneota people and other Siouan speakers, emerged around 1000 CE and lasted through
2943-518: The Horn of Africa , and the Middle East. The state has the nation's largest population of Somali Americans and second-largest Hmong community . Minnesota's standard of living and level of education are among the highest in the U.S., and it is ranked among the best states in metrics such as employment, median income, safety, and governance. The word Minnesota comes from the Dakota name for
3052-710: The Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 provided the tribes with a mechanism of self-government. This gave Natives a greater voice within the state and promoted more respect for tribal customs because religious ceremonies and native languages were no longer suppressed. After World War II, industrial development quickened. New technology increased farm productivity through automation of feedlots for hogs and cattle, machine milking at dairy farms, and raising chickens in large buildings. Planting became more specialized, with hybridization of corn and wheat, and farm machinery such as tractors and combines became
3161-500: The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources . The Chippewa and Superior national forests comprise 5.5 million acres (22,000 km ). The Superior National Forest in the northeast contains the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness , which encompasses over a million acres (4,000 km ) and a thousand lakes. To its west is Voyageurs National Park . The Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (MNRRA)
3270-573: The Minnesota River at Fort Snelling, by the St. Croix River near Hastings , by the Chippewa River at Wabasha , and by many smaller streams. The Red River drains the northwest part of the state northward toward Canada's Hudson Bay. Approximately 10.6 million acres (4,300,000 ha; 43,000 km ) of wetlands are within Minnesota's borders, the most of any state outside Alaska. Minnesota has four ecological provinces: prairie parkland, in
3379-594: The Minnesota River , which got its name from one of two words in Dakota: " mní sóta ", which means "clear blue water", or " Mníssota ", which means "cloudy water". Early explorers interpreted the Dakota name for the Minnesota River in different ways, and four spellings of the state's name were considered before settling on "Minnesota" in 1849, when the Territory of Minnesota was formed. Dakota people demonstrated
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3488-681: The Mississippi Flyway , Minnesota hosts migratory waterfowl such as geese and ducks , and game birds such as grouse , pheasants , and turkeys . It is home to birds of prey , including the largest number of breeding pairs of bald eagles in the lower 48 states as of 2007, red-tailed hawks , and snowy owls . Hawk Ridge is one of the premier birdwatching sites in North America. The lakes teem with sport fish such as walleye , bass , muskellunge , and northern pike , while brook , brown , and rainbow trout populate streams in
3597-621: The Mississippi River . Lowry started a rival paper, The Union . The U.S. Supreme Court's 1857 decision in Dred Scott ruled that slaves could not file freedom suits and found the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional, so the territory's prohibition against slavery became unenforceable. Nearly all Southerners left the St. Cloud area when the Civil War broke out, taking their slaves with them. The total number of slaves in
3706-544: The Treaty of Old Crossing , whereby the Ojibwe ceded all their land in northern Minnesota and moved to reservations. Logging, farming, and railroads were mainstays of Minnesota's early economy. The sawmills at Saint Anthony Falls and logging centers of Pine City , Marine on St. Croix , Stillwater , and Winona processed vast quantities of timber. These cities were on rivers that were ideal for transportation. St. Anthony Falls
3815-521: The 17th and 18th centuries. 19th-century European settlers, especially Scandinavians, established Protestant denominations, particularly Lutheranism . Catholicism also continued to be significant due to Irish immigrants, and the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis serves a substantial Catholic community. The 20th and 21st centuries witnessed growth in other Christian denominations and non-Christian religions due to further immigration, leading to
3924-538: The Asian population to 5.3%, and those identifying as two or more races to 6.1%. In the 2017 American Community Survey , 5.1% of Minnesota's population were of Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race): Mexican (3.5%), Puerto Rican (0.2%), Cuban (0.1%), and other Hispanic or Latino origin (1.2%). The ancestry groups claimed by more than 5% of the population were German (33.8%), Norwegian (15.3%), Irish (10.5%), Swedish (8.1%), and English (5.4%). Minnesota has
4033-472: The Dakota people, and dislocated the Mdewakanton from their homelands along Mille Lacs Lake . Explorers such as Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut , Father Louis Hennepin , Jonathan Carver , Henry Schoolcraft , and Joseph Nicollet mapped the state. The region was part of Spanish Louisiana from 1762 to 1802. The portion of the state east of the Mississippi River became part of the United States at
4142-674: The Minnesota River valley. In the weeks that followed, Dakota warriors killed hundreds of settlers, causing thousands to flee the area. The six-week war ended with the defeat of the eastern Dakota and 2,000 in custody, who were eventually exiled to the Crow Creek Reservation by the Great Sioux Reservation in Dakota Territory . The remaining 4,500 to 5,000 Dakota mostly fled the state into Rupert's Land . As many as 800 settlers were killed during
4251-780: The Minnesota State Demographic Center, Minnesota had a population of about 5.7 million in 2020, making it the 22nd-most populous U.S. state. Its fertility rate in 2021 was slightly below the replacement rate at 1.75, but the state has seen growth over the past century through more births than deaths, and significant immigration. A destination for European immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, primarily from Scandinavia , Germany , and Ireland , it now attracts people from Latin America , primarily Mexico ; East Africa , particularly Somalis and Ethiopians ; and South and Southeast Asia , especially Hmong , Vietnamese , and Indians . The state has
4360-474: The Minnesota and Mississippi rivers to create a military reservation. The construction of Fort Snelling followed between 1819 and 1825. Its soldiers built a grist mill and a sawmill at Saint Anthony Falls , which were harbingers of the water-powered industries around which Minneapolis later grew. Meanwhile, squatters, government officials, and others had settled near the fort; in 1839 the army forced them off military lands, and most moved downriver, just outside
4469-482: The St. Germain Street bridge. Beginning in 1864, Stephen Miller served a two-year term as Minnesota governor, the only citizen of St. Cloud ever to hold the office. Miller was a " Pennsylvania German businessman", lawyer, writer, active abolitionist, and personal friend of Alexander Ramsey . He was on the state's Republican electoral ticket with Lincoln in 1860. Steamboats regularly docked at St. Cloud as part of
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4578-678: The Twin Cities metropolitan area, which became the Metropolitan Council in 1967. In 1971, under Governor Wendell Anderson , a series of legislation called the "Minnesota Miracle" led to a broad reform in financing of Minnesota public schools and local governments that created a fairer distribution in taxation and education. Two postwar Minnesota governors, former dentist Rudy Perpich and former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura , attracted national attention for their unconventional manner, but both enjoyed some popularity within
4687-407: The Twin Cities metropolitan area. Minnesota's population continues to grow, primarily in the urban centers. The populations of metropolitan Sherburne and Scott counties doubled between 1980 and 2000, while 40 of the state's 87 counties lost residents over the same period. The United States Navy has recognized multiple Minnesota communities . According to the United States Census Bureau and
4796-477: The Twin Cities. The district had only minor changes in a 2022 map drawn by a five-judge panel based on the 2020 census. As of the 2020 census, the city of St. Cloud is the second largest in Minnesota's 6th congressional district , represented by Republican Tom Emmer . The St. Cloud, Minnesota metropolitan area that includes adjacent communities has about a quarter of the 6th district population, though some of
4905-558: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of May 2020 the annual mean wage for 99,600 employees across all occupations in St. Cloud was $ 50,800. The median hourly wage was $ 24.42. According to St. Cloud's 2021 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are: In 2019 the city of Saint Cloud, Minnesota was awarded three first places awards from the Rome based International Awards for Liveable Communities (LivCom), one of several most livable cities awards. The city won
5014-485: The U.S. government and the eastern Dakota and Ojibwe gradually forced the natives off their lands and onto reservations . As conditions deteriorated for the eastern Dakota, tensions rose, leading to the Dakota War of 1862 . The conflict was ignited when four young Dakota men killed a family of white settlers on August 17. That night, a faction of Little Crow 's eastern Dakota decided to try to drive all settlers out of
5123-456: The US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race. Once primarily a producer of raw materials, Minnesota's economy has transformed to emphasize finished products and services. Perhaps the most significant characteristic of the economy is its diversity;
5232-527: The United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the south, and North Dakota and South Dakota to the west. It is the 12th-largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd-most populous , with around 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is known as the "Land of 10,000 Lakes"; it has 14,420 bodies of fresh water covering at least ten acres each. Roughly
5341-486: The Upper Mississippi downstream from Fort Snelling . Minnesota is geologically quiet today; it experiences earthquakes infrequently, most of them minor. The state's high point is Eagle Mountain at 2,301 feet (701 m), which is only 13 miles (21 km) away from the low point of 601 feet (183 m) at the shore of Lake Superior. Notwithstanding dramatic local differences in elevation, much of
5450-873: The area lies outside the district. The city makes up the majority of population of Minnesota State Senate District 14, which straddles the Mississippi River and includes parts of three counties, represented by Aric Putnam . Minnesota House District 14A includes generally western parts of the city as well as Waite Park , St. Augusta and adjacent rural areas, represented by Bernie Perryman . District 14B includes east central and northeast St. Cloud, neighboring Sauk Rapids and parts of rural Benton and Sherburne Counties, represented by Dan Wolgamott . In 2016, St. Cloud converted from 5% to 80% renewable energy by using solar gardens, street light improvements, bio-gas, and other energy efficiency initiatives. St. Cloud's wastewater plant converts sugar-laden liquids from local food and beer manufacturers into fuel and fertilizer. Since 2020,
5559-469: The arrival of Europeans in the 17th century. French explorers and missionaries were the earliest Europeans to enter the region, encountering the Dakota , Ojibwe , and various Anishinaabe tribes. Much of what is now Minnesota formed part of the vast French holding of Louisiana , which the United States purchased in 1803. After several territorial reorganizations, the Minnesota Territory
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#17327801512055668-470: The bridge also carried the concurrent designation of MN 100 . From 1992 to 1994, the old bridge was demolished down to the arches and rebuilt from the arches up with the new wider deck two feet (0.61 m) higher than the original. Minnesota Minnesota ( / ˌ m ɪ n ə ˈ s oʊ t ə / MIN -ə- SOH -tə ) is a state in the Upper Midwestern region of
5777-406: The charter school STRIDE Academy, which is K-8. The nearby cities of Sauk Rapids and Sartell also have their own school districts and high schools, bringing the number of public high schools in the metropolitan area to four. St. Cloud is home to several higher education institutions, including Minnesota's third-largest university, St. Cloud State University . St. Cloud State's fall 2020 enrollment
5886-509: The city airport. It features a recreation center for senior citizens, a dog park, and numerous softball, baseball, and soccer fields. Since 2005, St. Cloud's mayor has been Dave Kleis . He was reelected to a fifth term in 2020. St. Cloud has been moved by Congressional redistricting to a wide variety of Minnesota regions, including northern, south central, northwest and southwest. In Congressional district maps in effect since 2003, it has been grouped with rural areas and suburbs north and west of
5995-556: The city and crossed the Mississippi in St. Cloud or just to the north in Sauk Rapids. The City of St. Cloud was incorporated in 1856. It developed from three distinct settlements, known as Upper Town, Middle Town, and Lower Town, that European-American settlers established starting in 1853. Remnants of the deep ravines that separated the three are still visible today. Middle Town was settled primarily by German Catholic immigrants and migrants from eastern states, who were recruited to
6104-449: The city has produced more energy than it consumes. Past mayors of St. Cloud include: President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris won St. Cloud's votes in the 2020 presidential election by a margin of 9%, higher than the state margin of 7.12%. In 2016 , Donald Trump won St. Cloud by 1.75% over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Primary home languages of St. Cloud Public School students Almost all of St. Cloud, including
6213-430: The city was 51.5% male and 48.5% female. As of the census of 2000, 27.3% of St. Cloud households had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.4% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.9% were non-families. 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size
6322-421: The city was 84.6% White , 7.8% African American , 0.7% Native American , 3.7% Asian , 0.8% from other races , and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.4% of the population. There were 25,439 households, of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.6% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had
6431-705: The community was estimated in single digits at the 1860 census. Lowry died in the city in 1865. Many young men from St. Cloud and the surrounding area served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. After it ended, many local Civil War veterans remained heavily involved in St. Cloud's chapter of the Grand Army of the Republic , and raised money for the building of a statue in memory of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln that still stands near
6540-480: The country's largest Somali population, and the largest Hmong population per capita. Minnesota also has the largest Norwegian American and Swedish American populations. Since the 1960s, Minnesota's immigrant population has been shaped by its status as a major area for refugee resettlement. As of 2018, Minnesota had the largest refugee population per capita of any state, with 2% of the country's population but 13% of its refugees. The largest groups of refugees over
6649-503: The country. Its growth was initially based on timber, agriculture, and railroad construction. Into the early 20th century, European immigrants arrived in significant numbers, particularly from Scandinavia , Germany, and Central Europe . Many were linked to the failed revolutions of 1848 , which partly influenced the state's development as a center of labor and social activism . Minnesota's rapid industrialization and urbanization precipitated major social, economic, and political changes in
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#17327801512056758-739: The end of the American Revolutionary War , when the Second Treaty of Paris was signed. Land west of the Mississippi was acquired with the Louisiana Purchase , though the Hudson's Bay Company disputed the Red River Valley until the Treaty of 1818 , when the border on the 49th parallel was agreed upon. In 1805, Zebulon Pike bargained with Native Americans to acquire land at the confluence of
6867-593: The entire St. Cloud area is within Minnesota, while most of Fargo-Moorhead's population is in North Dakota and Superior, Wisconsin, contributes significant population to the Duluth area. St. Cloud is 65 miles (105 km) northwest of the Twin Cities of Minneapolis–St. Paul along Interstate 94 , U.S. Highway 52 (conjoined with I-94), U.S. Highway 10 , Minnesota State Highway 15 , and Minnesota State Highway 23 . The St. Cloud Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)
6976-667: The establishment of Buddhist , Hmong folk religion , Muslim , and Hindu communities, as well as a sizable Jewish community. A growing number of people identify as non-religious , in line with national trends. As of 2014, 74% of Minnesotans identified as Christian, 5% belonged to non-Christian faiths, and 20% identified as religiously unaffiliated, according to the Pew Research Center. The Spanish, Cushite, Beja, Somali, Miao, Hmong, Vietnamese, Chinese, Russian, Arabic, Amharic, Karen, and Niger-Congo languages are spoken in Minnesota. ( NH = Non-Hispanic ) Note:
7085-456: The far northeast to 160 days in southeast Minnesota near the Mississippi River. Average temperatures range from 37 to 49 °F (3 to 9 °C). Average summer dewpoints range from about 58 °F (14 °C) in the south to about 48 °F (9 °C) in the north. Average annual precipitation ranges from 19 to 35 inches (48 to 89 cm). Droughts occur every 10 to 50 years. Minnesota has been affected by climate change and warmed over
7194-655: The first-place whole city award for its size and first place for cities of all sizes for enhancement of landscapes and public spaces, arts, culture, and heritage management and Community participation and empowerment. LivCom praised the city for its focus on improving parkland and trails, as well as its enhancements and maintenance of 96 parks. St. Cloud has been a finalist at the LivCom awards four times since 2007. The St. Cloud Area Convention and Visitors Bureau promotes an area events calendar, dining and lodging information. The city-owned St. Cloud River's Edge Convention Center hosts
7303-559: The floor of the primordial ocean ; the remains of this volcanic rock formed the Canadian Shield in northeast Minnesota. The roots of these volcanic mountains and the action of Precambrian seas formed the Iron Range of northern Minnesota. Since a period of volcanism 1.1 billion years ago, Minnesota's geological activity has been more subdued, with no volcanism or mountain formation, but with repeated incursions of
7412-435: The flour mills powered by St. Anthony Falls . Although less than 1% of the population is now employed in the agricultural sector, it remains a major part of the state's economy, ranking sixth in the nation in the value of products sold. The state is the nation's largest producer of sugar beets , sweet corn , and peas for processing, and farm-raised turkeys . Minnesota is also a large producer of corn and soybeans, and has
7521-552: The fur trade and other commerce, although river levels were not reliable. This ended with the construction of the Coon Rapids Dam in 1912–14. Granite quarries have operated in the area since the 1880s, giving St. Cloud its nickname, "The Granite City." In 1917, Samuel Pandolfo started the Pan Motor Company in St. Cloud. He claimed his Pan-Cars would make St. Cloud the new Detroit , but the company failed at
7630-457: The highly profitable North American fur trade with local Native American peoples. Minnesota Territory was organized in 1849. The St. Cloud area opened up to homesteading after the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux was signed with the Dakota people in 1851. John L. Wilson, a Yankee homesteader from Columbia, Maine , with French Huguenot ancestry and an interest in Napoleon , named
7739-432: The industry. In 2016 the state produced 60% of the country's usable iron ore. The mining boom created the port of Duluth, which continues to be important for shipping ore, coal, and agricultural products. The manufacturing sector now includes technology and biomedical firms, in addition to the older food processors and heavy industry. The nation's first indoor shopping mall was Edina's Southdale Center , and its largest
7848-606: The isolated Northwest Angle in Lake of the Woods County is the only part of the 48 contiguous states north of the 49th parallel . The state is part of the U.S. region known as the Upper Midwest and part of North America's Great Lakes region . It shares a Lake Superior water border with Michigan and a land and water border with Wisconsin to the east. Iowa is to the south, North Dakota and South Dakota are to
7957-513: The largest privately owned company in the United States, and Carlson Companies , the parent company of Radisson Hotels . Minnesota's per capita personal income in 2019 was $ 58,834, the thirteenth-highest in the nation. Its 2019 median household income was $ 74,593, ranking thirteenth in the U.S. and fifth among the 36 states not on the Atlantic coast. Minnesota's earliest industries were fur trading and agriculture. Minneapolis grew around
8066-615: The late 19th and early 20th centuries; the state was at the forefront of labor rights , women's suffrage , and political reform. Consequently, Minnesota is relatively unique among Midwestern states in being a reliable base for the Democratic Party , having voted for every Democratic presidential nominee since 1976, longer than any other U.S. state. Since the late 20th century, Minnesota's economy has diversified away from traditional industries such as agriculture and resource extraction to services, finance, and health care. Minnesota
8175-435: The late 19th century. This was followed by waves of Polish, Irish, and other European immigrants in the early 20th century. In the late 20th and early 21st century, the nature of immigration to St. Cloud has undergone a dramatic shift. New residents of the city have predominantly been from Africa , and particularly, from the war-torn country of Somalia . Unofficial estimates suggest that the number of Somalis in St. Cloud and
8284-524: The military reservation, to the area that became St. Paul. Minnesota was part of several territorial organizations between acquisition and statehood. From 1812 to 1821 it was part of the Territory of Missouri that corresponded with much of the Louisiana Purchase. It was briefly an unorganized territory ( 1821–1834 ) and was later consolidated with Wisconsin, Iowa and half the Dakotas to form
8393-438: The most food cooperatives per capita in the United States. Forestry remains strong, including logging , pulpwood processing and paper production, and forest products manufacturing. Minnesota was famous for its soft-ore mines, which produced a significant portion of the world's iron ore for more than a century. Although the high-grade ore is now depleted, taconite mining continues, using processes developed locally to save
8502-490: The most significant growth among all groups. Other racial groups such as Asian Americans have maintained a stable presence. The Hispanic or Latino population nearly tripled in size. As of the census of 2010, there were 65,842 people, 25,439 households, and 13,348 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,644.4 inhabitants per square mile (634.9/km ). There were 27,338 housing units at an average density of 682.8 per square mile (263.6/km ). The racial makeup of
8611-455: The name to early settlers by dropping milk into water and calling it mní sóta . Many places in the state have similar Dakota names, such as Minnehaha Falls ("curling water" or waterfall), Minneiska ("white water"), Minneota ("much water"), Minnetonka ("big water"), Minnetrista ("crooked water"), and Minneapolis, a hybrid word combining Dakota mní ("water") and - polis ( Greek for "city"). The state seal features
8720-650: The norm. University of Minnesota professor Norman Borlaug contributed to these developments as part of the Green Revolution . Increased mobility enabled more specialized jobs. Minnesota became a center of technology after World War II. Engineering Research Associates was formed in 1946 to develop computers for the United States Navy . It later merged with Remington Rand , and then became Sperry Rand . William Norris left Sperry in 1957 to form Control Data Corporation (CDC). Cray Research
8829-729: The north end of the bridge may turn onto the Fort Road Bridge ( MN 5 ) to cross the Mississippi River into Saint Paul, Minnesota . The skylines of both Minneapolis and Saint Paul can be seen simultaneously from the bridge. The structure was designed by C.A.P. Turner and Walter H. Wheeler . Turner also designed the Aerial Lift Bridge in Duluth, Minnesota , and the Liberty Memorial Bridge between Bismarck and Mandan, North Dakota . The bridge
8938-515: The past decades have been Hmongs, Somalis, Ethiopians, and Vietnamese; other major refugee groups that have recently been settling in Minnesota include Burmese, Liberians, Ecuadorians, Congolese, Russians, and Ukrainians. Minnesota also receives large numbers of non-refugee immigrants, primarily from Mexico, India, China, Korea, and Canada. Minnesota's religious landscape is also diverse, having evolved significantly over its history. The area's first Christian influence came from Catholic missionaries in
9047-600: The past few years. Rising temperatures have affected natural habitats and many species that live in them. For example, the lakes' water is warming, which affects fish populations: trout, a cold-water fish, is losing its habitat, while the habitat of bass, a warm-water fish, is growing. Minnesota's first state park, Itasca State Park , was established in 1891, and is the source of the Mississippi River. Today Minnesota has 72 state parks and recreation areas, 58 state forests covering about four million acres (16,000 km ), and numerous state wildlife preserves, all managed by
9156-590: The phrase Mni Sóta Makoce ("the land where the water reflects the skies"), the Dakota name for the larger region. When Europeans arrived in North America, the Dakota people lived in what is now Minnesota. The first Europeans to enter the region were French voyageurs , fur traders who arrived in the 17th century. They used the Grand Portage to access trapping and trading areas further into Minnesota. The Anishinaabe (also known as Ojibwe or Chippewa ) were migrating into Minnesota, causing tensions with
9265-606: The portions in Stearns and Sherburne Counties, and much the portion in Benton County, is in the St. Cloud Public School District . Part of the Benton County portion is in the Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools district. The St. Cloud Area School District serves St. Cloud, St. Augusta, Clearwater, Waite Park, St. Joseph, Haven Township, and parts of Sauk Rapids. It has eight elementary schools,
9374-542: The region by Father Francis Xavier Pierz , a Catholic priest who also ministered as a missionary to Native Americans. Lower Town was founded by settlers from the Northern Tier of New England and the mid-Atlantic states , including former residents of upstate New York. Its Protestant settlers opposed slavery. Upper Town, or Arcadia, was plotted by General Sylvanus Lowry , a slaveholder and trader from Kentucky who brought slaves with him, although Minnesota
9483-497: The relative outputs of its business sectors closely match the United States as a whole. Minnesota's economy had a gross domestic product of $ 383 billion in 2019, with 33 of the United States' top 1,000 publicly traded companies by revenue headquartered in Minnesota, including Target , UnitedHealth Group , 3M , General Mills , U.S. Bancorp , Ameriprise , Hormel , Land O' Lakes , SuperValu , Best Buy , and Valspar . Private companies based in Minnesota include Cargill ,
9592-402: The sea, which left behind multiple strata of sedimentary rock . In more recent times , massive ice sheets at least one kilometer thick ravaged the state's landscape and sculpted its terrain. The Wisconsin glaciation left 12,000 years ago. These glaciers covered all of Minnesota except the far southeast, an area characterized by steep hills and streams that cut into the bedrock . This area
9701-675: The settlement St. Cloud after Saint-Cloud , the Paris suburb where Napoleon had his favorite palace. St. Cloud was a waystation on the Middle and Woods branches of the Red River Trails used by Métis traders between the Canada–U.S. border at Pembina , North Dakota, and St. Paul . The cart trains often consisted of hundreds of oxcarts . The Métis, bringing furs to trade for supplies to take back to their rural settlements, camped west of
9810-406: The short-lived Territory of Michigan (1834–1836). From 1836 to 1848, Minnesota and Iowa were part of the Territory of Wisconsin . From 1838 to 1846, Minnesota west of the Mississippi River was part of the Territory of Iowa . Minnesota east of the Mississippi was part of Wisconsin until 1848. When Iowa gained statehood, western Minnesota was in an Unorganized Territory again. Minnesota Territory
9919-502: The southeast and northeast. Minnesota experiences temperature extremes characteristic of its continental climate , with cold winters and hot summers. The lowest temperature recorded was −60 °F (−51 °C) at Tower on February 2, 1996. The highest was 114 °F (46 °C) at Moorhead on July 6, 1936. Meteorological events include rain, snow, blizzards, thunderstorms, hail, derechos , tornadoes, and high-velocity straight-line winds . The growing season varies from 90 days in
10028-401: The southwestern and western parts of the state; the eastern broadleaf forest ( Big Woods ) in the southeast, extending in a narrowing strip to the state's northwestern part, where it transitions into tallgrass aspen parkland ; and the northern Laurentian mixed forest , a transitional forest between the northern boreal forest and the broadleaf forests to the south. These northern forests are
10137-814: The state is a gently rolling peneplain . Two major drainage divides meet in Minnesota's northeast in rural Hibbing , forming a triple watershed . Precipitation can follow the Mississippi River south to the Gulf of Mexico , the Saint Lawrence Seaway east to the Atlantic Ocean, or the Hudson Bay watershed to the Arctic Ocean. The state's nickname "Land of 10,000 Lakes" is apt, as there are 11,842 Minnesota lakes over 10 acres (4 ha) in size. Minnesota's portion of Lake Superior
10246-452: The state's largest city-owned hydro facility, that can produce almost nine megawatts of electricity, about 10% of the total electricity generated by 11 Mississippi hydro dams in Minnesota. What is now the St. Cloud area was occupied by various indigenous peoples for thousands of years. Voyageurs and coureurs des bois from New France first encountered the Ojibwe and Dakota through
10355-453: The state. After a period of mostly divided government during the 21st century, the DFL ( Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party ) gained control of all three branches of Minnesota's government and passed significant reforms in the 2023 legislative session , moving the state in a progressive direction. Minnesota is the second northernmost U.S. state (after Alaska ) and northernmost contiguous state, as
10464-455: The surrounding cities like Waite Park, St. Joseph, Sartell, and Sauk Rapids could be as high as 25,000, with approximately half of this population having moved to the city between 2009 and 2013. About 15% of the local school district being Somali and a large segment of Somalis currently enrolled in high schools, colleges, and universities. Home ownership among St. Cloud's Somali community is considerably lower than other populations. According to
10573-664: The war. Minnesota Governor Alexander Ramsey subsequently declared that "the Sioux Indians of Minnesota must be exterminated or driven forever beyond the borders of the state" and placed a bounty of $ 25/scalp on the heads of the eastern Dakota men. Over 1,600 eastern Dakota women, children, and elderly walked from the Lower Sioux Agency to Fort Snelling to be held until the spring thaw allowed riverboats to take them out of Minnesota to Crow Creek Indian Reservation. William Crooks , commander of 6th Minnesota , had
10682-481: The west, and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba are to the north. With 86,943 square miles (225,180 km ), or approximately 2.25% of the United States, Minnesota is the 12th-largest state. Minnesota has some of the earth's oldest rocks, gneisses that are about 3.6 billion years old (80% as old as the planet). About 2.7 billion years ago basaltic lava poured out of cracks in
10791-646: Was admitted to the Union as the 32nd state in 1858. Minnesota's official motto, L'Étoile du Nord ("The Star of the North") is the only state motto in French . This phrase was adopted shortly after statehood and reflects both the state's early French explorers and its position as the northernmost state in the contiguous U.S. As part of the American frontier , Minnesota attracted settlers and homesteaders from across
10900-560: Was 12,607, in a year affected by the COVID-19 pandemic . St. Cloud's other post-secondary institutions and campuses include St. Cloud Technical and Community College (SCTCC) and Rasmussen College . Neighboring Sartell is home to a campus of the Duluth -based College of St. Scholastica , and the College of St. Benedict and St. John's University are in neighboring St. Joseph and nearby Collegeville, respectively. The main newspaper
11009-399: Was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.00. The racial makeup of the city was 91.7% White , 2.4% African American , 0.7% Native American , 3.1% Asian , 0.7% other races , and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.3% of the population. St. Cloud has been a significant destination for immigrants throughout its history, beginning with German settlers in
11118-480: Was 68,881 at the 2020 census , making it Minnesota's 12th-largest city. St. Cloud is the county seat of Stearns County and was named after the city of Saint-Cloud , France (in Île-de-France, near Paris), which was named after the 6th-century French monk Clodoald . Though mostly in Stearns County, St. Cloud also extends into Benton and Sherburne counties, and straddles the Mississippi River . It
11227-636: Was established with the discovery of iron in the Vermilion and Mesabi ranges in the 1880s, followed by the Cuyuna Range in the early 1900s. The ore went by rail to Duluth and Two Harbors for ship transport east via the Great Lakes . Industrial development and the rise of manufacturing caused the population to shift gradually from rural areas to cities during the early 20th century. Nevertheless, farming remained prevalent. Minnesota's economy
11336-866: Was exposed after several miles of rock above it eroded. The city lies on a band of modern Mississippi river sediment surrounded by land scoured several times by Wisconsin Age glaciers beginning about 35,000 years ago, ending with the Lake Superior St. Croix lobe. The later Des Moines lobe created glacial moraines and drift south and east of the city. St. Cloud lies in the warm summer humid continental climate zone ( Köppen climate classification : Dfb ), with warm summers and cold winters with moderate to heavy snowfall. The monthly normal daily mean temperature ranges from 11.6 °F (−11.3 °C) in January to 70.3 °F (21.3 °C) in July. The record high temperature
11445-519: Was formed on March 3, 1849. The first territorial legislature, held on September 2, 1849, was dominated by men of New England ancestry. Thousands of pioneers had come to create farms and cut timber. Minnesota became the 32nd U.S. state on May 11, 1858. The founding population was so overwhelmingly of New England origins that the state was dubbed "the New England of the West". Treaties between
11554-462: Was formed when Seymour Cray left CDC to form his own company. Medical device maker Medtronic also started business in the Twin Cities in 1949. The nonprofit Mayo Clinic , which was founded in 1864 in Rochester , grew to become one of the country's leading medical systems, and, by the 21st century, Minnesota's largest private employer. In 1957, the legislature created a planning commission for
11663-475: Was hit hard by the Great Depression , resulting in lower prices for farmers, layoffs among iron miners, and labor unrest. Compounding the adversity, western Minnesota and the Dakotas were hit by drought from 1931 to 1935. New Deal programs provided some economic turnaround. The Civilian Conservation Corps and other programs around the state established some jobs for Indians on their reservations, and
11772-508: Was later tapped to provide power for flour mills. Innovations by Minneapolis millers led to the production of Minnesota "patent" flour, which commanded almost double the price of "bakers'" or "clear" flour which it replaced. By 1900, Minnesota mills, led by Pillsbury , Northwestern , and the Washburn-Crosby Company, an ancestor of General Mills , were grinding 14.1% of the nation's grain. The state's iron-mining industry
11881-494: Was organized as a free territory. He served on the territorial council from 1852 to 1853 and was elected president of the newly formed town council in 1856, serving for one year (the office of mayor did not yet exist). Jane Grey Swisshelm , an abolitionist newspaper editor who had migrated from Pittsburgh , repeatedly attacked Lowry in print. At one point Lowry organized a "Committee of Vigilance" that broke into Swisshelm's newspaper office and removed her press, throwing it into
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