St. Paul, Minnesota
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City of Saint Paul
Saint Paul on the Mississippi with the Capitol building to the right, the Minneapolis skyline in the distance, and a 19th century home in the foreground, taken from Indian Mounds Park
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): "The Capital City", "The Saintly City", "The STP", "Pig's Eye", "Hockey Town USA", "Moscow on the Mississippi"[1]
Location in Ramsey County and the state of Minnesota.
Location of Saint Paul City Hall in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area
Coordinates: 44°56′38.76″N 93°05′6.72″W / 44.9441, -93.0852
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
County	Ramsey
Government
- Mayor	Chris Coleman (DFL)
Area
- City	56.2 sq mi (145.5 km²)
- Land	52.8 sq mi (136.7 km²)
- Water	3.4 sq mi (8.8 km²)
Elevation	702 ft (214 m)
Population (2000)[2]
- City	287,151
- Density	5,438/sq mi (2,100.6/km²)
- Metro	3,502,891
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes	55101 -- 55175
Area code(s)	651
Website: www.stpaul.gov

Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital and second most populous city in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies on the north bank of the Mississippi River, just downstream of the river's confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city. Known as the Twin Cities, these two cities form the core of Minneapolis-Saint Paul, the sixteenth largest metropolitan area in the United States, with about 3.2 million residents. The city's population at the 2000 census was 287,151.^[2] Saint Paul serves as the county seat of Ramsey County, the smallest and most densely populated county in Minnesota.^[3]

Founded near the sites of long-time Native American camps as a trading and transportation center known as Pig's Eye, the city rose to prominence when it was named the capital of the Minnesota Territory in 1849. Though now overshadowed in population and national attention by Minneapolis, Saint Paul contains many of the state's institutions, organizations, and preserved architecture, as well as much of its political activity. Regionally, the city is popular for Xcel Energy Center, home of the Minnesota Wild^[4] and for the Science Museum of Minnesota.^[5][6] As a financial and commercial hub, it is home to The Travelers Companies.

The city's current name replaced Pig's Eye when city founders decided it was not the nicest name for a capital and took the new name from Saint Paul's Chapel, which was built in 1841.

History

Main article: History of Saint Paul, Minnesota

Indian Mounds in Indian Mounds Park on Dayton's Bluff which overlooks downtown Saint Paul

About 2000 years ago, the Hopewell tradition 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.^[7][8] From about 1600 to 1837 the Dakota Indians lived near the site of the Mounds.^[7] 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 1840s the area had become important as a trading center, a destination for settlers heading west, and was known as Pig's Eye (French: L'œil du Cochon) or Pig's Eye Landing, which served Dakota, Ojibwa, European explorers, and American soldiers. In 1837, a treaty between Henry Schoolcraft and about 200 Dakota Indians displaced the natives from the site.^[7] In 1841 Father Galtier established a Catholic chapel, Saint Paul's, on the bluffs above the landing, naming it in honor of his favorite saint and to pair with Saint Peter's Church in Mendota, near Fort Snelling. About that time, the name of the settlement was formally changed to Saint Paul, concidered to be a more worthy name than "Pig's Eye" and in honor of the new chapel. In 1847 Harriet Bishop came from New York and opened the city's first school.^[9] German-Jewish pioneers formed Saint Paul's first synagogue in 1856.^[9] The Minnesota Territory was formalized in 1849 and Saint Paul named as its capital. In 1857, the city narrowly survived a proposed law to move the capital to Saint Peter when territorial legislator, Joe Rolette disappeared with the approved bill.^[10] 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.

Steamboats docked in 1858, likely at Lambert's Landing.

The n Natural geography of the area was a primary reason the area that is now St. Paul was settled and developed 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. The center of the city grew up around Lambert's Landing, the last accessible point to unload boats coming upriver, the last accessible point to unload boats coming upriver, which was about 14 river miles downstream from Saint Anthony Falls. In 1858, with more than 1,000 steamboats unloading at Saint Paul,^[9] the city became a gateway for settlers to the Minnesota frontier or Dakota Territory. In this period, St. Paul was called "The Last City of the East." Numerous railroads 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.^[11]

African American civil rights activist and journalist Roy Wilkins grew up in the Rondo neighborhood in Saint Paul and would later be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Lyndon Johnson for his efforts as the NAACP's executive director.^[12] Roy Wilkins Auditorium, an entertainment venue located adjacent to RiverCentre is named for him. During urban renewal, Saint Paul began razing older downtown buildings for skyscrapers in competition with Minneapolis but also contended with creation of the interstate freeway system in a fully built landscape. From 1959 to 1961, the western Rondo neighborhood was decimated by Interstate 94 and touched off the debate of racial segregation and equal housing in northern cities.^[13][14] The Rondo Days celebration annually commemorates the African American community.

Geography and climate

The Meeker Island Lock and Dam was the first lock and dam on the Mississippi River in 1902.

See also: Climate of the Twin Cities and Climate of Minnesota

Saint Paul history and the city's growth as a landing port are tied to water. The city's defining physical characteristic, the Mississippi and connecting Minnesota Rivers were carved into the region during the last ice age. Fed by receding glaciers and Lake Agassiz ten thousand years ago, torrents of water from a glacial river undercut the river valleys which brought settlers.^[15] The city is situated in east-central Minnesota.

The Mississippi River forms a municipal boundary on the city's west, southwest and southeast sides. Minneapolis, the state's largest 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. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 56.2 square miles (145.5 km²). 52.8 square miles (136.7 km²) of it is land and 3.4 square miles (8.8 km²) of it (6.07%) is water.^{citation needed}

The city skyline from the southwest in the winter

Saint Paul has a continental climate typical of the Upper Midwestern United States. Winters can be cold and dry, while summer is comfortably warm although at times it can be hot and humid. On the Köppen climate classification, Saint Paul falls in the warm summer humid continental climate zone (Dfa). The city experiences a full range of precipitation and related weather events, including snow, sleet, ice, rain, thunderstorms, tornadoes and fog.

Due to its northerly location in the United States and lack of large bodies of water to moderate the air, Saint Paul is sometimes subjected to cold Arctic air masses, especially during late December, January and February. The average annual temperature of 45.4 °F (7 °C) gives the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area the coldest annual mean temperature of any major metropolitan area in the continental U.S.^[16]

Saint Paul skyline from the West Side neighborhood

Demographics

Cinco De Mayo festival in 2007. The Latin and Hispanic communities (though primarily Mexican) have focused on Saint Paul's West Side

See also: History of the Irish in Saint Paul

The earliest known inhabitants from about 400 A.D. were members of the Hopewell tradition who likely settled when Saint Anthony Falls was at Saint Paul's location on the Mississippi. The next record is the 17th century when the Mdewakanton Dakota drove members of the Iowa tribe who had temporarily settled near the falls.^[17] The Mdewakanton had fled their ancestral home of Mille Lacs Lake in northern Minnesota in response to westward expansion of the Ojibwa nation.^[18] They primarily settled south of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers for their natural barrier. The Ojibwa would later expand into the area of Saint Paul extending west to Northeast Minneapolis and trade and spar with the Dakota.

Irish population in 1872. Note the density near Saint Paul.

By 1800, French Canadian explorers came through the region and attracted fur traders to the region on account of Fort Snelling. The fort and nearby Pig's Eye Tavern also brought the first Yankees from New England and English, Irish, and Scottish immigrants who had enlisted in the army and later settled after discharge. These early settlers and entrepreneurs would build the mansion districts of Dayton's Bluff and Summit Hill. The first wave immigration occurred with the Irish who settled at Connemara Patch along the Mississippi, named for their home in Connemara Ireland. The Irish would become prolific in politics, city governance, and public safety much to the chagrin of more majority groups such as the Germans and French who would begin to occupy the majority. In 1850, the first of many waves of Swedish settlement in Minnesota passed through Saint Paul railways toward farming communities in established communities in the northern regions. A large group settled in Swede Hollow which would later become home to Poles, Italians and Mexicans. The last Swedish presence had moved up Saint Paul's East Side along Payne Avenue in the 1950s.^[19] By the 2000 Census, the city reported ancestry at 20.1% German, 9.0% Irish and 7.0% Norwegian ancestry.^[2]

By the 1980s, the Thomas Dale area, once a Austro-Hungarian enclave known as Frogtown (German: Froschburg), became home to Vietnamese who voluntarily left their war-torn country. Soon after a settlement program for the Hmong diaspora came and by 2000, the Saint Paul Hmong were the largest urban contingent in the United States.^[20][21][22] New Mexican immigrants have grown on Saint Paul's West Side, enough that Mexico opened a foreign consulate in the East Side in 2005.^[23][24]

Cathedral of Saint Paul

The majority of residents claiming religious affiliation are Christian, split between the Roman Catholic Church and various Protestant denominations. The Roman Catholic presence comes from Irish, Scottish, and French Canadian settlers who in time would be bolstered by Hispanic and Mexican immigrants. There are Jewish synagogues such as Mount Zion Temple and relatively small populations of Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, and Pagans.^[25]

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 287,151 people, 112,109 households, and 60,987 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,441.7 people per square mile (2,101.0/km²). There were 115,713 housing units at an average density of 2,192.8/sq mi (846.6/km²). 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. 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.

Government and politics

Vision of Peace by Carl Milles inside City Hall

Main articles: Government and politics in Saint Paul, Minnesota and List of mayors of Saint Paul, Minnesota

Saint Paul is governed with a variation of the strong mayor-council form of government.^[26] The mayor is the chief executive and chief administrative officer for the city and the seven member city council is the legislative body.^[27][28] The mayor is elected by the entire city, while members of the city council are elected from seven different geographic wards, which have approximately equal populations.^[29][30] Both the mayor and council members serve four-year terms.^[31] The current mayor is Chris Coleman (DFL), who is unrelated to former mayor Norm Coleman. Coleman follows a long line of Irish mayors and he is the ninth since 1900. Aside from Norm Coleman (1994-2002) who became a Republican in his second term, Saint Paul has not elected a Republican mayor since 1952.^[32]

Saint Paul City Hall and Ramsey County Courthouse

The city is also the county seat for Ramsey County, named for Alexander Ramsey the first governor. The county once spanned much of the present-day metropolitan area and was originally to be named Saint Paul County after the city. Today it is geographically the smallest county and is the most densely populated.^[3] As the only home rule county in Minnesota, the seven-member Board of Commissioners appoints a County Manager who operate out of City Hall along with the Minnesota Second Judicial Courts.^[33][34] The nearby Law Enforcement Center houses the Ramsey County Sheriff.

Neighborhoods

Main article: St. Paul neighborhoods

Saint Paul from Indian Mounds Park in the Dayton's Bluff neighborhood, east of downtown

Saint Paul's Department of Planning and Economic Development divides Saint Paul into 17 Planning Districts. Within these districts are 19 District Councils, created in 1979 to allow neighborhoods to participate in governance and utilize Community Development Block Grants. With a funding agreement directly from the city, the Councils share a pool of $1.2 million dollars.^[35] The Councils have significant land-use control, a voice in guiding development, and they organize residents.^[36] The boundaries are adjusted depending on population changes, as such, they sometimes overlap established neighborhoods.^[37][37]

The city's seventeen Planning Districts are:

State

Minnesota State Capitol building in Saint Paul, designed by Cass Gilbert

Saint Paul is the capital of the state of Minnesota. The city hosts the capitol building, designed by Saint Paul resident Cass Gilbert, and the House and Senate office buildings. The Minnesota Governor's Residence, which is used for some state functions, is on Summit Avenue. Minnesota's two major political parties are headquartered in Saint Paul. The Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, affiliated with the Democratic Party and the Republican Party of Minnesota.

Many state departments and services are headquartered throughout Saint Paul.

Legislature

Main article: Minnesota Legislature

Saint Paul is represented by 12 people in the Minnesota Legislature.^[38][39] The latest biannual election was in 2006.

Note: Ellen Anderson and Alice Hausman also represent Falcon Heights.

Federal

Main article: Politics of Minnesota#Federal representation

Saint Paul is located in Minnesota's 4th congressional district, represented by Betty McCollum, a progressive Democrat, scoring 92% progressive by a progressive group^[40] and 4% conservative by a conservative group^[41] on a range of issues. In the Senate, Saint Paul is represented by Norm Coleman, a Republican and former city mayor, and Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat.

Education

Main article: Education in Saint Paul, Minnesota

Saint Paul Public Library

Saint Paul is second in the United States in the number of higher education institutions per capita.^[42] Higher education institutions that call Saint Paul home include 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 well as two law schools, William Mitchell College of Law and Hamline University School of Law.^[43]

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 four 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, eight middle schools, seven high schools, three alternative schools and one special education school. The district also employs over 6,500 teachers and staff. 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, Saint Paul Public Schools celebrated its 150th anniversary.^[44]

A variety of K-12 private, parochial and public charter schools are also represented in the city. In 1992, 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.^[45] Saint Paul is currently home to 21 charter schools as well as 38 private schools.^[46]

Recreation and arts

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts

Como Zoo and Conservatory is a free public greenhouse open year round.

The 2004 Ice Castle

Built in 1902, the Landmark Center in downtown once served as the Upper Midwest Federal Courthouse and Post Office. It is now a restored cultural and arts center.

In winter months, Saint Paul is active with the Saint Paul Winter Carnival, a tradition originating from 1886 when a New York reporter called Saint Paul "another Siberia." Attended by 350,000 visitors annually, the event showcases ice sculpting, winter food, activities, and the main feature, an ice palace.^[47] Year round the Como Zoo and Conservatory allows the public to enjoy tropical plants and during warmer months the adjoining zoo and Japanese Garden have free admission. The historic Landmark Center located in downtown Saint Paul hosts a variety of cultural and arts organization. The city's notable recreation locations include Indian Mounds Park, Battle Creek Regional Park, Harriet Island Regional Park, Highland Park, the Wabasha Street Caves, Lake Como, Lake Phelan and Rice Park.

The city is associated with the Minnesota State Fair located in nearby Falcon Heights as the fair grounds are just north of the Midway neighborhood and west of the University of Minnesota Saint Paul Campus where much of the livestock portion of the fair is cared for. Though Fort Snelling is on the Minneapolis side of the Mississippi River bluff, the area including Fort Snelling State Park and Pike Island is managed by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources headquartered in the city.^[48]

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. Saint Paul regularly has events centering on Schulz' Snoopy cartoon 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. Born in Saint Paul, John Vachon photographed the United States for the Farm Security Administration and later Look and Life magazines.^[49]

Performing arts and music

The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts is the city's answer to the Guthrie Theater and the Minnesota Opera is a founding tenant.^[50] The Fitzgerald Theater, renamed in 1994 for Irish native and novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald, is home to American Public Media's Prairie Home Companion show hosted by Garrison Keillor, who also lives in the city. RiverCentre, attached to Xcel Energy Center, serves as the city's convention center.

See also: Music of Minnesota

Saint Paul has contributed to the music of Minnesota and the Twin Cities music scene through various venues. Great jazz musicians have passed through the influential Artists' Quarter, first established in the 1970s in Whittier, Minneapolis until it moved to downtown Saint Paul in 1994.^[51] The Turf Club in Midway has been a music scene landmark since the 1940s.^[52] As an Irish stronghold, the city boasts popular Irish pubs with live music such as Shamrocks and O'Gara's.

Notable performance groups include:

• Circus Juventas, a youth performing arts circus school
• Minnesota Centennial Showboat
• Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
• SteppingStone Theatre
• Starting Gate Productions

Museums

Economy

Major employers

A merging of the St. Paul Companies and Travelers of Hartford, The Travelers Companies operates in every U.S. state and is currently 93 on the Fortune 500.

Major corporations headquartered in Saint Paul include The Travelers Companies, a major insurance firm, St. Jude Medical, a manufacturer of medical devices, Ecolab, a chemical and cleaning product company, Patterson Dental, Securian Financial Group Inc., Lawson Software, a business software and support company, and Gander Mountain, a retailer of sporting goods. The 3M Company is often cited as one of Saint Paul's companies though it is located in adjacent Maplewood, Minnesota.

The city is home to the Ford Motor Company who opened the Twin Cities Assembly Plant in 1924. Ford expects the plant to remain open through at least 2011 despite massive corporate losses.^[55] The site is located in Highland Park on the Mississippi River adjacent to a company-owned dam, which generates hydroelectric power.

Media

Main article: Media in the Twin Cities

Residents of Saint Paul can receive 10 broadcast television stations, five of which broadcast from within Saint Paul. One daily newspaper, the St. Paul Pioneer Press, two weekly neighborhood newspapers, the East Side Review and City Pages (Village Voice Media), 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.

Saint Paul is home to Minnesota Public Radio, a three-format system that broadcasts on nearly 40 stations around the Midwest. Featuring News and Information, Classical, and The Current (which plays a wide variety of music), and its affiliation with American Public Media, MPR's programing reaches 14.6 million listeners nationwide each week. MPR has 94,000 members and more than 800,000 listeners each week, the largest audience of any regional public radio network.

Sports

Main article: Sports in Minnesota

The second Midway Stadium built in 1982 is home to the Saint Paul Saints and owned by Saint Paul Park and Rec. The first larger stadium was intended to compete with Minneapolis' Metropolitan Stadium for a major league team.

The Saint Paul division of Parks and Recreation runs over 1,500 organized sports teams.^[56] In addition the Parks and Recreation department is responsible for 160 parks and 41 recreation centers.^[57] The first curling club in Saint Paul was founded in 1888. The current club, the Saint Paul Curling Club, was founded in 1912 and is the largest curling club in the United States.^[58] The Minnesota RollerGirls are a flat-track roller derby league that is based in the Roy Wilkins Auditorium.

The first baseball team established in Saint Paul was the minor-league St. Paul Saints in 1884 until they and the adjoining Minneapolis Millers folded in 1961 when the Minnesota Twins arrived. The all black St. Paul Colored Gophers came to town and played four seasons from 1907 to 1911.^[59] The St. Paul Saints were brought back in 1993 as an independent baseball team in the Northern League of the American Association. Their home games are played at open-air Midway Stadium in Energy Park, near the border with Minneapolis. Four noted Major League All Star baseball players are natives of Saint Paul -- Hall of Fame outfielder Dave Winfield, Hall of Fame infielder Paul Molitor, pitcher Jack Morris and catcher Joe Mauer. The St. Paul Twin Stars of the National Premier Soccer League play their home games at James Griffin Stadium.

The Xcel Energy Center is a multi-purpose entertainment and sports venue that competes with the Metrodome. It will host the 2008 Republican National Convention.

The Minnesota Wild brought ice hockey back to Minnesota for the first time since 1993, when the Minnesota North Stars departed for Dallas. Previously, the Minnesota Fighting Saints had played in Saint Paul from 1972 to 1977. The Wild's first season began in 2000 in the new Xcel Energy Center. Another tenant of the Xcel Energy Center is the Minnesota Swarm, a box lacrosse team that plays in the National Lacrosse League. The Xcel Energy Center is located in downtown and was built over the demolished Saint Paul Civic Center. The “X”, as it is sometimes called, hosts the Minnesota high school boys hockey tournament and many concerts though out the year. In 2004, it was named the best overall sports venue in the U.S. by ESPN.^[60]

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

Transportation

Ground

I-35E as it enters downtown Saint Paul from the south

Most residents utilize a car with Interstate 35E running north-south, and Interstate 94 running east-west. Trunk highways include U.S. Highway 52, Minnesota State Highway 280, and Minnesota State Highway 5. Saint Paul has several unique roads such as Ayd Mill Road and Shepard Road/Warner Road, which diagonally follow particular geographic features in the city. Metro Transit provides bus service and connects the city to the existing Hiawatha Line light rail via dedicated bus routes but will not have its own line, the Central Line down University Avenue until 2014.^[61] Downtown Saint Paul has a five mile (8 km) enclosed skyway system over twenty-five city blocks.^[62] Biking is also gaining riders due to paved bike lanes which connect to other routes in the metropolitan area.^[63]

The Sri Chimnoy Peace Bridge connecting the two cities' southern portions is called both the Lake Street Bridge in Minneapolis and the Marshall Avenue Bridge in Saint Paul.

The layout of city streets and roads 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.^[64] Ventura later apologized 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.^[65] Some of the city road design is the result of the curve of the Mississippi River, hilly topography, conflicts between developers of different neighborhoods in the early city, and grand plans only half-realized. Outside of downtown, the roads are less confusing, but most roads are named, rather than numbered, increasing the difficulty for non-natives to navigate.^[66] Due to neighborhood autonomy, some roads suddenly change names without warning.

Rail

Amtrak's Empire Builder between Chicago and Seattle stops once daily in each direction at nearby Midway Station.^[67] Ridership on the train is increasing, about 6% from 2005 to over 505,000 in fiscal year 2007.^[68] Increased ridership has prompted southern Minnesota leaders to plan for an expansion of Amtrak's service in the area, including an overhaul of Saint Paul's Union Station, a move Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty supports.^[68]

Saint Paul is the site of the Pig's Eye Yard, a major freight Classification yard for Canadian Pacific. There are several other small yards located around the city.

Air

View to the west of St. Paul Downtown Airport. Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport is in the upper left corner. Note the north end of Pig's Eye Yard is visible at the very bottom of the picture.

Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) sits on 3,400 acres (14 km²) ^[69] southwest of the city on the Minneapolis side of the Mississippi River between Minnesota State Highway 5, Interstate 494, Minnesota State Highway 77, and Minnesota State Highway 62. The airport serves three international, twelve domestic, seven charter and four regional carriers^[70] and is a hub and home base for Northwest Airlines, Mesaba Airlines, Sun Country Airlines and Champion Air.^[71]

Main article: St. Paul Downtown Airport

Saint Paul is also served by the St. Paul Downtown Airport located just south from downtown, across the Mississippi River. The airport, also known as Holman Field, is a reliever airport, run by the Metropolitan Airports Commission. The airport houses Minnesota's Air National Guard and is tailored to local corporate aviation.^[72] There are three runways and serves about 100 aircraft and a flight training school. The Holman Field Administration Building is on the National Register of Historic Places since 1991.^[72]

Sister cities

Saint Paul has 11 sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International: