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File:Red River cart in Saint Cloud, Minnesota.jpg
Red River cart at Saint Cloud, 1887
File:Stcloudaerial.JPG
Downtown Saint Cloud, 2007

St. Cloud or Saint Cloud (Template:IPAc-en; {{#invoke:IPA|main}}) is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the largest population center in the state's central region. The population was 68,881 at the 2020 census,<ref name="2020 Census (City)">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> making it Minnesota's 12th-largest city. St. Cloud is the county seat of Stearns County<ref name="GR6">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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 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 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 Template:Convert 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) is made up of Stearns and Benton Counties.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>Metro Council website, Twin Cities Metropolitan Area Geographic Definitions, "Definitions Used By The U.S. Census Bureau" Template:Webarchive</ref>

St. Cloud State University, Minnesota's third-largest public university, 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.<ref>Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, "Mississippi River", "St. Cloud to Anoka" Template:Webarchive</ref><ref>National Weather Service, Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service, Mississippi River at St. Cloud</ref> and are part of a state-designated 12-mile stretch of wild and scenic river.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

St. Cloud owns and operates a hydroelectric dam on the Mississippi, 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.<ref>City of St. Cloud, Public Utilities,</ref><ref>Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) "Operating Hydropower Sites In Minnesota"</ref><ref>John Weeks, John Weeks, The Bridges and Structures of the Mississippi River Headwaters Template:Webarchive, A Detailed Look At The Bridges, Dams And Other Structures On The Mississippi River In The Headwaters Region From Lake Itasca To Minneapolis, November 2007.</ref>

HistoryEdit

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 the highly profitable North American fur trade with local Native American peoples.<ref>New historic marker at Riverside Park honors Dakota and Ojibwe, Jenny Berg, SCTimes, June 28, 2019</ref><ref>William Bell Mitchell (1915), History of Stearns County; Volume I, H.R. Cooper & Co. Chicago. Pages 26-35.</ref>

Minnesota Territory was organized in 1849. The St. Cloud area opened up to homesteading<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> after the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux was signed with the Dakota people in 1851.<ref>William Bell Mitchell (1915), History of Stearns County; Volume I, H.R. Cooper & Co. Chicago. Pages 35-38.</ref>

John L. Wilson, a Yankee homesteader from Columbia, Maine, with French Huguenot ancestry and an interest in Napoleon, named the settlement St. Cloud after Saint-Cloud, the Paris suburb where Napoleon had his favorite palace.<ref>How did St. Cloud get its name? It's a strange story, An inside joke in the 1850s had a lasting impact on central Minnesota's hub, Jenny Berg, Curious Minnesota, Star Tribune, July 23, 2021.</ref><ref>William Bell Mitchell (1915), History of Stearns County; Volume I, H.R. Cooper & Co. Chicago. Pages 645-646.</ref>

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 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.<ref>"3 Towns Into 1 City, A Narrative Record of Significant Factors in The Story Of St. Cloud Minnesota."</ref> 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 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.<ref>The St Cloud Area Bicentennial Commission, "3 Towns Into 1 City, A Narrative Record of Significant Factors in THE STORY OF ST. CLOUD MINNESOTA", Compiled and Narrated by John J Dominik, Jr, Editor Ed L Stockinger, page 3.</ref> Its Protestant settlers opposed slavery.<ref>St. Cloud City website Document Center</ref>

Upper Town, or Arcadia, was plotted by General Sylvanus Lowry, a slaveholder and trader from Kentucky who brought slaves with him, although Minnesota was organized as a free territory.<ref name="Leg">"Sylvanus Lowry" Template:Webarchive, Minnesota Legislators Past and Present, accessed July 4, 2012</ref> 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).<ref>https://www.ci.stcloud.mn.us/DocumentCenter/View/685/Newly-Elected-Orientation?bidId= Newly Elected Orientation, section (9) History of the City</ref><ref name="Leg"/><ref name="Espinoza"/>

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 the Mississippi River. Lowry started a rival paper, The Union.<ref name="Espinoza">Ambar Espinoza, "St. Cloud professor unearths history of slavery in Minnesota" Template:Webarchive, Minnesota Public Radio, May 7, 2010, accessed July 4, 2012</ref>

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 the community was estimated in single digits at the 1860 census.<ref name="Espinoza"/><ref>Lincoln Mullen,These Maps Reveal How Slavery Expanded Across the United States, Smithsonian Magazine, May 15, 2014.</ref> Lowry died in the city in 1865.<ref>Our Gohman Story: The First and Second Generations Template:ISBN p. 173</ref>

Many young men from St. Cloud and the surrounding area served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.<ref>William Bell Mitchell (1915), History of Stearns County; Volume I, H.R. Cooper & Co. Chicago. Pages 628-635.</ref> 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 the St. Germain Street bridge.<ref>William Bell Mitchell (1915), History of Stearns County; Volume II, H.R. Cooper & Co. Chicago. Pages 1465-1467.</ref>

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.<ref>John J. Dominik Jr., "Three Towns Into One City", St. Cloud, Minnesota: St Cloud Area Bicentennial Commission, 1976, p. 13</ref>

Steamboats regularly docked at St. Cloud as part of 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 a time when resources were directed toward the World War I effort. He was later convicted and imprisoned for attempting to defraud investors.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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.<ref>Dunn, Mary Irene, "Stearns County in the World War, An Honor Roll of the Men and Women of this Community Who Served Their Country in the Period from 6 April 1917 to 11 November 1918, Compiled From State and National U.S. Military Records",manuscript dated 1932, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul.</ref> On 26 January 1918, President Woodrow Wilson wrote a letter to Bishop Joseph Francis Busch thanking him for his support of the war effort.<ref>Woodrow Wilson, photocopy of letter on White House stationery with note "Original in Chancery Archive vault", to Rt. Rev. J. F. Busch, Bishop of St. Cloud, 26 January 1918. Stearns History Museum</ref>

GeographyEdit

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of Template:Convert; Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert is water.<ref name="Gazetteer files">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The city developed on both sides of the Mississippi River. Part of the Sauk River runs along its northern edge.

Just south of downtown is the 7-acre, 35-feet-deep Lake George.<ref>LakeFinder, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.</ref> 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.<ref>Malakowsky, "Minnesota adds 305 streams and lakes to its impaired waters list, including new PFAS water in Greater Minnesota", Minnesota Pollution Control Agency November 8, 2021</ref>

Granite bedrock quarried in the area has been estimated to be 1.7 billion years old and 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.<ref>Richard W. Ojakangas, Roadside Geology of Minnesota, 2009, glacial history of Minnesota, page 26, "Glacial geology of central Minnesota - modified from Hobbs and Goebel,1982, page 196, granite dating, page 204</ref>

ClimateEdit

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 Template:Convert in January to Template:Convert in July. The record high temperature is Template:Convert. The record low temperature is Template:Convert.<ref name="NOWData MPX"/>

Template:Weather box

DemographicsEdit

Template:US Census population

Race and ethnicityEdit

Race/ethnicity
2000<ref name=2000Census>Template:Cite book</ref> 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

2020<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

Number % Number % Number %
White alone 53,857 91.12% 54,854 83.31% 46,641 67.71%
Black alone 1,378 2.33% 5,101 7.75% 13,180 19.13%
Native American alone 402 0.68% 398 0.61% 337 0.49%
Asian alone 1,833 3.10% 2,393 3.64% 2,404 3.49%
Pacific Islander alone 31 0.05% 16 0.03% 51 0.07%
Other race alone 60 0.10% 54 0.08% 314 0.46%
Two or more races 762 1.29% 1,429 2.17% 2,116 3.07%
Hispanic or Latino 784 1.33% 1,597 2.43% 2,838 4.12%
Total 59,107 100.00% 65,842 100.00% 68,881 100.00%

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 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.

2010 censusEdit

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 Template:Convert. There were 27,338 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of 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 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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 the city was 51.5% male and 48.5% female.

2000 censusEdit

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 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.

ImmigrationEdit

St. Cloud has been a significant destination for immigrants throughout its history, beginning with German settlers in 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.<ref name="CBS Minnesota 2019">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Unofficial estimates suggest that the number of Somalis in St. Cloud and 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.<ref name="Marohn 2022">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="MPR News 2022">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Average incomeEdit

According to 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.<ref>U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2020 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates St. Cloud, MN</ref>

Top employersEdit

According to the 2024 City of St. Cloud Economic Development Authority Employment Report,<ref>City of St. Cloud Economic Development Authority Employment Report https://www.developstcloud.com/workforce/major-employers/</ref> the city's top employers are:

# Employer # of Employees
1 *CentraCare Health System St. Cloud Hospital 6,121
2 State of Minnesota / St. Cloud State University 1,961
3 St. Cloud VA Health Care System 1,749
4 ** St. Cloud School District 1,247
5 New Flyer of America Inc. 887
6 Anderson Trucking 682
7 *** Stearns County 648
8 Essilor of America 580
9 Coborn's Inc 545
10 City of St. Cloud 473
Figures reflect only full-time employees.
  * Includes employees at sites outside of St. Cloud.
 ** Business has significant part-time staff in addition to the full-time employee count indicated.
*** Does not include Stearns County full-time employees now working at county satellite offices outside of the City of St. Cloud.

Arts, culture, and eventsEdit

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 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.<ref>"St. Cloud snags 4 awards at international competition for most livable cities" Jenny Berg, St. Cloud Times, 12/13/2019]</ref>

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 a variety of events including regional conferences, consumer/trade shows, small group meetings and social events.

Sites of interestEdit

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SportsEdit

The city is home to:

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> The 2012–13 team's co-captain and fifth-year forward, Drew LeBlanc, was named WCHA Player of the Year and earned numerous national honors, including the Hobey Baker Award, the most prestigious award in men's college hockey.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The 2013 team also earned a share of the WCHA league title and its symbol, the century-old MacNaughton Cup.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Huskies play in the 5,763-seat Herb Brooks National Hockey Center, which underwent a $18 million renovation and expansion in 2012–13.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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  • the Saint Cloud River Runners club, who put on the Lake Wobegon Trail Marathon, an annual event in central Minnesota. The race is used as a Boston-qualifying event for runners who want a straight, quiet, scenic, mostly flat route in the early spring.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • the Granite City FC is a minor league soccer team founded in 2016. It currently plays in the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL).

Parks and recreationEdit

The city maintains 95 parks, totaling more than Template:Convert and ranging in size from Template:Convert "neighborhood and mini parks" to Template:Convert. The largest developed park, Whitney Memorial Park, is the former location of the city airport. It features a recreation center for senior citizens, a dog park, and numerous softball, baseball, and soccer fields.

GovernmentEdit

Since 2025, St. Cloud's mayor has been Jake Anderson.

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 the Twin Cities.<ref>Minnesota's congressional districts</ref> The district had only minor changes in a 2022 map drawn by a five-judge panel based on the 2020 census.<ref>[1]|"Looking for Census 2020 data? Here is what you need to know" Minnesota State Demographic Center</ref><ref>Tim Pugmire, MInnesota Public Radio, "New political district maps shake up Minnesota politics", February 22, 2022</ref> 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 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,<ref>[2]|MN Secretary of State Election Administration</ref><ref>[3]|MN Secretary of State Legislative Maps Senate District 14 map</ref> 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,<ref>[4]|MN Secretary of State Legislative Maps Senate District 14A map</ref> represented by Bernie Perryman. District 14B includes east central and northeast St. Cloud, neighboring Sauk Rapids and parts of rural Benton and Sherburne Counties,<ref>[5]|MN Secretary of State Legislative Maps Senate District 14B map</ref> 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.<ref>"St. Cloud will be powered by 80% renewable energy by 2018" Template:Webarchive, Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs), retrieved 9/7/2019.</ref><ref>"City of St. Cloud Minnesota, The Path to Energy Neutral", Patrick Shea, Public Services Director, Tracy Hodel, Assistant Public Utilities Director.</ref> St. Cloud's wastewater plant converts sugar-laden liquids from local food and beer manufacturers into fuel and fertilizer. Since 2020, the city has produced more energy than it consumes.<ref>Jenny Berg, Innovation at wastewater plant propels St. Cloud to renewable energy leader, Start Tribune, May 21, 2022</ref>

Past mayors of St. Cloud include:

  • Sylvanus B. Lowry (1856), selected by town council members as council president (office of mayor did not yet exist)
  • John L. Wilson (1857–1858)
  • E. O. Hamlin (1868)
  • J. A. McDonald (1900)
  • J. R. Boyd (1901)
  • J. E. C. Robinson (1902–1905 and 1906)
  • J. N. Bensen (1905)
  • David McCarty (1907)
  • Louis Brown (1907)
  • Hugh Evans (1908–1909)
  • D. H. Freeman (1910 and 1916–1919)
  • P. J. Seberger (1911–1912)
  • H. J. Limperich (1919)
  • W. W. Matson (1920–1924). 19th Amendment gives women the right to vote.
  • J. Arthur Bensen (1924–1928)
  • James H. Murphy (1928–1932, 1945–1948)
  • Phil Collignon (1932–1945)
  • Mathew Malisheski (1948–1952)
  • Lawrence A. Borgert (1952). City Charter revised, creating current "standard mayor form" of government.<ref>https://www.ci.stcloud.mn.us/DocumentCenter/View/685/Newly-Elected-Orientation?bidId= Newly Elected Orientation, Section "2) Form of Government"</ref>
  • George Byers (1953–1960)
  • Thomas E. Mealey (1960–1964)
  • Ed Henry (1964–1971)
  • Al Loehr (1971–1980)
  • Sam Huston (1980–1989)
  • Chuck Winkelman (1989–1997)
  • Larry Meyer (1997–2001)
  • John Ellenbecker (2001–2005)
  • Dave Kleis (2005–2025)

PoliticsEdit

Kamala Harris won St. Cloud in the 2024 presidential election, defeating Donald Trump, 48.69% to 46.64%. Trump's share of the city's vote was similar to his performance statewide. Harris's share of the city's vote was about two percentage points lower than her statewide performance.<ref>Minnesota Secretary of State, "2024 General Election Results", "2024 Precinct Results Spreadsheet"</ref>

Joe Biden won St. Cloud in the 2020 presidential election by a margin of 9%, higher than his statewide margin of 7.12%. In 2016, Trump won St. Cloud by 1.75% over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.<ref>[6]|"Which St. Cloud suburb went for Democrat Joe Biden? And other election take-aways", Nora Hertel, Government Watchdog Report, St Cloud Times, 11/14/2020</ref>

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Year Republican Democratic Third parties
style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|2020 style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Republican|43.9% 14,209 style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|52.9% 17,149 3.2% 1,036
style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Republican|2016 style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Republican|45.7% 14,401 style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|44.0% 13,850 10.3% 3,254
style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|2012 style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Republican|44.5% 14,295 style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|52.3% 16,835 3.2% 1,032
style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|2008 style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Republican|43.9% 14,505 style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|53.6% 17,688 2.5% 839
style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|2004 style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Republican|46.9% 14,909 style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|51.5% 16,394 1.6% 506
style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|2000 style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Republican|43.9% 11,647 style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|45.0% 11,958 11.1% 2,941
style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|1996 style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Republican|38.0% 8,565 style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|49.6% 11,169 12.4% 2,783
style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|1992 style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Republican|34.9% 9,527 style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|41.5% 11,331 23.6% 6,422
style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|1988 style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Republican|46.1% 9,251 style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|53.9% 10,823 0.0% 0
style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Republican|1984 style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Republican|51.0% 10,598 style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|49.0% 10,189 0.0% 0
style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|1980 style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Republican|42.4% 8,702 style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|46.3% 9,487 11.3% 2,236
style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|1976 style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Republican|40.1% 8,045 style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|55.7% 11,176 4.2% 845
style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|1972 style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Republican|43.0% 6,512 style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|52.7% 7,970 4.3% 646
style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|1968 style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Republican|40.6% 5,389 style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|55.5% 7,378 3.9% 515
style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|1964 style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Republican|36.4% 4,872 style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|63.1% 8,439 0.5% 66
style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|1960 style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Republican|41.5% 5,391 style="text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/Democratic|58.4% 7,589 0.1% 8

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EducationEdit

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Almost all of St. Cloud, including the portions in Stearns and Sherburne Counties,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name=BentonCountySchools>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The St. Cloud Area School District serves St. Cloud, St. Augusta, Clearwater, Waite Park, St. Joseph, Haven Township, and parts of Sauk Rapids.Template:Citation needed It has eight elementary schools, 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> St. Cloud Tech opened in 1917 across from 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 the charter school STRIDE Academy,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.Template:Citation needed

CollegesEdit

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 was 12,607, in a year affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref>[7]| Nora G. Hertel, "A How has COVID-19 has changed higher ed enrollment in St. Cloud?", St. Cloud Times, December 26, 2020.</ref>

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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

MediaEdit

The main newspaper is the St. Cloud Times, a Gannett daily newspaper. In the early 2020s, Gannett severely downsized the paper, eliminating most local news reporting.<ref>See "Decline and Downsizing" section, St. Cloud Times</ref>

St. Cloud is part of the Twin Cities television market. One full-power station, the Ion-owned KPXM-TV (channel 41), is licensed to the city, but moved its transmitter to the Twin Cities in 2009 as part of the digital transition, and maintains no presence in the city. WCMN-LD (channel 13) is a low-power station licensed to St. Cloud that broadcasts in ATSC 3.0. Additionally, St. Cloud State University students operate cable-only UTVS (channel 180), which includes local news and broadcasts from a studio on campus.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Radio stations include:

FMEdit

FM radio stations
Frequency Call sign Name Format Owner
88.1
88.1 HD-2
KVSC
Radio X
College Radio
Alternative Rock
St. Cloud State University
88.9
88.9 HD-2
KNSR MPR News
89.3 The Current
Public Radio
Adult Album Alternative
Minnesota Public Radio
89.5 K208DV
(KLRD-FM Translator)
Air 1 Contemporary Christian Educational Media Foundation
90.1 KSJR Classical MPR Classical Minnesota Public Radio
91.5 KCFB
(KTIG-FM Simulcast)
Christian Minnesota Christian Broadcasters
92.9 KKJM Spirit 92.9 Contemporary Christian Gabriel Media
93.5 K228FV
(KYES-AM Translator)
Relevant Radio Catholic
93.9 W230DG
(KXSS-AM Translator)
1390 Granite City Sports Sports Townsquare Media
94.3 K232GA
(WXYG-AM Translator)
Album Rock 540 Classic rock Tri-County Broadcasting
94.9 KMXK Mix 94.9 Adult Contemporary Townsquare Media
95.3 W237EU
(WJON-AM Translator)
News/Talk
95.7 W239CU
(WBHR-AM Translator)
The Bear Sports Tri-County Broadcasting
96.1 WROJ (LPFM) The Rock FM Contemporary Christian The Rock FM Communications, Inc.
96.7 KZRV The River Classic Hits Townsquare Media
97.5 KVEX (LPFM) RadioX Alternative Rock St. Cloud State University
98.1 WWJO 98-1 Minnesota's New Country Country Townsquare Media
98.9
98.9 HD-2
98.9 HD-3
KZPK Wild Country 99
KNSI
Z-Rock 103.3
Country
News/Talk
Classic Rock
Leighton Broadcasting
99.3 K257GK
(KNSI-AM Translator)
KNSI News/Talk
99.9 KCML 99.9 Lite FM Adult Contemporary
101.1 W266DT
(WMIN-AM Translator)
Uptown 1010 Adult Standards Tri-County Broadcasting
101.7
101.7 HD-2
101.7 HD-3
101.7 HD-4
WHMH Rockin' 101
Album Rock 540
106.5 The Point
Uptown 1010
Active Rock
Classic rock
Alternative
Adult Standards
102.3 W232EG
(WVAL-AM Translator)
Classic Country
103.3 K277BS
(KZPK HD-3 Translator)
Z-Rock 103.3 Classic rock Leighton Broadcasting
103.7 KLZZ The Loon Classic rock Townsquare Media
104.7 KCLD Top 40 Leighton Broadcasting
105.1 KZYS (LPFM) Somalian Saint Cloud Area Somali Salvation Organization
106.5 W293CS
(WHMH HD-3 Translator)
106.5 The Point Alternative Tri-County Broadcasting
107.3 W297BO
(WXYG-AM Translator)
Album Rock 540 Classic rock

AMEdit

AM radio stations
Frequency Call sign Name Format Owner
540 AM WXYG The Goat Classic rock Tri-County Broadcasting
660 AM WBHR The Bear Sports
800 AM WVAL Classic Country
1010 AM WMIN Uptown 1010 Adult Standards
1180 AM KYES Relevant Radio Catholic Gabriel Media
1240 AM WJON News/Talk Townsquare Media
1390 AM KXSS 1390 Granite City Sports Sports
1450 AM KNSI News/Talk Leighton Broadcasting

InfrastructureEdit

TransportationEdit

St. Cloud is a regional transportation hub within Minnesota. Major roadways including Interstate 94, U.S. Highway 10, and Minnesota State Highways 15 and 23 pass through the city.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Bus service within the city and to neighboring Sartell, Sauk Rapids, and Waite Park is offered through St. Cloud Metro Bus, which was recognized in 2007 as the best transit system of its size in North America. An innovative system gives transit buses a slight advantage at stoplights in order to improve efficiency and on-time performance.<ref>WCCO News, "System Helps St. Cloud Buses Stay In The Green" Template:Webarchive, July 17, 2009.</ref> The Metro Bus Transit Center in the downtown area is also shared with Jefferson Lines, providing national bus service.

Bus service links downtown St. Cloud and St. Cloud State University with the western terminus of the Northstar Commuter Rail line in Big Lake, by the way of Northstar Link Commuter Bus, which in turn links to the Metro Transit bus and light rail system at Target Field Station in downtown Minneapolis.

Several rail lines run through the city, which is a stop on Amtrak's Empire Builder passenger rail line.

St. Cloud is home to St. Cloud Regional Airport, from which daily connecting flights to Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport were made on Delta Connection, operated by Mesaba Airlines, until January 1, 2010, when the service was discontinued. On December 15, 2012, Allegiant Air began nonstop flights between St. Cloud Regional Airport and Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, on Airbus 319 aircraft.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Major highwaysEdit

Notable peopleEdit

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  • Nate Wolters, professional basketball player
  • Gig Young, Academy Award-winning actor, film and television star; born in St. Cloud

Sister citiesEdit

In popular cultureEdit

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  • Marshall Eriksen, one of the main characters in the sitcom How I Met Your Mother, was born and raised in St. Cloud. Many scenes detailing his childhood, as well as later visits to his hometown, are set in St. Cloud, though no filming occurred there.

See alsoEdit

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ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

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Template:Geographic location Template:St. Cloud, Minnesota Template:Benton County, Minnesota Template:Sherburne County, Minnesota Template:Stearns County, Minnesota Template:St. Cloud metropolitan area Template:US state navigation box Template:Minnesota county seats

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