Situated justs south of central Minnesota, the city of Saint Cloud is the seat of government for Stearns County, and the state's tenth largest city.
The city straddles the Mississippi River in the northeast, and its city limits extend into Benton and Sherburne counties. The boundaries of Saint Cloud are not contiguous, particularly on the east side of the river, where portions of the city are surrounded by unincorporated land. The Sauk River separates the city diagonally, from its northeast corner to its southwest corner, and Lake George is located just south of downtown.
Portions of Saint Cloud directly abut the cities of Saint Augusta, Rockville, Saint Joseph, Sartell, Sauk Rapids, and Waite Park, and Clear Lake, Clearwater, Cold Spring, Foley, Kimball, and Rice are nearby.
Major highways serving the city include Interstate Highway 94, US Highway 10, and Minnesota State Highways 15 and 23. Several rail lines run through the city, including the Amtrak Empire Builder passenger line.
Saint Cloud has several golf courses, including Angushire Golf Course, Boulder Ridge Golf Club, St. Cloud Country Club, Territory Golf Club, and Veterans Golf Course. The city maintains ninety-five parks, including Calvary Hill Park, Centennial Park, Central Park, Cherry Park, Hester Park, McKinley Park, Pantown Park, Raymond Park, Reach Up Park, Riverside Park, Rotary East Park, Seberger Park, Spalt Park, Talahi Park, Whitney Park, Wilson Park, and Woodland Hills Park. There are also about thirty undeveloped islands on the Mississipi River, part of the state-designated wild and scenic river region.
Saint Cloud State University, the third-largest public university in Minnesota, is in Saint Cloud. Other colleges and universities in Saint Cloud include the College of Saint Scholastica - Saint Cloud Campus, Rasmussen College - Saint Cloud, Saint Cloud Technical & Community College, and the University of Minnesota Extension Regional Office.
Neighborhoods in Saint Cloud include Colonial Gardens, Lake George, McKinley and Railroad Parks, Northeast Wilson, Northside-Hester Park, Saint John Cantius, Seberger-Roosevelt, Southeast, and Southside University.
The early settlement of Saint Cloud began as three separate towns, arranged around a couple of deep ravines that joined the Mississippi River, known as Upper Town, Middle Town, and Lower Town. They merged to form the city of Saint Cloud in 1856.
Stearns County was formed in 1855, and Saint Cloud has always been the county seat.
General Sylvanus Lowry, a slaveholder from Kentucky, who had platted Upper Town in 1853, was elected the first mayor of Saint Cloud. When Lowry came to Minnesota, he brought his slaves with him and, since slaves were not permitted to file freedom suits in court, the Minnesota Territory's prohibition of slavery was unenforceable. After repeated attacks from Jane Grey Swisshelm, an abolitionist newspaper editor, Lowry started a rival newspaper, The Union, which later became the St. Cloud Times. Most Southerners left Minnesota at the start of the American Civil War but Lowry remained and was elected to the Minnesota State Senate in 1862. He died in Saint Cloud in 1865.
Originally, Saint Cloud was an economically viable settlement due to its location on the Mississippi River. Steamboats regularly docked at Saint Cloud until the Coon River Dam was constructed in 1912. By then, the railroad had extended its tracks to the city, and the Breen & Young Quarry, a granite quarry, had been founded there. The Monticello to Saint Cloud Railway was built by the St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railroad Company in 1882. It came up the west side of the Mississippi River and came into Saint Cloud, forming a wye at the depot and railyards on the northwest side of the downtown district. Together, the railroad and the quarries helped to maintain Saint Cloud's prominence as one of the largest cities in Minnesota.
In 1889, the Minnesota Legislature approved the purchase of 240-acres of land in East Saint Cloud for the construction of the Saint Cloud State Reformatory, which included the quarry, and used inmate labor to mine the granite to build the new prison, which is now known as the Minnesota Correctional Facility at St. Cloud.
Today, the health, education, and finance industries are the largest movers of the city's economy, although manufacturing is also a significant contributor.
The focus of this guide is on the city of Saint Cloud, Minnesota. Municipal, county, and other governmental offices, departments, and services located within the city are appropriate topics for this category, as are local businesses and services, universities and schools, churches, industries, hotels, organizations, and individuals.
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Recommended Resources
Carrying a selection of original and unique antiques and art, from a variety of dealers the shop is located in the historical 1889 JC Penney building in downtown Saint Cloud, Minnesota. Although its inventory changes frequently, representative items are featured on the site and include antiques, gifts, unique lighting and lamps, artwork from local artists, and vinyl records. Its location, hours, and a calendar of events are included.
http://bumbledees.com/
The official municipal website presents a calendar of meetings and events, news and updates, council information, agendas, and minutes of meetings, including video. City projects are reported upon, and payments may be made online. The city’s boards and commissions, municipal and neighborhood services, a community profile, and a map of the city are displayed. City parks, recreational opportunities, and attractions are highlighted.
http://www.ci.stcloud.mn.us/
The full-service law firm has been in practice in Saint Cloud, Minnesota since 1967, with attorneys who have a diverse set of practice areas, offering professional legal representation on a large range of legal issues, such as arbitration and mediation, banking and lending, construction law, environmental law, agricultural law, business law, criminal defense, estate planning, and others, which are outlined here. Office hours and contacts are featured.
https://www.rinkenoonan.com/
Part of the USA Today Network, and previously known as the Saint Cloud Times, the newspaper is headquartered in St. Cloud, Minnesota, and offers local and regional news reports, sports stories, entertainment columns, opinion, business reporting, and other features, Public notices, photographs, and video are included, along with subscription information and online subscriptions. Full access to the publication requires a subscription.
https://www.sctimes.com/
St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce
Organized in 1869, the Chamber is regional in nature, with more than a thousand members and affiliations with the Sauk Rapids and Waite Park chambers. Its focus, membership policies, and the benefits of membership are elucidated, and a directory of members is put forth, along with a calendar of events, information about its advocacy services, professional development and diversity programs, and networking opportunities.
https://www.stcloudareachamber.com/
In operation since 1949, the Roman Catholic book store was opened by the Diocese of Saint Cloud, but became a family business in 1982, when it was purchased from the Diocese. Its retail location is shown on a map, along with store and holiday hours, and contacts. Its products, which include Bibles and other Catholic books for children and adults, as well as gifts for several occasions, church supplies, candles, rosaries, and devotional items, which may be purchased online.
https://www.stcloudbookshop.com/
Presented by the St. Cloud Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, the marketing power behind the Greater St. Cloud region, the site promotes Saint Cloud and the surrounding metropolitan region, and offers a guide to are hotels, motels, and other places to stay, attractions and entertainment venues, restaurants and other dining facilities, scheduled events, and meeting spaces within the St. Cloud region.
https://www.visitstcloud.com/