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St. Cloud is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is a major place in the state's central region. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 59,107. It is the county seat of Stearns County6. Although mainly located in Stearns County, the city extends into Benton County and Sherburne County as well. It is the main city of a small metropolitan area, with Waite Park, Sauk Rapids, Sartell, Rockville, and St. Augusta directly bordering the city, and others such as Kimball, Clearwater, Clear Lake, St. Joseph, and Cold Spring nearby. The Mississippi River flows through the city. St. Cloud is 65 miles northwest of the Minneapolis-St. Paul area along Interstate 94, U.S. Highway 10, and State Highway 23. It is sometimes considered to be part of the Twin Cities region, and the media markets for the two areas overlap. A commuter rail line running into the Twin Cities known as the Northstar Corridor may reach the city in a second phase. The line is still in planning stages.
History 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 were established beginning in 1853 The remnants of deep ravines that separated the three are still visible today. Middle Town was settled primarily by German Catholics. Lower Town was founded by settlers from New England and mid-Atlantic states. Upper Town was platted by a slave-holding southerner. Minnesota had previously been organized as a territory in 1849. The area had been opened to legal ownership by non-Native Americans following treaty negotiations with the Winnebago tribe in 1851 and 1852. St. Cloud was named after the suburb of Paris by John L. Wilson, a native of Maine with French Huguenot ancestry and an interest in Napoleon. In its early years it was a major trading post and transportation hub for oxcarts on the Red River Trail to Canada. Steamboats docked at St. Cloud although river levels were not reliable. Granite quarries have operated in the area since the 1880's. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 80.1 km² (30.9 mi²). 78.1 km² (30.2 mi²) of it is land and 2.0 km² (0.8 mi²) of it (2.62%) is water. Demographics As of the census² of 2000, there were 59,107 people, 22,652 households, and 12,254 families residing in the city. The population density was 756.7/km² (1,959.9/mi²). There were 23,249 housing units at an average density of 297.6/km² (770.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.75% White, 2.37% African American, 0.72% Native American, 3.11% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.58% from other races, and 1.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.33% of the population. There were 22,652 households out of which 27.3% 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. In the city the population was spread out with 20.8% under the age of 18, 24.1% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 17.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 101.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $37,346, and the median income for a family was $50,460. Males had a median income of $33,670 versus $23,759 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,769. About 5.0% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.0% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over. Sites of interest Media The main newspaper is the St. Cloud Times. ''i'' (previously PAX) network affiliate KPXM (channel 41) is licensed to serve the city, though the signal also covers the Twin Cities region. It carries a lot of news programming from Minneapolis-St. Paul station KARE (channel 11), which has a marketing agreement with channel 41. Radio stations include: Minnesota Public Radio began in nearby Collegeville at St. John's University. Politics Blaine is located in Minnesota's 6th congressional district, represented by Mark Kennedy, who is not running for reelection in 2006. Candidates Patty Wetterling (DFL) and Michele Bachmann (Republican) are in a closely contested race to succeed him. Notes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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