St. Paul Map
St. Paul is Minnesota's capital and the older half of the Twin Cities, built at the last point on the Mississippi a steamboat could reach.
Where is St. Paul?
St. Paul sits in east-central Minnesota on the east bank of the Mississippi, with Minneapolis directly adjoining it to the west — about 10 miles between the two downtowns, and no open country in between. Together they hold most of the state's population. Milwaukee is roughly 330 miles southeast, Chicago about 400 miles southeast, and Omaha some 380 miles south. Duluth and Lake Superior are about 150 miles northeast.
St. Paul at a glance
| State | Minnesota |
| County | Ramsey County |
| Population (2024 estimate) | 307,465 |
| Rank among US cities | 68th of the 100 largest |
| Time zone | Central Time |
| Region | Midwest — West North Central division |
St. Paul in Minnesota
St. Paul is the seat of Ramsey County, the smallest county in Minnesota by area and one of the most densely settled — the Minnesota county map shows it as a small block surrounded by the much larger counties that carry the suburbs. The capitol, the legislature and the state offices are here, while Minneapolis across the river is larger and holds more of the region's corporate headquarters; the airport and the sports venues are split between them. They are the only Minnesota cities in the national top 100, and the Minnesota state page shows how much of the state's population sits in this one metropolitan area.
The head of navigation
There are two cities here because of one waterfall. Steamboats coming up the Mississippi could go no further than the landing at St. Paul, where the river's gorge ends; a few miles upstream, St. Anthony Falls blocked the channel outright. So the trade and the territorial government settled at the landing, and the milling industry settled at the falls, and the two grew into each other without ever merging. The river runs through St. Paul in a deep gorge cut when glacial meltwater drained this way at the end of the last ice age, and the Minnesota River joins it just downstream at Fort Snelling in a valley far too wide for the modern river — the same meltwater channel. Bluffs 100 feet and more above the water separate the downtown terrace from the neighborhoods on top.
Cities near St. Paul
Minneapolis is next door; the nearest large cities beyond are Milwaukee, Chicago, Omaha and Kansas City. The West North Central division page groups Minnesota with the plains states to its south and west.