Saint Paul, Minnesota

Saint Paul is the capital and second-largest city of the state of Minnesota in the United States. It is the county seat of Ramsey County. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 287,151, although that number had decreased to 276,963 in the Census' 2004 estimates. Saint Paul and the adjacent city of Minneapolis form the core of the area known as the Twin Cities.

Sites of interest

Areas of interest include the Science Museum of Minnesota http://www.smm.org, the state Capitol, and RiverCentre, which serves as the city's civic center. Saint Paul is also home to the St Paul Chamber Orchestra, the St Paul Saints minor league baseball team, the Minnesota Thunder, professional soccer team, the Minnesota Swarm of the National Lacrosse League and the Minnesota Wild National Hockey League team, which plays at the city's Xcel Energy Center.

Related Topics:
Science Museum of Minnesota - Capitol - RiverCentre - Civic center - St Paul Chamber Orchestra - St Paul Saints - Minor league - Baseball - Minnesota Thunder - Soccer - Minnesota Swarm - National Lacrosse League - Minnesota Wild - National Hockey League - Xcel Energy Center

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Nearby attractions include the Mississippi River which forms the southwest border of Saint Paul, the Mall of America in Bloomington, and the Minnesota State Fair's grounds. The fair is open during the two weeks prior to and including Labor Day. It takes place in northern Saint Paul next to the suburb of Falcon Heights, and just north of what is called the Midway, appropriately defining the midway point between downtown districts of the Twin Cities. Immediately west of the state fairgrounds is the Saint Paul Campus of the University of Minnesota (however, like the Fairgrounds, the campus is located in Falcon Heights). The Cathedral of Saint Paul is the co-cathedral with the Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, and numerous other religious organizations exist in the metropolitan area. Bordering the southwest edge of Saint Paul and the southeastern tip of Minneapolis is the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. Also notable is the Fort Snelling National Historic Site, which lies on the bluff above the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers. Just below the bluff is Fort Snelling State Park http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/fort_snelling/index.html, which incorporates Pike Island named for the explorer Zebulon Pike. The Como Zoo and Conservatory is a free zoo with a year round inside garden and amusement park.

Related Topics:
Mississippi River - Mall of America - Bloomington - Minnesota State Fair - Labor Day - Falcon Heights - University of Minnesota - Cathedral of Saint Paul - Co-cathedral - Basilica of Saint Mary - Roman Catholic - Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis - Religious - Metropolitan area - Minneapolis - Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport - Fort Snelling - Minnesota - River - Fort Snelling State Park - Explorer - Zebulon Pike - Como Zoo and Conservatory

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Saint Paul is the birthplace of renowned author, F Scott Fitzgerald, as well as cartoonist Charles M. Schulz (Peanuts). Because of the association with Schulz, Saint Paul regularly has events centering around the Snoopy family. For the past several years, local artists have painted and decorated giant Peanuts sculptures around the city. These have been very popular with tourists.

Related Topics:
F Scott Fitzgerald - Cartoonist - Charles M. Schulz - Peanuts - Snoopy - Artist - Tourists

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Major corporations headquartered in the Saint Paul area include 3M, source of products such as Scotch-Tape™, Thinsulate™ and Post-It™ notes; St Paul Travelers, a major insurance firm; Target corporation; and Lawson Software, a business software and support company.

Related Topics:
Corporation - 3M - St Paul Travelers - Insurance - Lawson Software - Software

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