St. Paul is the capital and second most populous city in Minnesota. Located on the north bank of the Mississippi River, it adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city. Known as the "Twin Cities", these two cities form the core of the sixteenth largest metropolitan area in the United States with about 3.2 million residents.
Founded near historic Native American settlements as a trading and transportation center, the area was originally referred to as Pig's Eye's Landing, when Pierre "Pig's Eye" Parrant, (a retired fur trader-turned-bootlegger) established a popular tavern there. In 1849 as Minnesota became a territory, the town's leadership thought it best to change the name to Saint Paul, after the former Saint Paul's Chapel.
It is thought that the area was originally inhabited by the Hopewell Native Americans about 2000 years ago. From the early 17th century until 1837 the Mdewakanton Dakota, a tribe of the Sioux, lived there. In 1841, Father Lucien Galtier, sent to minister to the Catholic French Canadians, established a chapel in honor of his favorite saint, Paul the Apostle.
In 1858, more than 1,000 steamboats were in service at Saint Paul, making the city a gateway for settlers to the Minnesota frontier or Dakota Territory. The area was the last accessible point to unload boats coming upriver due to the Mississippi River valley's stone bluffs and was called "The Last City of the East.”
For more information about the history, geography, climate, demographics, sports, and transportation facts about St. Paul: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Paul,_Minnesota
The North American Council for Staff, Program and Organizational Development is an affiliate council of the American Association of Community.
