View source for St. Cloud, Minnesota

{{Short description|City in Minnesota, United States}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = St. Cloud, Minnesota
| settlement_type    = [[City]]
| nickname           = "The Granite City"
| motto              = <!-- Images --------------->
| image_skyline      = {{multiple image
| border      = infobox
| total_width = 280
| perrow      = 1/2/1/2
| caption_align            = center
| image1                   = Downtown St Cloud (cropped).jpg
| caption1                 = [[St. Cloud Commercial Historic District|Downtown St. Cloud]]
| image2                   = Clemens Gardens.JPG
| caption2                 = [[Munsinger Gardens and Clemens Gardens|Munsinger and Clemens Gardens]]
| image3                   = St Cloud Public Library facade.jpg
| caption3                 = [[Great River Regional Library]]
| image4 = St Cloud State University's Lawrence Hall (cropped).jpg
| caption4 = [[St. Cloud State University]]
| image5                   = Cathedral of St Mary.jpg
| caption5                 = [[Cathedral of Saint Mary (St. Cloud, Minnesota)|Cathedral of St. Mary]]
| image6 = Michael Majerus House.jpg
| caption6 = [[Michael Majerus House]]
}}
| image_flag         = 
| image_seal         = <!-- Maps ----------------->
| image_map          = Stearns_County_Minnesota_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_St._Cloud_Highlighted.svg
| mapsize            = 250px
| map_caption        = Location within Stearns County and the state of Minnesota
| pushpin_map        = Minnesota#USA
| pushpin_map_caption = Location within Minnesota##Location within the United States
| pushpin_relief     = 1
| pushpin_label      = St. Cloud
| image_map1         = 
| mapsize1           = 
| map_caption1       = <!-- Location ------------->
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = United States
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Minnesota|Counties]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Minnesota]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Stearns County, Minnesota|Stearns]], [[Benton County, Minnesota|Benton]], [[Sherburne County, Minnesota|Sherburne]]
<!-- Government ----------->| named_for          = [[Saint-Cloud]], France
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = [[Mayor]]
| leader_name        = Jake Anderson
| established_title  = Founded
| established_date   = 1856<ref>{{cite book|last=Dominik|first=John J.|title=That You May Find Healing|publisher=St. Cloud Hospital|year=1986|location=St. Cloud, Minn|page=5}}</ref>
<!-- Area ----------------->| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_total_sq_mi   = 41.23
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_27.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=July 24, 2022}}</ref>
| area_total_km2     = 106.78
| area_land_sq_mi    = 40.17
| area_land_km2      = 104.04
| area_water_sq_mi   = 1.06
| area_water_km2     = 2.74
| area_water_percent = 
| area_urban_sq_mi   = 
| area_urban_km2     = 
| area_metro_sq_mi   = 
| area_metro_km2     = <!-- Population ----------->
| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_est     = 71,118
| pop_est_as_of      = 2025
| pop_est_footnotes  = <ref name="USCensusEst2022"/>
| population_footnotes = <ref name="2020 Census (City)"/>
| population_total   = 68881
| population_urban   = 117638 (US: [[List of United States urban areas|290th]])
| population_metro   = 201868 (US: [[Metropolitan statistical area|229th]])
| population_density_km2 = 662.08
| population_density_sq_mi = 1714.78
| population_density_metro_km2 = 
| population_density_metro_sq_mi = 
| population_rank    = US: 542nd<br>MN: [[List of cities in Minnesota|12th]]
<!-- General information -->| timezone           = [[Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
| utc_offset         = -6
| timezone_DST       = CDT
| utc_offset_DST     = -5
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_m        = 313
| elevation_ft       = 1027
| coordinates        = {{coord|45|32|03|N|94|10|18|W|region:US-MN_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP code]]s
| postal_code        = 56301, 56302, 56303, 56304, 56393, 56397, 56398
| area_code          = [[Area code 320|320]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 27-56896
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 2396483<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2396483}}</ref>
| website            = {{URL|https://www.ci.stcloud.mn.us/|ci.stcloud.mn.us}}
| footnotes          = 
}}

'''St. Cloud''' or '''Saint Cloud''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|eɪ|n|t|_|k|l|aʊ|d}}; {{IPA|fr|sɛ̃ klu|lang}}) is a city in [[Stearns County, Minnesota]], United States. The population was 68,881 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], making it Minnesota's [[List of cities in Minnesota|12th-most populous city]].<ref name="2020 Census (City)">{{cite web|title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/profile/St._Cloud_city,_Minnesota?g=160XX00US2756896 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=November 15, 2023}}</ref> St. Cloud is the [[county seat]] of Stearns County,<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx|access-date=June 7, 2011|title=Find a County|publisher=National Association of Counties|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626142102/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx|archive-date=June 26, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> though it also extends into [[Benton County, Minnesota|Benton]] and [[Sherburne County, Minnesota|Sherburne]] counties. The city lies along the [[Mississippi River]] and is named after [[Saint-Cloud]], a suburb of [[Paris]] named for the 6th-century monk [[Clodoald]].

The [[St. Cloud metropolitan area]] has an estimated 206,000 residents and is Minnesota's fifth-largest [[metropolitan statistical area]]. St. Cloud is {{convert|65|mi|km}} northwest of the Twin Cities of [[Minneapolis–St. Paul]] along [[Interstate 94 in Minnesota|Interstate 94]], [[U.S. Route 52 in Minnesota|U.S. Highway 52]] (conjoined with I-94), [[U.S. Route 10 in Minnesota|U.S. Highway 10]], [[Minnesota State Highway 15]], and [[Minnesota State Highway 23]]. The St. Cloud metropolitan area is included in the greater [[Minneapolis–Saint Paul#Combined Statistical Area|Minneapolis–St. Paul combined statistical area]].

St. Cloud is home to [[St. Cloud State University]], Minnesota's third-largest public university, located near the Beaver Islands, a group of around 30 undeveloped islands in the Mississippi River. These islands, part of a 12-mile designated wild and scenic river segment, attract kayakers and canoeists.<ref>Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, [http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/canoeing/mississippiriver/seven.html "Mississippi River", "St. Cloud to Anoka"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080403093110/http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/canoeing/mississippiriver/seven.html |date=April 3, 2008 }}</ref><ref>[https://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=mpx&gage=scom5 National Weather Service, Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service, Mississippi River at St. Cloud]</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/waters/watermgmt_section/wild_scenic/wsrivers/mississippi.html|title=The Wild & Scenic Mississippi River|work=Minnesota Department of Natural Resources |access-date=October 3, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090919035759/http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/waters/watermgmt_section/wild_scenic/wsrivers/mississippi.html|archive-date=September 19, 2009|url-status=live}}</ref> The city also owns and operates Minnesota's largest municipally managed [[hydroelectricity|hydroelectric]] dam on the Mississippi River, which generates nearly nine mega[[watt]]s of electricity, about 10% of the total output from the state's 11 hydroelectric dams on the river.<ref>[https://www.ci.stcloud.mn.us/1504/Hydroelectric-Utility City of St. Cloud, Public Utilities],</ref><ref>[https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/waters/surfacewater_section/damsafety/hydro-table.pdf Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) "Operating Hydropower Sites In Minnesota"]</ref><ref>John Weeks, [http://www.johnweeks.com/headwaters/pages03/stclouddam.html John Weeks, ''The Bridges and Structures of the Mississippi River Headwaters''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071015181457/http://www.johnweeks.com/headwaters/pages03/stclouddam.html |date=October 15, 2007 }}, ''A Detailed Look At The Bridges, Dams And Other Structures On The Mississippi River In The Headwaters Region From Lake Itasca To Minneapolis'', November 2007.</ref>

==History==
[[File:Red River cart in Saint Cloud, Minnesota.jpg|thumb|[[Red River cart]] at Saint Cloud, 1887]]

What is now the St. Cloud area was occupied by various indigenous peoples for thousands of years. [[Voyageurs]] and [[Coureur des bois|coureurs des bois]] from [[New France]] first encountered the [[Ojibwe people|Ojibwe]] and [[Dakota people|Dakota]] through the highly profitable [[North American fur trade]] with local Native American peoples.<ref>[https://www.sctimes.com/story/news/local/2019/06/28/st-cloud-riverside-park-new-historic-marker-dakota-ojibwe-indigenous/1595261001/ New historic marker at Riverside Park honors Dakota and Ojibwe], Jenny Berg, SCTimes, June 28, 2019</ref><ref>William Bell Mitchell (1915), ''History of Stearns County''; Volume I, H.R. Cooper & Co. Chicago. Pages 26-35.</ref>

The [[Minnesota Territory]] was organized in 1849. The St. Cloud area opened up to [[homesteading]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13342a.htm|title=Diocese of Saint Cloud|last=Kevin Knight|publisher=New Advent|access-date=April 5, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130819193054/http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13342a.htm|archive-date=August 19, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> after the [[Treaty of Traverse des Sioux]] was signed with the [[Dakota people]] in 1851.<ref>William Bell Mitchell (1915), ''History of Stearns County''; Volume I, H.R. Cooper & Co. Chicago. Pages 35-38.</ref> John L. Wilson, a [[Yankee]] homesteader from [[Columbia, Maine]], with French [[Huguenot]] ancestry and an interest in [[Napoleon]], named the settlement St. Cloud after [[Saint-Cloud]], the [[Paris]] suburb where Napoleon had his favorite palace.<ref>[https://www.startribune.com/st-cloud-minnesota-saint-cloud-france-clodoald/600072932/ How did St. Cloud get its name? It's a strange story, An inside joke in the 1850s had a lasting impact on central Minnesota's hub], Jenny Berg, Curious Minnesota, Star Tribune, July 23, 2021.</ref><ref>William Bell Mitchell (1915), ''History of Stearns County''; Volume I, H.R. Cooper & Co. Chicago. Pages 645-646.</ref>

St. Cloud was a waystation on the Middle and Woods branches of the [[Red River Trails]] used by [[Métis]] traders between the Canada–U.S. border at [[Pembina, North Dakota]], and [[Saint Paul, Minnesota]]. The cart trains often consisted of hundreds of oxcarts known as [[Red River carts]]. The Métis, bringing furs to trade for supplies to take back to their rural settlements, camped west of the city and crossed the Mississippi in St. Cloud or just to the north in Sauk Rapids.

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 European-American settlers established starting in 1853.<ref>"3 Towns Into 1 City, A Narrative Record of Significant Factors in The Story Of St. Cloud Minnesota."</ref> Remnants of the deep ravines that separated the three are still visible today. Middle Town was settled primarily by [[Germans|German]] Catholic immigrants and migrants from eastern states, who were recruited to the region by Father [[Francis Xavier Pierz]], a Catholic priest who also ministered as a missionary to Native Americans.

Lower Town was founded by settlers from the [[Northern Tier (United States)|Northern Tier]] of [[New England]] and the [[mid-Atlantic states]], including former residents of upstate New York.<ref>The St Cloud Area Bicentennial Commission, "3 Towns Into 1 City, A Narrative Record of Significant Factors in THE STORY OF ST. CLOUD MINNESOTA", Compiled and Narrated by John J Dominik, Jr, Editor Ed L Stockinger, page 3.</ref> Its Protestant settlers opposed slavery.<ref>[https://www.ci.stcloud.mn.us/DocumentCenter/View/685/Newly-Elected-Orientation?bidId=  St. Cloud City website Document Center]</ref> Upper Town, or Arcadia, was plotted by General [[Sylvanus Lowry]], a slaveholder and trader from [[Kentucky]] who brought [[slaves]] with him, although Minnesota was organized as a free territory.<ref name="Leg">[http://www.leg.state.mn.us/legdb/fulldetail.aspx?id=13707 "Sylvanus Lowry"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602030421/http://www.leg.state.mn.us/legdb/fulldetail.aspx?ID=13707 |date=June 2, 2013 }}, Minnesota Legislators Past and Present, accessed July 4, 2012</ref> He served on the territorial council from 1852 to 1853 and was elected president of the newly formed town council in 1856, serving for one year (the office of mayor did not yet exist).<ref>https://www.ci.stcloud.mn.us/DocumentCenter/View/685/Newly-Elected-Orientation?bidId= Newly Elected Orientation, section (9) History of the City</ref><ref name="Leg"/><ref name="Espinoza"/>

[[Jane Grey Swisshelm]], an abolitionist newspaper editor who had migrated from [[Pittsburgh]], repeatedly attacked Lowry in print. At one point Lowry organized a "Committee of Vigilance" that broke into Swisshelm's newspaper office and removed her press, throwing it into the [[Mississippi River]]. Lowry started a rival paper, ''The Union''.<ref name="Espinoza">[http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/05/07/upper-mississippi-slavery/ Ambar Espinoza, "St. Cloud professor unearths history of slavery in Minnesota"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120613174922/http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/05/07/upper-mississippi-slavery |date=June 13, 2012 }}, Minnesota Public Radio, May 7, 2010, accessed July 4, 2012</ref> In 1857, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in ''[[Dred Scott v. Sandford|Dred Scott]]'' that slaves could not file [[freedom suits]] and found the [[Missouri Compromise]] unconstitutional, so the territory's prohibition against slavery became unenforceable. Nearly all Southerners left the St. Cloud area when the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] broke out, taking their slaves with them. The number of slaves in the community was estimated in single digits at the 1860 census.<ref name="Espinoza"/><ref>Lincoln Mullen,[https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/maps-reveal-slavery-expanded-across-united-states-180951452/ These Maps Reveal How Slavery Expanded Across the United States], Smithsonian Magazine, May 15, 2014.</ref> Lowry died in the city in 1865.<ref>''Our Gohman Story: The First and Second Generations'' {{ISBN|978-1-5049-0520-6}} p. 173</ref>

Many young men from St. Cloud and the surrounding area served in the [[Union Army]] during the American Civil War.<ref>William Bell Mitchell (1915), ''History of Stearns County''; Volume I, H.R. Cooper & Co. Chicago. Pages 628-635.</ref> After it ended, many local Civil War veterans remained heavily involved in St. Cloud's chapter of the [[Grand Army of the Republic]], and raised money for the building of a statue in memory of [[U.S. President]] [[Abraham Lincoln]] that still stands near the St. Germain Street bridge.<ref>William Bell Mitchell (1915), ''History of Stearns County''; Volume II, H.R. Cooper & Co. Chicago. Pages 1465-1467.</ref> Beginning in 1864, [[Stephen Miller (Minnesota governor)|Stephen Miller]] served a two-year term as Minnesota governor, the only citizen of St. Cloud ever to hold the office. Miller was a "[[Pennsylvania German]] businessman", lawyer, writer, active abolitionist, and personal friend of [[Alexander Ramsey]]. He was on the state's Republican electoral ticket with Lincoln in 1860.<ref>John J. Dominik Jr., "Three Towns Into One City", St. Cloud, Minnesota: St Cloud Area Bicentennial Commission, 1976, p. 13</ref>

[[Steamboat]]s regularly docked at St. Cloud as part of the fur trade and other commerce, although river levels were not reliable. This ended with the construction of the [[Coon Rapids Dam]] in 1912–14. [[Granite]] quarries have operated in the area since the 1880s, giving St. Cloud its nickname, "The Granite City". In 1917, [[Samuel Pandolfo]] started the Pan Motor Company in St. Cloud. He claimed his Pan-Cars would make St. Cloud the new [[Detroit]], but the company failed at a time when resources were directed toward the [[World War I]] effort. He was later convicted and imprisoned for attempting to defraud investors.<ref>{{cite web| title =Pan History| publisher =St Cloud Antique Auto Club, Inc.| date =January 1, 2007| url =http://www.pantowners.org/history.html| access-date =June 20, 2007| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20070701043119/http://www.pantowners.org/history.html| archive-date =July 1, 2007| url-status =live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.automotivehistoryonline.com/Panmotor.htm |title=Automotive History Online, Pan Motor |publisher=Automotivehistoryonline.com |access-date=November 6, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929081548/http://www.automotivehistoryonline.com/Panmotor.htm |archive-date=September 29, 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref>

According to documents at the Stearns History Museum, more than 2,000 residents from the heavily German-American St. Cloud area served in the [[U.S. military]] against their ancestral homeland during [[World War I]].<ref>Dunn, Mary Irene, "[[Stearns County, Minnesota|Stearns County]] in the World War, An Honor Roll of the Men and Women of this Community Who Served Their Country in the Period from 6 April 1917 to 11 November 1918, Compiled From State and National U.S. Military Records",[http://www.mnhs.org/index.htm manuscript dated 1932], [[Minnesota Historical Society]], [[Saint Paul, Minnesota|St. Paul]].</ref> On 26 January 1918, President [[Woodrow Wilson]] wrote a letter to Bishop [[Joseph Francis Busch]] thanking him for his support of the war effort.<ref>[[Woodrow Wilson]], photocopy of letter on [[White House]] stationery with note "Original in Chancery Archive vault", to Rt. Rev. J. F. Busch, Bishop of St. Cloud, 26 January 1918. [http://www.stearns-museum.org/index2.html Stearns History Museum]</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:Stcloudaerial.JPG|thumb|Downtown Saint Cloud, 2007]]

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has an area of {{convert|41.08|sqmi|sqkm|2}}; {{convert|40.04|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|1.04|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.<ref name="Gazetteer files">{{cite web|title=US Gazetteer files 2010|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=November 13, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112090031/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt|archive-date=January 12, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

The city developed on both sides of the [[Mississippi River]]. Part of the [[Sauk River (Minnesota)|Sauk River]] runs along its northern edge.

Just south of downtown is the 7-acre, 35-feet-deep Lake George.<ref>[https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/lakefind/lake.html?id=73061100 LakeFinder], Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.</ref> In 2021, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) credited decade-long city investments in stormwater filtration with reducing Lake George's phosphorus levels well below the state standard. It called Lake George one of three "success stories" in the state, and planned to remove it from a list of impaired waters.<ref>[https://www.pca.state.mn.us/news/minnesota-adds-305-streams-and-lakes-its-impaired-waters-list-including-new-pfas-waters-greater|Cathy Malakowsky, "Minnesota adds 305 streams and lakes to its impaired waters list, including new PFAS water in Greater Minnesota"], Minnesota Pollution Control Agency November 8, 2021</ref>

Granite bedrock quarried in the area has been estimated to be 1.7 billion years old and was exposed after several miles of rock above it eroded. The city lies on a band of modern Mississippi river sediment surrounded by land scoured several times by Wisconsin Age glaciers beginning about 35,000 years ago, ending with the Lake Superior St. Croix lobe. The later Des Moines lobe created glacial moraines and drift south and east of the city.<ref>Richard W. Ojakangas, ''Roadside Geology of Minnesota'', 2009, glacial history of Minnesota, page 26, "Glacial geology of central Minnesota - modified from Hobbs and Goebel,1982, page 196, granite dating, page 204</ref>

===Climate===
[[File:Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020) - Saint Cloud Area, MN(ThreadEx).svg|thumb|right|Climate chart for St. Cloud]]
St. Cloud lies in the warm summer [[humid continental climate]] zone ([[Köppen climate classification]]: ''Dfb''), with warm summers and cold winters with moderate to heavy snowfall. The monthly normal daily mean temperature ranges from {{convert|11.6|°F|1}} in January to {{convert|70.3|°F|1}} in July. The record high temperature is {{Convert|107|F}}. The record low temperature is {{Convert|-43|F}}.<ref name="NOWData MPX"/>

{{Weather box|location = [[St. Cloud Regional Airport]], Minnesota (1991–2020 normals,<ref>Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the expected highest and lowest temperature readings at any point during the year or given month) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.</ref> extremes 1894–present)
|single line = Y
|collapsed = Y
|Jan record high F = 56
|Feb record high F = 59
|Mar record high F = 81
|Apr record high F = 96
|May record high F = 105
|Jun record high F = 102
|Jul record high F = 107
|Aug record high F = 105
|Sep record high F = 106
|Oct record high F = 90
|Nov record high F = 76
|Dec record high F = 63
|year record high F = 107
|Jan avg record high F = 41.9
|Feb avg record high F = 45.1
|Mar avg record high F = 61.0
|Apr avg record high F = 78.1
|May avg record high F = 88.3
|Jun avg record high F = 92.4
|Jul avg record high F = 92.6
|Aug avg record high F = 90.8
|Sep avg record high F = 87.2
|Oct avg record high F = 79.3
|Nov avg record high F = 59.9
|Dec avg record high F = 44.4
|year avg record high F = 95.1
|Jan high F = 20.7
|Feb high F = 25.7
|Mar high F = 38.5
|Apr high F = 54.3
|May high F = 67.8
|Jun high F = 77.2
|Jul high F = 81.6
|Aug high F = 79.2
|Sep high F = 71.0
|Oct high F = 55.9
|Nov high F = 39.3
|Dec high F = 25.8
|year high F = 53.1
|Jan mean F = 11.8
|Feb mean F = 16.1
|Mar mean F = 29.2
|Apr mean F = 43.3
|May mean F = 56.2
|Jun mean F = 66.0
|Jul mean F = 70.3
|Aug mean F = 67.7
|Sep mean F = 59.5
|Oct mean F = 45.7
|Nov mean F = 30.9
|Dec mean F = 17.8
|year mean F = 42.9
|Jan low F = 2.9
|Feb low F = 6.5
|Mar low F = 19.8
|Apr low F = 32.4
|May low F = 44.6
|Jun low F = 54.8
|Jul low F = 58.9
|Aug low F = 56.3
|Sep low F = 48.0
|Oct low F = 35.5
|Nov low F = 22.6
|Dec low F = 9.8
|year low F = 32.7
|Jan avg record low F = -22.5
|Feb avg record low F = -16.2
|Mar avg record low F = -5.0
|Apr avg record low F = 16.7
|May avg record low F = 30.1
|Jun avg record low F = 41.3
|Jul avg record low F = 47.4
|Aug avg record low F = 44.3
|Sep avg record low F = 31.1
|Oct avg record low F = 19.6
|Nov avg record low F = 3.2
|Dec avg record low F = -14.8
|year avg record low F = -25.1
|Jan record low F = −43
|Feb record low F = −40
|Mar record low F = −32
|Apr record low F = −3
|May record low F = 18
|Jun record low F = 32
|Jul record low F = 40
|Aug record low F = 33
|Sep record low F = 18
|Oct record low F = 5
|Nov record low F = −23
|Dec record low F = −41
|year record low F = -43
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 0.67
|Feb precipitation inch = 0.76
|Mar precipitation inch = 1.57
|Apr precipitation inch = 2.61
|May precipitation inch = 3.66
|Jun precipitation inch = 3.75
|Jul precipitation inch = 3.60
|Aug precipitation inch = 4.00
|Sep precipitation inch = 3.01
|Oct precipitation inch = 2.61
|Nov precipitation inch = 1.37
|Dec precipitation inch = 0.88
|year precipitation inch = 28.49
|Jan snow inch = 8.8
|Feb snow inch = 8.9
|Mar snow inch = 8.2
|Apr snow inch = 4.7
|May snow inch = 0.1
|Jun snow inch = 0.0
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.0
|Sep snow inch = 0.0
|Oct snow inch = 1.0
|Nov snow inch = 6.9
|Dec snow inch = 9.3
|year snow inch = 47.9
|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 7.8
|Feb precipitation days = 6.4
|Mar precipitation days = 8.3
|Apr precipitation days = 9.7
|May precipitation days = 11.4
|Jun precipitation days = 12.3
|Jul precipitation days = 10.6
|Aug precipitation days = 9.3
|Sep precipitation days = 10.0
|Oct precipitation days = 9.7
|Nov precipitation days = 7.3
|Dec precipitation days = 7.7
|year precipitation days = 110.5
|unit snow days = 0.1 in
|Jan snow days = 8.5
|Feb snow days = 6.4
|Mar snow days = 5.0
|Apr snow days = 2.2
|May snow days = 0.2
|Jun snow days = 0.0
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.0
|Oct snow days = 0.9
|Nov snow days = 4.6
|Dec snow days = 8.2
|year snow days = 36.0
|humidity colour = green
|Jan humidity = 70.0
|Feb humidity = 66.1
|Mar humidity = 67.3
|Apr humidity = 65.8
|May humidity = 62.0
|Jun humidity = 67.3
|Jul humidity = 67.7
|Aug humidity = 69.5
|Sep humidity = 73.5
|Oct humidity = 68.3
|Nov humidity = 73.3
|Dec humidity = 75.2
|year humidity = 68.8
|Jan dew point C = -18.3
|Feb dew point C = -15.2
|Mar dew point C = -8.1
|Apr dew point C = -0.8
|May dew point C = 4.7
|Jun dew point C = 11.1
|Jul dew point C = 15.1
|Aug dew point C = 13.7
|Sep dew point C = 9.1
|Oct dew point C = 2.3
|Nov dew point C = -5.0
|Dec dew point C = -10.7
|source 1 = NOAA (relative humidity and dew point 1961–1990)<ref name="NOWData MPX">
{{cite web
|url = https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=mpx
|title = NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|access-date = June 24, 2021}}</ref><ref name = "NOAA txt">
{{cite web
|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USW00014926&format=pdf
|title = Station: St Cloud RGNL AP, MN
|work = U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020)
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|access-date = June 24, 2021
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230916223825/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USW00014926&format=pdf
|archive-date = September 16, 2023}}</ref><ref name= NOAA2>
{{cite web
|title = WMO climate normals for ST. CLOUD/WHITNEY, MN 1961–1990
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|url = ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG_IV/US/GROUP4/72655.TXT
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230916220309/ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG_IV/US/GROUP4/72655.TXT
|archive-date = 2023-09-16
|url-status = dead
|access-date = September 17, 2023
}}</ref>
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1870= 2161
|1880= 2462
|1890= 7686
|1900= 8663
|1910= 10600
|1920= 15873
|1930= 21000
|1940= 24173
|1950= 28410
|1960= 32415
|1970= 39691
|1980= 42566
|1990= 48812
|2000= 59108
|2010= 65842
|2020= 68881
|estyear=2025
|estimate=71118
|estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2022">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-cities-and-towns.html |date=November 15, 2023|title=City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2022|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=November 15, 2023}}</ref>
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|author=United States Census Bureau|author-link=United States Census Bureau|access-date=June 15, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150426102944/http://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|archive-date=April 26, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><br>2020 Census<ref name="2020 Census (City)"/>
}}

St. Cloud has been a significant destination for immigrants throughout its history, beginning with [[German Americans|German]] settlers in the late 19th century, followed by waves of Polish, Irish, and other European immigrants in the early 20th century. Since the late 20th and early 21st century, new residents of the city have predominantly been from [[Africa]], particularly [[Somalia]].<ref name="CBS Minnesota 2019">{{cite web | title=What Is The History Behind Minnesota's Somali-American Community? | website=CBS Minnesota | date=2019-07-24 | url=https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/minnesota-somali-american-population-good-question/ | access-date=2023-06-14}}</ref> Unofficial estimates suggest that the number of [[Somalis]] in St. Cloud and the surrounding cities could be as high as 25,000, with approximately half of these having moved to the city between 2009 and 2013. About 15% of the local school district is Somali and many Somalis are enrolled in high schools, colleges, and universities as of 2023. Homeownership among St. Cloud's Somali community is considerably lower than other populations.<ref name="Marohn 2022">{{cite web | last=Marohn | first=Kirsti | title='American dream': St. Cloud's Somali families see homebuying as path to grow wealth, sink roots | website=MPR News | date=April 13, 2022 | url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2022/04/13/american-dream-st-clouds-somali-families-see-homebuying-as-path-to-grow-wealth-sink-roots | access-date=June 14, 2023}}</ref><ref name="MPR News 2022">{{cite web | title=Report finds Somali Muslim families may be targets for risky home ownership deals | website=MPR News | date=November 21, 2022 | url=https://www.mprnews.org/episode/2022/11/21/report-finds-somali-muslim-families-may-be-targets-for-risky-home-ownership-deals | access-date=June 14, 2023}}</ref>

Over the past two decades, the racial and ethnic landscape of St. Cloud has experienced significant changes. In the year 2000, non-Hispanic White residents made up more than 90% of the population; by 2020, their share had dropped to 67%. Black residents, who accounted for 2% of the population in 2000, were nearly 20% in 2020, marking the most significant growth among all groups. Residents of Hispanic or Latino origin also increased dramatically, nearly quadrupling their numbers over that time.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of May 2020 the annual mean wage for 99,600 employees across all occupations in St. Cloud was $50,800. The median hourly wage was $24.42.<ref>U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics [https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_41060.htm#00-0000 May 2020 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates St. Cloud, MN]</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible left" style="font-size: 90%;"
|-
! rowspan="3"|Race/ethnicity
|-
! colspan="2"|2000<ref name=2000Census>{{Cite book|title=HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2000-Minnesota|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=bliorXz9m0cC&pg=GBS.PA191&hl=en|website=[[Google Books]]| year=2002 | publisher=U.S. Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, U.S. Census Bureau | isbn=9780160672132 }}</ref>
! colspan="2"|2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - St. Cloud, Minnesota |url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=p2&g=1600000US2756896&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
! colspan="2"|2020<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - St. Cloud, Minnesota |url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=p2&g=1600000US2756896|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
|-
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
|-
| [[Non-Hispanic whites|White]] alone || 53,857 || 91.12% || 54,854 || 83.31% || 46,641 || 67.71%
|-
| [[African Americans|Black]] alone || 1,378 || 2.33% || 5,101 || 7.75% || 13,180 || 19.13%
|-
| [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] alone || 402 || 0.68% || 398 || 0.61% || 337 || 0.49%
|-
| [[Asian American|Asian]] alone || 1,833 || 3.10% || 2,393 || 3.64% || 2,404 || 3.49%
|-
| [[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone || 31 || 0.05% || 16 || 0.03% || 51 || 0.07%
|-
| Other race alone || 60 || 0.10% || 54 || 0.08% || 314 || 0.46%
|-
| [[Multiracial American|Two or more races]] || 762 || 1.29% || 1,429 || 2.17% || 2,116 || 3.07%
|-
| [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]]  || 784 || 1.33% || 1,597 || 2.43% || 2,838 || 4.12%
|-
! Total || 59,107 || 100.00% || 65,842 || 100.00% || 68,881 || 100.00%
|}

===2010 census===
As of the [[census]] of 2010, there were 65,842 people, 25,439 households, and 13,348 families residing in the city. The [[population density]] was {{convert|1644.4|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 27,338 housing units at an average density of {{convert|682.8|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 84.6% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 7.8% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.7% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 3.7% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.8% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 2.5% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] residents of any race were 2.4% of the population.

There were 25,439 households, of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.6% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 47.5% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.95.

The median age in the city was 28.8 years.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|title=St Cloud city, Minnesota|work=Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010; 2010 Demographic Profile Data|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=December 8, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961227012639/http://www.census.gov/|archive-date=December 27, 1996|url-status=live}}</ref> 18.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 23.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.5% were from 25 to 44; 21.5% were from 45 to 64; and 10.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.5% male and 48.5% female.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]] of 2000, 27.3% of St. Cloud households had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.4% were [[Marriage|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.

The racial makeup of the city was 91.7% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 2.4% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.7% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 3.1% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.7% [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 1.4% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.3% of the population.

==Economy==
According to the 2024 City of St. Cloud Economic Development Authority Employment Report, the city's top employers are:<ref>City of St. Cloud Economic Development Authority Employment Report https://www.developstcloud.com/workforce/major-employers/</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! #
! Employer
! # of Employees
|-
|1
| CentraCare Health System [[St. Cloud Hospital]]
|6,121
|-
|2
| [[Minnesota|State of Minnesota]] / [[St. Cloud State University]]
|1,961
|-
|3
| [[St. Cloud VA Health Care System]]
|1,749
|-
|4
| St. Cloud School District
|1,247
|-
|5
| [[NFI Group|New Flyer of America Inc.]]
|887
|-
|6
| Anderson Trucking
|682
|-
|7
| [[Stearns County]]
|648
|-
|8
| Essilor of America
|580
|-
|9
|Coborn's Inc
|545
|-
|10
|City of St. Cloud
|473
|-
|}

[[St. Cloud Hospital]], part of [[CentraCare Health]], was founded in 1886 as St. Benedict's Hospital. The regional health system also includes six [[Critical Access Hospital|Critical Access hospitals]], Rice Memorial Hospital in Willmar, and numerous outreach and outpatient clinics and services.

Retail options in St. Cloud include [[Midtown Square Mall (St. Cloud, Minnesota)|Midtown Square Mall]], which features more than 50 tenants, and [[Crossroads Center (St. Cloud, Minnesota)|Crossroads Center]], a larger shopping complex with over 100 stores and services.

==Arts and culture==
St. Cloud is home to a variety of notable sites and institutions that reflect its cultural and recreational significance. The St. Cloud Area Convention and Visitors Bureau promotes an area events calendar, dining and lodging information. The city-owned St. Cloud River's Edge Convention Center hosts a variety of events including regional conferences, consumer/trade shows, small group meetings and social events.{{cn|date=June 2025}}

The [[Cathedral of Saint Mary (St. Cloud, Minnesota)|Cathedral of Saint Mary]] is the largest church in the area. Constructed in the 1920s in the Italian Romanesque style, it serves as the mother church of the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Cloud]]. The [[St. Cloud Commercial Historic District]] is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]]. St. Cloud is a [[Preserve America Community]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.stclouddowntown.com/files/374.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=July 19, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716133607/http://www.stclouddowntown.com/files/374.pdf |archive-date=July 16, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Paramount Theatre and Visual Arts Center, a restored 706-seat venue built in 1921, serves as a focal point for performing and visual arts in the region.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.paramountarts.org/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2012/08/General-Tech-and-Floor-Plan-Packet.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=April 1, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402122345/http://www.paramountarts.org/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2012/08/General-Tech-and-Floor-Plan-Packet.pdf |archive-date=April 2, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Great River Regional Library]] serves a six-county area and 32 communities. This expansive system houses nearly one million items—including books, CDs, and DVDs—and provides 250 public computers.<ref>{{cite web|title=2022 Annual Report |url=https://griver.org/2022-annual-report |website=Great River Regional Library |accessdate=November 19, 2023}}</ref> It also hosts a wide array of public programs and events. The Stearns History Museum, accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, offers two floors of exhibits, a research area, a museum store, and is situated within a 100-acre nature park.{{cn|date=June 2025}} [[Munsinger Gardens and Clemens Gardens]] features extensive floral displays that date back to the 1930s.<ref>[https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-living/ranking-of-best-public-gardens-in-america-includes-3-from-minnesota Ranking of best public gardens in America includes 3 from Minnesota], BringMeTheNews, Mar 28, 2023</ref> The Minnesota Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame is dedicated to preserving and celebrating the state's history in amateur baseball.{{cn|date=June 2025}}

==Sports==
The city is home to:
* the [[St. Cloud State University]] [[Division I (NCAA)|Division I]] [[College ice hockey|ice hockey]] teams. Men's Husky Hockey competes in the [[National Collegiate Hockey Conference]]. Women's Husky Hockey competes in the [[Western Collegiate Hockey Association]]. The men's team has made nine [[NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship]] appearances, notably advancing to the 2021 championship game in Pittsburgh, Penn.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://outlook.stcloudstate.edu/tag/frozenfour/|title=Tag Archives: FrozenFour|publisher=St. Cloud State University|access-date=June 14, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103172257/http://outlook.stcloudstate.edu/tag/frozenfour/|archive-date=November 3, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> The 2012–13 team's co-captain and fifth-year forward, [[Drew LeBlanc]], was named WCHA Player of the Year and earned numerous national honors, including the [[Hobey Baker Award]], the most prestigious award in men's college hockey.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hobeybakeraward.com/|title=Hobey Baker Memorial Award|publisher=Hobey Baker Memorial Award Foundation|access-date=June 14, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130707005942/http://www.hobeybakeraward.com/|archive-date=July 7, 2013|url-status=usurped}}</ref> The 2013 team also earned a share of the WCHA league title and its symbol, the century-old [[MacNaughton Cup]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stcloudstate.edu/news/newsrelease/default.asp?pubID=3&issueID=34293&storyID=40321|title=Men's hockey: Top seed, title|publisher=St. Cloud State University|access-date=March 14, 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130410002836/http://www.stcloudstate.edu/news/newsrelease/default.asp?pubID=3&issueID=34293&storyID=40321|archive-date=April 10, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Huskies play in the 5,763-seat [[Herb Brooks National Hockey Center]], which underwent a $18 million renovation and expansion in 2012–13.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://outlook.stcloudstate.edu/brooks-center-it-can-happen-here/?preview=true&preview_id=261340321|title=Brooks Center: It can happen here|date=September 30, 2013 |publisher=St. Cloud State University|access-date=October 15, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140627225636/http://outlook.stcloudstate.edu/brooks-center-it-can-happen-here/?preview=true&preview_id=261340321|archive-date=June 27, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>
* the [[St. Cloud Norsemen]], a [[Junior ice hockey#Tier II|Tier II junior]] hockey team at the Municipal Athletic Complex.
* the [[Granite City Lumberjacks]], a [[Junior ice hockey#Tier III|Tier III junior]] hockey team in nearby [[Sauk Rapids, Minnesota|Sauk Rapids]].
* the [[St. Cloud Rox (collegiate summer baseball)|St. Cloud Rox]] (formerly the River Bats) of the [[Northwoods League]], a [[Collegiate summer baseball|collegiate summer baseball league]]. The Rox play at [[Joe Faber Field]] in St. Cloud and were founded in 2012.
* the Saint Cloud Area Roller Dolls, a flat-track roller derby league founded in 2011.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.scardolls.com/|title=Saint Cloud Area Roller Dolls|website=Saint Cloud Area Roller Dolls|access-date=September 18, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130209023159/http://scardolls.com/|archive-date=February 9, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>
* the Saint Cloud River Runners club, who put on the [[Lake Wobegon Trail Marathon]], an annual event in central Minnesota. The race is used as a Boston-qualifying event for runners who want a straight, quiet, scenic, mostly flat route in the early spring.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lake Wobegon Trail Marathon |url=http://lakewobegontrailmarathon.org |website=Lake Wobegon Trail Marathon |publisher=St. Cloud River Runners |access-date=April 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190406175230/http://www.lakewobegontrailmarathon.org/ |archive-date=April 6, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* the Granite City FC is a minor league soccer team founded in 2016. It currently plays in the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL).

==Parks and recreation==
The city maintains 95 parks, totaling more than {{convert|1400|acre|km2}} and ranging in size from {{Convert|80|acre|km2}} "neighborhood and mini parks" to {{convert|243|acre|km2}}. The largest developed park, Whitney Memorial Park, is the former location of the city airport. It features a recreation center for senior citizens, a dog park, and numerous softball, baseball, and soccer fields.

==Government==
{{See also|Category:Mayors of St. Cloud, Minnesota}}
[[File:2013-0408-MNCorrectionalFacility–StCloud.jpg|thumb|[[Minnesota Correctional Facility – St. Cloud]]]]

Since 2025, St. Cloud's mayor has been Jake Anderson.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sctimes.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/11/05/st-cloud-mayor-election-2024-winner/75837555007/ |title=Jake Anderson to become St. Cloud's next mayor |author=Schmidt, Corey |publisher=St. Cloud Times |date=November 5, 2024 |access-date=June 24, 2025 }}</ref> The [[Minnesota Correctional Facility – St. Cloud]], built in 1889, houses nearly 1,000 prisoners.

St. Cloud has been moved by congressional redistricting to a wide variety of Minnesota regions, including northern, south central, northwest and southwest. In Congressional district maps in effect since 2003, it has been grouped with rural areas and suburbs north and west of the Twin Cities.<ref>[[Minnesota's congressional districts]]</ref> The district had only minor changes in a 2022 map drawn by a five-judge panel based on the 2020 census.<ref>[https://mn.gov/admin/demography/data-by-topic/population-data/2020-decennial-census/data/]|"Looking for Census 2020 data? Here is what you need to know" Minnesota State Demographic Center</ref><ref>Tim Pugmire, MInnesota Public Radio, [https://www.mprnews.org/story/2022/02/15/new-political-district-maps-shake-up-minnesota-politics  "New political district maps shake up Minnesota politics"], February 22, 2022</ref> As of the 2020 census, the city of St. Cloud is the second largest in [[Minnesota's 6th congressional district]], represented by Republican [[Tom Emmer]]. The [[St. Cloud, Minnesota metropolitan area]] that includes adjacent communities has about a quarter of the 6th district population, though some of the area lies outside the district.

The city makes up the majority of the population of Minnesota State Senate District 14, which straddles the Mississippi River and includes parts of three counties,<ref>[https://www.sos.state.mn.us/election-administration-campaigns/data-maps/minnesota-legislative-maps/]|MN Secretary of State Election Administration</ref><ref>[https://pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us/docs/14.pdf]|MN Secretary of State Legislative Maps Senate District 14 map</ref> represented by [[Aric Putnam]]. Minnesota House District 14A includes generally western parts of the city as well as [[Waite Park, Minnesota|Waite Park]], [[St. Augusta, Minnesota|St. Augusta]] and adjacent rural areas,<ref>[https://pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us/docs/14A.pdf]|MN Secretary of State Legislative Maps Senate District 14A map</ref> represented by [[Bernie Perryman]]. District 14B includes east central and northeast St. Cloud, neighboring [[Sauk Rapids, Minnesota|Sauk Rapids]] and parts of rural Benton and Sherburne Counties,<ref>[https://pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us/docs/14B.pdf]|MN Secretary of State Legislative Maps Senate District 14B map</ref> represented by [[Dan Wolgamott]].

In 2016, St. Cloud converted from 5% to 80% renewable energy by using solar gardens, street light improvements, bio-gas, and other energy efficiency initiatives.<ref>[https://www.cleanenergyresourceteams.org/st-cloud-will-be-powered-80-renewable-energy-2018 "St. Cloud will be powered by 80% renewable energy by 2018"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190926062117/https://www.cleanenergyresourceteams.org/st-cloud-will-be-powered-80-renewable-energy-2018 |date=September 26, 2019 }}, Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs), retrieved 9/7/2019.</ref><ref>[https://www.cleanenergyresourceteams.org/sites/default/files/PatrickShea_StCloudMN_Path_to_Energy_Nuetral.pdf "City of St. Cloud Minnesota, The Path to Energy Neutral"], Patrick Shea, Public Services Director, Tracy Hodel, Assistant Public Utilities Director.</ref> St. Cloud's wastewater plant converts sugar-laden liquids from local food and beer manufacturers into fuel and fertilizer. Since 2020, the city has produced more energy than it consumes.<ref>Jenny Berg, [https://www.startribune.com/innovation-at-wastewater-plant-propels-st-cloud-to-renewable-energy-leader/600175342/ Innovation at wastewater plant propels St. Cloud to renewable energy leader], Start Tribune, May 21, 2022</ref>

===Politics===
[[Kamala Harris]] won St. Cloud in the [[2024 United States presidential election|2024 presidential election]], defeating [[Donald Trump]], 48.69% to 46.64%. Trump's share of the city's vote was similar to his performance statewide. Harris's share of the city's vote was about two percentage points lower than her statewide performance.<ref>Minnesota Secretary of State, "2024 General Election Results", "2024 Precinct Results Spreadsheet"</ref> [[Joe Biden]] won St. Cloud in the [[2020 United States presidential election|2020 presidential election]] by a margin of 9%, higher than his statewide margin of 7.12%. In [[2016 United States presidential election|2016]], Trump won St. Cloud by 1.75% over Democratic nominee [[Hillary Clinton]].<ref>[https://www.sctimes.com]|"Which St. Cloud suburb went for Democrat Joe Biden? And other election take-aways", Nora Hertel, Government Watchdog Report, St Cloud Times, 11/14/2020</ref>

{{Hidden begin|titlestyle=background:#ccccff|title=Presidential election results 1960–2020}}
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; font-size:95%;"
|+ Precinct General Election Results<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting/election-results/|title=Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State - Election Results|access-date=February 22, 2021|archive-date=February 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210222230838/https://www.sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting/election-results|url-status=live}}</ref>
|- bgcolor=lightgrey
|- bgcolor=lightgrey
! Year
! [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
! [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
! [[Third Party (United States)|Third parties]]
|-
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[2020 United States presidential election|2020]]'''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|43.9% ''14,209''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''52.9%''' ''17,149''
|  style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|3.2% ''1,036''
|-
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''[[2016 United States presidential election|2016]]'''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''45.7%''' ''14,401''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|44.0% ''13,850''
|  style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|10.3% ''3,254''
|-
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[2012 United States presidential election|2012]]'''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|44.5% ''14,295''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''52.3%''' ''16,835''
|  style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|3.2% ''1,032''
|-
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[2008 United States presidential election|2008]]'''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|43.9% ''14,505''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''53.6%''' ''17,688''
|  style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.5% ''839''
|-
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[2004 United States presidential election|2004]]'''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|46.9% ''14,909''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''51.5%''' ''16,394''
|  style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.6% ''506''
|-
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[2000 United States presidential election|2000]]'''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|43.9% ''11,647''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''45.0%''' ''11,958''
|  style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|11.1% ''2,941''
|-
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[1996 United States presidential election|1996]]'''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|38.0% ''8,565''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''49.6%''' ''11,169''
|  style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|12.4% ''2,783''
|-
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[1992 United States presidential election|1992]]'''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|34.9% ''9,527''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''41.5%''' ''11,331''
|  style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|23.6% ''6,422''
|-
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[1988 United States presidential election|1988]]'''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|46.1% ''9,251''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''53.9%''' ''10,823''
|  style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.0% ''0''
|-
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''[[1984 United States presidential election|1984]]'''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''51.0%''' ''10,598''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|49.0% ''10,189''
|  style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.0% ''0''
|-
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[1980 United States presidential election|1980]]'''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|42.4% ''8,702''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''46.3%''' ''9,487''
|  style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|11.3% ''2,236''
|-
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[1976 United States presidential election|1976]]'''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|40.1% ''8,045''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''55.7%''' ''11,176''
|  style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|4.2% ''845''
|-
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[1972 United States presidential election|1972]]'''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|43.0% ''6,512''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''52.7%''' ''7,970''
|  style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|4.3% ''646''
|-
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[1968 United States presidential election|1968]]'''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|40.6% ''5,389''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''55.5%''' ''7,378''
|  style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|3.9% ''515''
|-
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[1964 United States presidential election|1964]]'''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|36.4% ''4,872''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''63.1%''' ''8,439''
|  style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.5% ''66''
|-
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[1960 United States presidential election|1960]]'''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|41.5% ''5,391''
|  style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''58.4%''' ''7,589''
|  style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.1% ''8''
|}
{{Hidden end}}

==Education==
{{Pie chart
| radius = 100
| thumb = right
| caption = Primary home languages of St. Cloud Public School students<ref name="Minnesota Department of Education">{{cite web | title=Data Reports and Analytics | website=Minnesota Department of Education | url=https://public.education.mn.gov/MDEAnalytics/DataTopic.jsp?TOPICID=2 | access-date=September 4, 2022}}</ref>
| other =
| label1 = [[English language|English]]
| value1 = 62.5
| color1 = #7baaf7
| label2 = [[Somali language|Somali]]
| value2 = 27.9
| color2 = #0b5d64
| label3 = [[Spanish language|Spanish]]
| value3 = 4.5
| color3 = #fff8e6
| label4 = [[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]]
| value4 = 0.78
| color4 = #ff497e
| label5 = Other languages
| value5 = 4.3
| color5 = #dbdbdb
}}

Almost all of St. Cloud, including the portions in Stearns and Sherburne Counties,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st27_mn/schooldistrict_maps/c27145_stearns/DC20SD_C27145.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Stearns County, MN|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=November 7, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st27_mn/schooldistrict_maps/c27141_sherburne/DC20SD_C27141.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Sherburne County, MN|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|accessdate=November 7, 2022}}</ref> and much the portion in Benton County, is in the [[St. Cloud Public School District]]. Part of the Benton County portion is in the Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools district.<ref name=BentonCountySchools>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st27_mn/schooldistrict_maps/c27009_benton/DC20SD_C27009.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Benton County, MN|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|accessdate=November 7, 2022}}</ref>

The St. Cloud Area School District serves St. Cloud, St. Augusta, Clearwater, Waite Park, St. Joseph, Haven Township, and parts of Sauk Rapids.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}} It has eight elementary schools, a new K-8 school in St. Joseph, and two major public high schools, St. Cloud [[Technical Senior School|Technical High School]] and St. Cloud [[Apollo High School (Minnesota)|Apollo High School]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://isd742.org/ |title=St. Cloud Area School District 742 |publisher=Isd742.org |date=September 1, 2011 |access-date=November 6, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111107085731/http://isd742.org/ |archive-date=November 7, 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> St. Cloud also has a major private high school, [[Cathedral High School (St. Cloud, Minnesota)|Cathedral High School]]. Both public high schools offer a broad selection of Advanced Placement courses and rank high in the state in the number of AP tests taken and of test takers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ohe.state.mn.us/mPg.cfm?pageID=1528&1534-D83A_1933715A=ad7253c071793728 |title=AP Exams by School |publisher=Ohe.state.mn.us |access-date=November 6, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070310095443/http://www.ohe.state.mn.us/mPg.cfm?pageID=1528&1534-D83A_1933715A=ad7253c071793728 |archive-date=March 10, 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref> St. Cloud Tech opened in 1917 across from a city park and Lake George. In 2019, it moved to a new 69-acre, $104 million facility on the southwest edge of the city. The historic 1917 building has been acquired for use by city government. Apollo opened in 1970 and serves the expanding north side of the city. Other high schools and secondary schools that serve St. Cloud include St. Robert Bellarmine's Academy, St. Cloud Christian School, Immaculate Conception Academy, [[Saint John's Preparatory School (Collegeville, Minnesota)|St. John's Preparatory School]], St. Cloud Alternative Learning Center, and the charter school STRIDE Academy,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.strideacademy.org/ |title=Home |publisher=Stride Academy |access-date=November 6, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111101215959/http://strideacademy.org/ |archive-date=November 1, 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> which is K-8. The nearby cities of Sauk Rapids and Sartell also have their own school districts and high schools, bringing the number of public high schools in the metropolitan area to four.{{citation needed|date=August 2014}}

===Colleges===
St. Cloud is home to several higher education institutions, including Minnesota's third-largest university, [[St. Cloud State University]]. St. Cloud State's fall 2020 enrollment was 12,607, in a year affected by the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>[https://www.sctimes.com/story/news/2020/12/26/covid-19-depressed-enrollment-st-cloud-colleges-universities-why-schools-respond/3957730001/]| Nora G. Hertel, "A How has COVID-19 has changed higher ed enrollment in St. Cloud?", St. Cloud Times, December 26, 2020.</ref>

St. Cloud's other post-secondary institutions and campuses include [[St. Cloud Technical and Community College]] (SCTCC) and [[Rasmussen College]]. Neighboring [[Sartell]] is home to a campus of the [[Duluth, Minnesota|Duluth]]-based [[College of St. Scholastica]], and the [[College of St. Benedict|College of St. Benedict and St. John's University]] are in neighboring St. Joseph and nearby Collegeville, respectively.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.csbsju.edu|title=College of Saint Benedict Saint John's University|work=csbsju.edu|access-date=March 29, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150330052614/http://www.csbsju.edu/|archive-date=March 30, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Media==
St. Cloud's main newspaper is [https://www.stcloudlive.com/ St. Cloud LIVE], a weekly founded in February 2023. Its offices are in the old Davidson Opera House in downtown St. Cloud. The staff includes sports editor Andy Rennecke, sports writer Mick Hatten, business reporter Trent Abrego, and education/news reporter Lauren Breunig. St. Cloud LIVE's focus is reporting on news in St. Cloud, Sartell, Sauk Rapids, Waite Park, St. Joseph, and elsewhere within a 30-mile radius. Rennecke and Hatten are longtime sports writers in the area, having previously covered local high school sports and college sports for the ''St. Cloud Times''. 

St. Cloud is part of the Twin Cities television market. One full-power station, the [[Ion Television|Ion]]-owned [[KPXM-TV]] (channel 41), is licensed to the city, but moved its transmitter to the Twin Cities in 2009 as part of the digital transition, and maintains no presence in the city. [[WCMN-LD]] (channel 13) is a [[low-power broadcasting#Television|low-power]] station licensed to St. Cloud that broadcasts in [[ATSC 3.0]]. Additionally, [[St. Cloud State University]] students operate cable-only UTVS (channel 180), which includes local news and broadcasts from a studio on campus.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.utvs.com/about/|title=About|website=UTVS.com|access-date=April 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170413153303/http://www.utvs.com/about/|archive-date=April 13, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Radio]] stations include:

===FM===
{| class="wikitable"
!align="center" colspan="5"|'''[[FM radio]] stations'''
|-
!Frequency
!Call sign
!Name
!Format
!Owner
|-
|88.1<br />88.1 HD-2||[[KVSC]]|| <br />[[KVEX-LP|Radio X]] ||[[Campus radio|College Radio]]<br />[[Alternative Rock]]||[[St. Cloud State University]]
|-
|88.9<br />88.9 HD-2||[[KNSR]]||MPR News<br />[[KCMP|89.3 The Current]]||[[Public Radio]]<br />[[Adult Album Alternative]]||[[Minnesota Public Radio]]
|-
|89.5||[[KLRD|K208DV]]<br><small>([[KLRD]]-FM Translator)</small>||[[Air 1]]||[[Contemporary Christian Music|Contemporary Christian]]||[[Educational Media Foundation]]
|-
|90.1||[[KSJR-FM|KSJR]]||Classical MPR||[[European classical music|Classical]]||Minnesota Public Radio
|-
|91.5||[[KCFB]]<br><small>([[KTIG]]-FM Simulcast)</small>||  ||[[Christian Radio|Christian]]||[[Minnesota Christian Broadcasters]]
|-
|92.9||[[KKJM]]||Spirit 92.9||[[Contemporary Christian Music|Contemporary Christian]]||rowspan=2|Gabriel Media
|-
|93.5||[[KYES (AM)|K228FV]]<br><small>([[KYES (AM)|KYES-AM]] Translator)</small>||Relevant Radio||[[Catholic Church|Catholic]]
|-
|93.9||[[KXSS (AM)|W230DG]]<br><small>([[KXSS (AM)|KXSS-AM]] Translator)</small>||1390 Granite City Sports||[[Sports Radio|Sports]]||[[Townsquare Media]]
|-
|94.3||[[WXYG|K232GA]]<br><small>([[WXYG|WXYG-AM]] Translator)</small>||Album Rock 540||[[Classic rock]]||Tri-County Broadcasting
|-
|94.9||[[KMXK]]||Mix 94.9||[[Adult Contemporary]]||rowspan=2|[[Townsquare Media]]
|-
|95.3||[[WJON|W237EU]]<br><small>([[WJON|WJON-AM]] Translator)</small>|| ||[[News/Talk]]
|-
|95.7||[[WBHR|W239CU]]<br><small>([[WBHR|WBHR-AM]] Translator)</small>||The Bear||[[Sports Radio|Sports]]||Tri-County Broadcasting
|-
|96.1||[[WROJ-LP|WROJ]] (LPFM)||The Rock FM||[[Contemporary Christian Music|Contemporary Christian]]||The Rock FM Communications, Inc.
|-
|96.7||[[KZRV]]||The River||[[Classic Hits]]||[[Townsquare Media]]
|-
|97.5||[[KVEX-LP|KVEX]] (LPFM)||RadioX||[[Alternative Rock]]||[[St. Cloud State University]]
|-
|98.1||[[WWJO]]||98-1 Minnesota's New Country||[[Country music|Country]]||[[Townsquare Media]]
|-
|98.9<br />98.9 HD-2<br />98.9 HD-3||[[KZPK]]||Wild Country 99<br />[[KNSI]]<br />Z-Rock 103.3||[[Country music|Country]]<br />[[News/Talk]]<br />[[Classic rock|Classic Rock]]||rowspan=3|[[Leighton Broadcasting]]
|-
|99.3||[[KNSI|K257GK]]<br><small>([[KNSI|KNSI-AM]] Translator)</small>|| KNSI ||[[News/Talk]]
|-
|99.9||[[KCML]]||99.9 Lite FM||[[Adult Contemporary]]
|-
|101.1||[[WMIN|W266DT]]<br><small>([[WMIN|WMIN-AM]] Translator)</small>||Uptown 1010||[[Adult Standards]]||rowspan=3|Tri-County Broadcasting
|-
|101.7<br />101.7 HD-2 <br />101.7 HD-3<br />101.7 HD-4||[[WHMH]]||Rockin' 101<br />Album Rock 540<br />106.5 The Point<br />Uptown 1010||[[Active Rock]]<br />[[Classic rock]]<br />[[Alternative (music)|Alternative]]<br />[[Adult Standards]]
|-
|102.3||[[WVAL|W232EG]]<br><small>([[WVAL|WVAL-AM]] Translator)</small>|| ||[[Classic Country]]
|-
|103.3||[[KZPK|K277BS]]<br><small>([[KZPK]] HD-3 Translator)</small>||Z-Rock 103.3||[[Classic rock]]||[[Leighton Broadcasting]]
|-
|103.7||[[KLZZ]]||The Loon||[[Classic rock]]||[[Townsquare Media]]
|-
|104.7||[[KCLD]]||  ||[[Top 40 (radio format)|Top 40]]||[[Leighton Broadcasting]]
|-
|105.1||[[KZYS-LP|KZYS]] (LPFM)||  ||[[Music of Somalia|Somalian]]||Saint Cloud Area Somali Salvation Organization
|-
|106.5||[[WMIN|W293CS]]<br><small>([[WHMH]] HD-3 Translator)</small>||106.5 The Point||[[Alternative (music)|Alternative]]||rowspan=2|[[Tri-County Broadcasting]]
|-
|107.3||[[WXYG|W297BO]]<br><small>([[WXYG|WXYG-AM]] Translator)</small>||Album Rock 540||[[Classic rock]]
|-
|}

===AM===
{| class="wikitable"
!align="center" colspan="5"|'''[[AM radio]] stations'''
|-
!Frequency
!Call sign
!Name
!Format
!Owner
|-
|540 AM||[[WXYG]]||The Goat||[[Classic rock]]||rowspan=4|[[Tri-County Broadcasting]]
|-
|660 AM||[[WBHR]]||The Bear||[[Sports Radio|Sports]]
|-
|800 AM||[[WVAL]]|| ||[[Classic Country]]
|-
|1010 AM||[[WMIN]]||Uptown 1010||[[Adult Standards]]
|-
|1180 AM||[[KYES (AM)|KYES]]||Relevant Radio||[[Catholic Church|Catholic]]||Gabriel Media
|-
|1240 AM||[[WJON]]|| ||[[News/Talk]]||rowspan=2|[[Townsquare Media]]
|-
|1390 AM||[[KXSS (AM)|KXSS]]||1390 Granite City Sports||[[Sports Radio|Sports]]
|-
|1450 AM||[[KNSI]]||  ||[[News/Talk]]||[[Leighton Broadcasting]]
|-
|}

==Transportation==
[[File:St. Cloud Amtrak station.jpg|thumb|[[St. Cloud station]]]]

St. Cloud is a regional transportation hub within Minnesota. Major roadways including [[Interstate 94 in Minnesota|Interstate 94]], [[U.S. Route 10 in Minnesota|U.S. Highway 10]], and Minnesota State Highways [[Minnesota State Highway 15|15]] and [[Minnesota State Highway 23|23]] pass through the city.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=st.+cloud,+minnesota&ie=UTF8&ll=45.568871,-94.2136&spn=0.121133,0.32135&z=12&om=1|title= St. Cloud, Minnesota|access-date= May 19, 2007|publisher= Google Maps|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111213015629/http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=st.+cloud,+minnesota&ie=UTF8&ll=45.568871,-94.2136&spn=0.121133,0.32135&z=12&om=1|archive-date= December 13, 2011|url-status= live}}</ref>

[[Bus]] service within the city and to neighboring [[Sartell, Minnesota|Sartell]], [[Sauk Rapids, Minnesota|Sauk Rapids]], and [[Waite Park, Minnesota|Waite Park]] is offered through [[St. Cloud Metropolitan Transit Commission|St. Cloud Metro Bus]], which was recognized in 2007 as the best transit system of its size in North America. An innovative system gives transit buses a slight advantage at stoplights in order to improve efficiency and on-time performance.<ref>WCCO News, [http://wcco.com/local/St.cloud.buses.2.1090818.html "System Helps St. Cloud Buses Stay In The Green"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100730052613/http://wcco.com/local/St.cloud.buses.2.1090818.html |date=July 30, 2010 }}, July 17, 2009.</ref> The Metro Bus Transit Center in the downtown area is also shared with [[Jefferson Lines]], providing national bus service.

Bus service links downtown St. Cloud and St. Cloud State University with the western terminus of the [[Northstar Line|Northstar Commuter Rail]] line in [[Big Lake (Metro Transit station)|Big Lake]], by the way of Northstar Link Commuter Bus, which in turn links to the [[Metro Transit (Minnesota)|Metro Transit]] bus and light rail system at [[Target Field (Metro Transit station)|Target Field Station]] in downtown [[Minneapolis]].

Several rail lines run through the city, which is [[St. Cloud (Amtrak station)|a stop]] on [[Amtrak]]'s ''[[Empire Builder]]'' passenger rail line.

St. Cloud is home to [[St. Cloud Regional Airport]], from which daily connecting flights to [[Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport]] were made on [[Delta Connection]], operated by [[Mesaba Airlines]], until January 1, 2010, when the service was discontinued. On December 15, 2012, [[Allegiant Air]] began nonstop flights between St. Cloud Regional Airport and [[Mesa Gateway Airport|Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport]], on Airbus 319 aircraft.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stcloudairport.com/|title=St. Cloud Airport Website|publisher=[[St. Cloud Airport]]|access-date=May 21, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100620110639/http://www.stcloudairport.com/|archive-date=June 20, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Major highways===
* [[File:I-94.svg|24px|alt=|link=]] [[Interstate 94 in Minnesota|Interstate 94]]
* [[File:US 10.svg|24px|alt=|link=]] [[U.S. Route 10 in Minnesota|U.S. Highway 10]]
* [[File:MN-15.svg|24px|alt=|link=]] [[Minnesota State Highway 15]]
* [[File:MN-23.svg|24px|alt=|link=]] [[Minnesota State Highway 23]]

==Notable people==
<!-- Only list people who already have sourced Wikipedia articles. Use alphabetical order by surname.-->
* [[Halima Aden]], model and first [[Somali Americans|Somali-American]] to compete for [[Miss Minnesota]]
* [[Mathew Ahmann]], civil rights activist
* [[George Annas]], [[Boston University]] Professor and Director of the Center for Health Law, Ethics & Human Rights
* [[Raymond H. Bares]], Minnesota state senator and educator
* [[Tom Burgmeier]], Major League Baseball player; grew up in St. Cloud and attended Cathedral High School<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/c52e392a |title=Tom Burgmeier at SABR Baseball Biography Project |access-date=April 8, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140408232247/http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/c52e392a |archive-date=April 8, 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Loren W. Collins]], Minnesota jurist and legislator; mayor of St. Cloud
* [[David Durenberger]], U.S. senator from Minnesota
* [[Jim Eisenreich]], MLB player
* [[Janice Ettle]], [[middle-distance runner|middle-distance]] and [[long-distance runner]]
* [[Jim Fahnhorst]], NFL player
* [[Keith Fahnhorst]], NFL player
* [[Howard M. Fish]], retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant general, former assistant vice chief of staff of Air Force
* [[Charles A. Gilman]], [[List of Lieutenant Governors of Minnesota|ninth lieutenant governor of Minnesota]]
* [[Janey Gohl]], 1978 [[Miss Minnesota USA]]
* [[Lawrence M. Hall]], longest-serving [[Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives]]
* [[Keith F. Hughes]], Minnesota state senator and lawyer
* [[Jack I. Kleinbaum]], businessman, St. Cloud City Council member, and Minnesota state legislator
* [[Dave Kleis]], mayor of St. Cloud
* [[Jim Knoblach]], Republican member of the [[Minnesota House of Representatives]]
* [[Franklin J. Knoll]], Minnesota state legislator, lawyer, and judge
* [[June Marlowe]], actress notable for playing Miss Crabtree in short-film series ''[[Our Gang]]''
* [[John McMartin]], film, television and stage actor
* [[Stephen Miller (Minnesota governor)|Stephen Miller]], abolitionist, Civil War veteran, Republican politician, fourth [[governor of Minnesota]]
* [[Edgar G. Mills]], Wisconsin state assemblyman and senator
* [[William P. Murphy (1898–1986)|William P. Murphy]], associate justice of [[Minnesota Supreme Court]]
* [[Jim Pehler]], Minnesota state legislator
* [[Tom Petters]], former CEO and chair of [[Petters Group Worldwide]]<ref name="KSTP092408">Nicole Muehlhausen, [http://kstp.com/article/stories/s592708.shtml?cat=63 BIO: Tom Petters] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011022216/http://kstp.com/article/stories/s592708.shtml?cat=63 |date=October 11, 2008 }}, KSTP.com, September 24, 2008, Accessed October 8, 2008,</ref>
* [[Reynold Philipsek]], gypsy jazz guitarist
* [[Dewey H. Reed]], educator and politician
* [[Michael Sauer (ice hockey)|Michael Sauer]], NHL player
* [[Anne Schleper]], women's hockey Olympic silver medalist, 2014<ref>[https://www.usahockey.com/news_article/show/758216 "Olympian Anne Schleper Retires"], USA Hockey 2/15/17</ref>
* [[Nate Schmidt]], NHL player
* [[Stephen Sommers]], film director, alumnus of [[Cathedral High School (St. Cloud, Minnesota)|Cathedral High School]] and [[College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University|St. John's University]]
* [[Charles Thomas Stearns]], politician
* [[Jane Swisshelm]], newspaper owner, editor and abolitionist
* [[Gene Waldorf]], electrical engineer and politician
* [[Alise Willoughby]], [[BMX]] racer and Olympic silver medalist.<ref>{{cite web | last = Maurice | first = Jim | title = St. Cloud To Honor Alise Post With A Parade | publisher = WJON | date = September 2, 2016 | url = http://wjon.com/st-cloud-to-honor-alise-post-with-a-parade/ | access-date = March 11, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160904092837/http://wjon.com/st-cloud-to-honor-alise-post-with-a-parade/ | archive-date = September 4, 2016 | url-status = live }}</ref>
* [[Nate Wolters]], professional basketball player
* [[Gig Young]], Academy Award-winning actor, film and television star; born in St. Cloud

==Sister cities==
* {{flagdeco|Germany}} [[Spalt]], [[Bavaria]], Germany
* {{flagdeco|Japan}} [[Akita, Akita|Akita]], Japan
* {{flagdeco|France}} [[Saint-Cloud]], [[Ile-de-France]], France

==In popular culture==
* Courtroom scenes in the [[Disney]] Film ''[[The Mighty Ducks (film)|The Mighty Ducks]]'' were filmed in St. Cloud, and a few scenes were filmed at the Municipal Athletic Complex (MAC) but did not make the final film.<ref>Jim Maurice, [https://wjon.com/this-date-in-central-minnesota-hisory-jan-31st-and-feb-1st-1993/ This date in Central Minnesota History: Jan. 31st and Feb. 1st, 1992], WJON News, January 31, 2018.</ref>
* [[Al Franken]] and [[Tom Davis (comedian)|Tom Davis]]'s ''[[One More Saturday Night (film)|One More Saturday Night]]'' is set in St. Cloud, but was not filmed there.
* The movie ''[[Juno (film)|Juno]]'' was partially set in St. Cloud, which is referred to as "East Jesus Nowhere", though no filming took place in the city.<ref>[https://www.slaphappylarry.com/storytelling-study-juno-2007/ Storytelling Tips From Juno (2007)] Slap Happy Larry</ref>
* The 1989 drag-racing film ''[[Catch Me If You Can (1989 film)|Catch Me If You Can]]'', directed by [[Stephen Sommers]], was both set and filmed in St. Cloud.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097029/|title=Catch Me If You Can|via=www.imdb.com|access-date=October 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161215040224/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097029/|archive-date=December 15, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Marshall Eriksen]], one of the main characters in the sitcom ''[[How I Met Your Mother]]'', was born and raised in St. Cloud. Many scenes detailing his childhood, as well as later visits to his hometown, are set in St. Cloud, though no filming occurred there.

==See also==
* [[1998 St. Cloud explosion]]
* [[Dave Torrey Arena]]
{{Portal bar|United States|Minnesota}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|St. Cloud, Minnesota|wikt=St. Cloud|c=Category:St. Cloud, Minnesota|voy=St. Cloud (Minnesota)|d=y}}
{{EB1911 poster|St Cloud (Minnesota)|St. Cloud, Minnesota}}
* [https://ci.stcloud.mn.us/ City Website]
* [http://www.stcloudareachamber.com/ St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce]
* [https://wjon.com/category/local-news/ St. Cloud News on WJON Radio]
* [https://knsiradio.com/local-news/ St. Cloud News on KNSI Radio]
* [https://www.startribune.com/local/stcloud/ St. Cloud News online Minneapolis Star Tribune]
* [https://www.stcloudlive.com/ St. Cloud News on St Cloud Live]
* [https://forth.news/local/mn/saint-cloud St. Cloud News on Forth]

{{Geographic location
| Centre    = St. Cloud
| North     = [[Sartell, Minnesota|Sartell]]
| Northeast = [[Sauk Rapids, Minnesota|Sauk Rapids]]
| East      =
| Southeast =
| South     = [[St. Augusta, Minnesota|St. Augusta]]
| Southwest = [[Rockville, Minnesota|Rockville]]
| West      = [[Waite Park, Minnesota|Waite Park]]
| Northwest =
}}
{{St. Cloud, Minnesota}}
{{Benton County, Minnesota}}
{{Sherburne County, Minnesota}}
{{Stearns County, Minnesota}}
{{St. Cloud metropolitan area}}
{{Minnesota}}
{{Minnesota county seats}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Cloud, Minnesota}}
[[Category:St. Cloud, Minnesota| ]]
[[Category:Cities in Benton County, Minnesota]]
[[Category:Cities in Minnesota]]
[[Category:Cities in Sherburne County, Minnesota]]
[[Category:Cities in Stearns County, Minnesota]]
[[Category:County seats in Minnesota]]
[[Category:Minnesota populated places on the Mississippi River]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1853]]
[[Category:St. Cloud, Minnesota metropolitan area]]
[[Category:1853 establishments in Minnesota Territory]]