Want to live and work in St. Paul?

St. Paul's historical makeup is more Catholic and older than Minneapolis's, with a strong presence of Irish, German, and French-Canadian immigrants in the 19th century. This accounts for the number of large Catholic churches, ethnic parishes, and the institutional weight of the local archdiocese. Surnames such as O'Brien, Schultz, and Beaupre still predominate in the area.

The largest Hmong community in the United States is in St. Paul, concentrated in Frogtown, the North End, and the East Side. Hmongtown Marketplace and Hmong Village Shopping Center are landmark institutions, and community members have won seats on the city council and in the state legislature. Karen residents from Burma have arrived more recently and are also concentrated on the East Side.

There is a Somali community in West Seventh and Phalen, a Mexican Latino community in the West Side, a historic neighborhood near the Mississippi, and a growing population of Ethiopians, Oromo, and Liberians. Residents of Brazilian origin are few and dispersed, without a defined neighborhood. The population ages more slowly than the rest of the state due to the immigrant influx.

St. Paul has one of the most attractive residential landscapes in the Midwest. Summit Avenue, with 4.7 miles of Victorian mansions in Crocus Hill and Summit Hill, is an architectural landmark. Highland Park, in the southwest, features homes from the 1920s and 1940s with good schools and a large Jewish community. Mac-Groveland, near the colleges, is where many faculty members live.

Frogtown and the North End offer more affordable options, with a strong Hmong presence and ongoing revitalization. The East Side, especially Payne-Phalen and Dayton's Bluff, combines lower rents with older infrastructure. The West Side, across the Mississippi, has a strong Latino identity and attractive views of downtown.

Renting is the most common path in the first year. New apartment complexes in Lowertown, a converted former warehouse district, and along the Green Line attract young professionals. Buying a home is more attainable here than in Minneapolis for median-income households, particularly bungalows with basements in Hamline-Midway and Como Park.

St. Paul has impressive university density. The University of St. Thomas is the largest Catholic university in Minnesota. Macalester College is one of the top liberal arts colleges in the United States, with a high international enrollment and generous scholarships. Hamline University, St. Catherine University, Concordia University, and Mitchell Hamline School of Law add further options.

Part of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus, the St. Paul Campus, is located in the city and houses the colleges of agriculture, veterinary sciences, and environmental sciences. For community college and ESL programs, Saint Paul College is downtown and serves as a gateway for immigrants needing formal English instruction and short-term technical training.

Saint Paul Public Schools operates Hmong immersion programs at Hmong College Prep Academy and Phalen Lake Hmong Studies, Spanish immersion at Adams Spanish Immersion, and Karen-language programs at East Side schools. For families seeking additional academic rigor, Mounds Park Academy and Saint Paul Academy offer traditional private education.

St. Paul has historically reported lower violent crime rates than Minneapolis. Following 2020, both cities saw increases, but St. Paul's recovery was somewhat faster. The East Side, North End, and parts of Frogtown account for most serious incidents, though the majority involve people known to each other rather than random attacks on residents.

Property crime is the most common everyday concern: car break-ins with valuables in plain sight, catalytic converter theft, package theft from doorsteps, and garage break-ins. Theft of older Kia and Hyundai models without engine immobilizers is a persistent problem, as in Minneapolis. Police recommend Ring cameras, steering wheel locks, and storing valuables in the trunk.

For an immigrant family arriving in the city, the practical picture is positive: neighborhoods such as Highland Park, Mac-Groveland, Como Park, and Summit Hill are as safe as middle-class suburbs. Cycling on the river trails during the day is part of normal daily life. At night, standard precautions for any large American city apply downtown and on the East Side.

Summers in St. Paul are warm and short, with highs between 27 and 29 degrees Celsius in July and occasional strong thunderstorms. Air conditioning is standard in all homes.

Winters are long and harsh, with lows between -18 and -14 degrees Celsius in January and seasonal snowfall totaling around 135 cm (53 inches). Heavy winter clothing, snow tires, and natural gas heating are essential.

Spring is brief and autumn is short but spectacular, with peak foliage in October. Combined rain and snow total approximately 800 mm annually, with summer being the wetter season and winter the drier one.

The Minnesota State Capitol, with its white marble dome designed by Cass Gilbert, offers guided tours. Nearby, the Cathedral of Saint Paul, inspired by St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, presides over Summit Hill. Summit Avenue, one of the longest Victorian residential boulevards in the United States, leads to the James J. Hill House, the railroad magnate's mansion now operating as a museum. F. Scott Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul, and Cathedral Hill bears his legacy.

The Science Museum of Minnesota, perched along the Mississippi, features an Omnitheater and an impressive dinosaur collection. The Minnesota Children's Museum and Como Park Zoo and Conservatory, both free to enter, are family staples. The Mississippi River Boulevard connects to the Sam Morgan Regional Trail, and Harriet Island Regional Park hosts Cinco de Mayo celebrations and the Hmongtown Marketplace. The Xcel Energy Center is home to the Minnesota Wild (NHL).

Lowertown, with its Saint Paul Farmers' Market and CHS Field of the Saint Paul Saints, has grown into a dining and arts destination. Mears Park in Lowertown hosts summer concerts, and Landmark Center, a former federal building in Richardsonian Romanesque style, houses galleries. Como Lakeside Pavilion, Indian Mounds Regional Park, and Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary round out the itinerary.