St. Cloud, Minnesota

What is now the St. Cloud area was occupied by various indigenous peoples for thousands of years. Voyageurs and coureurs des bois from New France first encountered the Ojibwe and Dakota through the highly profitable North American fur trade with local Native American peoples.[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, 2019William Bell Mitchell (1915), History of Stearns County; Volume I, H.R. Cooper & Co. Chicago. Pages 26-35.

Minnesota Territory was organized in 1849. The St. Cloud area opened up to homesteading{{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}} after the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux was signed with the Dakota people in 1851.William Bell Mitchell (1915), History of Stearns County; Volume I, H.R. Cooper & Co. Chicago. Pages 35-38.

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.[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.William Bell Mitchell (1915), History of Stearns County; Volume I, H.R. Cooper & Co. Chicago. Pages 645-646.

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 St. Paul. The cart trains often consisted of hundreds of oxcarts. 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."3 Towns Into 1 City, A Narrative Record of Significant Factors in The Story Of St. Cloud Minnesota." Remnants of the deep ravines that separated the three are still visible today. Middle Town was settled primarily by 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 of New England and the mid-Atlantic states, including former residents of upstate New York.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. Its Protestant settlers opposed slavery.[https://www.ci.stcloud.mn.us/DocumentCenter/View/685/Newly-Elected-Orientation?bidId= St. Cloud City website Document Center]

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.[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 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).https://www.ci.stcloud.mn.us/DocumentCenter/View/685/Newly-Elected-Orientation?bidId= Newly Elected Orientation, section (9) History of the City

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.[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

The U.S. Supreme Court's 1857 decision in Dred Scott ruled 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 Civil War broke out, taking their slaves with them. The total number of slaves in the community was estimated in single digits at the 1860 census.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. Lowry died in the city in 1865.Our Gohman Story: The First and Second Generations {{ISBN|978-1-5049-0520-6}} p. 173

Many young men from St. Cloud and the surrounding area served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.William Bell Mitchell (1915), History of Stearns County; Volume I, H.R. Cooper & Co. Chicago. Pages 628-635. 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.William Bell Mitchell (1915), History of Stearns County; Volume II, H.R. Cooper & Co. Chicago. Pages 1465-1467.

Beginning in 1864, 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.John J. Dominik Jr., "Three Towns Into One City", St. Cloud, Minnesota: St Cloud Area Bicentennial Commission, 1976, p. 13

Steamboats 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.{{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}}{{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 }}

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.Dunn, Mary Irene, "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, St. Paul. On 26 January 1918, President Woodrow Wilson wrote a letter to Bishop Joseph Francis Busch thanking him for his support of the war effort.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]

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.{{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}}

The city developed on both sides of the Mississippi River. Part of the Sauk River runs along its northern edge.

Just south of downtown is the 7-acre, 35-feet-deep Lake George.[https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/lakefind/lake.html?id=73061100 LakeFinder], Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. 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.[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

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.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

File:Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020) - Saint Cloud Area, MN(ThreadEx).svg

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}}.

{{Weather box|location = St. Cloud Regional Airport, Minnesota (1991–2020 normals,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. 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)

{{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}}

{{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}}

{{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

|access-date = September 17, 2023

|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 = September 16, 2023}}

}}

{{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=2022

|estimate=69568

|estref={{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}}

|align-fn=center

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{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}}
2020 Census

}}

Over the past two decades, the racial and ethnic landscape of St. Cloud has experienced significant changes. In the year 2000, the population was predominantly White. However, by 2020, this percentage had dropped to 67%. The Black or African American demographic saw a substantial increase from 2% in 2000 to nearly 20% in 2020, marking the most significant growth among all groups. Other racial groups such as Asian Americans have maintained a stable presence. The Hispanic or Latino population nearly tripled in size.

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, 7.8% African American, 0.7% Native American, 3.7% Asian, 0.8% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino 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 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.{{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}} 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.

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 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, 2.4% African American, 0.7% Native American, 3.1% Asian, 0.7% other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.3% of the population.

St. Cloud has been a significant destination for immigrants throughout its history, beginning with German settlers in the late 19th century. This was followed by waves of Polish, Irish, and other European immigrants in the early 20th century. In the late 20th and early 21st century, the nature of immigration to St. Cloud has undergone a dramatic shift. New residents of the city have predominantly been from Africa, and particularly, from the war-torn country of Somalia.{{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}} Unofficial estimates suggest that the number of Somalis in St. Cloud and the surrounding cities like Waite Park, St. Joseph, Sartell, and Sauk Rapids could be as high as 25,000, with approximately half of this population having moved to the city between 2009 and 2013. About 15% of the local school district being Somali and a large segment of Somalis currently enrolled in high schools, colleges, and universities. Home ownership among St. Cloud's Somali community is considerably lower than other populations.{{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}}{{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}}

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.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]

According to the 2024 City of St. Cloud Economic Development Authority Employment Report,City of St. Cloud Economic Development Authority Employment Report https://www.developstcloud.com/workforce/major-employers/ the city's top employers are:

Figures reflect only full-time employees.

* Includes employees at sites outside of St. Cloud.

** Business has significant part-time staff in addition to the full-time employee count indicated.

*** Does not include Stearns County full-time employees now working at county satellite offices outside of the City of St. Cloud.

In 2019 the city of Saint Cloud, Minnesota, was awarded three first places awards from the Rome based International Awards for Liveable Communities (LivCom), one of several most livable cities awards. The city won the first-place whole city award for its size and first place for cities of all sizes for enhancement of landscapes and public spaces, arts, culture, and heritage management and Community participation and empowerment. LivCom praised the city for its focus on improving parkland and trails, as well as its enhancements and maintenance of 96 parks. St. Cloud has been a finalist at the LivCom awards four times since 2007.[https://www.sctimes.com/story/news/local/2019/12/13/st-cloud-earns-4-awards-international-livability-competition-rome/2636888001/ "St. Cloud snags 4 awards at international competition for most livable cities"] Jenny Berg, St. Cloud Times, 12/13/2019]

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.

• Cathedral of Saint Mary, the largest church serving the oldest parish in the community, built in the 1920s in the Italian Romanesque style. The cathedral is 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.{{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 }}
• St. Cloud State University
• Great River Regional Library, a six-county regional system serving 32 communities. The system houses nearly 1 million books, CDs, and DVDs, and 250 public computers. It schedules a list of events.
• Munsinger Gardens and Clemens Gardens, extensive flower gardens dating from the 1930s. In 2023, the website Good Plant Care ranked the gardens 100th on a list of best public gardens in the nation.[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
• Quarry Park and Nature Preserve, a public park in neighboring Waite Park that features 20 granite quarries, hiking, biking and ski trails. It is part of the Stearns County park system.[https://www.stearnscountymn.gov/396/Quarry-Park-Nature-Preserve|Quarry Park Nature Preserve, Stearns County Parks]
• Paramount Theatre and Visual Arts Center, a restored 706-seat theater, built in 1921.{{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 }}
• 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 hospitals, Rice Memorial Hospital in Willmar, and numerous outreach and outpatient clinics and services.
• Stearns History Museum, with two floors of exhibits, a research area, a museum store, and a {{convert|100|acre|km2|adj=on}} nature park. Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.
• Minnesota Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame, dedicated to preserving Minnesota's baseball history.
• St. Cloud River's Edge Convention Center, a {{convert|100000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} meeting center overlooking the Mississippi River
• St. Cloud Regional Airport, providing scheduled commercial turboprop passenger service, private, corporate, cargo and military operations
• St. Cloud Technical and Community College, a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System
• Minnesota Correctional Facility – St. Cloud, built in 1889, housing nearly 1,000 prisoners
• Midtown Square Mall, a shopping mall with more than 50 tenants
• Crossroads Center, a shopping mall with more than 100 tenants

File:Stearns County Courthouse.jpg|Stearns County Courthouse, 2013.

File:Cathedral of St Mary.jpg|Cathedral of Saint Mary (St. Cloud, Minnesota), 2013.

File:Clemens Gardens.JPG|Munsinger and Clemens Gardens, 1997.

File:StGermain Paramount.jpg|The Paramount Theater on Saint Germain Street, 2008.

File:2013-0408-StCloudVA.jpg|The St. Cloud VA Medical Center.

File:Great River Regional Library St. Cloud Minnesota.jpg|Great River Regional Library GRRL, 2020

File:First National Bank, St Cloud MN.jpg|First National Bank, 2013.

File:Michael Majerus House.jpg|alt=Michael Majerus House|Michael Majerus House (now Victorian Oaks Bed & Breakfast), 2016

The city is home to:

• the St. Cloud State University Division I 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.{{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}} 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.{{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}} The 2013 team also earned a share of the WCHA league title and its symbol, the century-old MacNaughton Cup.{{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}} The Huskies play in the 5,763-seat Herb Brooks National Hockey Center, which underwent a $18 million renovation and expansion in 2012–13.{{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}}
• the St. Cloud Norsemen, a Tier II junior hockey team at the Municipal Athletic Complex.
• the Granite City Lumberjacks, a Tier III junior hockey team in nearby Sauk Rapids.
• the St. Cloud Rox (formerly the River Bats) of the Northwoods League, a 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.{{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}}
• 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.{{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 }}
• the Granite City FC is a minor league soccer team founded in 2016. It currently plays in the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL).

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.

Since 2025, St. Cloud's mayor has been Jake Anderson.

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.Minnesota's congressional districts The district had only minor changes in a 2022 map drawn by a five-judge panel based on the 2020 census.[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 CenterTim 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 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 population of Minnesota State Senate District 14, which straddles the Mississippi River and includes parts of three counties,[https://www.sos.state.mn.us/election-administration-campaigns/data-maps/minnesota-legislative-maps/]|MN Secretary of State Election Administration[https://pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us/docs/14.pdf]|MN Secretary of State Legislative Maps Senate District 14 map represented by Aric Putnam. Minnesota House District 14A includes generally western parts of the city as well as Waite Park, St. Augusta and adjacent rural areas,[https://pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us/docs/14A.pdf]|MN Secretary of State Legislative Maps Senate District 14A map represented by Bernie Perryman. District 14B includes east central and northeast St. Cloud, neighboring Sauk Rapids and parts of rural Benton and Sherburne Counties,[https://pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us/docs/14B.pdf]|MN Secretary of State Legislative Maps Senate District 14B map 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.[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.[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. 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.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

Past mayors of St. Cloud include:

• Sylvanus B. Lowry (1856), selected by town council members as council president (office of mayor did not yet exist)
• John L. Wilson (1857–1858)
• E. O. Hamlin (1868)
• J. A. McDonald (1900)
• J. R. Boyd (1901)
• J. E. C. Robinson (1902–1905 and 1906)
• J. N. Bensen (1905)
• David McCarty (1907)
• Louis Brown (1907)
• Hugh Evans (1908–1909)
• D. H. Freeman (1910 and 1916–1919)
• P. J. Seberger (1911–1912)
• H. J. Limperich (1919)
• W. W. Matson (1920–1924). 19th Amendment gives women the right to vote.
• J. Arthur Bensen (1924–1928)
• James H. Murphy (1928–1932, 1945–1948)
• Phil Collignon (1932–1945)
• Mathew Malisheski (1948–1952)
• Lawrence A. Borgert (1952). City Charter revised, creating current "standard mayor form" of government.https://www.ci.stcloud.mn.us/DocumentCenter/View/685/Newly-Elected-Orientation?bidId= Newly Elected Orientation, Section "2) Form of Government"
• George Byers (1953–1960)
• Thomas E. Mealey (1960–1964)
• Ed Henry (1964–1971)
• Al Loehr (1971–1980)
• Sam Huston (1980–1989)
• Chuck Winkelman (1989–1997)
• Larry Meyer (1997–2001)
• John Ellenbecker (2001–2005)
• Dave Kleis (2005–2025)

Kamala Harris won St. Cloud in the 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.Minnesota Secretary of State, "2024 General Election Results", "2024 Precinct Results Spreadsheet"

Joe Biden won St. Cloud in the 2020 presidential election by a margin of 9%, higher than his statewide margin of 7.12%. In 2016, Trump won St. Cloud by 1.75% over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.[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

{{Hidden begin|titlestyle=background:#ccccff|title=Presidential election results 1960–2020}}

{{Hidden end}}

{{Pie chart

| radius = 100

| thumb = right

| caption = Primary home languages of St. Cloud Public School students{{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}}

| other =

| label1 = English

| value1 = 62.5

| color1 = #7baaf7

| label2 = Somali

| value2 = 27.9

| color2 = #0b5d64

| label3 = Spanish

| value3 = 4.5

| color3 = #fff8e6

| label4 = 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,{{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}}{{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}} 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.{{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}}

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 High School and St. Cloud Apollo High School.{{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 }} St. Cloud also has a major private high school, 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.{{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 }} 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, St. John's Preparatory School, St. Cloud Alternative Learning Center, and the charter school STRIDE Academy,{{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 }} 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}}

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.[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.

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-based College of St. Scholastica, and the College of St. Benedict and St. John's University are in neighboring St. Joseph and nearby Collegeville, respectively.{{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}}

The main newspaper is the St. Cloud Times, a Gannett daily newspaper. In the early 2020s, Gannett severely downsized the paper, eliminating most local news reporting.See "Decline and Downsizing" section, St. Cloud Times

St. Cloud is part of the Twin Cities television market. One full-power station, the 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 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.{{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}}

Radio stations include:

St. Cloud is a regional transportation hub within Minnesota. Major roadways including Interstate 94, U.S. Highway 10, and Minnesota State Highways 15 and 23 pass through the city.{{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}}

Bus service within the city and to neighboring Sartell, Sauk Rapids, and Waite Park is offered through 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.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. 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 Commuter Rail line in Big Lake, by the way of Northstar Link Commuter Bus, which in turn links to the Metro Transit bus and light rail system at Target Field Station in downtown Minneapolis.

Several rail lines run through the city, which is 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 Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, on Airbus 319 aircraft.{{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}}

• File:I-94.svg Interstate 94
• File:US 10.svg U.S. Highway 10
• File:MN-15.svg Minnesota State Highway 15
• File:MN-23.svg Minnesota State Highway 23

• Halima Aden, model and first Somali-American to compete for Miss Minnesota
• Mathew Ahmann, civil rights activist
• Raymond H. Bares, Minnesota state senator and educator
• Tom Burgmeier, Major League Baseball player; grew up in St. Cloud and attended Cathedral High School{{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 }}
• 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 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, 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, abolitionist, Civil War veteran, Republican politician, fourth governor of Minnesota
• Edgar G. Mills, Wisconsin state assemblyman and senator
• William P. Murphy, associate justice of Minnesota Supreme Court
• Jim Pehler, Minnesota state legislator
• Tom Petters, former CEO and chair of Petters Group WorldwideNicole 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,
• Reynold Philipsek, gypsy jazz guitarist
• Dewey H. Reed, educator and politician
• Michael Sauer, NHL player
• Anne Schleper, women's hockey Olympic silver medalist, 2014[https://www.usahockey.com/news_article/show/758216 "Olympian Anne Schleper Retires"], USA Hockey 2/15/17
• Nate Schmidt, NHL player
• Stephen Sommers, film director, alumnus of Cathedral High School and St. John's University
• Charles Thomas Stearns, politician
• Jane Swisshelm, newspaper owner, editor and abolitionist
• Craig Thomas, television writer and producer, co-creator of How I Met Your Mother
• Gene Waldorf, electrical engineer and politician
• Alise Willoughby, BMX racer and Olympic silver medalist.{{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 }}
• Nate Wolters, professional basketball player
• Gig Young, Academy Award-winning actor, film and television star; born in St. Cloud

• {{flagdeco|Germany}} Spalt, Bavaria, Germany
• {{flagdeco|Japan}} Akita, Japan
• {{flagdeco|France}} Saint-Cloud, Ile-de-France, France

• Courtroom scenes in the Disney 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.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.
• Al Franken and Tom Davis's One More Saturday Night is set in St. Cloud, but was not filmed there.
• The movie Juno was partially set in St. Cloud, which is referred to as "East Jesus Nowhere", though no filming took place in the city.[https://www.slaphappylarry.com/storytelling-study-juno-2007/ Storytelling Tips From Juno (2007)] Slap Happy Larry
• The 1989 drag-racing film Catch Me If You Can, directed by Stephen Sommers, was both set and filmed in St. Cloud.{{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}}
• 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.

• 1998 St. Cloud explosion
• Dave Torrey Arena

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{{Reflist}}

{{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

| Northeast = Sauk Rapids

| East =

| Southeast =

| South = St. Augusta

| Southwest = Rockville

| West = Waite Park

| Northwest =

}}

{{St. Cloud, Minnesota}}

{{Benton County, Minnesota}}

{{Sherburne County, Minnesota}}

{{Stearns County, Minnesota}}

{{St. Cloud metropolitan area}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint 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