Saint Paul, Minnesota

Saint Paul (pronounced /ˌseɪnt ˈpɔːl/, abbreviatit St. Paul) is the caipital an seicont-maist populous ceety o the US state o Minnesota. The ceety lies maistly on the north bank o the Mississippi River, dounstream o the river's confluence wi the Minnesota River, an adjoins Minneapolis, the state's lairgest ceety. Kent as the "Twin Ceeties", these twa ceeties form the core o Minneapolis-Saint Paul, the 16t lairgest metropolitan aurie in the Unitit States, wi aboot 3.175 million residents.^[1] The ceety's population at the 2000 census wis 287,151.Template:GR Saunt Paul serves as the coonty seat o Ramsey Coonty, the smawest an maist densely populatit coonty in Minnesota.^[2]

Foondit near historic Native American settlements as a tradin an transportation center, the ceety rose tae prominence when it wis named the caipital o the Minnesota Territory in 1849. Though Minneapolis is mair naitionally recognized, Saint Paul contains important institutions an the state's poleetical activity.^[3] Regionally, the ceety is popular for the Xcel Energy Center, hame o the Minnesota Wild,^[4] and for the Science Museum of Minnesota.^[5]^[6] As a business hub o the Upper Midwast, it is heidquarters for companies such as Ecolab an Lawson Software.^[7] Saint Paul, alang wi its Twin Ceety, Minneapolis, is kent for its heich literacy rate. It is the anerlie ceety in the US wi a population o 250,000 or mair tae increase the circulation number o Sunday newspapers in 2007.