St. Cloud, Minnesota

St. Cloud is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is a major place in the state's central region. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 64,308. It is the county seat of Stearns County⁶. Although mainly located in Stearns County, the city extends into Benton County and Sherburne County as well. It is the main city of a small metropolitan area, with Waite Park and Sauk Rapids directly bordering the city, and others such as Sartell nearby. The Mississippi River flows through the city.

St. Cloud is northwest of the Minneapolis-St. Paul area along Interstate 94 and U.S. Highway 10. It is sometimes considered to be part of the Twin Cities region, and the media markets for the two areas overlap. A commuter rail line running into the Twin Cities known as the Northstar Corridor may reach the city in a second phase. The line is still in planning stages.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 80.1 km² (30.9 mi²). 78.1 km² (30.2 mi²) of it is land and 2.0 km² (0.8 mi²) of it (2.62%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 59,107 people, 22,652 households, and 12,254 families residing in the city. The population density was 756.7/km² (1,959.9/mi²). There were 23,249 housing units at an average density of 297.6/km² (770.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.75% White, 2.37% African American, 0.72% Native American, 3.11% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.58% from other races, and 1.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.33% of the population.

There were 22,652 households out of which 27.3% 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.

In the city the population was spread out with 20.8% under the age of 18, 24.1% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 17.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 101.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $37,346, and the median income for a family was $50,460. Males had a median income of $33,670 versus $23,759 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,769. About 5.0% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.0% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

St. Cloud is a college town, with St. Cloud State University (SCSU) and St. Cloud Technical College. They are part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. The city is also home to Rasmussen College and the Minnesota School of Business. One of the campuses of The College of St. Scholastica is located in St. Cloud, and The College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University is nearby as well.

There are three main high schools in St. Cloud: Technical High School (public, established 1917), Cathedral High School (parochial, established 1902), and Apollo High School (public, established 1970). There are also two alternative high schools: Area Learning Center West and Area Learning Center Wilson, which were established primarily for at-risk students. St. John's Preparatory School (private, established 1857), attached to nearby St. John's University, also serves area junior and senior high school students.

South Junior High School and North Junior High School are the public schools for junior high students. Customarily, South Junior High School graduates attend Technical High School (Tech) and graduates of North Junior High School attend Apollo High School because of the schools' geographic relationships. John XXIII Middle School, named after the 20th century Roman Catholic Pope, shares its campus with Cathedral High School, and almost all John XXIII graduates continue on at Cathedral.

St. Cloud boasts numerous public elementary schools, several Catholic or Christian elementary schools, and other alternative schools. However, in recent years, some parochial schools have been forced to consolidate for fiscal reasons.

Sites of interest

* Munsinger Gardens and Clemens Gardens
* Quarry Park
* Stearns County History Museum

Media

The main newspaper is the St. Cloud Times. i (previously PAX) network affiliate KPXM (channel 41) is licensed to serve the city, though the signal also covers the Twin Cities region. It carries a lot of news programming from Minneapolis-St. Paul station KARE (channel 11), which has a marketing agreement with channel 41. Radio stations include:
*WBHR 660 AM "The Bear" (sports), Tri-County Broadcasting
*WVAL 800 AM (classic country), Tri-County Broadcasting
*WJON 1240 AM (news/talk), Regent Communications
*KXSS 1390 AM (sports), Regent Communications (affiliated with KFAN-AM)
*KNSI 1450 AM (news/talk), Leighton Broadcasting
*KVSC 88.1 FM (college radio), St. Cloud State University
*K208DV 89.5 "Air 1" (Contemporary Christian music), Educational Media Foundation
*KNSR 88.9 FM (news/talk), Minnesota Public Radio
*KSJR 90.1 FM (classical music), Minnesota Public Radio
*KCFB 91.5 FM "Spirit 92.9" (Christian radio), Minnesota Christian Broadcasters
*KKJM 92.9 FM (Contemporary Christian music, Gabriel Communications
*KMXK 94.9 FM "Mix 94.9" (Adult Contemporary), Regent Communications
*KKSR 96.7 FM "KISS 96" (Top 40), Regent Communications
*WWJO 98.1 FM "98 Country" (country music), Regent Communications
*KZPK 98.9 FM "Wild Country 99" (country music), Leighton Broadcasting
*KCML 99.9 FM "Lite 99.9" (Adult Contemporary), Leighton Broadcasting
*WHMH 101.7 FM "Rockin' 101" (active rock), Tri-County Broadcasting
*KLZZ 103.7 FM "The Loon" (classic rock), Regent Communications
*KCLD 104.7 FM (Top 40), Leighton Broadcasting

Minnesota Public Radio began in nearby Collegeville at St. John's University.

External links

*St. Cloud official website
*St. Cloud State University
*Rasmussen College
*The College of St. Scholastica
*College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University
*Public School District 742