Saint Paul (population 285,068) is the capital city of Minnesota State. Saint Paul is amongst the "Twin Cities", adjoining Minneapolis. The Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area has a population of around 3.6 million. The majority of the city of Saint Paul is situated on Mississippi River's north bank. The city of Saint Paul is the county seat of the most populous Ramsey County.
Native American settlements brought transportation and trade to the area historically. The community of Saint Paul began at present-day Lambert's Landing. It was known as Pig's Eye after Pierre "Pig's Eye" Parrant, a local tavern owner. The first Catholic pastor to come to the region, Fr. Lucien Galtier, established the Log Chapel of Saint Paul. Soon after, he renamed the settlement Saint Paul. The location of the Log Chapel later became the location of the Cathedral of Saint Paul.
In 1849, Saint Paul City was selected as capital of the Minnesota Territory. As state capital, Saint Paul is the center of political activity and home to some important institutions. Saint Paul draws visitors from the area to the Xcel Energy Center, a multi-purpose venue for sports and entertainment. Saint Paul is home of the Minnesota Wild Hockey Club. The Science Museum of Minnesota is the most famous museum in the Upper Midwest.
Saint Paul and Minneapolis have higher-than-average literacy rates. Not like the majority of American cities, the city of Saint Paul increased the distribution of Sunday newspapers in the year 2007. It was the only city with a population of 250,000 or more to do so.
The major corporations of Ecolab, Lawson Software, Gander Mountain have their headquarters situated within the city. The leading cleaning and chemical product company Ecolab, during 2008, ranked as the cities 8th best place to work. Lawson Software is a business software and support company. Gander Mountain is a huge retailer of sporting goods. Although 3M Company is not situated within Saint Paul, numerous Saint Paul residents work there. 3M hires 16,000 individuals throughout the state of Minnesota. A manufacturer of medical devices, St. Jude Medical, is situated in Little Canada, a suburb of the Twin Cities.
The city of Saint Paul was home to the Ford Motor Company's Twin Cities Assembly Plant in Highland Park on the Mississippi River. The plant was closed during December of the year 2011. Most (82%) of Minneapolis-Saint Paul-Bloomington area people are working within the private sector.