In case you thought Minneapolis was the capital, it´s actually its sister city (pop. just under 312,000) right across the river. One of Minnesota´s oldest settlements (dating back to the 1840s), St. Paul is known for its historic architecture in areas like the iconic Summit Avenue Neighborhood, packed with Victorian and Gilded-Age gems such as the James L. Hill House, and landmarks like the neo-Renaissance Catholic Cathedral of St. Paul, inaugurated in 1915 (guided tours available), 200-year-old Fort Snelling; and of course the Baroque-meets-neoclassical neoclassical State Capitol, completed in 1905 and also open to visitors for guided or self-guided tours. Other notable spots include the 382-acre Como Park Zoo and Conservatory (which also includes an amusement park), the Minnesota History Center; and the Hmong Cultural Center, which showcases the history and culture of this Laotian ethnic group who were given refuge in the U.S. after the Communist takeovers in Indochina in the 1970s; they now number some 94,000 throughout the state.
Read more in my post 9 of the Top Minnesota Musts.
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