As the more serious, slightly quieter city of the Twin Cities, St. Paul is more affordable, homier, and more suburban, while just over the river from the bigger city amenities of Minneapolis. Meanwhile, St. Paul has its own culture, great music, fun activities, and an arts scene.

In the rising WFH culture, direct proximity to a business district drops in importance and St. Paul gets on more equal footing to Minneapolis.

The climate might be changing, but snowy winters are a constant in St. Paul -- winter will be cold and it will snow. A lot. But the city knows its stuff, so streets get cleaned up fast and the snow is not that disruptive. Renters will want to make sure that the responsibility of snow shoveling is understood because those who do not clear their sidewalks can be fined.



Best of both worlds.

LookyLOO Review of St. Paul

St. Paul is a great city, with plenty to do, good schools, and a decent cost of living. It’s also comfortable, with nice, easygoing people who are fairly hardy -- not shocking, given the tough winters. It has a growing downtown for socializing but it isn't trying to compete with Minneapolis on that account. If you are in the market for a city with serious commercial heat, look across the river (The Mississippi River largely divides the Twin Cities). St Paul is a great, comfortable place for adults/families looking to stay in at night and/or go to cozy neighborhood spots. If you need something more dramatic downtown Minneapolis is a short train, bus, or ride away. 

If you want to see what's happening in St. Paul check out the [**calendar of events**](https://www.eventbrite.com/d/mn--st-paul/events/).

Life is good

Lifestyle

The great majority of St Paul citizens work in the city, and the highest percentage of them work in the Service sector. Trade, manufacturing, and government make up the other significant employer groups. The greater Twin Cities area has a big tech sector and major Fortune 500 players like Target, UnitedHealthcare, and Cargill offering significant professional employment. 

The economy in the area is very strong and relative to other major metros the commute times are negligible with 30 minutes or so considered significant. Living in St Paul in less expensive housing and commuting to Minneapolis by train or car will feel like a walk in the park for people from NY, Chicago, Atlanta, or LA. 


Worklife 

[**St. Paul Public School District**](spps.org) receives a "B-" rating on niche.com but checking parent reviews reveals a better narrative than that (depending of course on the schools). Check out one parent/counselor's pov on the schools relative to Minneapolis: 

*I work with children and often have to talk to teachers and school social workers...I can't tell you why, but I can say anecdotally that the schools in Saint Paul feel a lot safer, better staffed, and better run than Minneapolis public schools. Seemingly less staff turnover, too. I think like all public schools, it varies based on neighborhood and funding, but I would much rather send my hypothetical kid to a St. Paul public school than a Minneapolis one.*

St. Paul uses an "open enrollment" system with priority given to students living within a school's Community School Zone. If more students seek attendance than a particular school has spaces then they are put into a lottery system. 

There are several excellent school choices including: 

-[**Highland Park Senior High**](https://highlandsr.spps.org/) is [**"A" rated on niche.com**](https://www.niche.com/k12/highland-park-senior-high-school-saint-paul-mn/?map) with particularly high grades for Academics, College Prep, and Diversity. It is noted for its IB program, Spanish and Mandarin Immersion Programs, and for Capitol Hill Figted and Talented students instruction. 

-[**Open World Learning Secondary School**](https://open.spps.org/) is an [**"A-" rated**](https://www.niche.com/k12/open-world-learning-secondary-school-saint-paul-mn/?map) Magnet School serving 6-12th grades. It's well-known for its outdoor fieldwork and retreats that keep students in the outdoors. It has the highest graduation rate in the Twin Cities and 100% of students matriculate to college.  

Schools

St. Paul is always a good place to live, particularly for families. Young people will enjoy the revitalized downtown, with its hip and happening restaurants and bars, while parents will love the excellent school system. 


Something for Everyone

Why You Should Move Here Now?

**adieudaemonic**
Living in St. Paul
1y ago
🦉🦉🦉

Expect seasonal depression, winters have been dreary lately. A light therapy lamp and Vitamin D are recommended.

The social scene is much more insular here. I would recommend meetups specifically for transplants, other meetups or groups related to your interests, or Bumble BFF. People like to go on about how it is impossible to make friends here; I haven’t found that to be true. You do have to put in effort though.

Your experience in Saint Paul will heavily depend on your neighborhood. Some are walkable with most types of business nearby, while others are car dependent and nearly indistinguishable from first ring suburbs.

Saint Paul is a sleepy city, most places close relatively early (~10PM). It has quite a few artistic and sports venues to enjoy, I’m not going to list them all. Saint Paul’s slogan is “Keep Saint Paul boring”, but there is plenty to do. I don’t know if I would describe any as unique to Saint Paul, other than maybe the Wabasha Street Caves?

Diverse food scene!

I think it is always a concern when making a jump like that to a new place, what happens if you lose your job? Minnesota’s unemployment benefits and support are vastly superior to most state’s.

Home ownership is much more attainable, I think Saint Paul’s median housing price is roughly half of Phoenix’s.

For more reviews of what living in St. Paul is like from locals check out: [**The Reviews**](https://lookyloomove.com/locations/st-paul/reviews)

Snow and more snow.

Reviews of St. Paul from Locals

**The Best Thing About St. Paul?** Best of both worlds

As the more serious, slightly quieter city of the Twin Cities, St. Paul is more affordable, homier and more suburban, while just over the river from the bigger city amenities of Minneapolis. Meanwhile St. Paul has its own culture, great music, fun activities and an arts scene. 

In the rising WFH culture, direct proximity to a business district drops in importance and St. Paul gets on more equal footing to Minneapolis. 

**The Worst Thing About St. Paul?** Snow and more snow

The climate might be changing, but snowy winters are a constant in St. Paul -- winter will be cold and it will snow. A lot. But the city knows its stuff, so streets get cleaned up fast and the snow is not that disruptive. Renters will want to make sure that the responsibility of snow shoveling is understood because those that do not clear their sidewalks can be fined. 

**How You Living?** Life is good

St. Paul is a great city, with lots to do, good schools and a decent cost of living. It’s a state capitol and as such has a lot of government jobs, and boasts a good public transit system. It’s also comfortable, with nice, easygoing people who are fairly hardy -- given the tough winters. 

Premium neighborhoods for families include Macalester-Groveland and St. Anthony Park. If you crave a mix of surburban & urban check out Summit Hill. It’s downtown, has nice homes but also bars, restaurants, coffee shops and plenty of Zoomers (I think that’s what we’re calling them now) and Millennials. 

**Why You Should Move Here Now?** 
St. Paul is always a good place to live, particularly for families. Young people will enjoy the revitalized downtown, with its hip and happening restaurants and bars, while parents will love the well-regarded school system. 


Summit Hill is a good place for young profs to start their search. Filled with beautiful old homes that in most cases are available for rent, plus condo/apt options it is easy to find something affordable here. Just as important you are in the center of the social action in St Paul – bars, restaurants, and cafes, all walkable from home. Downtown and in particular the Lowertown Historic District is another cool option. The area is filled with converted warehouses that offer housing, creative work options, and plenty of cool coffee shops, breweries and eclectic food options. 
- Summit Hill
- Downtown/Lowertown Historic District


Young Professionals

Summit Hill 

St Paul does not have the concentration of LGBTQ+ community that its sister city of Minneapolis has but there are a number of bars, clubs and support organizations in the city proper for the community that lives here. There isn’t a specific neighborhood identified as uniquely LGBTQ+ but the Lowertown and Summer Hill neighborhoods have the nightspots and great housing choices popular for the community. 
- Lowertown
- Summit Hill 


LGBTQ+

Lowertown

Premium neighborhoods for families include Macalester-Groveland and St. Anthony Park. If you crave a mix of suburban & urban check out Summit Hill. It’s downtown, has nice homes but also bars, restaurants, coffee shops and plenty of Zoomers (I think that’s what we’re calling them now) and Millennials if you like the extra energy. 
- Macalester-Groveland
- St. Anthony Park
- Summit Hill 


Families

Macalester-Groveland

St. Paul

**adieudaemonic**
Living in St. Paul
1y ago
🦉🦉🦉

Expect seasonal depression, winters have been dreary lately. A light therapy lamp and Vitamin D are recommended.

The social scene is much more insular here. I would recommend meetups specifically for transplants, other meetups or groups related to your interests, or Bumble BFF. People like to go on about how it is impossible to make friends here; I haven’t found that to be true. You do have to put in effort though.

Your experience in Saint Paul will heavily depend on your neighborhood. Some are walkable with most types of business nearby, while others are car dependent and nearly indistinguishable from first ring suburbs.

Saint Paul is a sleepy city, most places close relatively early (~10PM). It has quite a few artistic and sports venues to enjoy, I’m not going to list them all. Saint Paul’s slogan is “Keep Saint Paul boring”, but there is plenty to do. I don’t know if I would describe any as unique to Saint Paul, other than maybe the Wabasha Street Caves?

Diverse food scene!

I think it is always a concern when making a jump like that to a new place, what happens if you lose your job? Minnesota’s unemployment benefits and support are vastly superior to most state’s.

Home ownership is much more attainable, I think Saint Paul’s median housing price is roughly half of Phoenix’s.


**Sassrepublic**
Living in St. Paul
1y ago
🦉🦉🦉

I really needed to move away from where I was living and I could have moved to Phoenix with my job no problem. That’s technically where I’m based. But I fought with them for 2 years to let me move to Saint Paul instead and I have zero regrets.

For one thing, a normal person can afford to buy a home here. (Maybe try to wait out interest rates though, I squeaked in at 6.5 and now I feel like I got a fire sale.) Also, remember trees? Remember city streets that aren’t just miles and miles of uninterrupted concrete? Remember charming architecture and walkable neighborhoods? All this and more can be yours in scenic St. Paul.

You already live somewhere that you never want to be outside for a third of the year, so you’ll handle winter just fine. But I’ve been in love with this stupid city since I first visited 15 years ago though so maybe I’m the wrong person to answer lol.

**JJKingwolf**
Living in St. Paul
8mo ago
🦉🦉🦉

It's inexpensive compared to Minneapolis, there's a lot of excellent food, and some of the most architecturally beautiful buildings in the state are located in the West End, downtown and around the capital.  

Also, the city is incredibly diverse, and the culture, art and food reflects this.  One of my favorite things about St Paul is the hidden murals and statutes you'll find from different eras (often on private property or in innocuous parks) dotted around the city from different artistic traditions.  

**bitch_mynameis_fred**
Living in St. Paul
8mo ago
🦉🦉🦉🦉

Older than other cities—including Minneapolis. Prettier architecture primarily due to being older and stricter preservation laws (your mileage varies on whether that’s good or bad). More tree cover than almost any other urban city in Minnesota. More diverse than Minneapolis and generally more integrated. Better ethnic food on the whole and BY FAR than Minneapolis.

I love Minneapolis a lot too. But the thing that always irked me about Minneapolis is that it likes to talk the talk about being a progressive haven—but St Paul seems to actually walk the walk. I’m thinking specifically on its taxation, investment in higher educational institutions (once heard the only city with more colleges per capita is Boston), extremely strong rent control and tenant protections (again, your mileage may vary on whether you agree with the policies, but they’re uniquely progressive), actually integrated public schools and neighborhoods.

And on the whole, it just feels like an almost older-world New England city. You can take a random shot from Mac Grove, Crocus Hill, or Cathedral Hill and it would be hard to tell if you’re actually looking at a pic from Boston, Somerville, Providence, or Manchester.

St. Paul, Minnesota