Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1956 on, and the census since 1880.
The St. Paul post office opened in 1854, the earliest record of the town by name.
St. Paul was named for Jonathan Paul, a pioneer settler.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how St. Paul’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of St. Paul.
St. Paul had its start in the year 1853 by the building of the railroad through that territory. It was named for Jonathan Paul, a pioneer settler.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention St. Paul, cut from the printed page as they were published.
the passenger station in St. Paul, suitable and proper connections with all the railroads touching the said station and depot grounds in St. Paul, and the exclusive use for ten years for freight purposes of not less than ten acres of ground in St. Paul. The contract arranged also that the former road should put the line in good order and condition, as a road of its class, and, after
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
St. Paul's church dates its formal organization from September 21, 1858, when twelve Catholic families were given permission to build a church in the village of St. Paul. However, previous to that date services had been held irregularly in the homes of the members of the church. The lot for the new church was donated by John Paul and E. L. Floyd, non-Catholics, living in St. Paul. Immediately after permission had been granted for the erection of a church, steps were taken for the construction of the same and the work was pushed with loyal vigor by the devoted members of the con-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
St. Paul, Stillwater and Taylor’s Falls Railroad Company was organized under the general laws of the State. The articles of incorporation were adopted September 23d, 1869, and fded in Ramsey county court, October 11th, 1869, affidavit of pub¬ lication being filed in the office of secretary of state, July lltli, 1871. The route of the road defined in the articles of incorporation, is between
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of St. Paul. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of St. Paul.
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on St. Paul’s page.
Retake this view · +15Between 555 and 1,032 people in every census since 1880.
11 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on St. Paul’s Wikipedia page.
Nobody well known was born in St. Paul itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The St. Paul post office opened in 1854, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (3), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
Date?
2025
2016
