On its age, its old homes and the National Register, South St. Paul is more historic than 64% of U.S. towns, #64 of 273 in Minnesota. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of South St. Paul’s overall grade.
Minnesota towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Minnesota town has 2.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so South St. Paul’s 2.4 sits near the middle of its state (55% of Minnesota towns have fewer) while its 5 listings outnumber those of 70% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A−. The pre-1940 share (±2.9 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1887.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about South St. Paul’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost half of its people between 1870 and 1880, then grew more than tenfold.
17 censuses, 1860–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on South St. Paul’s Wikipedia page.
On the map
South St. Paul on the map, 1896 to 1993
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of South St. Paul. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1896St Paul sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of South St. Paul.
On the National Register
5 historic places in South St. Paul
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
The story so far
South St. Paul, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of South St. Paul yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
South St. Paul is a city in Dakota County, Minnesota, United States, immediately south and southeast of St. Paul and east of West St. Paul. The population was 20,759 at the 2020 census. The town was a major meat-packing location, and many residents are descended from immigrants of Southern European and Eastern European heritage, who came to work in the meat-packing plants in the early twentieth century. A post office called "South St. Paul" has been in operation since 1888. The city was named based on its location, south of St. Paul. There is a high school and middle school called "South St. Paul Secondary", which is home to the South St. Paul Packers.
South St. Paul was established in 1887. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 20,160 to 20,759 (+3%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
South St. Paul, 1848 to 1992
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1887, according to Wikidata. South St. Paul’s post office opened in 1887, and the census of 1860 counted 907 people here.
How does South St. Paul rank for history?
South St. Paul is more historic than 64% of U.S. towns, #64 of 273 in Minnesota. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in South St. Paul?
5 listings: 5 buildings, among them the Stockyards Exchange (listed 1979, the first).
How old are the homes in South St. Paul?
23% of South St. Paul’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.9 points), against a typical 8.1% for a Minnesota town; the median home was built in 1958.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (6), the National Register of Historic Places (5), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1874
1919