West St. Paul’s post office opened in 1857, and 11% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 42% of U.S. towns · #129 of 273 in Minnesota. What drives it
Its Register listing is the George W. Wentworth House. Its Register listing is the George W. Wentworth House. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1896 on, and the census since 1890.
The West St. Paul post office opened in 1857, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, West Saint Paul (1857), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 1,596 in 18902020 census: 20,615169 years
How historic is West St. Paul?
C+
More historic than 42% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first West St. Paul post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives West St. Paul’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, West St. Paul is more historic than 42% of U.S. towns, #129 of 273 in Minnesota. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of West 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 West St. Paul’s 0.5 sits near the middle of its state (49% of Minnesota towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B−. The pre-1940 share (±2.0 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 West St. Paul’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of West 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 West St. Paul.
Famous people
8 famous people were born in West St. Paul
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
The city's confusing name comes from its location on the west bank of the predominantly north-to-south Mississippi River, though a myth—that it was named because it was "west of South St. Paul"—was created by Jake H. Marthaler in the mid-20th century and has persisted. The city sits on the site of a previous West St. Paul, which predated the current county lines and was partially in what is now called Saint Paul's Lower West Side. According to the West 7th/Fort Road foundation, Saint Paul annexed the West Side for two reasons: "to aid law enforcement—criminals could escape Saint Paul authorities by crossing to the West Side and Dakota County—and to eliminate the Wabasha Street Bridge tolls which were inhibiting development on the West Side". West St. Paul continued to exist independently in Dakota County from 1874 until 1887, when the city of South St. Paul was incorporated in its place…
The West St. Paul post office opened in 1857, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does West St. Paul rank for history?
West St. Paul is more historic than 42% of U.S. towns, #129 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 West St. Paul?
One place: the George W. Wentworth House (listed 1979).
How old are the homes in West St. Paul?
11% of West St. Paul’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.0 points), against a typical 8.1% for a Minnesota town; the median home was built in 1970.
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 (1), Wikipedia, 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.
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