South St. Paul, Minnesota

South St. Paul is a city in Dakota County, Minnesota, United States, located immediately south and southeast of St. Paul. It is also east of West St. Paul. The population was 20,759 at the 2020 census. Historically, the town was notable as a major meat-packing location. Subsequently, 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.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land, and is water.

Interstate Highway 494, U.S. Highway 52, and Dakota County Road 56 are three of the major routes that traverse South St. Paul.

South St. Paul is home to a small general aviation airport, Fleming Field.

The main industry for much of South St. Paul's history was the Saint Paul Union Stockyards. The two largest companies and employers in the town during the time of peak stockyard operations were Swift's & Company and Armour Meats.

Since 2008, the stockyards have been closed, and much of the area is now being redeveloped.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census there were 20,759 people residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 81.0% White, 3.2% African American, 0.8% Native American, 2.0% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, and 6.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 14.2% of the population.

24.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 13.0% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.9% female.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 20,160 people, 8,186 households, and 5,065 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 8,666 housing units, at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 85.3% White, 3.9% African American, 0.8% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 5.4% from other races, and 3.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 12.2% of the population.

There were 8,186 households, of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.2% were married couples living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.1% were non-families. 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.04.

The median age in the city was 36.9 years. 23.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.8% were from 25 to 44; 27% were from 45 to 64; and 12% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.2% male and 50.8% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 20,167 people, 8,123 households, and 5,255 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,515.9 people per square mile (1,356.5/km²). There were 8,313 housing units at an average density of 1,449.3 per square mile (559.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.63% White, 1.28% African American, 0.57% Native American, 0.82% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 2.80% from other races, and 1.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 6.42% of the population.

There were 8,123 households, out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.3% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.4% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 32.7% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $45,216, and the median income for a family was $54,119. Males had a median income of $36,466 versus $28,415 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,396. About 4.1% of families, and 6.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.8% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

South St. Paul Public Schools

Th
South St. Paul School District
serves approximately 3,500 students in two elementary schools (pre-K - grade 5), one secondary school (grades 6 - 12), and an alternative high school (grades 10 - 12).

South St. Paul schools were established in 1853. At that time, the schools operated under the name Kaposia School District, serving the sons and daughters of local residents, missionaries, and the Kaposia Village Native American chiefs. Initially under the jurisdiction of Dakota County, the district included sections of West St. Paul, Sunfish Lake and Inver Grove Heights.

In 1887, the county turned over the administration of schools to the newly incorporated cities and their councils. South Saint Paul Special School District #6 was officially designated a school district in 1890, when voters established an independent Board of Education.

Rapid growth in the city, and its schools, continued in the 1950s and 1960s, culminating in the 1970s when more than 6,000 students attended six elementary schools, a high school, and a junior high school. However, in the 1980s, enrollments in the South St. Paul schools began to decline and the community was forced to make the difficult decision to consolidate school buildings.

During the same period, advances in technology required the school district to be networked to keep up with the next generation of learners. In 1999, the South St. Paul community passed a technology referendum to maintain the quality of education in South St. Paul Schools.

District schools currently include South St. Paul Secondary, Community Learning Center, Lincoln Center Elementary, and Kaposia Education Center.

Holy Trinity Catholic School

Holy Trinity School opened on September 7, 1954, with an enrollment of 243 students. The building consisted of eight classrooms and a cafeteria in the basement. The school offered grades Pre-K through 8. After September 7, 1954, the size of the student body expanded at a rapid rate. By the beginning of the 1963-64 school year, enrollment exceeded 600 students. After a drop in enrollment, attendance bottomed out at 80-plus students during the 1984-85 school year. In this same year, a half-day kindergarten was added to the regular 1-8 grade program. The following year, an all-day everyday kindergarten was established. A preschool was added in 1988. It has since grown, and now has several more classrooms and athletic programs.

St. John Vianney Catholic School

In 1956, St. John Vianney school opened its doors with 109 students in grades one through four. By 1958, the school offered grades one through eight. In 1974, a preschool and kindergarten program were added. The fall of 1992 saw the establishment of a full day kindergarten program, as well as an extended day program. At this time, SJV offered academic programs for preschool, kindergarten and grades 1 through 6, as well as an extended day program.

St. John Vianney Catholic School was closed in 2010 by the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis when it was merged with Saint Michael Catholic School of West Saint Paul. The newly merged schools operate at Saint Michael Catholic School campus as the Community of Saints Regional Catholic School.

Saint John Vianney Church now rents out their space to a charter school.

Religion

Asamblea Apostólica De La Fe En Cristo Jesús - South Saint Paul

Asamblea Apostólica De La Fe En Cristo Jesús - South Saint Paul, located at 201 5th Avenue South, is a member of the Iglesia Apostólica de la Fe en Cristo Jesús.

Services are held in Spanish.

Celestial Church Of Christ (Minnesota Parish)

The Minnesota Parish of the Celestial Church Of Christ, located at 100 6th Avenue North, is a member of th
USA Diocese
of the Celestial Church of Christ.

Services are held in English and Yoruba.

The church is on Facebook a
Celestial Church of Christ (Minnesota Parish) , Facebook

Clark-Grace United Church of Christ

Established on October 25, 1887, Clark Memorial United Church of Christ (UCC) was founded by Charles W. Clark. The church has gone through many remodels and building changes throughout the years. Clark Memorial has even been struck by fire, but the faithful parish rebuilt the church.

Established in St. Paul in 1990, Grace Community UCC was founded by Rev. Oliver White. It was the first African-American United Church of Christ congregation in Minnesota.

In 2013, Clark Memorial UCC joined with Grace Community UCC to form Clark-Grace United Church of Christ. The church is located in the former Clark Memorial UCC church at 779 15th Avenue North in South St. Paul.

The mission of Clark-Grace UCC is to support the local, state, national and global interest of the congregation. Clark-Grace UCC supports the ministry of the United Church of Christ, as programs and needs arise. Clark-Grace UCC is an Open and Affirming faith community. The church participates in citywide events such as Kaposia Days and On the Road Again.

Services are held in English.

First Presbyterian Church

Incorporated in 1896, First Presbyterian Church was originally located at the corner of 5th Avenue and Marie Avenue in South St. Paul. Sixty years later the congregation decided to build a new church. Located at 535 20th Avenue North, the new (and current) church was dedicated in February 1959.

First Presbyterian Church is a member of th
Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area
in the Synod of Lakes and Prairies of the Presbyterian Church (USA). The church is a
Earth Care Congregation
a member of the More Light Presbyterians movement, and affiliated wit
Interfaith Action of Greater Saint Paul

Services are held in English.

Gateway Christian Church

Gateway Christian Church, located at 404 3rd Avenue South, is a non-denominational, Pentecostal church. Started in 2013, Gateway has met various locations in the Inver Grove Heights area. In August 2021, Gateway moved to the historic Serbian Hall in South St. Paul.

Services are held in English.

Grace Lutheran Church

Grace Lutheran Church, located at 149 8th Avenue South, is a member of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS).

Services are held in English.

Holy Trinity Catholic Parish (Holy Trinity and Saint Augustine Catholic Churches)

The Church of the Holy Trinity, located at 749 6th Avenue South, was established by Bishop John Ireland in November 1917; but it was not until June 1940 that the first resident pastor, J. F. Siegienski, was assigned. Holy Trinity was originally a Polish parish. The first Mass was held on June 30, 1940. The church building and the rectory were built by 1942 and the church was blessed by Archbishop John Murray in 1942.

Saint Augustine (pronounced ah-GUS-tin) parish was established on June 11, 1896. Fr. Joseph T. Busch organized this new parish, served as its first pastor, and oversaw the building of the church. On August 30, 1896, Archbishop Ireland dedicated the original church, which stood on the southeast corner of Fourth Avenue and Grand Avenue, where the Greystone Apartment building now stands.

After being remodeled, expanded, and reinforced with brick on March 31, 1923, the church burned to the ground. Doing their best to replicate structures of the old church wherever possible, builders were able to construct the current church structure, located at 408 3rd Street North, for a Christmas Day 1924 opening.

The parish still hosts the Argument of the Month.

Though originally separate, these two churches were merged into one in 2010, as part of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul-Minneapolis' strategic plan and reorganization of parishes.

Services are held in English and Latin.

Luther Memorial Church

Luther Memorial Church, located at 315 15th Avenue North, is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Services are held in English..

St. John Vianney Catholic Church

Because of the population increase of South St. Paul following World War II, St. John Vianney Parish was established on July 5, 1946 as the third Catholic parish in South St. Paul, under the direction of Father Harold Whittet.

Because no church or school had yet been built at the time of establishment, the parish rented the pavilion at Kaposia Park and held its first Mass there on July 28, 1946. Groundbreaking ceremonies took place on August 5, 1946 and the original makeshift church was constructed from two Army barracks. Located at 840 19th Avenue North, the church opened for its first Mass on the Easter Vigil, April 5, 1947. Shortly after, a roller-skating rink was built in the basement of the church to raise money.

Almost eight years later in 1954
St. John Vianney School
(originally named Providence School) opened with 109 students in grades one through four.

The Sisters of St. Casimir, a Chicago-based order, formed the school's first teaching staff. By 1958, the school contained grades one through eight. Construction was completed on the rectory and parish offices in 1960. The original makeshift church building of two army barracks was razed and the worship space was moved to the lower level of the school building (its current location).

In 1974, a preschool and kindergarten program were added to the school. From that time until 1989, the school was staffed by the School Sisters of Notre Dame. The fall of 1992 saw the establishment of a full day kindergarten program as well as an extended day program. During the 1996-1997 school year, the St. John Vianney Little Learners Preschool became fully accredited with the kindergarten through sixth grade program.

In May 2000, St. John Vianney expanded its facilities with the addition of the Parish Life and Community Center, which includes a gymnasium, kitchen and cafeteria, meeting rooms, and an extended gathering space. The addition was completed in March and dedicated on May 19, 2001.

Services are held in English.

St. Mary's Coptic Orthodox Church

St. Mary's Coptic Orthodox Church of Minnesota, located at 501 6th Avenue South, originated in the early 1960s at the urging of Bishop Samuel, who annually visited Coptic student groups at various American universities. At that time approximately ten Coptic graduate students, some with families at the University of Minnesota, met for Christian worship.

St. Mary's Coptic Orthodox Church is a member of the Archdiocese of North America of the Coptic Orthodox Church.

The church hosts an annual Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Festival on the church grounds in August, with music, food, games, church tours, presentations, a bazaar, and more.

Services are held in English, Arabic, and Coptic.

St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church

St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church is located at 357 2nd Avenue South, one block east of the historic Serbian Hall. Construction on the church began in 1951 and the church was dedicated in a June 14, 1953 ceremony.

St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church is a member of the Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of New Gračanica and Midwestern America diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

Services are held in English.

St. Stefan Romanian Orthodox Church

St. Stefan Romanian Orthodox Parish was founded in 1923 by Romanian emigrants. Construction of the church began on May 1, 1924, with much of the work done by members of the parish. On June 27, 1924, the parish was officially incorporated as a religious non-profit organization. Services in the church were first held on September 24, 1924.

In 1935 the church was blessed by Orthodox Bishop Policarp Morușca, the first Romanian Orthodox Bishop in America.

The St. Stefan Romanian Orthodox Church building, located at 350 5th Avenue North, is listed in the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

St. Stefan Romanian Orthodox Church is a member of the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America diocese.

Services are held in English and Romanian.

South St. Paul Hispanic Seventh-day Adventist Church

South St. Paul Hispanic Seventh-day Adventist Church (''Adventista Hispana de South St. Paul)'', located at 140 6th Avenue North, is a member of th
Minnesota Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

Services are held in Spanish.

Woodbury Lutheran Church - Wakota Ridge Campus

The Wakota Ridge Campus o
Woodbury Lutheran Church
located at 255 West Douglas Street, is a member of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.

Services are held in English.

Notable people

* Jim Carter, football player
* Justin Faulk, hockey player
* Trevor Fehrman, actor and writer
* Rollin Glewwe, Minnesota state senator and politician
* Grant Hart, drummer
* Phil Housley, hockey player
* Sunisa Lee, Olympic gold medalist and gymnast
* Harold LeVander, Governor of Minnesota
* Betty McCollum, politician
* Tim Pawlenty, Governor of Minnesota
* James Patrick Shannon, former Roman Catholic Bishop from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, only Bishop to leave the priesthood after Vatican II
* Alex Stalock, Goaltender for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League
* Conrado Vega, Minnesota state senator
* Doug Woog, hockey player

References

External links

City of South St. Paul – official website

{{Authority control

Cities in Minnesota
Cities in Dakota County, Minnesota
Minnesota populated places on the Mississippi River