Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Saint Cloud
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Images
Saint Cloud
Quizzes
Tower Bridge over the Thames River in London, England. Opened in 1894. Remains an Important Traffic Route with 40,000 Crossings Every Day.
Guess the City by Its River Quiz
Britannica AI Icon
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Saint Cloud
Saint Cloud Granite quarry at St. Cloud, Minnesota.

Saint Cloud

Minnesota, United States
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

Saint Cloud, city, seat of Stearns county, central Minnesota, U.S. Located at the junction of the Mississippi and Sauk rivers, in a dairy-farming and grain region, it lies about 65 miles (105 km) northwest of Minneapolis. It extends eastward across the Mississippi to include parts of Benton and Sherburne counties. First settled in 1851, it was laid out in 1854 and named for the French city of Saint-Cloud. During the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862, the settlement reportedly served as a refuge for fleeing homesteaders. It is the seat of St. Cloud State University (1869) and a state prison (1889). Nearby are St. John’s University (1857) at Collegeville and the College of St. Benedict (1913) at St. Joseph. St. Cloud is known for its granite quarries, which have been worked since 1868. It is located in the state’s top agricultural region, which produces dairy products, poultry, oats, barley, rye, hay, corn, and soybeans. Manufactures include freezers, wood products, buses, packaging, storage tanks, concrete, paper, machinery, outdoor products, and photo albums. Poultry processing, financial services, printing, and mail-order sales and warehousing are also important to the economy. The Stearns History Museum showcases exhibits on regional history. Lake Maria State Park and Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge are nearby. Inc. town, 1856; city, 1868. Pop. (2000) 59,107; St. Cloud Metro Area, 167,392; (2010) 65,842; St. Cloud Metro Area, 189,093.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Teagan Wolter.
Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.
By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.