Paul's early days as a bootlegging town to its era as a haven for big-time gangsters in the 1920s and 1930s, Minnesota's capital was never dull. This is a river city with a past - a shady past. From its early days as a bootlegging town to its era as a haven for big-time gangsters in the 1920s and 1930s, Minnesota's capital was never dull. With former wrestler Jesse Ventura now holding court at the state Capitol, the tradition continues. But the city of 300,000 has picked up a lot of culture along the way.
Downtown is home to five theaters, four museums and many galleries and arts organizations.
The Minnesota Opera Co., the Schubert Club, one of the oldest musical organizations in the country, and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the only full-time chamber orchestra in the United States, are based in St. Paul. Had events played out differently, St. Paul might still be named Pig's Eye Landing and the capital might be 70 miles to the southwest in St. Peter. Clearly providence smiled upon us. Early settlers made their homes along the Mississippi River on land ceded to the military by the Sioux Indians. A pair of clefts in the 80-foot river bluffs made convenient landing places for explorers and traders transporting furs for shipment to the East.