Best Web Design in St. Paul, MN (2026)

Web Design for St. Paul, Minnesota

St. Paul is Minnesota's capital, the eastern half of the Twin Cities, and the head of navigation on the Mississippi River, a role that made it a 19th-century boomtown. It grew from a river landing named for the one-eyed fur trader Pierre 'Pig's Eye' Parrant into a city of Gilded Age mansions, a copper-domed cathedral, and the oldest winter festival in the United States. Home to F. Scott Fitzgerald and Charles Schulz, it wears both its literary pedigree and its frozen-January defiance with pride.

AppWT works with St. Paul, MN businesses from Livonia, Michigan, mostly online and travelling as needed.

About St. Paul

Also known as. Pig's Eye (original settlement name). The Capital City. Saintly City. One of the Twin Cities (with Minneapolis).

History. The first settler was fur trader Pierre 'Pig's Eye' Parrant, and the area was known as 'Pig's Eye Landing' in its earliest days. Catholic priest Father Lucien Galtier built the area's first chapel in 1841 and named it for St. Paul, giving the settlement its permanent name. St. Paul became the capital of Minnesota Territory in 1849 and grew from under 1,000 settlers to roughly 10,000 by the end of the decade. From 1959 to 1961 the historic Rondo neighborhood, the heart of St. Paul's Black community, was demolished for construction of Interstate 94.

Local economy. The State of Minnesota is the leading employer, running colleges, agencies, and boards from the capital city. Ecolab, a Fortune 500 company, is headquartered in downtown St. Paul with a large local workforce. Securian Financial is headquartered in the city. 3M moved to St. Paul in 1910 and built a 1940 headquarters (now on the National Register); Scotch tape was invented at the former 3M plant there.

Culture and community. The Saint Paul Winter Carnival, dating to 1886, is the oldest winter festival in the United States, featuring ice sculptures in Rice Park and a parade. The city celebrates deep cultural diversity through events like Hmong New Year, Irish Fair, Little Africa Fest, and a Japanese cultural festival at Como Park. Grand Casino Arena (formerly Xcel Energy Center) is home to the NHL's Minnesota Wild and the PWHL's Minnesota Frost. St. Paul is the birthplace of Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz and hosts an annual Peanuts-themed city parade.

What makes St. Paul distinct. The Winter Carnival was created in 1886 by business owners retaliating against Eastern newspapers that called the city 'another Siberia, unfit for human habitation.' The city's original nickname, Pig's Eye, came from fur trader Pierre Parrant, who was blind in one eye. Scotch tape was invented at the former 3M headquarters in St. Paul. F. Scott Fitzgerald was born on Laurel Avenue in 1896, and Charles Schulz grew up in the Merriam Park neighborhood.

St. Paul Landmarks and Local Life

• Cathedral of Saint Paul - opened 1915 on Cathedral Hill, with a distinctive copper dome and seating for about 3,000, ranked among the largest churches in the U.S
• Summit Avenue - one of the longest preserved stretches of Victorian mansions in North America, where F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote 'This Side of Paradise.'
• Como Park Zoo and Conservatory - one of the few major U.S. zoos with free admission
• Minnesota State Capitol and Rice Park in the downtown core.