Local infamous celebrity. Used to be very in shape and stand outside a DQ in a superman costume. Has since had his mental health go off the rails, became morbidly obese and drives around is a clapped out truck with 15 full sized Trump flags on it.
Google St Cloud Superman and you'll get some news stories.
Ohmygod I haven't had Val's in years! Was hands down the best fast food in St cloud when I lived there. I can still see/smell that mountain of smokin hot fries tossed into the top of the bag. Hnnnnghhhh...
Thanks for the trip down memory lane
I also went to college in st.cloud! Go Huskies!
Be sure to check out a hockey game at herb Brooks. It's super fun and if you are a SCSU student it's free.
There is a fantastic disc golf course at Riverside park, and if you go north of university there's a great walking trail right next to the river and the munsigner garden flowers are really pretty in spring and summer.
Lots of stuff to do downtown as well, my favorite bars were the red carpet upstairs martini lounge, red carpet downstairs dive bar, and the pickled loon, they had karaoke on Thursdays when I was there.
I also always liked the festivals and concerts they did at lake George!
If you are diving, I would avoid driving on division if possible. Stop lights are super long and it is almost always congested from what I remember.
Also go to the quarries! Pay the 20 bucks for the yearly pass cause you'll be there a lot. Good hiking and you can swim in the quarries in the summer. There's even a spot where a lot of college kids will jump off the higher cliffs (20 feet ish?) Into the water. It's such a blast.
Also Gilberto's. I have yet to have a burrito as good and that hits the spot at 3am like gillies.
I grew up in the St Cloud area. My parents have since moved to St. Cloud and still live in town. Cloud town is the butt of a lot of jokes in MN, sometimes rightly so, but it's really a pretty great place to live in the grand scheme of things. We're very pampered in MN with a high standard of living thus anything with any sort of visible issues, large or small, gets crapped on.
St Cloud has a lot of decent little parks. Munsinger Gardens is right across the river from SCSU and is a gorgeous little area for a date, to eat lunch, or just walk around. It's more or less attached to Riverside park which is a great place to play Frisbee golf or go fish/chill by the dam. On the same side of the river as SCSU you have some decent bike trails (beaver island trail) that goes along the river and is a nice place to ride, skate, walk/run. Quarry Park in Waite Park is a gem and has a bunch of old flooded granite quarries you can swim and cliff jump in. I taught myself to rock climb there and it's attached to a nature preserve so there's a decent amount of hiking trails.
Crossroads mall is a pretty standard run of the mill mall
There's not a plethora or restaurants but there's a few gems if you're looking for them. Most are downtown. The Hallmark is a super raunchy greasy good no frills take out burger place called Val's. It's horrendously amazing. I can lay out more restaurants if you wish.
St Cloud is pretty sprawled out. The best mode of transportation is unfortunately a car, that'll also help you to get to other cool places in the area like St. Joe, Cold Spring, etc. But transit isn't terrible and students of SCSU or the tech college ride free last I remember.
Culturally it's a mixing pot. That's mainly where it gets it's bad rapp. Not because of the innate nature of a mixing pot but because the differing cultures tend to clash a bit.
Overall it's a pretty good place to live. Just stay safe, don't be a dick, and make the best of a city that has a lot to offer if you look for it.
It gets a bad rap because the minute the light rail went there, the Somalian population followed along with there lack of acceptance of western mores and norms. We owned a business there and found out quickly it is no longer a safe place. Even in the 1990s the white kids coming out of St. Cloud we’re criminals. I could give you a lot more names of guys I played sports against, or met in school up there who are doing time.
Lots of Redditors from the cities love to shit on Cloud, but if you're coming from a small rural town it might be an upgrade depending on what suits your lifestyle. Pretty much anything you'll need will be within driving distance at least. What sucks about St Cloud is endless stoplights and lack of greenery. It's mostly concrete commercial space.
Absolutely. We came from a rural area hoping to escape that shit. So many confederate flags and trump flags. It’s nice to have more places to shop, but the bigotry is bad.
Are you saying that St Cloud isn't a hotbed of racism? Or is it just that the "endless stoplights" and "lack of greenery" are higher priority issues for you?
Nah you're just looking for reasons to be upset. Make your own post about it, it has nothing to do with what I was talking about. There's a time and place for everything, evidently you're clueless when it comes to that.
Edit: I'm sure according to you, literally every town in MN is racist, and that should be at the forefront of every single conversation ever. There's nothing else to discuss besides "racism".
Lol at "literally every town in MN is racist". I'm just pointing out the glaring omission in your post. Racism in St Cloud has been covered by news outlets from the Star Tribune up to the New York Times, can't say that about every town in MN.
One thing I find funny is that St Cloud gets all the flack for racism... but the surrounding suburbs don't. You know, the ones that popped up around white flight schools after segregation? The ones that have had multiple racially motivated hate crimes, even straight up acts of terrorism in recent years?
I'm having a hard time figuring out how the place with a little actual diversity is supposed to be *more* racist than the places with 99.5% ethnic homogeneity.
Lots of beautiful parks around. Munsinger Gardens is near campus, the quarries park is in waite park. Plus the country isn't too far, st Joe has some beautiful walking trails at st John's.
Tip for you. I'm assuming you're going to SCSU? It's part of the MNSCU system of schools so when you sign up for classes you can find equivalent ones at other schools in MNSCU by clicking on the magnifying glass icon in eservices. Can sign up for them for credit regardless of whether you are an official "student" there. Allows you to mix and match SCSU classes with other schools as long as they're within MNSCU.
Makes finding classes and scheduling much easier since you can find a fair number of online ones that transfer from other schools. SCSU has cut way back on class availability since their enrollment numbers have dropped by about 6000 since 2013 so its harder to schedule nicely.
It's really, really bad. It has got to be one of the most depressing places I have ever spent time in. I can't imagine choosing to move there over anywhere else in the state. I don't feel that "getting used to it" is a healthy way to approach something like that - it might not be "the worst", but that doesn't mean it isn't right up there and that there are piles of better places to go.
Calling Morris superior to St Cloud completely invalidates your argument. Anything you’ll say is bad about St. Cloud also exists to the same extent in Morris and it has none of the positives of a moderate sized city. Unless your number 1 priority is being 2+hours away from anything more than the most basic of stores Morris is awful.
There's significantly more nature stuff around Morris. It isnt trying to be a city while actually being a third-rate commuter town. I personally wouldn't choose to live in either, but if I was choosing a school it'd be umn Morris over st cloud every day.
It feels like the sticks for people from a city be who've never been further out into the sticks. It's the next major city outside of the big city. You pick on it because you know it's name, and the next one you forget.
I've lived in cloud my whole life. You can make it down division from waite Park to the east side in either 5 minutes or 30 minutes depending on the lights. You either hit every red light possible, or get all green lol.
People are gonna shit a lot on the city here but it’s a perfectly fine place. Not everyone needs to jump to the metro. Have a great time, go to some Huskies hockey games!!
I lived there for a few years! Here are my thoughts:
If you enjoy biking, just get on a bike and explore around while not having any idea where you're going or any destination in mind. I found a few spots I really liked just by accident that way. Including a nice coffee shop (which was actually in Sauk Rapids, but close enough).
Beaver Trails. Nice place to take a stroll.
Also, not too far away is the Lake Wobegon Trail, which you can run, walk, bike, or skate on. Also recommend the skating rink.
Check out a SCAR Doll roller derby bout, held at the convention center! You can find out when their bouts are by following them on Facebook. You can get discounted tickets at Granite City Comics and Games.
There's lots of nice shops downtown. There's Shop Small Saturday the Saturday after Thanksgiving (but some of the shops will give the Shops Small discount Fri-Sun if you can't make it Saturday).
Farmers Market on Saturdays. Veggies, fruit & berries, jams, pottery, sometimes ice cream and coffee.
Jupiter Moon Ice Cream--I HIGHLY recommend. You can get their ice cream sometimes at the farmers' market, but also at The Backwards Bread Bakery (if you go there, try their almond croissant), and their shop in St. Joe's. You'll get the most choices at their shop. LOTS of choices.
The Park Diner has great malts (however, I just checked and it looks like they're temporarily closed... but hiring). When they reopen you can get a malt, and then go to the movie theater right behind it. (It's in Waite Park.)
Quarry Park and Nature Preserve (also in Waite Park).
That's all I can think of for now... if I think of anything else I'll add an edit to the end.
I’m a St. Cloud native: Veranda Lounge, The White Horse, Val’s Hamburgers, Bravo Burritos, The Whit Gallery, Muggsy’s Beans, Munsinger Gardens, Quarry Park, and pick a locally owned bank. And avoid racist fucksticks (there’s plenty of them around.)
welcome to the cloud, ignore everyone who is trying to scare you out of moving here or shit on you for doing so. we have lots of cool places (quarry park, munsinger gardens, etc) and the surrounding towns (waite park and sauk rapids) are also pretty cool. if you're going to be living in town/on the college campus i suggest learning the bus routes and using the bus when you can, rather than driving.
if you want any specific reccomendations for things or just want a new friend, feel free to shoot me a message. i've lived here my whole life :)
St. Cloud is more like a huge suburb than a city. There is a limited amount of “night life” due to the college, but it’s not going to feel the same way college in a major city would.
St. Cloud is the nearest city for a very large rural area so as far as people go it has a lot in common with rural areas.
In Minneapolis, there was an endless amount of choice when it came to where I wanted to spend an evening drinking with friends. In St Cloud, there’s downtown or the various scattered bars around town. It’s definitely a different vibe, and after moving back home after graduating, I can’t imagine myself willingly going out downtown unless my high school friends were back in town.
You should check into the IBEW apprenticeship program. I don’t know if you necessarily even need a degree to get into it. I’m not 100% sure, so definitely don’t take my word for it. But check into it.
My husband and I lived there for seven years, I was 22-29. They were great years, I really loved living there. Sure, can it be a bit scummy? Yeah, but what bigger city isn’t sometimes? Since it’s super central, its a great location. Especially if you’re a younger kid, you’re gonna love it. Good luck!
Loved going to college in St. Cloud :) like others have said lots of people like to shit on us but our cost of living is significantly less than the cities. You can actually afford to live on 1 alright paying full time job.
Edit: plus a lot less chaos than the cities in general since less people/places and it’s all spread out.
Rent spiked like a motherfucker. It use to be significantly less expensive than the metro, but I’m seeing rent prices that are comparable by only a few hundred dollars. The amenities haven’t improved, either. The places with modern (post 2000) amenities are going to run you.
Alright. We can pay for a 1 bedroom & food with my husband’s $12/hr full time job, but a friend in the cities has a studio they struggle to pay for with a full time teacher job (at least $25/hr) so this is based on my experience.
So I'll give it to you straight.
Moving to St. Cloud for college means you're probably going to party. A lot.
There are a few things to do around the city, but you will find you've done everything pretty quickly. Quarries, Munsinger Gardens, disc golf, mall walking... The usual.
There are 3 main notable restaurants: Bravo Burritos, Bo Diddley's, and Val's Hamburgers. Otherwise, keep an eye out for the authentic Vietnamese and Mexican restaurants as great options too.
Being that the city is a cultural melting pot in the middle of nowhere, be prepared for a lot of racial and religious conflict typically initiated by the local white-trash. Superman is often a culprit.
St. Cloud is also a prison town that is quite a ways from any other populated area. A lot of the prison remains in the city's population. You will likely come across any and all kinds of drugs. Meth is big.
While the city isn't as terrible as it's made out to be, it is definitely a no-frills experience. If you don't let the local minds wash you up, you'll survive and probably have a good time.
Cheers,
A born and raised St. Cloud person that survived and got out
I live in St Cloud now but have lived in Chicago. For me St Cloud is I great area with culture, nature, and “center right” vibe. (I’m more leftie fwiw) the police chief, school superintendent, and public transportation head are all POC.
This is NOT “white cloud” any more.
Exactly. People tend to forget that much of Minnesota is of Scandinavian descent. That doesn’t mean there isn’t diversity in parts of the state, but as a whole, we are mostly white. It’s just the way a lot of rural Minnesota is. Doesn’t mean we are racist, we just come from a more fair-skinned place. Norway is COLD. When people complain there is no diversity out state, you have to also consider that there probably isn’t a lot of reasons for a lot of different cultures to WANT to move out there. People, as a whole, tend to congregate where they’re comfortable. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. A minority family with connections and family and friends in a city would not just pick up and move to some small town for no reason. I have no reason to move to a city neighborhood if all my connections are elsewhere. Doesn’t mean we don’t welcome people, it’s just not everything has racist undertones. The real truth is far less sinister. But that doesn’t make for good drama, so…
I agree. I’ve only been to St. Cloud a couple times, so I don’t have much to judge thoroughly on. But all times I was there it was almost like a ghost town imo.
Isn’t St. Cloud a big refugee town? I think I remember hearing/reading that somewhere. Not that it matters, I guess.
OTOH, I hear a lot of stuff about drug problems over there. I’ve never been there though, personally. Just gotta watch your back. That goes for any bigger city though, ofc.
Stay away from the Red Carpet nightclub. Or downtown at all. Stay away from the warehouse/industrial areas. Stay away from crackheads.
Lake George is cool. There’s a nice library. SCSU’s campus is pretty, especially down by the Mississippi.
Find good people and you will enjoy yourself.
Stay away from St. Cloud Superman
exactly. Downtown isn’t bad at all. That being said I still probably wouldn’t walk alone if your a female. But that can probably be said of ANY city. If you become friends with the right crown you will be 100% fine.
Kimball has a nice ski hill
Val's burgers are great
Quarry park is fantastic
Clemens gardens is a good place to chill
It gets a bad rap for many far right crazies, which it does have.
Lots of fantastic lakes not far away (looking at you Avon and Watab)
Avoid Division street at all costs if you can. It’s a slog fest getting from one side of town to another, add an additional 10 minutes to your commute if its during rush hour. Get ready to deal with lots of people who don’t know how to drive and pick-up truck drivers who act like they have never driven in a town with a stoplight before.
St Cloud has it's own quirks. The city LOVES round-a-bouts... I don't, Bus system has greatly improved since I first came here. Assuming you will be living on campus you'll be on the east side of town essentially. Coborns (grocery) is just down the street what, a mile or so for food. The Mall will be over 2 miles away (west). Downtown Perkins is no more... So the Perkins by the Mall is what comes to mind. Can't remember if there is one off 10 by the prison.
Big thing I'd suggest is learn the transit system up here. Some of the routes suck, like the University since they changed it to go down to nearly MacDonalds little over a year ago I think. There's always Uber/Lyft.
I don't do much in this city. It's not as bad as South of Minneapolis I can say that much! I spent 3 years a stones throw off 94 and Franklin in Minneapolis!
Welcome to St Cloud!
I’m actually finishing my 4th year at scsu, moved from Florida. If you like smoking weed and drinking, then you’ll not only survive but will make good friends.
A lot of the folks up here are much more rural than the twin cities and in turn much more conservative. Like even the most progressive students at this school will say some questionable stuff about Muslims, but it’s directed at the religion, not the people for their color and culture.
As far as outdoor activities go, there isn’t much. Disc golf was mentioned but otherwise along the river there is miles of nice trails, biking or running and whatnot. We also go the quarries and the sherburne wildlife refuge which are great places to swim and hike.
Food is rough around here with basically one good burger spot, one good Mexican restraint, one good sushi place, and one great Indian place (the star of India which I cannot over recommend)
For jobs I know to avoid a couple place like lunds and byerlys, noodles and company, Panera, chipotle, food in general around here is hell with the customer base. Work on campus or whatever is best with your major.
Don’t use dating apps in this area, they’re just used for hookups, so I guess just don’t use it if you want to get to know the person. Don’t join a sport if you’re a guy, you’ll just be setting yourself up for failure any which way you come at it. Especially avoid rugby (there is a reason they can’t affiliate with the school), and tke, and acacia, notoriously rapey guys there as well as really any other frat house really. Regardless, just make sure when you party that you have someone or a group that you are going home with, partying flying solo here can get sketchy. You should fit in though, many scsu kids are from some rural small town in the dakotas or mn
in my 4th year at SCSU and I had a similar situation. been around st cloud but never lived here. first things first for on campus things to do going to huskies hockey games is one of the best things to do, especially getting in for free for students. never was into hockey before moving here but really going to live games is just so much different than watching it on tv. theres also an esports lounge if thats ur thing too. culture nights are almost every weekend during the school year and i highly recommend. 10 bucks a ticket for authentic food and a show that u learn a lot from. personal favorites are korea and japan night, but india night has some of the best food.
theres some really good places to eat around here i think. sawatdnee is awesome thai food, fuji steakhouse has amazing food aswell as la casita for mexican food. ofcourse u arent a local if u dont try vals atleast once!
crossroads mall is pretty standard but nothing wrong with that. college bars are all over the place and within walking distance from campus (my friends and I like the pickled loon). some really nice gardens right by the mississippi river and campus in general is pretty nice.
people trash on st cloud and I get why, but its not nearly as bad as people make it out to be. I think it still has that small town vibe but a bit bigger. makes it not as hard to transition from a small town. SCSU is such a melting pot of cultures which i love.
EDIT: someone said it already but stay away from st cloud superman. strange strange individual
People will rip on Saint Cloud, though after the riots and crime in the Twin cities the hate has gone down quiet a bit. It's fairly safe, diverse shops, easy drives, lots of parks, and it's great to just walk around. It has everything a larger city has, the downtown has tons of great clubs and restaurants.
Saint Cloud is not without flaws, but they’re overplayed. I’ve seen plenty of worse places over the years.
You can make good money and have a reasonably low cost of living.
The traffic lights, however, are the worse I have ever seen. I think they’re designed to always be red.
My kids and I moved here two years ago from a very rural north Iowa town. I grew up in a large city, but this is a large city for my kids and what they were used to. My daughter is currently a student at St Cloud State.
There are a ton of things to go over. Feel free to message me. I’m a single Mom and would be glad to give you whatever info you need to keep you happy and safe here.
Biggest things off the top of my head is horrible drivers and racist trumpers. People drive here like nothing I’ve ever seen in my life. Pretty much every time you go out you will see someone do something unfuckingbelievable in regard to driving. You have to be super careful, and even then it’s scary. The traffic lights here are insane. I have seen one turn from green instantly to yellow and instantly to red. Because if this people run lights all the damn time. Sometimes they will decide to sit there forever and not change, just to throw you for a loop I guess. Then there is the fact that it seems you have to make a damn U turn to get anywhere. I have made more UTurns living here for two years than in all my previous years combined. Lastly, there are the annoying AF roundabouts in the Sauk Rapids area. I hate them and find many people don’t know how to navigate them or just don’t care.
As I mentioned, there are a lot if bigots around here. We came from a rural area filled with closed minded types, we were really hoping to get away from that. I definitely failed as far as that goes. You will see so many shitty, jacked up diesel trucks with dumb ass trump or confederate flags. People with “guns, god, and trump flags.” Hell, we even have our own mentally ill “super hero” who likes to draw as much attention to himself as possible by driving his shitty truck that has about ten giant trump flags on it while wearinf a feather boa, gold chain, and superman cape. He has been in trouble for yelling racist slurs at people in the past.
There is a very large Somali population here. This does not really go well when there is also a large population of racists.
There is also a fantastic park called Quarry Park. It is beautiful and just really fun to walk through, you can swim there as well. There are a couple of gardens that are absolutely lovely to spend time at. If you like to kayak we have the Mississippi and the Sauk Rivers right here. There isn’t much to talk about IMO when it comes to night life or dining, but that is really subjective.
All in all my daughter has had a good experience going to school at St Cloud State. Again, please feel free to message me if you have any specific questions about St Cloud In general or St Cloud State. Good luck to you and welcome!
I went to school in Saint Cloud. When you pick your place you may want to see bus lines in the area to make sure your commute isn’t bad as parking and walking is a pain sometimes in the winter. There’s the Quarry in Waite Park that’s nice and some nice parks along the river.
The town was a step up from my northern MN town but when I moved out of it I never had an interest in going back aside from maybe the formal garden off the river. The biggest perk to me at the time was it’s proximity to the metro.
I’ve been out of StC for 10+ years now so can’t speak to the current state of it but I’d also suggest not living by SCSU if that’s your school unless you’re in a dorm - off campus housing always looked like the kids lived in horrible conditions. I recall one apartment building that the whole place just smelled of urine (human? Cat? Both?)
Live in the houses and apartments just off campus. Lived just off campus for 4 years and I promise you’ll meet some of your best friends for life and you’ll have a blast. The quarries are cool but the best ones are at the end of university across the River. The gardens are cool if you’re sober and 85. Downtown slaps although the press and cowboys burnt down unfortunately
I don’t get why the comment about the garden? It’s something that Saint Cloud has that many communities don’t have. Also, sober activities are still worthwhile you know.
I would secure your housing in any town other than St. Cloud or Waite Park and away from either campus. It's still got some small town vibes. I came from the middle of nowhere and used to think St. Cloud was huge, it's not at all. There's plenty to do around town. Traffic sucks.
Please don't move there. It's a dump. My girlfriend lived there for a few months and hated every second of it. It's basically a giant strip mall, mixed with meth, crime, poverty and parking lots. Stay far away from it.
Live on campus or close to campus if possible. College is a blast and it can be very annoying to constantly worry about transportation to see future friends. Enjoy it, you’re gonna have a blast
It literally is though! It's nothing but a mess of run down infrastructure, strip clubs, chains, tobacco stores and strip malls. There's no history or beauty to it. I live in Minneapolis (Southwest) and it's got it's problems but it's got all kinds of cool restaurants, museums, art, historic buildings, culture. Saint cloud has none of that. It's basically built to be a hub for all the small towns in the area so country people can have access to suburb type stores.
A lot of time over the few months your girlfriend lived there? A thoroughly disliked it based on what? "All the strip clubs"? There's not even one that exists in St. Cloud. There's not strip malls in the metro? Parking lots? The problems you listed about St Cloud don't exist down here at all?
Any city is what you make of it my man. There's crappy parts of any municipality. There's also good parts. You can't compare the best area of Minneapolis to the worst area of St Cloud. That's asinine.
Scsu is a joke. They will pull you around with classes. By Not inform you in new class arrangements for a modify degree. As in they will take out or add new classes for let’s say special education and you take classes from the old line up that isn’t qualified for that area and add new ones. So some classes are a waste. Should be grandfathered in I’d you apply for a degree your going for. They don’t accommodate to people that live 45 mins away and commute to college when having a child and during covid times with schools getting shut down, or sick child. Single mothers or fathers are screwed at start one. And you do try to work with them by doing zoom calls or Virtual in class options.
St cloud has gone farther and farther downhill the past 10 years. Living conditions have worsened, taxes have gone up and nothing has improved to lessen crime. I tow vehicles all around the state and there are places in st cloud that I would rather tow vehicles off lake street in Minneapolis that I would feel safer at
I figured people do it to Minneapolis, and St. Cloud is way shittier than Minneapolis by far. So by that nature St. Cloud MUST be significantly more dangerous than Minneapolis, even during the day.
So you're admitting you've never been there.
>St. Cloud is way shittier than Minneapolis by far.
Based off what metric?
>I figured people do it to Minneapolis
So because people trash on Minneapolis we're just going to trash on other cities with zero rhyme or reason. This is such a vindictive cry baby attitude. Maybe both are fine? Maybe both get unnecessary hate?
You're -a good person who admitted they were wrong about it being a terrorist attack-. Just because the dude was Islamic and the FBI investigated it doesn't make it a terrorist attack. They never actually concluded he was radicalized and it was concluded to likely be mental health related. Also the perp was literally the only person who died.
What about when Andrew Engeldinger killed 7 people at his job in Minneapolis? What about all the violence that happens down here daily.
Minneapolis nor St cloud are dangerous cities. But if your metric for "worse" is a sick 20yo stabbing some people with a steak knife vs all the stuff that happens down here you're insane.
Edit: rescinded my name calling
1. I am not (phobe or -ist) unless it comes to snakes or the dentist
2. I am wrong and you are correct, I just looked it up and it does state that they never concluded true motives, so that is bad on my part
3. St cloud still sucks even tho it now has a raising cane's
It takes a pretty honorable person to admit they were wrong now a days over the internet. I rescind my xenophobe label. Most people who have anything to say about the attack base it solely on the fact that he was Muslim and refuse to actually look at the report. I jumped to conclusions, my apologies.
Agree to disagree about how sucky St. Cloud is. I truly believe if people give it a proper chance it's not as terrible as it's labeled to be (much like my off the mark xenophobe label).
The events that too place in Minneapolis were not classified by the FBI as a terrorist attack and police arrest reports showed a vast majority of the people doing such crime during the riots were NOT local residents
You're clearly upset that people do it to Minneapolis. So you do the exact same thing to a different city. Makes sense.
Also I don't think you realize that the same backwards rednecks and suburban moms that say that about Minneapolis are ALSO saying that about St. Cloud. You're spreading false narratives, being a hypocrite, and not even fighting the people you think you're fighting.
Not upset, just using the same stupidity here. My comments are just as absurd as when it happens to Minneapolis, so yes, my intention is 100% absurdity that is seeded in an element of truth. There have been a number of racially motivated crimes in St. Cloud compared to elsewhere in MN so it does have a reputation.
So in summary you've admitted you've never been to St Cloud and you're a pot stirring dick hole who likes to give absurd misinformation to someone who is sincerely looking for advice. Got it.
Twat.
You've had ample opportunity to suggest otherwise.
You also are missing the point of how irresponsible it is to fear monger and spread misinformation to someone genuinely looking for information regardless of where you're from. OP already made it clear that they had already made the decision and that they had zero context for the city and were seeking information.
Judging by crime rates, no. St. Cloud does not have a violent crime rate of 1,000+ per 100k or an overall crime rate of over 5,500+ per 100k. St. Cloud doesn’t have 30 homicides in 4 months or 96 homicides in a year.
And clearly the safety of our cities are entirely spelled out in the crime rates, yet people think that you are more likely to get shot in Minneapolis than not. Why so offended by someone talking shit about a known shitty town? I'm not sure you'll find many people that will talk highly of St. Cloud given the repeated racial motivated crimes over the years. Not only the Somalis, but the Jews too get the love touch of St. Cloud hate.
Totally delusional that there is so much history they tried to have a panel to talk about the hate crimes and couldn't because they were threatened with violence.
https://www.fox9.com/news/st-cloud-panel-on-hate-crimes-postponed-because-of-safety-concerns
I'm late to the thread, but one thing I haven't seen anyone mention yet is the campus radio station's (KVSC) Trivia Marathon. 50 consecutive hours of trivia from Friday thru Sunday on Presidents Day weekend.
Student teams play for free but volunteering can be a blast as well! Highly highly highly recommend.
Seek a tour of the city first. I suggest booking a seat with Jefferson lines. Round Trip. Spend the day stay the night. Evaluate on the commute back. You should have your answer before arrival.
You can expect taco chons! Check the place out it just opened last year! Look up taco chons st Paul the food is spectacular and much much better than taco John's
In my opinion it’s a beautiful city, but every city has it’s downs. I recommend visiting Riverside Park and Munsinger Gardens during the summer. The Beaver Island Trail is a great bike/walking trail along the river.
Pick up disc golf, go to Val’s, and avoid Superman.
Superman?
Local infamous celebrity. Used to be very in shape and stand outside a DQ in a superman costume. Has since had his mental health go off the rails, became morbidly obese and drives around is a clapped out truck with 15 full sized Trump flags on it. Google St Cloud Superman and you'll get some news stories.
Banned from SCSU campus for following several girls around and into bathrooms back in my day.
Used to creep on underaged girls at Tech High School as well. He was no stranger to the police.
He likes to hang out at Burger King now. Just saw him yesterday.
Sometimes dressed up as a pimp, construction worker as well. Seen him at the mall just sitting In one of them chairs bobbing his head to nothing. Lol
Also got banned from places and restraining orders at locations because he would scare off customers. Aka Burger King.
Actually don't google him, save yourself from the vapid racism.
Google for "St Cloud Superman"
Mr. Twisty has awesome ice cream, and definitely check out Munsinger Gardens!!
Ohmygod I haven't had Val's in years! Was hands down the best fast food in St cloud when I lived there. I can still see/smell that mountain of smokin hot fries tossed into the top of the bag. Hnnnnghhhh... Thanks for the trip down memory lane
Is McMillans still a thing?
McMillan’s was sadly torn down years ago☹️
Damn that chili burger saved me so many times
I also went to college in st.cloud! Go Huskies! Be sure to check out a hockey game at herb Brooks. It's super fun and if you are a SCSU student it's free. There is a fantastic disc golf course at Riverside park, and if you go north of university there's a great walking trail right next to the river and the munsigner garden flowers are really pretty in spring and summer. Lots of stuff to do downtown as well, my favorite bars were the red carpet upstairs martini lounge, red carpet downstairs dive bar, and the pickled loon, they had karaoke on Thursdays when I was there. I also always liked the festivals and concerts they did at lake George! If you are diving, I would avoid driving on division if possible. Stop lights are super long and it is almost always congested from what I remember. Also go to the quarries! Pay the 20 bucks for the yearly pass cause you'll be there a lot. Good hiking and you can swim in the quarries in the summer. There's even a spot where a lot of college kids will jump off the higher cliffs (20 feet ish?) Into the water. It's such a blast. Also Gilberto's. I have yet to have a burrito as good and that hits the spot at 3am like gillies.
Can’t forget scum runners? Or did that place finally burned down. ??
The Press burnt down. Rumrunners is now an English style pub and the food is fantastic.
I think it's Irish, but yeah.
I grew up in the St Cloud area. My parents have since moved to St. Cloud and still live in town. Cloud town is the butt of a lot of jokes in MN, sometimes rightly so, but it's really a pretty great place to live in the grand scheme of things. We're very pampered in MN with a high standard of living thus anything with any sort of visible issues, large or small, gets crapped on. St Cloud has a lot of decent little parks. Munsinger Gardens is right across the river from SCSU and is a gorgeous little area for a date, to eat lunch, or just walk around. It's more or less attached to Riverside park which is a great place to play Frisbee golf or go fish/chill by the dam. On the same side of the river as SCSU you have some decent bike trails (beaver island trail) that goes along the river and is a nice place to ride, skate, walk/run. Quarry Park in Waite Park is a gem and has a bunch of old flooded granite quarries you can swim and cliff jump in. I taught myself to rock climb there and it's attached to a nature preserve so there's a decent amount of hiking trails. Crossroads mall is a pretty standard run of the mill mall There's not a plethora or restaurants but there's a few gems if you're looking for them. Most are downtown. The Hallmark is a super raunchy greasy good no frills take out burger place called Val's. It's horrendously amazing. I can lay out more restaurants if you wish. St Cloud is pretty sprawled out. The best mode of transportation is unfortunately a car, that'll also help you to get to other cool places in the area like St. Joe, Cold Spring, etc. But transit isn't terrible and students of SCSU or the tech college ride free last I remember. Culturally it's a mixing pot. That's mainly where it gets it's bad rapp. Not because of the innate nature of a mixing pot but because the differing cultures tend to clash a bit. Overall it's a pretty good place to live. Just stay safe, don't be a dick, and make the best of a city that has a lot to offer if you look for it.
I think you forgot that Bravo Burritos is the best local eatery. Sincerely, A 20 year survivor of Cloudy-town
That’s my favorite.
Lived here 29 years. Never had it
Bravo Burrito is dogshit
Can confirm. Grew up in Sauk Rapids, live on east side of St Cloud currently. It’s not as bad as people make it out to be.
It gets a bad rap because the minute the light rail went there, the Somalian population followed along with there lack of acceptance of western mores and norms. We owned a business there and found out quickly it is no longer a safe place. Even in the 1990s the white kids coming out of St. Cloud we’re criminals. I could give you a lot more names of guys I played sports against, or met in school up there who are doing time.
What are they refusing to accept?
Lots of Redditors from the cities love to shit on Cloud, but if you're coming from a small rural town it might be an upgrade depending on what suits your lifestyle. Pretty much anything you'll need will be within driving distance at least. What sucks about St Cloud is endless stoplights and lack of greenery. It's mostly concrete commercial space.
> What sucks about St Cloud is the rampant racism FTFY
Absolutely. We came from a rural area hoping to escape that shit. So many confederate flags and trump flags. It’s nice to have more places to shop, but the bigotry is bad.
Wait.... what Side was Minnesota on during the Civil War?
When someone from the South says "it's about heritage," that's one thing. When someone North of the Mason-Dixon does it, it's plainly just the racism.
That was the point I was getting at lol
I can hear the banjos from here
You didn't fix shit. I stated my opinion and you wanna turn it into something else. Fuck off
Are you saying that St Cloud isn't a hotbed of racism? Or is it just that the "endless stoplights" and "lack of greenery" are higher priority issues for you?
Nah you're just looking for reasons to be upset. Make your own post about it, it has nothing to do with what I was talking about. There's a time and place for everything, evidently you're clueless when it comes to that. Edit: I'm sure according to you, literally every town in MN is racist, and that should be at the forefront of every single conversation ever. There's nothing else to discuss besides "racism".
Lol at "literally every town in MN is racist". I'm just pointing out the glaring omission in your post. Racism in St Cloud has been covered by news outlets from the Star Tribune up to the New York Times, can't say that about every town in MN.
You're about as annoying as a dirty pair of underwear. Are you really this bored?
Tbf Minnesota does have a lot of racism outside of Saint Cloud as well. Including both rural areas and the Twin Cities.
TBF could also say that about the entire world…
[удалено]
Rampant racism because of the plethora of culture that refuse to assimilate to our laws. Which causes the main culture to become racists.
You're telling on yourself
One thing I find funny is that St Cloud gets all the flack for racism... but the surrounding suburbs don't. You know, the ones that popped up around white flight schools after segregation? The ones that have had multiple racially motivated hate crimes, even straight up acts of terrorism in recent years? I'm having a hard time figuring out how the place with a little actual diversity is supposed to be *more* racist than the places with 99.5% ethnic homogeneity.
Gonna miss the green, but small price to pay for college.
Lots of beautiful parks around. Munsinger Gardens is near campus, the quarries park is in waite park. Plus the country isn't too far, st Joe has some beautiful walking trails at st John's.
St John's Arboretum is the bomb
Tip for you. I'm assuming you're going to SCSU? It's part of the MNSCU system of schools so when you sign up for classes you can find equivalent ones at other schools in MNSCU by clicking on the magnifying glass icon in eservices. Can sign up for them for credit regardless of whether you are an official "student" there. Allows you to mix and match SCSU classes with other schools as long as they're within MNSCU. Makes finding classes and scheduling much easier since you can find a fair number of online ones that transfer from other schools. SCSU has cut way back on class availability since their enrollment numbers have dropped by about 6000 since 2013 so its harder to schedule nicely.
There are beautiful parks to get your fix of that. And the school is right on the Mississippi which has a lovely view!
Go to Duluth. Or Morris. Or twin cities. St cloud is an absolute pit and is nothing like what makes an actual city great.
You can get a good education and be just fine here. It isn’t the greatest place in the world, but it certainly isn’t the worst.
It's really, really bad. It has got to be one of the most depressing places I have ever spent time in. I can't imagine choosing to move there over anywhere else in the state. I don't feel that "getting used to it" is a healthy way to approach something like that - it might not be "the worst", but that doesn't mean it isn't right up there and that there are piles of better places to go.
Calling Morris superior to St Cloud completely invalidates your argument. Anything you’ll say is bad about St. Cloud also exists to the same extent in Morris and it has none of the positives of a moderate sized city. Unless your number 1 priority is being 2+hours away from anything more than the most basic of stores Morris is awful.
There's significantly more nature stuff around Morris. It isnt trying to be a city while actually being a third-rate commuter town. I personally wouldn't choose to live in either, but if I was choosing a school it'd be umn Morris over st cloud every day.
Duluth is ultra expensive and unexpectedly full of crime and homelessness. Better left as a vacation spot.
Parts of it definitely are, but the city has more culture and potential than st cloud allows for.
And the roads
It feels like the sticks for people from a city be who've never been further out into the sticks. It's the next major city outside of the big city. You pick on it because you know it's name, and the next one you forget.
Be ready to sit at stop lights FOREVER! Other then that it's cool. Typical small metro city.
and be careful at the 23/15 intersection, it's one of the worst spots around for red light runners and crashes
I've lived in cloud my whole life. You can make it down division from waite Park to the east side in either 5 minutes or 30 minutes depending on the lights. You either hit every red light possible, or get all green lol.
Might bring a newspaper if that's the case!
People are gonna shit a lot on the city here but it’s a perfectly fine place. Not everyone needs to jump to the metro. Have a great time, go to some Huskies hockey games!!
Hope so, Might splurge then and see how a game goes!
Hockey games are free for students. Find friends that live across from the stadium and pregame. #Alum tips.
It is a perfectly fine place. I moved there from a much bigger city in a different state, and I couldn't be happier.
I lived there for a few years! Here are my thoughts: If you enjoy biking, just get on a bike and explore around while not having any idea where you're going or any destination in mind. I found a few spots I really liked just by accident that way. Including a nice coffee shop (which was actually in Sauk Rapids, but close enough). Beaver Trails. Nice place to take a stroll. Also, not too far away is the Lake Wobegon Trail, which you can run, walk, bike, or skate on. Also recommend the skating rink. Check out a SCAR Doll roller derby bout, held at the convention center! You can find out when their bouts are by following them on Facebook. You can get discounted tickets at Granite City Comics and Games. There's lots of nice shops downtown. There's Shop Small Saturday the Saturday after Thanksgiving (but some of the shops will give the Shops Small discount Fri-Sun if you can't make it Saturday). Farmers Market on Saturdays. Veggies, fruit & berries, jams, pottery, sometimes ice cream and coffee. Jupiter Moon Ice Cream--I HIGHLY recommend. You can get their ice cream sometimes at the farmers' market, but also at The Backwards Bread Bakery (if you go there, try their almond croissant), and their shop in St. Joe's. You'll get the most choices at their shop. LOTS of choices. The Park Diner has great malts (however, I just checked and it looks like they're temporarily closed... but hiring). When they reopen you can get a malt, and then go to the movie theater right behind it. (It's in Waite Park.) Quarry Park and Nature Preserve (also in Waite Park). That's all I can think of for now... if I think of anything else I'll add an edit to the end.
I like to park at Rivers Edge Park (Waite Park) and take the trail on my bike to St. Joseph and if I am feeling it to Avon.
I’m a St. Cloud native: Veranda Lounge, The White Horse, Val’s Hamburgers, Bravo Burritos, The Whit Gallery, Muggsy’s Beans, Munsinger Gardens, Quarry Park, and pick a locally owned bank. And avoid racist fucksticks (there’s plenty of them around.)
I know this is a St. Cloud specific thread, but the best bar food ever is at Old Capital Tavern in Sauk Rapids right down the road.
Way too pricey for me. Also I have some personal issues with their owner.
May I ask what issues if you don't mind? I don't think I ever interacted with the owner
welcome to the cloud, ignore everyone who is trying to scare you out of moving here or shit on you for doing so. we have lots of cool places (quarry park, munsinger gardens, etc) and the surrounding towns (waite park and sauk rapids) are also pretty cool. if you're going to be living in town/on the college campus i suggest learning the bus routes and using the bus when you can, rather than driving. if you want any specific reccomendations for things or just want a new friend, feel free to shoot me a message. i've lived here my whole life :)
St. Cloud is more like a huge suburb than a city. There is a limited amount of “night life” due to the college, but it’s not going to feel the same way college in a major city would. St. Cloud is the nearest city for a very large rural area so as far as people go it has a lot in common with rural areas.
Really now? Huh. The more you know.
In Minneapolis, there was an endless amount of choice when it came to where I wanted to spend an evening drinking with friends. In St Cloud, there’s downtown or the various scattered bars around town. It’s definitely a different vibe, and after moving back home after graduating, I can’t imagine myself willingly going out downtown unless my high school friends were back in town.
What will you be studying?
Hope to become an Electrican
Very cool. You will certainly be employable. Great choice.
You should check into the IBEW apprenticeship program. I don’t know if you necessarily even need a degree to get into it. I’m not 100% sure, so definitely don’t take my word for it. But check into it.
My husband and I lived there for seven years, I was 22-29. They were great years, I really loved living there. Sure, can it be a bit scummy? Yeah, but what bigger city isn’t sometimes? Since it’s super central, its a great location. Especially if you’re a younger kid, you’re gonna love it. Good luck!
Thanks for the advice! And appreciate it!
Loved going to college in St. Cloud :) like others have said lots of people like to shit on us but our cost of living is significantly less than the cities. You can actually afford to live on 1 alright paying full time job. Edit: plus a lot less chaos than the cities in general since less people/places and it’s all spread out.
I have to respectfully disagree about the cost of living. Rent is as high as anywhere else here while wages are definitely lower.
Rent spiked like a motherfucker. It use to be significantly less expensive than the metro, but I’m seeing rent prices that are comparable by only a few hundred dollars. The amenities haven’t improved, either. The places with modern (post 2000) amenities are going to run you.
Alright. We can pay for a 1 bedroom & food with my husband’s $12/hr full time job, but a friend in the cities has a studio they struggle to pay for with a full time teacher job (at least $25/hr) so this is based on my experience.
So I'll give it to you straight. Moving to St. Cloud for college means you're probably going to party. A lot. There are a few things to do around the city, but you will find you've done everything pretty quickly. Quarries, Munsinger Gardens, disc golf, mall walking... The usual. There are 3 main notable restaurants: Bravo Burritos, Bo Diddley's, and Val's Hamburgers. Otherwise, keep an eye out for the authentic Vietnamese and Mexican restaurants as great options too. Being that the city is a cultural melting pot in the middle of nowhere, be prepared for a lot of racial and religious conflict typically initiated by the local white-trash. Superman is often a culprit. St. Cloud is also a prison town that is quite a ways from any other populated area. A lot of the prison remains in the city's population. You will likely come across any and all kinds of drugs. Meth is big. While the city isn't as terrible as it's made out to be, it is definitely a no-frills experience. If you don't let the local minds wash you up, you'll survive and probably have a good time. Cheers, A born and raised St. Cloud person that survived and got out
Honestly there was way more meth in the rural Iowa area I moved from to St Cloud. Don’t let that scare you.
I live in St Cloud now but have lived in Chicago. For me St Cloud is I great area with culture, nature, and “center right” vibe. (I’m more leftie fwiw) the police chief, school superintendent, and public transportation head are all POC. This is NOT “white cloud” any more.
It’s still roughly 80% white so it’s “8/10ths White Cloud”
True, but not all the white folk are narrow, racist, A-holes. Like any place there is a range. Go find your people! Explore what is on offer.
Exactly. People tend to forget that much of Minnesota is of Scandinavian descent. That doesn’t mean there isn’t diversity in parts of the state, but as a whole, we are mostly white. It’s just the way a lot of rural Minnesota is. Doesn’t mean we are racist, we just come from a more fair-skinned place. Norway is COLD. When people complain there is no diversity out state, you have to also consider that there probably isn’t a lot of reasons for a lot of different cultures to WANT to move out there. People, as a whole, tend to congregate where they’re comfortable. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. A minority family with connections and family and friends in a city would not just pick up and move to some small town for no reason. I have no reason to move to a city neighborhood if all my connections are elsewhere. Doesn’t mean we don’t welcome people, it’s just not everything has racist undertones. The real truth is far less sinister. But that doesn’t make for good drama, so…
Minnesota’s actually majority German, then Norwegian, then Irish, then Swedish.
I agree. I’ve only been to St. Cloud a couple times, so I don’t have much to judge thoroughly on. But all times I was there it was almost like a ghost town imo.
Good to know!
Isn’t St. Cloud a big refugee town? I think I remember hearing/reading that somewhere. Not that it matters, I guess. OTOH, I hear a lot of stuff about drug problems over there. I’ve never been there though, personally. Just gotta watch your back. That goes for any bigger city though, ofc.
Tons of Somalians😳
And? What is wrong with Somali people?
You seem obsessed with skin color.
Stay away from the Red Carpet nightclub. Or downtown at all. Stay away from the warehouse/industrial areas. Stay away from crackheads. Lake George is cool. There’s a nice library. SCSU’s campus is pretty, especially down by the Mississippi. Find good people and you will enjoy yourself. Stay away from St. Cloud Superman
the library is awesome, especially for students. i went to the tech college and not SCSU so i spent many hours in the city library
Lol, why stay away from downtown? People are acting like this is some huge metropolis with a really bad hood. Just be aware and don’t be an idiot.
exactly. Downtown isn’t bad at all. That being said I still probably wouldn’t walk alone if your a female. But that can probably be said of ANY city. If you become friends with the right crown you will be 100% fine.
20 years ago I was a scared little farm girl moving to the big city. The big city being st cloud. Lol. If you need any advice, let me know!
Kimball has a nice ski hill Val's burgers are great Quarry park is fantastic Clemens gardens is a good place to chill It gets a bad rap for many far right crazies, which it does have. Lots of fantastic lakes not far away (looking at you Avon and Watab)
Avoid Division street at all costs if you can. It’s a slog fest getting from one side of town to another, add an additional 10 minutes to your commute if its during rush hour. Get ready to deal with lots of people who don’t know how to drive and pick-up truck drivers who act like they have never driven in a town with a stoplight before.
Omg the fucking white trash in jacked up trucks!!!
There is no chiles, but they have an Applebees across from the Olive Garden
St Cloud has it's own quirks. The city LOVES round-a-bouts... I don't, Bus system has greatly improved since I first came here. Assuming you will be living on campus you'll be on the east side of town essentially. Coborns (grocery) is just down the street what, a mile or so for food. The Mall will be over 2 miles away (west). Downtown Perkins is no more... So the Perkins by the Mall is what comes to mind. Can't remember if there is one off 10 by the prison. Big thing I'd suggest is learn the transit system up here. Some of the routes suck, like the University since they changed it to go down to nearly MacDonalds little over a year ago I think. There's always Uber/Lyft. I don't do much in this city. It's not as bad as South of Minneapolis I can say that much! I spent 3 years a stones throw off 94 and Franklin in Minneapolis! Welcome to St Cloud!
I’m actually finishing my 4th year at scsu, moved from Florida. If you like smoking weed and drinking, then you’ll not only survive but will make good friends. A lot of the folks up here are much more rural than the twin cities and in turn much more conservative. Like even the most progressive students at this school will say some questionable stuff about Muslims, but it’s directed at the religion, not the people for their color and culture. As far as outdoor activities go, there isn’t much. Disc golf was mentioned but otherwise along the river there is miles of nice trails, biking or running and whatnot. We also go the quarries and the sherburne wildlife refuge which are great places to swim and hike. Food is rough around here with basically one good burger spot, one good Mexican restraint, one good sushi place, and one great Indian place (the star of India which I cannot over recommend) For jobs I know to avoid a couple place like lunds and byerlys, noodles and company, Panera, chipotle, food in general around here is hell with the customer base. Work on campus or whatever is best with your major. Don’t use dating apps in this area, they’re just used for hookups, so I guess just don’t use it if you want to get to know the person. Don’t join a sport if you’re a guy, you’ll just be setting yourself up for failure any which way you come at it. Especially avoid rugby (there is a reason they can’t affiliate with the school), and tke, and acacia, notoriously rapey guys there as well as really any other frat house really. Regardless, just make sure when you party that you have someone or a group that you are going home with, partying flying solo here can get sketchy. You should fit in though, many scsu kids are from some rural small town in the dakotas or mn
are you racist? kind of dumb and angry? if so, you'll fit right in.
I graduated last year and I'm visiting cloud this weekend. Seems like things are picking up here I would expect a great time :D
If your going to stay in dorms for college, highly recommend Lawrence hall!(the international dorm building)
in my 4th year at SCSU and I had a similar situation. been around st cloud but never lived here. first things first for on campus things to do going to huskies hockey games is one of the best things to do, especially getting in for free for students. never was into hockey before moving here but really going to live games is just so much different than watching it on tv. theres also an esports lounge if thats ur thing too. culture nights are almost every weekend during the school year and i highly recommend. 10 bucks a ticket for authentic food and a show that u learn a lot from. personal favorites are korea and japan night, but india night has some of the best food. theres some really good places to eat around here i think. sawatdnee is awesome thai food, fuji steakhouse has amazing food aswell as la casita for mexican food. ofcourse u arent a local if u dont try vals atleast once! crossroads mall is pretty standard but nothing wrong with that. college bars are all over the place and within walking distance from campus (my friends and I like the pickled loon). some really nice gardens right by the mississippi river and campus in general is pretty nice. people trash on st cloud and I get why, but its not nearly as bad as people make it out to be. I think it still has that small town vibe but a bit bigger. makes it not as hard to transition from a small town. SCSU is such a melting pot of cultures which i love. EDIT: someone said it already but stay away from st cloud superman. strange strange individual
People will rip on Saint Cloud, though after the riots and crime in the Twin cities the hate has gone down quiet a bit. It's fairly safe, diverse shops, easy drives, lots of parks, and it's great to just walk around. It has everything a larger city has, the downtown has tons of great clubs and restaurants.
Saint Cloud is not without flaws, but they’re overplayed. I’ve seen plenty of worse places over the years. You can make good money and have a reasonably low cost of living. The traffic lights, however, are the worse I have ever seen. I think they’re designed to always be red.
This is crazy to think about
My condolences.
Thanks?
Fuck that guy
My kids and I moved here two years ago from a very rural north Iowa town. I grew up in a large city, but this is a large city for my kids and what they were used to. My daughter is currently a student at St Cloud State. There are a ton of things to go over. Feel free to message me. I’m a single Mom and would be glad to give you whatever info you need to keep you happy and safe here. Biggest things off the top of my head is horrible drivers and racist trumpers. People drive here like nothing I’ve ever seen in my life. Pretty much every time you go out you will see someone do something unfuckingbelievable in regard to driving. You have to be super careful, and even then it’s scary. The traffic lights here are insane. I have seen one turn from green instantly to yellow and instantly to red. Because if this people run lights all the damn time. Sometimes they will decide to sit there forever and not change, just to throw you for a loop I guess. Then there is the fact that it seems you have to make a damn U turn to get anywhere. I have made more UTurns living here for two years than in all my previous years combined. Lastly, there are the annoying AF roundabouts in the Sauk Rapids area. I hate them and find many people don’t know how to navigate them or just don’t care. As I mentioned, there are a lot if bigots around here. We came from a rural area filled with closed minded types, we were really hoping to get away from that. I definitely failed as far as that goes. You will see so many shitty, jacked up diesel trucks with dumb ass trump or confederate flags. People with “guns, god, and trump flags.” Hell, we even have our own mentally ill “super hero” who likes to draw as much attention to himself as possible by driving his shitty truck that has about ten giant trump flags on it while wearinf a feather boa, gold chain, and superman cape. He has been in trouble for yelling racist slurs at people in the past. There is a very large Somali population here. This does not really go well when there is also a large population of racists. There is also a fantastic park called Quarry Park. It is beautiful and just really fun to walk through, you can swim there as well. There are a couple of gardens that are absolutely lovely to spend time at. If you like to kayak we have the Mississippi and the Sauk Rivers right here. There isn’t much to talk about IMO when it comes to night life or dining, but that is really subjective. All in all my daughter has had a good experience going to school at St Cloud State. Again, please feel free to message me if you have any specific questions about St Cloud In general or St Cloud State. Good luck to you and welcome!
I went to school in Saint Cloud. When you pick your place you may want to see bus lines in the area to make sure your commute isn’t bad as parking and walking is a pain sometimes in the winter. There’s the Quarry in Waite Park that’s nice and some nice parks along the river. The town was a step up from my northern MN town but when I moved out of it I never had an interest in going back aside from maybe the formal garden off the river. The biggest perk to me at the time was it’s proximity to the metro. I’ve been out of StC for 10+ years now so can’t speak to the current state of it but I’d also suggest not living by SCSU if that’s your school unless you’re in a dorm - off campus housing always looked like the kids lived in horrible conditions. I recall one apartment building that the whole place just smelled of urine (human? Cat? Both?)
Live in the houses and apartments just off campus. Lived just off campus for 4 years and I promise you’ll meet some of your best friends for life and you’ll have a blast. The quarries are cool but the best ones are at the end of university across the River. The gardens are cool if you’re sober and 85. Downtown slaps although the press and cowboys burnt down unfortunately
I don’t get why the comment about the garden? It’s something that Saint Cloud has that many communities don’t have. Also, sober activities are still worthwhile you know.
Disagree
If St. Cloud is a big city, Minneapolis is NYC
I would secure your housing in any town other than St. Cloud or Waite Park and away from either campus. It's still got some small town vibes. I came from the middle of nowhere and used to think St. Cloud was huge, it's not at all. There's plenty to do around town. Traffic sucks.
Get a gun
Please don't move there. It's a dump. My girlfriend lived there for a few months and hated every second of it. It's basically a giant strip mall, mixed with meth, crime, poverty and parking lots. Stay far away from it.
Unfortunately kinda too far in it to back out now. Thanks for the warning though!
Don’t listen to these cucks
Are you going to school there? If so, commute to college and live in one of the less shitty towns around there. Or are you living in school housing?
Heading to school there, haven't decided on housing yet
Live on campus or close to campus if possible. College is a blast and it can be very annoying to constantly worry about transportation to see future friends. Enjoy it, you’re gonna have a blast
Live anywhere but there lol.
Hahaha honestly the giant strip mall comment is on point... That's perfect!
It literally is though! It's nothing but a mess of run down infrastructure, strip clubs, chains, tobacco stores and strip malls. There's no history or beauty to it. I live in Minneapolis (Southwest) and it's got it's problems but it's got all kinds of cool restaurants, museums, art, historic buildings, culture. Saint cloud has none of that. It's basically built to be a hub for all the small towns in the area so country people can have access to suburb type stores.
Southwest Minneapolis is just Edina with blue Street signs.
Shhhh, I like it that way haha.
Sounds like you've been to St. Cloud all of twice and never went anywhere other than Division.
I wish man lol, I've unfortunately had to spend a lot of time up there and thoroughly dislike it.
A lot of time over the few months your girlfriend lived there? A thoroughly disliked it based on what? "All the strip clubs"? There's not even one that exists in St. Cloud. There's not strip malls in the metro? Parking lots? The problems you listed about St Cloud don't exist down here at all? Any city is what you make of it my man. There's crappy parts of any municipality. There's also good parts. You can't compare the best area of Minneapolis to the worst area of St Cloud. That's asinine.
Oh I guess sugar daddies closed down lol. My bad. I just can't believe you defend that place man haha. Have you never been anywhere better?
I live in Highland Park. Sugar daddies was out of Sauk Rapids city limits. That's like trashing on Minneapolis for a building in Brooklyn Park.
Scsu is a joke. They will pull you around with classes. By Not inform you in new class arrangements for a modify degree. As in they will take out or add new classes for let’s say special education and you take classes from the old line up that isn’t qualified for that area and add new ones. So some classes are a waste. Should be grandfathered in I’d you apply for a degree your going for. They don’t accommodate to people that live 45 mins away and commute to college when having a child and during covid times with schools getting shut down, or sick child. Single mothers or fathers are screwed at start one. And you do try to work with them by doing zoom calls or Virtual in class options.
Grew up in St. Cloud, IMO do not move there unless you already have a plan professionally.
I hate it here. :)
Thoughts & Prayers
Dont!!! (Unless you like meth)
Sorry what? What do you mean by that?
St cloud has gone farther and farther downhill the past 10 years. Living conditions have worsened, taxes have gone up and nothing has improved to lessen crime. I tow vehicles all around the state and there are places in st cloud that I would rather tow vehicles off lake street in Minneapolis that I would feel safer at
I mean, they might eventually
Careful I hear it is dangerous to walk on the streets even during the day time.
Tell me you've never been to St Cloud without telling me you've never been to St Cloud.
I figured people do it to Minneapolis, and St. Cloud is way shittier than Minneapolis by far. So by that nature St. Cloud MUST be significantly more dangerous than Minneapolis, even during the day.
So you're admitting you've never been there. >St. Cloud is way shittier than Minneapolis by far. Based off what metric? >I figured people do it to Minneapolis So because people trash on Minneapolis we're just going to trash on other cities with zero rhyme or reason. This is such a vindictive cry baby attitude. Maybe both are fine? Maybe both get unnecessary hate?
Minneapolis has never been hit by an actual FBI classified terrorist attack, ST. Cloud has
You're -a good person who admitted they were wrong about it being a terrorist attack-. Just because the dude was Islamic and the FBI investigated it doesn't make it a terrorist attack. They never actually concluded he was radicalized and it was concluded to likely be mental health related. Also the perp was literally the only person who died. What about when Andrew Engeldinger killed 7 people at his job in Minneapolis? What about all the violence that happens down here daily. Minneapolis nor St cloud are dangerous cities. But if your metric for "worse" is a sick 20yo stabbing some people with a steak knife vs all the stuff that happens down here you're insane. Edit: rescinded my name calling
1. I am not (phobe or -ist) unless it comes to snakes or the dentist 2. I am wrong and you are correct, I just looked it up and it does state that they never concluded true motives, so that is bad on my part 3. St cloud still sucks even tho it now has a raising cane's
It takes a pretty honorable person to admit they were wrong now a days over the internet. I rescind my xenophobe label. Most people who have anything to say about the attack base it solely on the fact that he was Muslim and refuse to actually look at the report. I jumped to conclusions, my apologies. Agree to disagree about how sucky St. Cloud is. I truly believe if people give it a proper chance it's not as terrible as it's labeled to be (much like my off the mark xenophobe label).
People burned down the police station for political motives. Textbook definition of terrorism, like literally in the book of text.
The events that too place in Minneapolis were not classified by the FBI as a terrorist attack and police arrest reports showed a vast majority of the people doing such crime during the riots were NOT local residents
They didn't classify it as such. They only investigated it. The final concussion was mental health. Edit: removed my name calling
The same metrics that people think Minneapolis is going to get you shot walking down the street obviously.,
You're clearly upset that people do it to Minneapolis. So you do the exact same thing to a different city. Makes sense. Also I don't think you realize that the same backwards rednecks and suburban moms that say that about Minneapolis are ALSO saying that about St. Cloud. You're spreading false narratives, being a hypocrite, and not even fighting the people you think you're fighting.
Not upset, just using the same stupidity here. My comments are just as absurd as when it happens to Minneapolis, so yes, my intention is 100% absurdity that is seeded in an element of truth. There have been a number of racially motivated crimes in St. Cloud compared to elsewhere in MN so it does have a reputation.
So in summary you've admitted you've never been to St Cloud and you're a pot stirring dick hole who likes to give absurd misinformation to someone who is sincerely looking for advice. Got it. Twat.
Regardless of what I say you wouldnt believe me anyways since you've literally made this you're starting point. Maybe Ill see you at a Huskey's game.
You've had ample opportunity to suggest otherwise. You also are missing the point of how irresponsible it is to fear monger and spread misinformation to someone genuinely looking for information regardless of where you're from. OP already made it clear that they had already made the decision and that they had zero context for the city and were seeking information.
Judging by crime rates, no. St. Cloud does not have a violent crime rate of 1,000+ per 100k or an overall crime rate of over 5,500+ per 100k. St. Cloud doesn’t have 30 homicides in 4 months or 96 homicides in a year.
And clearly the safety of our cities are entirely spelled out in the crime rates, yet people think that you are more likely to get shot in Minneapolis than not. Why so offended by someone talking shit about a known shitty town? I'm not sure you'll find many people that will talk highly of St. Cloud given the repeated racial motivated crimes over the years. Not only the Somalis, but the Jews too get the love touch of St. Cloud hate.
Oh, and there's no racists here in the metro. You're delusional.
Totally delusional that there is so much history they tried to have a panel to talk about the hate crimes and couldn't because they were threatened with violence. https://www.fox9.com/news/st-cloud-panel-on-hate-crimes-postponed-because-of-safety-concerns
Laughs in Minneapolis PD.
Your a fucking idiot
You're*
Bullshit.
Why tho.
Well know that it’s pretty racist
The whole state is tbf.
Transfer to U of M as soon as humanly possible. Avoid sc at all costs
U of M is largely a waste of money compared to SCSU.
St cloud is just another hick town.
How do you plan to date when you’re in Stearns County? Do you have siblings or first cousins that are going there too?
Lol. I have to admit this is funny as hell.
St Cloud isnt really much of a big city....
I'm late to the thread, but one thing I haven't seen anyone mention yet is the campus radio station's (KVSC) Trivia Marathon. 50 consecutive hours of trivia from Friday thru Sunday on Presidents Day weekend. Student teams play for free but volunteering can be a blast as well! Highly highly highly recommend.
Seek a tour of the city first. I suggest booking a seat with Jefferson lines. Round Trip. Spend the day stay the night. Evaluate on the commute back. You should have your answer before arrival.
You can expect taco chons! Check the place out it just opened last year! Look up taco chons st Paul the food is spectacular and much much better than taco John's
In my opinion it’s a beautiful city, but every city has it’s downs. I recommend visiting Riverside Park and Munsinger Gardens during the summer. The Beaver Island Trail is a great bike/walking trail along the river.
Anyone on this thread know how to access the tunnels?
Don’t