Saint Paul: Geography and Climate

Saint Paul occupies with Minneapolis the center of the 15-county Twin Cities metropolitan statistical area. (In addition to Hennepin, Ramsey, Anoka, Washington, Dakota, Scott, Carver, Wright, Sheburne, Chisago, and Isanti counties in Minnesota, and Pierce and St. Croix counties in Wisconsin, two counties in St. Cloud were added in 1993; they were Stearns and Benton.) Saint Paul is located with Minneapolis at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers over the heart of an artesian water basin. The surrounding terrain is flat or rolling and dotted with lakes. The climate is predominantly continental with wide seasonal temperature variations, ranging from minus 30 degrees to 100 degrees and above.