Saint Cloud

Saint Cloud (pop. 190,921), city in central Minnesota, seat of Stearns County, located on the Mississippi River about 70 mi (110 km) northwest of Minneapolis. Named for a French city, it was a fur-trading center and a stage coach terminus from the mid-1850s. Its granite quarries were opened in 1870, and the city is still a center for the granite industry. Other industry includes the manufacture of optical lenses, railroad cars, and refrigeration equipment. It is the home of St. Cloud State University.

See also: Minnesota.