A Realistic Driving Tour of Saint Paul (2026 Update)
Most people see Saint Paul as the quieter half of the Twin Cities. It is calmer, but it holds its own, with plenty of new development alongside historic homes. Here’s a full driving tour: neighborhoods, landmarks, downtown and Como Park, with home prices along the way.
Prices are as of my video above (early 2026).
Mississippi River Boulevard
Along the river, which forms Saint Paul’s western and southern edge, homes range from about $500,000 to $2 million: west-facing mid-century homes, many remodeled or torn down and rebuilt. Saint Paul has lots of parks and trails but fewer lakes than Minneapolis. Hidden Falls Regional Park is nearby.
Highland Bridge: the old Ford plant
Henry Ford’s Twin Cities Assembly Plant opened here in the 1920s, powered by its own Mississippi River hydro plant (and sitting above old silica sand mines). Today, the Highland Bridge redevelopment has single-family homes starting around $800,000, townhomes for less, mixed-use buildings with shops, parks and a skating rink. It feels nothing like old Saint Paul. Read more in 9 megaprojects changing the Twin Cities.
Highland Village
Along Ford Parkway at Cretin and Fin, you’ll find Lunds & Byerlys, banks, restaurants, health care and shops, all very walkable, with bike lanes on Ford Parkway.
Mac-Groveland
Home to Macalester College and the University of St. Thomas, with homes mostly built from the 1920s to 1970s: bungalows and colonials, some lovingly preserved and some needing TLC. Single-family homes range from about the mid-$300,000s to mid-$800,000s. Grand Avenue has pizzerias, a hardware store and the historic Grandview Theater. There’s even a Saint Paul “Tangletown” with winding streets (Minneapolis has one too). It can feel like small-town USA, with no skyscrapers in sight and nothing cookie-cutter.
(Fun history: Saint Paul’s first name was Pig’s Eye, after fur trader Pierre “Pig’s Eye” Parrant. A Catholic priest later named it Saint Paul.)
Summit Avenue
The longest continuous stretch of Victorian homes in the country, with about 85% of the originals still standing, mostly built from the 1890s to 1920s by the era’s industrialists (railroads, mining, timber and the fur trade). The avenue declined after the Depression, then had a renaissance from the mid-’60s on. You’ll pass the Governor’s Residence, Mitchell Hamline School of Law and the University Club, with St. Catherine University nearby.
These homes can need a lot of work, so know what to look for (nobody wants The Money Pit). We’ve sold several on and near Summit, including the most expensive Summit Hill sale in about the last five years, at $2.3 million.
At the east end sits the James J. Hill House, once one of the largest homes in Minnesota, built by the founder of the Great Northern Railway and now run by the Minnesota Historical Society. Across the street is the Cathedral of Saint Paul, one of the largest cathedrals in the country, where my wife Brooke and I were married.
Downtown and West 7th
The Minnesota History Center is great for kids and events. Downtown has hospitals, museums and Grand Casino Arena (home of the Wild), one of the best places to watch hockey and great acoustically for concerts. On West 7th: Mancini’s for charbroiled steaks (with a shuttle to Wild games), Tom Reid’s before a game, Cossetta’s with its multilevel rooftop, and the Truck Park food trucks, plus new condos across from the arena. The RiverCentre hosts boat and fishing shows.
Nearby: the Science Museum of Minnesota, Harriet Island (with concerts where people listen from their boats or from blankets on the lawn), Union Depot (being renovated for transit), the Saint Paul Farmers Market in Lowertown, and CHS Field, home of the Saints, the Twins’ Triple-A team, once co-owned by Bill Murray. Saint Paul has fewer skyways and one-way streets than Minneapolis, and skyways close at night, since buildings own them.
Como Park
Around Como Lake, homes are considerably more affordable, from the upper $200,000s to about $500,000. Como Park Zoo and Conservatory is free, supported by donations, and one of the oldest zoos in the country (it started in the 1890s with a gift of deer). It has polar bears, an old-time carousel, an indoor conservatory (where we took our wedding photos), a golf course and great picnic spots. In parts of Como you can’t see a single skyscraper.
The bottom line
Saint Paul is the twin to Minneapolis in many ways, and not in others. Overall, homes are less expensive, with a median in the low to mid-$300,000s, while Minneapolis has more homes in the $6 million to $8 million range around the lakes. My advice: spend a weekend in each city before you choose, and let us help with your research. See also Saint Paul vs. Minneapolis and Saint Paul pros and cons.
