College town vibes in St. Joseph
St. Joseph, sometimes referred to as St. Joe or Joetown, is a vibrant community on the western border of St. Cloud. “What sets us apart from other cities in the St. Cloud area is we are a smaller college community with an exciting vibe, and we have a very robust downtown that is constantly expanding,” says David Murphy, St. Joseph’s city administrator. St. John’s University and College of St. Benedict are two colleges in one, meaning students attend classes on both Catholic school campuses, but the women’s dorms are downtown at the College of St. Benedict, and the men’s campus is at St. John’s in nearby Collegeville. Murphy says, “Locals consider St. John’s part of the city of St. Joseph even though it’s a couple miles away.”
Century-old and modern houses fill the community
Homes date from the early 1900s to the present day and are mostly located in suburban developments. Bungalows and cottages built before 1950 sell for around $190,000 to $250,000. The mid-1900s through the 1990s brought many ranch-style, bi-level and split-level homes into the area. They range from around $210,000 to $370,000. New Traditional homes from the 2000s feature a mix of styles and sell for around $200,000 to $530,000.
Eclectic restaurants and shops downtown
Local businesses line the downtown intersection of Minnesota Street and College Avenue. “We’ve done a lot of redevelopment downtown. There are no vacant buildings,” Murphy says. “Some recent projects include a new yoga studio, a wellness center and a bank.” Each downtown restaurant provides a unique dining experience. The Local Blend is a hip café where college students go to study and hang out over baked goods, coffee and occasional live music. Krewe offers New Orleans-style dishes under a string-lit patio. Jupiter Moon Ice Cream is where locals go for space-themed ice cream flavors like the Minnesota cosmic twilight, flamingos in space and cosmic cotton candy. That’s not the only thing “out of this world” in Joetown. Obbink Distillery was opened by Gregg Obbink, a retired NASA engineer who developed a way to make days-old whiskey taste like it's been aged for years. The House Food and Tap has four restaurants, a craft beer tap wall and a common eating area. One of the restaurants, 98 Hawaiian Grill, was opened by former NFL star and native Hawaiian Esera Tuaolo. Downtown shopping offers a few boutiques, the Minnesota Street Market Food & Art Co-op and the local butcher at St. Joseph Meat Market. There's also a Coborn’s for everyday groceries and essentials. More big-box retailers are about 5 miles away in St. Cloud.
St. Cloud public schools and two Catholic colleges in one
Kindergarten through eighth-grade students attend Kennedy Community School, which receives a B-minus grade from Niche. They’ll go on to Apollo Senior High School, which also gets a B-minus and is a few miles away in St. Cloud. The high school has more than 20 Articulated College Credit programs, allowing students in 10th through 12th grades to get a head start on post-secondary education. Students interested in entering the workforce after graduating can take advantage of the high school’s Career Technical and Education programs, including business and marketing, health sciences and technology.
The College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University, often referred to as CSB and SJU, offer more than 70 academic programs. Most are undergraduate studies, along with graduate programs in nursing and theology. The Bennies and the Jonnies compete in NCAA Division III sports.
Public trails at St. John's University and other green spaces
According to Murphy, the town’s two colleges have more land than the next nine largest Minnesota colleges combined. They provide public outdoor recreation, most of which is at St. John’s, including 15 miles of nature trails at Abbey Arboretum, where people hike and go cross-country skiing. St. John’s also has a few lakes for kayaking and canoeing. The 62-mile Lake Wobegon Trail runs through town with a trailhead starting at the water tower. And there are a few traditional municipal green spaces like Millstream Park, which has more nature trails, a playground and a disc golf course.
Large crowds during Rocktoberfest and Joetown Rocks
St. Joseph has several festivals throughout the year that draw huge crowds to downtown. “The events are almost double the population of the city,” Murphy says. “People come from all over the St. Cloud area.” Rocktoberfest is one of the biggest events, where people gather in late September to celebrate German culture with food, beer and an evening concert. Joetown Rocks is a popular two-day Fourth of July event with a parade, games, live music and fireworks.
Commuting to St. Cloud and Minneapolis
Commuters have access to County Road 75 and Interstate 94 to get around the St. Cloud region. It takes about 15 minutes to drive 9 miles to downtown St. Cloud. Minneapolis is about 70 miles away, just over an hour to get there via I-94.
Written By
Nicolas Stuart
