St. Paul leaders hail milestone population mark

St. Paul officials are hailing a milestone population mark as the city's estimated residents surpassed 300,000 last year.

That's the figure released in a new annual report by the Metropolitan Council, based on building permits, housing occupancy and other factors. A recent U.S. Census estimate says the Twin Cities metro area hit a population of 3 million.

Mayor Chris Coleman said it's the first time the city has topped 300,000 residents since the 1970s.

"It's incredible that we've seen the growth that we've had. It's nice to see that people are rediscovering St. Paul," said Coleman. "Families are moving in, young people are moving into Lowertown. We have folks that are coming in, empty nesters from the suburbs, really people from all over. And it's the great thing about the numbers, is that it's a real mix of folks coming from all over the region, and quite frankly, all over the world."

Minneapolis also saw a significant population jump, topping 412,000 estimated residents and charting nearly 8 percent growth from 2010 to 2015.

Blaine and Woodbury grew faster, adding about 11,000 new residents between them.