Editing West St. Paul, Minnesota (section)

==History==
The city's misleading name comes in part from the fact that it lies on the west bank of the predominantly north-to-south [[Mississippi River]]. A previous City of West St. Paul, incorporated in the late 19th century, was in what is now called Saint Paul's [[Neighborhoods of Saint Paul#West Side|Lower West Side]]. According to the West 7th/Fort Road foundation, Saint Paul annexed the West Side for two reasons: "to aid law enforcement—criminals could escape Saint Paul authorities by crossing to the West Side and Dakota County—and to eliminate the Wabasha Street Bridge tolls which were inhibiting development on the West Side."{{citation needed|date=April 2016}} The current West St. Paul split from the western half of [[South St. Paul, Minnesota|South St. Paul]], and was incorporated in 1889, just south of the city of Saint Paul. The population was 20,615 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]],<ref name="2020 Census (City)"/> growing by 1,075 since [[2010 United States census|2010 census]]. West Saint Paul is known for its 2.5-mile retail strip along Robert Street.