Things You Should Know About St. Cloud If You're New To The Area

I was born and raised in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Sometimes I forget that certain facts have been ingrained in me since I've been a kid. I often wonder what it would be like to be a new person to this area. There are definitely some things you need to know if you're a new resident.

We've got a man here who thinks he's superman. He dresses up in a superman costume and can usually be found waving at cars near the CVS on Division. His real name is John.
Val's is the best place to grab a burger and fries. Just don't make the mistake of ordering a large fry. Here's a little secret--they fill the bottom of the bag no matter what size fry you order.
Quarry Park is a great place to cool off in the summer. It's a deep quarry with cliffs that act as a natural diving board. It's free, it's fun and it's one of the best kept secrets.
Parts of Disney's Mighty Ducks movie were filmed at the Stearns County courthouse.
St. Cloud is a big college town with St. Cloud State University located on the south side.
The Munsinger Clemens flower park is one of the most beautiful parks in the area.
St. Cloud is home to 33 pizza restaurants. It's safe to say it's one of the areas most go-to takeout.
There was an explosion in downtown St. Cloud that made national news in in 1998. It destroyed six buildings and killed four people.
St. Cloud has two area high schools--Apollo Eagles and Tech Tigers.
St. Cloud contains many historic Victorian style homes that are on the National Register of Historic Places.
St. Cloud's nickname is "the granite city," because we've got lots of it here!
Tenvorde Ford in St. Cloud is the oldest family owned Ford Dealership in the country. It's 113 years old.
There are numerous islands located on the Mississippi River. One of the islands is called Sportsman's Island and it was used as a gathering space for work picnics until the 1980's. It's off limits to the public, but traces of old buildings and memories of what was, still remain.
The 1989 movie "Catch Me If You Can" was filmed here in the 1980's because the film's director, Stephen Sommers, is a St. Cloud native.
There were two unmarked graveyards in St. Cloud--one was located where the SCSU library currently sits, and the other one was located along 17th Avenue North. Some residence have reported finding gravestones and human remains over the years.
Every Wednesday night (as long as the weather cooperates) throughout the summer St. Cloud hosts a mini festival with live music, food vendors and a beer garden by Lake George. The music series is called, Summertime By George.