Tour: Payne Avenue

Saint Paul is known for its “Main Street” commercial districts that grew to serve the immigrants who settled the city’s neighborhoods a century ago. One of the liveliest of these districts is the East Side’s Payne Avenue, known in the 1930s as the “downtown of northeastern Ramsey County.”

“Global Beat on Main Street” identifies Payne Avenue today – a street that provides central meeting places, remains mindful of its heritage and is anxious to incorporate new cultures that enrich this strong, growing part of Saint Paul.

Download the tour below to learn how Payne Avenue became the primary business district for the East Side.