Welcome to St. Cloud, Minnesota, where the water runs clear and clean and the people have an excellent sense of adventure. This city—the eighth largest in the state—is about an hour northwest of the Twin Cities and offers just as many activities and amenities. You couldn't have picked a better place to live!

Now, if the city's name reminds you of a certain Zac Efron movie, just hold on a minute—"St. Cloud" is all the two have in common. The city actually got its name from Saint-Cloud, France, home to Napoleon's favorite palace—Chȃteau de Saint-Cloud. John Wilson (the city's founder) was obsessed with Napoleon and named the region in homage to the former Emperor. It was also used as a waystation by Canadian traders who'd venture south to exchange fur for supplies, so the city's no stranger to…well, strangers.

Since its founding in 1856, St. Cloud has boomed into a thriving, eco-conscious metropolis (the city owns and operates a hydroelectric dam along the Mississippi River, and that dam provides more than nine million watts of power to the city) that offers residents and visitors alike with more than enough to do.

There are more than thirty undeveloped islands in the area, which are perfect for kayakers and canoers who just can't wait to get their boats on the water. Prefer to gaze at the natural beauty around you instead of paddling through it? There's a twelve-mile-long section of the Mississippi River you can explore. If you'd rather cheer on your Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium or the Wild Xcel Energy Center, go ahead.