The Rural Municipality of West St. Paul is a charming community located in Manitoba, Canada. Nestled adjacent to the north side of Winnipeg and directly west of the Red River, it is a part of the Winnipeg Metro Region. As of the 2016 census, it had a population of 5,368, making it a cozy and welcoming community.
West St. Paul is home to two communities, Middlechurch and Rivercrest. Middlechurch, the larger of the two, houses the municipal hall, cemetery, curling club, fire station, St. Paul's church, the Middlechurch Home of Winnipeg, and Grassmere Creek, all of which are located in the southern portion of the municipality. The community of Rivercrest lies to the north and is home to the West St. Paul School and the Royal Manitoba Yacht Club.
The Rural Municipality of West St. Paul was officially formed on November 3, 1915, when the municipality of St. Paul, which had been established in 1888, was subdivided into West St. Paul and East St. Paul.
According to the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, West St. Paul had a population of 6,682 living in 2,228 of its 2,270 total private dwellings. This represented a significant increase of 24.5% from its 2016 population of 5,368. With a land area of 87.49 km2 (33.78 sq mi), it had a population density of 76.4/km2 (197.8/sq mi) in 2021.
The two-story municipal hall, built in 1917 and expanded with a North and South addition in 1989, is a municipally-designated historic landmark of Manitoba. It is currently the only official historic site within West St. Paul.
The West St. Paul curling club, in operation since 1963, gained some notoriety in 2015. That year, team Reid Carruthers, from the West St. Paul club, won the Men's Manitoba Curling Provincials and placed third in the Men's National Brier.
West St. Paul is home to a kindergarten to grade 8 school that was built in 1947, expanded in 1953, and expanded again in 1959. Before the school was built, classes were held at a local church (K to 3) and the municipal hall (grades 4 and up). In 1959, it joined the newly formed Seven Oaks School Division. The school currently has a capacity of 600 students.
