It is a strange little corner of the city, and although I'd never want to live there myself after years of going through the area I think I understand the appeal of it in this way. It is approximately equidistant to the two downtowns and both routes are fairly easy rush-hour traffic (river roads into Minneapolis, or Shepherd to Saint Paul). Also, the access onto 62/494/55/35E for anyone commuting south or west is pretty easy. VA Hospital and airport are other major job centers nearby.That's a strange little corner of St Paul. Lots of apartments, light industry, an airport parking lot/parking ramp that seems to be consistently full full, and strip malls. Mostly developed in the 1970s, and very isolated from the rest of the city. I don't see a whole lot of appeal for living there, but apparently thousands and thousands of people do.
Needless to say if airport access is your thing, it's a good spot.
The recreational amenities (Hidden Falls, Fort Snelling) are also pretty good.
So, yeah, weird spot but I can see why thousands (in a metro of > 3 million) would want to be there.