Originally Saint Augusta Township, it incorporated as a city on May 2, 2000 in order to avoid annexation by the city of Saint Cloud.St. Augusta was named in the 1850s after a local church. The city contains one property listed on the National Register of Historic Places: the 1873 St. Mary Help of Christians Church and its 1890 rectory.
For a short time Saint Augusta was officially named Ventura in honor of then Governor Jesse Ventura,
but voters decided on its current name months after incorporation, and
the name was officially changed to Saint Augusta on November 7, 2000.