North Dakota
North Dakota is bordered on the north by the
Canadian provinces of
Saskatchewan and
Manitoba, on the west by
Montana, on the south by
South Dakota, and on the east — across the
Red River of the North and the
Bois de Sioux River — by
Minnesota.
Western North Dakota is home to the hilly
Great Plains and the
Badlands. This area contains
White Butte, the highest point in the state, and
Theodore Roosevelt National Park. This region is also home to several natural resources including
crude oil and
lignite coal. The
Missouri River flows through western North Dakota and forms
Lake Sakakawea, the third largest man-made lake in the
United States, at the
Garrison Dam.
Central North Dakota is home to the
Drift Prairie and the
Missouri Plateau. This area is covered in lakes, stream valleys, and rolling hills. The
Turtle Mountains can be found in the Drift Prairie area near the Canadian border. The geographic center of the
North American continent is located near the city of
Rugby.
Eastern North Dakota is home to the flat
Red River Valley which is formed by the meadering
Red River of the North, a river which — unlike most rivers — flows towards the north. The Red River Valley was once the bottom of
Lake Agassiz. Today, it is very fertile agricultural land. Farms and small towns dot the landscape of eastern North Dakota.
Devil's Lake, the largest natural lake in the state, is also found in the east.
There are 53
counties within North Dakota. Every
incorporated place in the state of North Dakota is classified as a
city. There are no villages, towns, or hamlets.
Areas under management of the
National Park Service include:
*
Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site near
Williston*
Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site near
Stanton*
Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail*
North Country National Scenic Trail*
Theodore Roosevelt National Park near
Medora and
Watford CityClimate
North Dakota is a prime example of a
continental climate — it is distant from major bodies of water that would otherwise serve to moderate the weather. Because of this, the climate of North Dakota can range from sweltering heat and humidity to bitter cold. Competing warm air masses from the
Gulf of Mexico and cold air masses from the Arctic regions often produce strong winds as they move in and out of the region.
In the summer, the clash of arctic and tropic systems often leads to strong
thunderstorms, sometimes including damaging
hail and
tornadoes. In the winter, the weather tends to be more stable — cold and dry, with occasional flurries — though the constant wind can create blowing snow at any time of the season. Severe snowstorms — some of which are classified as
blizzards — tend to manifest late in the fall or early in the spring.
Springtime flooding is a relatively common event in the extremely flat Red River Valley. The best known and most destructive flood in eastern North Dakota was the
Flood of 1997. This flood devastated much of the Red River Valley and caused unprecedented damage in the city of
Grand Forks.
Prior to
European contact,
Native Americans inhabited North Dakota for thousands of years. The first European to reach the area was the
French-Canadian trader
La Vérendrye, who led an exploration party to
Mandan villages about
1738.
The trading arrangement between tribes was such that North Dakota tribes rarely dealt directly with Europeans. However, the native tribes were in sufficient contact that by the time of
Lewis and Clark; they were at least somewhat aware of the French, then Spanish claims to their territory.
The state was settled sparsely until the late 1800s, when the railroads pushed through the state, and aggressively marketed the land. On
2 November 1889, North Dakota was admitted to the Union with
South Dakota.
The
territorial and early state governments were largely corrupt. Early in the
20th century, a wave of populism led by the
Non Partisan League brought social reforms. The
Great Depression was particularly hard on the state and came several years early with the
1920s farm crisis. The original
North Dakota Capitol burned to the ground in the
1930s and was replaced by a limestone faced
art deco skyscraper that still stands today.
The
1950s brought a round of federal construction projects, including the
Garrison Dam and the
Minot and
Grand Forks Air Force bases. There was an oil boom in the Williston basin in the 1980s, as skyrocketing
petroleum prices made development profitable, driving state population to a peak near 700,000. Since then the state has been experiencing a period of economic and demographic decline. Today, the population stands at around 640,000 (roughly the same population as in the 1920s).
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North Dakota Population Density Map |
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2005, North Dakota has an estimated population of 636,677, which is an increase of 369, or 0.1%, from the prior year and a decrease of 5,527, or 0.9%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 10,283 people (that is 40,890 births minus 30,607 deaths) and a decrease due to net migration of 14,881 people out of the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 3,687 people, and migration within the country produced a net decrease of 18,568 people.
North Dakota ranks 47th of the 50 states in population, with fewer people only in
Alaska,
Vermont, and
Wyoming.
*
Bully Pulpit Golf Course - Medora [
1]
*
King's Walk Golf Course - Grand Forks [
2]
*
Links of North Dakota at Red Mike Resort - Williston [
3]
*
Tom O'Leary Golf Course - Bismarck [
4]
*
Riverwood Golf Course - Bismarck [
5]
*
Pebble Creek Golf Course - Bismarck [
6]
*
Hawktree - Bismarck [
7]
*
Apple Creek Country Club - Bismarck
Casinos*
4 Bears Casino - near
New Town [
8]
*
Dakota Magic Casino - near
Hankinson [
9]
*
Prairie Knights Casino - near
Fort Yates [
10]
*
Sky Dancer Casino - near
Belcourt [
11]
*
Spirit Lake Casino - near
Devils Lake [
12]
Various attractions*
Enchanted Highway -
Regent [
13]
*
International Peace Garden - near
Dunseith [
14]
*
Lawrence Welk Homestead -
Strasburg [
15]
*
Medora Musical -
Medora [
16]
*
North Dakota Horse Park - Fargo [
17]
*
Theodore Roosevelt National Park - near
Watford City [
18]
Notable North Dakotans
*
Warren Christopher*
Angie Dickinson*
Carl Ben Eielson*
Phil Jackson*
Louis L'Amour*
Peggy Lee*
Nicole Linkletter*
Roger Maris*
Sakakawea*
Eric Sevareid*
Ann Sothern*
Lawrence Welk*
State of North Dakota official website*
North Dakota tourism website*
U.S. Census Bureau facts of North Dakota*
North Dakota Employment Data*
Pictures of the Dakotas: Badlands and Theodore Roosevelt National Parks*
North Dakota County Maps Full color county maps. List of cities, towns and county seats
*
North Dakota State Facts
