Encyclopedia
North Dakota is a
Midwestern state in the
United States. It is the northernmost of the
Great Plains states and is the northern half of The Dakotas. During the
19th century, North Dakota was considered part of the
Wild West. Formerly part of
Dakota Territory , North Dakota became the 39th state in 1889.
The
Missouri River flows through the western part of the state and forms
Lake Sakakawea behind the Garrison Dam. The western half of the state is hilly and is home to natural resources including lignite coal and
crude oil. In the east, the
Red River of the North forms the
Red River Valley. This region has rich farmland. Agriculture has long dominated the economy and culture of North Dakota.
The state capital is
Bismarck. The largest city in the state is Fargo. Large public universities are located at
Grand Forks and Fargo. The
United States Air Force operates bases at both
Minot and Grand Forks.
Geography
North Dakota is bounded 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:
Climate
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.
History
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 V้rendrye, 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 .
Demographics
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 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.
Most North Dakotans are of
Northern European descent. The five largest ancestry groups in North Dakota are:
German ,
Norwegian ,
Irish ,
Native American ,
Swedish .
People of German ancestry are present throughout the state, especially the southern and central counties, and Scandinavians are also present throughout. A few counties have large
Native American populations . Individual counties in western and eastern North Dakota have the largest white, Russian, Ukrainian, Czech, Polish and Hungarian percentages of any county.
6.1% of North Dakota's population were reported as under 5, 25% under 18, and 14.7% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 50.1% of the population.
Outmigration
While it has grown slightly in recent years, the state of North Dakota has experienced a decline in population over the last 20 years. Some college graduates leave the state after their education has been completed because of what they see as a lack of employment opportunities within the state.
To encourage college graduates to remain in the state, some people have advocated a program in which the student loans of all college graduates who reside in the state for a certain period of time following graduation would be forgiven. A smaller version of this program for some health and education graduates has been introduced with some degree of success, but a larger program that would have applied to graduates from all fields failed to pass a referendum in a state election.
Some federal politicians, including North Dakota Senator
Byron Dorgan, have proposed to encourage living in areas losing population through incentives such as tax breaks, but these have also made little headway.
Religion
A very large majority of North Dakotans self-identify as Christian. North Dakota has the lowest percentage of non-religious people of any state, and it also has the most churches per capita of any state.
An estimate of the religious affiliations of the people of North Dakota :
- Christian: 86%
- Muslim: 2%
- Buddhist: 1%
- Other: 1%
- Non-religious: 3%
- Did Not Answer: 6%
Culture
- See also: Music of North Dakota, Cuisine of North Dakota
As most residents of North Dakota are descendants of
Scandinavian and
German immigrants, North Dakotans are sometimes stereotyped similarly as
Minnesotans. Stereotypical traits include
Lutheranism "Minnesota nice," "
hot dish" ,"
lutefisk" , very close family ties , a strong sense of community and shared culture with many other North Dakotans instead of just with one's town or city, North Dakota often shares Minnesota's form of Upper Midwest American English , and a distinctive type of upper Midwestern accent.
Along with having the most churches per capita of any state, North Dakota has the highest percentage of church-going population of any state.
Native American traditions are still practiced by the Native American population of North Dakota, especially on
Indian reservation land.
Pow-wows and traditional Native American dancing are still found across the state.
Outdoor activities such as
hunting and
fishing are hobbies for many North Dakotans.
Ice fishing is also popular during the winter months. Residents of North Dakota may own or visit a cabin along a lake. Weekend trips to lake cabins are common during the summer months. Popular sport fish are
walleye,
perch, and
northern pike. The
mosquito is an annoyance in North Dakota as well as neighboring states during the summer months.
Economy
The U.S.
Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that North Dakota's total state product in 2005 was
$24.178 billion. Per capita personal income in 2005 was $31 395, 32
nd in the nation.
North Dakota leads the nation in production of several crops. Agricultural activity is largely dependent on rainfall.
Wheat ,
barley,
canola,
soybeans,
sunflowers, and
flax are present throughout the state. The wetter
Red River Valley is dominated by farms, with the chief crops being
sugar beets,
soybeans and
corn.
Cattle ranches are more common in the dry southwest, though
dairy ranches are more common toward the east.
Honey is produced in the central part of the state. Small quantities of juneberries and
grapes support a modest domestic
winery industry.
The state's relatively small industrial output includes
electric power, food processing, machinery, lignite mining,
petroleum extraction, and
tourism.
North Dakota has the only state-owned bank in the United States, the Bank of North Dakota. The bank, by law, holds all funds of all state and local government agencies in North Dakota. Its deposits are not guaranteed by the
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation but by the state itself. The state also operates the only state-owned mill in the country, the
North Dakota Mill and Elevator.
North Dakota's reputation for severe weather has been cited by many as a motivating factor behind emigration and the failure of outside industry to locate in the state, though some have found this to be a secondary factor to the overall economic situation in the state.
State
income taxes are collected through 5 different tax brackets, ranging from 2.1 percent to 5.54 percent. North Dakota allows a credit for the net amount of tax paid to another state on income that is subject to tax by both North Dakota and that other state. North Dakota's sales tax rate is 5 percent. Local subdivisions are also allowed to levy a sales and use tax. This tax rate generally ranges from 1 percent to 3 percent. For the most part, personal property is exempt from property tax.
Transportation
- See also: List of North Dakota numbered highways, List of North Dakota railroads
The major east-west highways are
US 2 and
Interstate 94. North Dakota Highways 5 and 200 are also significant east-west routes.
The major north-south highways are
Interstate 29,
US 81, US 281,
US 83, and
US 85.
US 52 runs northwest-southeast from
Portal to
Jamestown, then to Fargo via I-94.
US 12 cuts across the southwest corner of the state, intersecting US 85 in
Bowman.
BNSF and the
Canadian Pacific Railway operate the most extensive rail systems in the state. Minor lines include the Dakota, Missouri Valley and Western Railroad and the Red River Valley and Western Railroad, mostly operating on leased branch lines BNSF and CP were to abandon.
North Dakota has 90 public airports. Scheduled passenger airline service is offered in Bismarck, Devils Lake, Dickinson, Fargo, Grand Forks, Jamestown, Minot, and Williston.
Law and government
See also: List of North Dakota Governors, List of Lieutenant Governors of North Dakota, List of United States Senators from North Dakota, List of political parties in North Dakota, List of Secretaries of State of North Dakota, List of Attorneys General of North DakotaThe current governor of North Dakota is John Hoeven . Its two current U.S. senators are
Kent Conrad and
Byron Dorgan . Its congressman is Earl Pomeroy .
North Dakota has a bicameral legislature. The state elects two House Representatives and one Senator from each of 47 districts apportioned by population. The legislature meets at the
North Dakota State Capitol in an 80-day regular session in odd-numbered years, and in special session if summoned by the governor. See also: North Dakota Legislative Assembly, North Dakota Senate,
North Dakota House of Representatives.
The structure of North Dakota's judiciary is not terribly complex. Each of the 53 counties has a court, from which appeals are sent directly to the North Dakota Supreme Court. Because of the expense of having each county hire a judge, and the fairly low workload, the state is divided into seven judicial districts which collectively elect judges to travel to the various courthouses and hear cases.
District Judges are elected to six-year terms. Supreme Court Judges are elected to ten-year terms. The Supreme Court Chief Justice is selected every 5 years by vote of the District and Supreme Court Judges.
North Dakota's codified law is called the North Dakota Century Code .
Politics
The major political parties in North Dakota are the Republican Party and the North Dakota Democratic NPL Party. North Dakota does have some active third parties, but none of them have had ballot status on any state office race for some time.
The Republican Party holds large majorities in the state legislature and generally wins the state's 3-member electoral college delegation. Since 1964, no Democratic presidential candidate has carried North Dakota. In 2004, George W. Bush won with 62.9% of the vote.
On the other hand, Dem-NPL candidates for North Dakota's federal Senate and Congressional seats have won every election since 1986.
Important cities and towns
See also: List of cities in North DakotaBy population, the ten largest urban centers in the state are:
- Fargo/West Fargo
- Bismarck/Mandan
- Grand Forks
- Minot
- Dickinson
- Jamestown
- Williston
- Wahpeton
- Devils Lake
- Valley City
The population trends in the state are noting a distinct shift from the rural areas to the larger cities. Most of North Dakota's largest communities grew between 1990 and 2000.
Between 1990 and 2000, the U.S. as a whole grew by 13.1%, yet North Dakota grew a mere 0.5%. It is the only state whose population declined between April 1, 2000 and July 1, 2003; this decline has become a major political issue.
Education
North Dakota's leaders frequently state that the educational scene in the state is excellent. However, because the economic situation is no match for it, many skilled graduates leave the state.
Colleges and universities
The state has 11 public colleges and universities, five tribal community colleges, and four private schools. The largest and oldest among them is the
University of North Dakota in Grand Forks.
The higher education system consists of the following institutions:
- North Dakota University System
Bismarck State College in
BismarckDickinson State University in
DickinsonLake Region State College in
Devils LakeMayville State University in Mayville
Minot State University in
MinotMinot State University-Bottineau in
BottineauNorth Dakota State University in Fargo
North Dakota State College of Science in
WahpetonUniversity of North Dakota in
Grand ForksValley City State University in
Valley CityWilliston State College in
Williston- Tribal colleges
Cankdeska Cikana Community College in
Fort TottenFort Berthold Community College in
New TownSitting Bull College in
Fort YatesTurtle Mountain Community College in Belcourt
United Tribes Technical College in
Bismarck- Private schools
Aakers College in Fargo and
BismarckJamestown College in
JamestownUniversity of Mary in
BismarckTrinity Bible College in
EllendaleMiscellaneous topics
A bill for
statehood for North and South Dakota , the Enabling Act of 1889, was passed on February 22 1889 during the Administration of
