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State of North Dakota
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Flag of North Dakotasvg
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Flag Of North Dakota
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NorthDakotastatesealjpg
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Map of USA NDsvg
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Peace Garden State,<br/> Roughrider State, Flickertail State
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Liberty And Union, Now And Forever, One And Inseparable <br/> Strength from the soil
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Bismarck
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English
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Fargo
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John Hoeven (R)
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Kent Conrad (D)<br/> Byron Dorgan (D)
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ND
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19<sup>th</sup>
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70,762
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183,272
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69,050
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178,839
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1,711
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4,432
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24
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48<sup>th</sup>
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642,200
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47<sup>th</sup>
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930
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3592
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39<sup>th</sup>
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November 2 , 1889
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-6/ -5
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most of state
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-7/ -6
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southwest
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45°󈐠′ N to 49°󈏨′ N
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96°󈐉′ W to 104°󈏫′ W
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210
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340
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340
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545
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White Butte 1
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3,506
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1,069
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1,903
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580
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Red River
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750
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229
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US-ND
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(/) is a
State located in the
Midwestern and
Western regions of the
United States Of America . The twelfth-largest state by area in the U.S., it is the 48
th most populous, with just over 640,000 residents as of 2006. North Dakota was carved out of the northern half of the
Dakota Territory and admitted to the Union as the 39
th state on
November 2 ,
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 contains
Lignite coal and
Oil . In the east, the
Red River forms the
Red River Valley , holding fertile farmland. Agriculture has long dominated the economy and culture of North Dakota.
The state capital is
Bismarck and the largest city in the state is
Fargo . The primary public universities are located in
Grand Forks and Fargo. The
United States Air Force operates bases at both
Minot and Grand Forks.
See Also: Geography of North Dakota
See Also: List of North Dakota counties
North Dakota is considered to be in the U.S. regions known as the
Upper Midwest and the
Great Plains . The state shares the
Red River Of The North with
Minnesota on the east;
South Dakota is to the south,
Montana is to the west, and the
Canadian Province s of
Saskatchewan and
Manitoba are north. With ,
2 North Dakota is the 19
th largest state.
3
The western half of the state consists of the hilly
Great Plains , and the northern part of the
Badlands to the west of the
Missouri River . The state's high point,
White Butte at , and
Theodore Roosevelt National Park 4 are located in the Badlands. The region is abundant in
Fossil Fuel s including
Crude Oil and
Lignite coal. The
Missouri River forms
Lake Sakakawea , the third largest man-made lake in the
United States , behind the
Garrison Dam .
5
The central region of the state is divided into the
Drift Prairie and the
Missouri Plateau . This area is covered in
Lake s,
Slough , and rolling hills.
6 The
Turtle Mountains are located along the
Manitoba border. The geographic center of the
North America n continent is located near the city of
Rugby .
7
The eastern part of the state consists of the flat
Red River Valley , the bottom of glacial
Lake Agassiz . Its fertile soil, drained by the meandering
Red River flowing northward into
Lake Winnipeg , supports a large
Agriculture industry.
8 Devil's Lake , the largest natural lake in the state, is also found in the east.
See Also: Climate of North Dakota
North Dakota endures temperature extremes characteristic of its
Continental Climate ; with cold winters and hot summers, the record high and low span .
9 Meteorological events include
Rain ,
Snow ,
Hail ,
Blizzards ,
Polar Front s,
Tornadoes ,
Thunderstorms , and high-velocity
Straight-line Winds . Depending on location, average annual precipitation ranges from 14 in (35.6 cm) to 22 in (55.9 cm).
10
Springtime flooding is a relatively common event in the
Red River Valley , due to the river flowing north into
Canada . The spring melt and the eventual runoff typically begins earlier in the southern part of the valley than in the northern part.
11 The most destructive flooding in eastern North Dakota
Occurred In 1997 , which caused extensive damage to
Grand Forks .
12
See Also: History of North Dakota
Prior to
Europe an 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 in 1738.
13 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 that
Lewis And Clark entered North Dakota in
1804 , they aware of the French and then Spanish claims to their territory.
14
Much of present-day North Dakota was included in the
Louisiana Purchase of
1803 . Much of acquired land was organized into
Minnesota and
Nebraska Territories.
Dakota Territory , making up present-day North and
South Dakota , along with parts of present-day
Wyoming and
Montana , was
Organized on
March 2 ,
1861 .
15 Dakota Territory was settled sparsely until the late 1800s, when the railroads entered the region and aggressively marketed the land. A
Bill for
Statehood for North Dakota,
South Dakota ,
Montana , and
Washington titled the
Enabling Act Of 1889 was passed on
February 22 ,
1889 during the administration of
Grover Cleveland . After Cleveland's death, it was left to his successor,
Benjamin Harrison , to sign proclamations formally admitting North and South Dakota to the Union on
November 2 ,
1889 .
16 The rivalry between the two new states presented a dilemma of which was to be admitted first. Harrison directed
Secretary Of State James G. Blaine to shuffle the papers and obscure from him which he was signing first and the actual order went unrecorded. However, since ''North Dakota'' alphabetically appears before ''South Dakota'', its proclamation was published first in the Statutes At Large. Since that day, it has become common to list the Dakotas alphabetically and thus North Dakota is usually listed as the 39th state. However, no one will actually know which of the Dakotas was admitted first.
1718
The corruption in the early territorial and state governments led to a wave of populism led by the
Non Partisan League brought social reforms in the early
20th Century .
19 The original
North Dakota State Capitol burned to the ground on
December 28 ,
1930 , and was replaced by a
Limestone faced
Art Deco Skyscraper that still stands today.
20
A round of federal construction projects began in the
1950s including the
Garrison Dam , and the
Minot and
Grand Forks Air Force bases.
21 There was a boom in oil exploration in western North Dakota in the
1980s , as rising
Petroleum prices made development profitable.
22
From fewer than 3,000 people in 1870, North Dakota's population grew to near 680,000 by 1930. Growth then slowed, and the population has declined or grew slightly over the next seven decades to 642,200 in the 2000 census.
23 As of
July 1 ,
2006 , the state's population was estimated at 635,867 by the U.S. Census Bureau.
24 The and age and gender distributions approximate the national average. Besides Native Americans, North Dakota's minority groups still form a significantly smaller proportion of the population than in the nation as a whole.
25 The
Center Of Population of North Dakota is located in
Wells County , near
Sykeston .
26
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Since the 1990s, North Dakota has experienced virtually constant decline in population, particularly among younger people with university degrees.
28 One of the major causes of outmigration in North Dakota looms from a lack of skilled jobs for graduates. Some propose the expansion of economic development programs to create skilled and high-tech jobs; however, the effectiveness of such programs has been open to debate.
29
As the issue is common to several
High Plains states, federal politcians including Senator
Byron Dorgan , have proposed The New Homestead Act of 2007 to encourage living in areas losing population through incentives such as tax breaks.
30
Most North Dakotans are of (43.9%),
Norwegian (30.1%),
Irish (7.7%),
Native American (5%),
Swedish (5%).
31
2.47% of the population aged 5 and over speak
German at home, while 1.37% speak
Spanish , according to the
2000 U.S. Census .
32
The state's racial composition in 2005 was:
33
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.
3435
A 2001 survey indicated that 35% of North Dakota's population was
Lutheran , and 30% was
Roman Catholic . Other religious groups represented were
Methodists (7%),
Baptists (6%), the
Assembly Of God (3%), and
Jehovah's Witness (1%). Christians with unstated or other denominational affiliations, including other
Protestants , totaled 3%, bringing the total Christian population to 86%. Non-Christian religions, such as
Judaism ,
Islam ,
Buddhism , and
Hinduism , together represented 4% of the population. Three percent of respondents answered "no religion" on the survey, and 6% refused to answer.
36
North Dakota's major
Fine Art museums and venues include the
Chester Fritz Auditorium ,
Empire Arts Center , the
Fargo Theatre ,
North Dakota Museum Of Art , and the
Plains Art Museum . The
Bismarck-Mandan Symphony Orchestra ,
Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra ,
Greater Grand Forks Symphony Orchestra and
Minot Symphony Orchestra are full-time professional
Musical Ensemble s that perform concerts and offer educational programs to the community.
See Also: Music of North Dakota
North Dakotan musicians of many genres include
Blues Guitarist Jonny Lang ,
Country Music singer
Lynn Anderson ,
Jazz and
Traditional Pop singer and songwriter
Peggy Lee ,
Big Band leader
Lawrence Welk , and
Pop Singer Bobby Vee .
Ed Schultz is known around the country as the host of
Progressive Talk radio show ''
The Ed Schultz Show '', and
Shadoe Stevens hosted ''
American Top 40 '' from
1988 to
1995 .
Josh Duhamel is an
Emmy Award -winning known for his roles in ''
All My Children '' and ''
Las Vegas ''.
37 Nicole Linkletter and
CariDee English were winning contestants of
Cycles 5 and
7 , respectively, of ''
America's Next Top Model ''.
See Also: Cuisine of North Dakota
North Dakota cuisine includes es along with other Midwestern states.
Along with having the most churches
Per Capita of any state, North Dakota has the highest percentage of church-going population of any state.
3839
Native American traditions are practiced by the Native American population of North Dakota, especially on
Indian Reservation s.
Pow-wow s and traditional Native American dancing are found across the state.
40
Outdoor activities such as
Hunting and
Fishing are hobbies for many North Dakotans.
Ice Fishing and
Snowmobiling are also popular during the winter months. Residents of North Dakota may own or visit a
Cabin along a lake. Popular sport fish include
Walleye ,
Perch , and
Northern Pike .
41
s in
Traill County ]]
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. This ranks the state 32
nd in the nation.
North Dakota leads the nation in production of several crops. Agricultural activity is largely dependent on rainfall.
Wheat (particularly the
Durum variety used for
Pasta ),
Barley ,
Canola ,
Soybean s,
Sunflower s, and
Flax are present throughout the state. The wetter
Red River Valley is dominated by farms, with the chief crops being
Sugar Beet s,
Soybean s 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
Grape s 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 Tax es 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 .
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 .
In June 2007, North Dakota was ranked No. 1 for the best
Interstates and
Highways in the Nation. The study, done by Los Angeles-Based Reason Foundation, ran numerous tests such as traffic congestion, road quality and maintenance. Other top ranking states include South Carolina, Kansas, New Mexico and Montana. The worst highway quality was found in Hawaii, Rhode Island, New York, Alaska and New Jersey.
{Link without Title}
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.
, 10th
Governor Of North Dakota ]]
''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 Dakota ''
The current governor of North Dakota is
John Hoeven (Republican). Its two current U.S. senators are
Kent Conrad (Dem-NPL) and
Byron Dorgan (Dem-NPL). Its congressman is
Earl Pomeroy (Dem-NPL).
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 Senate ,
North Dakota House Of Representatives .
North Dakota's judiciary has a two-tier structure. 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 in smaller counties, 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 (NDCC).
The major political parties in North Dakota are the
Republican Party and the
Democratic-NPL . North Dakota does have some
Third Parties , but aside from Presidential nominations, none have fielded state office candidates for some time.
At the state level, the
Governorship has been held by the Republican Party since 1992, along with a majority of the state legislature and statewide officers. Dem-NPL showings were strong in the 2000 governor's race, and in the 2006 legislative elections, but the League has not had a major breakthrough since the administration of former state governor
George Sinner .
The Republican Party presidential candidate usually carries the state; in 2004,
George W. Bush won with 62.9% of the vote. Of all the Democratic presidential candidates since 1892, only
Grover Cleveland ,
Woodrow Wilson ,
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , and
Lyndon Baines Johnson received
Electoral College votes from North Dakota.
On the other hand, Dem-NPL candidates for North Dakota's federal Senate and Congressional seats have won every election since 1982, and the state's federal delegation has been entirely Democratic since 1986.
''See also:
List Of Cities In North Dakota ''
By 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 (along with
Washington DC ) whose population declined (by 1.3%) between
April 1 ,
2000 and
July 1 ,
2003 ; this decline has become a major political issue.
North Dakota's leaders frequently state that the educational scene in the state is excellent. However, because of limited economic options, many skilled graduates leave the state.
The state has 11 public colleges and universities, five tribal community colleges, and four private schools. The largest institutions are the
University Of North Dakota and
North Dakota State University .
The higher education system consists of the following institutions:
]]
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:, ''Esox lucius''
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:, ''Rosa arkansana''
:, ''Ulmus americana''
:
Petrified Wood
:, ''Pascopyrum smithii'' (Rydb.) A. Löve
:
State Nickname s: Roughrider State, Flickertail State, Peace Garden State
:
State Motto s:
::(''
Great Seal Of North Dakota '') Liberty and Union, Now and Forever, One and Inseparable
::(''
Coat Of Arms Of North Dakota '') Strength from the Soil
:
:
:
:State march:
Flickertail March
:State beverage:
Milk
:State art museum:
North Dakota Museum Of Art
:State license plate: see the different types over time
{Link without Title}
"The Flickertail State" is one of North Dakota's nicknames and is derived from
Richardson's Ground Squirrel (''Spermophilus richardsonii''), a very common animal in the region. The ground squirrel constantly flicks its tail in a distinctive manner. In 1953, legislation to make the ground squirrel the state emblem was voted down in the state legislature.S. D. Senate Bill No. 134.
