North Dakota
Peace Garden State · Capital: Bismarck · Midwest (Plains)
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Bordering states: Montana, South Dakota, Minnesota.
About North Dakota
North Dakota lies on the northern plains, bordered by Minnesota, South Dakota, Montana, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The land rises westward in three steps, from the flat Red River Valley, the floor of Glacial Lake Agassiz, across the pothole-dotted Drift Prairie to the Missouri Plateau, which tops out at White Butte, 3,508 feet. The Red River of the North flows north toward Hudson Bay and floods when its upstream waters thaw first, as it did at Grand Forks in 1997. Southwest of the Missouri lie the badlands of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. In 1936 the state set both its record low and its record high, 121 °F, 181 degrees apart.
The Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara farmed the Missouri bottomlands from permanent earth lodge towns near the Knife River, where Lewis and Clark wintered in 1804 and 1805 and hired Sakakawea's husband as an interpreter. Most of the state came with the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, but the Red River valley only with the 1818 border at the 49th parallel. North Dakota entered the Union on 2 November 1889, listed 39th only by alphabet because the two Dakota proclamations were shuffled. The Nonpartisan League created the Bank of North Dakota in 1919, still the only state-owned bank in the country.
The 2020 census counted 779,094 residents, up 15.8% from 2010, in a decade shaped by the Bakken oil boom, which made North Dakota for a time the second largest oil-producing state and lifted its population past its 1930 peak. With 11.3 people per square mile, it holds a single House seat. Bismarck is the capital and Fargo the largest city. The state leads the country in spring wheat, durum, canola and sunflowers. Its nickname, the Peace Garden State, comes from the International Peace Garden on the Manitoba border. Lawrence Welk was born in a sod house at Strasburg, and Louise Erdrich, raised in Wahpeton, won the Pulitzer Prize in 2021.
4 fun facts about North Dakota
- North Dakota grows more sunflowers than any other state.
- Rugby, North Dakota, has long claimed to be the geographic center of North America.
- The Bakken oil formation here made the state the #2 oil producer behind Texas in 2014.
- Theodore Roosevelt ranched in the Badlands in the 1880s and said he would not have become president without that experience.
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Frequently asked questions about North Dakota
Is North Dakota a US state?
Yes, North Dakota is one of the 50 US states. It was admitted to the Union in 1889, making it the 39th state. Its capital is Bismarck and its largest city is Fargo.
What is the capital of North Dakota?
The capital of North Dakota is Bismarck. Note that the largest city in North Dakota is Fargo, not the capital, a common point of confusion.
When did North Dakota become a state?
North Dakota became a US state in 1889. It is the 39th state admitted to the Union.
What is the abbreviation for North Dakota?
The 2-letter USPS abbreviation for North Dakota is ND.
How big is North Dakota?
North Dakota ranks #19 of 50 US states by area. With 11.3 residents per square mile in 2020, it was the 47th most densely populated state.
What is the population of North Dakota?
North Dakota had 779,094 residents at the 2020 census, the 47th largest population of the 50 states, up 15.8% since 2010. That count gives it 1 seat in the US House of Representatives.
What region is North Dakota in?
North Dakota is in the Midwest region of the United States, per the US Census Bureau.
What time zone is North Dakota in?
North Dakota observes Central Time (the state spans multiple time zones).
Learn more
How to learn the 50 states (full guide)
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