North Dakota Key Facts
The Dakota Territory, which is comprised of present-day North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana, was acquired from France when President Thomas Jefferson brokered the Louisiana Purchase of 1803.
North Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889, on the same day as South Dakota. However, it is unknown which one was signed into statehood first because President Benjamin Harrison did not want to show favoritism and opted to shuffle the statehood papers as to not choose one over the other. The actual order was never recorded, but North Dakota is known as the 39th state because it is listed alphabetically above South Dakota.
North Dakota is the 19th largest state geographically at 70,762 square miles. North Dakota has one of the lowest population densities in the country, with 9.3 people per square mile. The highest point in the state is the peak of White Butte at 3,506 feet above sea level.
Agriculture is one of the state's top industries. The state has 30,000 family farms and ranches and over 39 million acres. Farms and ranches cover nearly 90 percent of North Dakota's land mass, with the average farm size being 1,300 acres.
North Dakota is the nation's number one producer of barley, spring wheat, durum wheat, sunflowers, dry edible beans, canola, flaxseed, dry edible peas, honey, lentils, barley and oats.
North Dakota is home to the International Peace Garden, which was founded in 1932 and displays 150,000 flowers per year. Included in the garden is a 120-foot peace tower that symbolizes early immigrants' rising ambitions.
North Dakota is home to the nation's only state-owned bank, The Bank of North Dakota in Bismarck, and state-owned mill, the North Dakota Mill and Elevator in Grand Forks.
There are five Indian reservations in North Dakota: Standing Rock, Spirit Lake, Fort Berthold, Turtle Mountain, and Lake Traverse as well as the Trenton Indian Service Area.
The capital of North Dakota is Bismarck.
The majority of the state lies in the Central time zone, except for the southwestern part of the state, which is in the Mountain time zone.
The geographical center of North America is located in Pierce County, North Dakota.
North Dakota's nicknames include the Flickertail State, Peace Garden State, Roughrider State, and Sioux State.
Western North Dakota lies on top of the Bakken formation, the largest reserve of oil that the U.S. Geological Survey has ever found in the continental United States.
Lake Sakakawea is the third-largest man-made lake in the U.S. It was created when the Garrison Dam was built on the Missouri River, and covers 609 square miles with 1,500 miles of shore line longer than the California coastline.
The state's largest city, Fargo, was originally named 'Centralia,' but was later changed to honor Northern Pacific Railway Director and Wells Fargo Express Company founder William Fargo. The city was founded in 1871 and was deemed the "Gateway to the West" after the Northern Pacific Railroad arrived in the area.
Jamestown, the state's seventh-largest city, is home to the world's largest buffalo statue, which can be seen along I-94. The buffalo was made in 1959 and is 26 feet tall and 46 feet long. The National Buffalo Museum is also located in Jamestown, along with White Cloud, an albino buffalo heralded by Native Americans as a sacred and lucky omen. White Cloud and her son, Dakota Miracle (also an albino buffalo), live amongst a herd of fellow buffalo in the area.
Sitting at 2,063 feet (628.8 meters) tall, the KVLY-TV tower, which is located about 20 miles southwest of Hillsboro, is the second-tallest artificial structure in the world. The structure was completed in 1963 and held the record until recently when it was surpassed by the 2,684-foot Burj Dubai in Dubai.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park sits in the western part of the state and was established in 1947 in order to honor Theodore Roosevelt who, as president of the United States, set aside over 150 million acres of public land for conservation purposes. The park contains 29,920 acres of wilderness and is home to nearly 100 miles of trails. The park is open to camping and during a stay there, visitors may encounter bison, wild feral horses, elk, mule deer, white-tail deer, bighorn sheep, and prairie dogs as part of its grassland, woodland, and riparian ecosystems.
The Red River Valley in the eastern part of the state owes its characteristics to Lake Agassiz, a gigantic glacial lake that existed during the last continental glaciations. At its peak size, the lake was larger than all of the modern Great Lakes combined and held more water than all of the lakes in the world today. Eventually, the water retreated, leaving behind silt deposits that would later become the richest soil on earth.
North Dakota became the first state to recall a governor when voters turned Lynn Frazier out of office in 1921. Frazier was recalled after an economic depression hit the area and a grassroots movement ousted him from office.
North Dakota is home to the Maah Daah Hey Trail, which crosses approximately 100 miles of grasslands and Badlands in western North Dakota. The trail gained national prominence as a premier mountain bike, hiking, and horseback riding trail.
The Medicine Rock State Historical Site, located near Elgin, was once used for dance ceremonies by American Indians before a buffalo hunt. A circular ring of dark vegetation remains evidence as the gathering place of the powwows.
Once a small settlement used to protect surveyors and construction crews, the town of Medora is now touted as the state's No. 1 vacation spot and was once home to the very first 'dude ranch,' started by the Eaton brothers of Minnesota. Today, Medora's attractions include the Medora Musical, Bully Pulpit golf course, Pitchfork Fondue restaurant and the Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
Some of the world's largest metal sculptures, produced by artist Gary Greff, are located on North Dakota's Enchanted Highway, located on Exit 72 off of Interstate 94.
Max G. Taubert of Casselton built a 50-foot-high pyramid of empty oil cans. It is believed to be the highest oil can structure in the world.
