North Dakota

Capital: Bismarck · Midwest · Peace Garden State

State Statistics

Population779K
GDP
Area183,108 km²
CapitalBismarck
Largest CityFargo
Political LeanUnknown

About North Dakota

North Dakota is America's most transformed state of the 21st century — a quiet agricultural economy reshaped overnight by the Bakken oil boom into one of the fastest-growing states in the nation. The Great Plains landscape of sweeping wheat fields and the dramatic Badlands where Theodore Roosevelt found his conservation soul coexist with modern oil rigs and boomtown prosperity. North Dakota's small population, low taxes, and resource wealth give it a per-capita GDP that rivals coastal states.

Major Cities

Fargo

Population: 126K

Fargo is North Dakota's largest city and economic engine, home to North Dakota State University and a thriving technology and healthcare sector along the Red River Valley.

Bismarck

Population: 74K

Bismarck is North Dakota's capital and second-largest city, situated on the Missouri River bluffs; it serves as the state's governmental and financial hub amid the surrounding prairie landscape.

Grand Forks

Population: 59K

Grand Forks straddles the Red River on the Minnesota border and is home to the University of North Dakota, the state's flagship research institution and largest employer.

Notable Universities

UniversityCityTypeFoundedStudents
University of North DakotaGrand ForksPublic Research University188314K
North Dakota State UniversityFargoPublic Research University189014K
Minot State UniversityMinotPublic University19133K
Dickinson State UniversityDickinsonPublic University19182K
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