North Dakota

Understand

The "Peace Garden State" is the 19th largest state and the fourth least populated state, having 780,000 residents in 2022.

History Much of the area that now comprises North Dakota has been inhabited for thousands of years by Native Americans. It wasn't until the 1800s when European immigrants started coming in large numbers. Ethnic Germans from Russia were drawn by the prospect of owning cheap and plentiful land in North Dakota, and Norwegian farmers were drawn to the state's fertile land. To this day, Norwegians and Russian-Germans (also known as Volga Germans) are the two largest ethnic groups in the state. North and South Dakota were once organized as the same territory, but as the railroads through Dakota Territory ran from east to west, tensions between the southern and northern rail corridors emerged. In 1889, North Dakota was admitted to the union as a state, along with South Dakota. President Benjamin Harrison shuffled the statehood papers before signing them so that no one could tell which became a state first. North Dakota's rich natural resources became critical to economic development. Soil is North Dakota's most precious resource, the base of the state's great agricultural wealth. Oil extraction from the Bakken formation in the northwest has played a major role in the state's prosperity.

Tourist information North Dakota Tourism

Getting there

By plane Scheduled airline service is available in Bismarck (BIS IATA), Devils Lake (DVL IATA), Dickinson (DIK IATA), Fargo (FAR IATA), Grand Forks (GFK IATA), Jamestown (JMS IATA), Minot (MOT IATA), and Williston (XWA IATA).

Allegiant Air serves Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks and Minot. American Eagle offers daily flights to Bismarck and Fargo. Delta Airlines/Delta Connection offers daily flights to Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks, Minot, and Williston. Frontier Airlines serves only Fargo. United Express offers daily flights to all destinations except Grand Fork and Dickinson.

By car

Two Interstate highways connect to adjacent states:

Interstate 29 connects Grand Forks and Fargo to South Dakota and Manitoba, Canada. Interstate 94 connects Fargo, Bismarck, and Jamestown to Minnesota and Montana. Additional major highways:

US 85, 83, 281, and 81 For those arriving from Canada, 24-hour customs stations are available at SK 39 (U.S. 52) in Portal, MB 10 (U.S. 281) in Peace Gardens, and MB 75 (I-29) in Pembina.

By train

Amtrak serves Fargo, Grand Forks, Devils Lake, Rugby, Minot, Stanley and Williston via its once daily Empire Builder train that runs between Chicago and Portland/Seattle.

Getting around

By car Given the vast area of the state, the best way to get around quickly is by car. All major cities (Bismarck, Fargo, and Jamestown) are accessible from each other because they share one highway in common: Interstate 94 (I-94). You can easily cover all of them just by driving down this highway. Wandering livestock and extremely harsh weather conditions (especially during the winters) can make driving on North Dakotan roads rather challenging. The state Department of Transportation is a useful resource, with up-to-date road conditions and closure information. Refer to it often if you plan on driving during the winters.

By bus Jefferson Bus Line (888-864-2832) has a route that goes along I-29 between Fargo and Kansas City (via Omaha, Sioux Falls and points in between). They also have an east-west on I-94 between Billings and Minneapolis (via Glendive, Bismarck, Fargo, St Cloud, and points in between). Tickets can be booked directly with Jefferson Lines or on Greyhound.com (as an agent for Jefferson Lines). New Town Bus Line (701-421-9133) starts in New Town, ND, heads east on Highway 23 up to Minot and then back to New Town.

By public transportation Information on state transit networks can be found from the American Public Transportation Association page for North Dakota and through the North Dakota Tourism Board transit list.

By plane The only intrastate flight within the state is the United Express flight segment (operated by Skywest Airlines) between Jamestown (JML) and Devil's Lake (DVL). The same flight continues from Jamestown to Denver.

See

Geographical Center of North America in Rugby. International Peace Garden near Dunseith is a 2,339-acre (947-hectare) botanical garden commemorating peace between the United States and Canada along the world's longest unfortified border. It blooms with more than 150,000 varieties of flowers.

Historical sites Archaeology and Paleontology: Millions of years before North Dakota was a state, prehistoric creatures were living out their legendary adventure. Today, you can visit - and excavate at - fossil-bearing sites ranging in age from 30-years to 73-million years. Experience North Dakota's military history through a visit to a fort or state historic site. As settlers pushed west, forts were established to provide protection and central meeting places. The North Dakota State Historical Society operates most historic forts in the state.

Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site near Williston, the largest fur trading post on the upper Missouri River during the 1800s.

Art and architecture KVLY-TV Tower 2 miles (3 km) west of Blanchard, is the tallest radio tower, and formerly the tallest man-made structure on earth at 2,063 ft (629 m). The State Capitol grounds in Bismarck, which feature the 20-story Capitol, the North Dakota Heritage Center and State Museum and open parkland. The Enchanted Highway between the Gladstone exit on I-94 and the small town of Regent on the Cannonball River in southwest ND.

Indian culture They are the Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara, the Yanktonai, Sisseton, Wahpeton, Hunkpapa and other Dakotah/Lakotah (commonly known as the Sioux) Tribes, along with the Pembina Chippewa, Cree and Métis. Though the individual tribes have distinct and different origins, histories and languages, Plains Indians are united by core beliefs and values that emanate from respect for the earth and an understanding of humankind's relationship with nature. Visitors are welcome to explore the reservations and discover the beauty of Indian culture.

Knife River In

Do

Agritourism: In North Dakota, one may answer a lot of questions about agriculture - like "Where does milk come from?" and "How do you make spaghetti?" Here, you can live out a real ranch vacation, or become a cowboy. Discover North Dakota's ranches, farms and gardens, see it all from the seat of a saddle, or just stop and take a moment to appreciate the waving greens, the golden amber waves of grain, and the immense modern farm equipment. Arts and Entertainment: Concerts, festivals, galleries and more abound in North Dakota. See top-name acts at a casino, or at one of the larger venues, like the FargoDome, Bismarck Civic Center, Minot all Seasons Arena or Grand Forks’ Alerus Center, Ralph Englestad Arena and Chester Fritz Auditorium. Check out the North Dakota Council on the Arts for a good overview. You’ll also want to visit t