North Dakota

North Dakota is a landlocked state located in the Upper Midwest of the United States.

It is a part of the Great Plains region. This area is defined by diverse landscapes like broad prairies, steppe, and temperate savanna. You can also find badlands and vast stretches of farmland here.

The state is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north. It shares borders with Minnesota to the east, Montana to the west, and South Dakota to the south. While it is the 19th-largest state by area, it has a small population of just under 800,000 people. This makes it the fourth-least populous and fourth-least densely populated state in the nation.

For thousands of years, various Native American tribes inhabited this land.

The Mandan and Hidatsa people lived in villages along the tributaries of the Missouri River. The Arikara joined these groups later. In the northeast, the Ojibwe and Cree lived in the region. Various Sioux groups, including the Nakota, Dakota, and Lakota, lived throughout the rest of the state.

Other groups like the Cheyenne and Sutaio also moved through the area. Some tribes eventually became mounted buffalo hunters with ranges outside the state. These indigenous histories represent a long period of life before European arrival.

European explorers first reached the region in the early 18th century.

Pierre Gaultier, sieur de La Vérendrye, led a French-Canadian trading party to Mandan villages in 1738. For a time, the region was part of Spanish Louisiana. Later, the United States acquired the territory through the Louisiana Purchase. The northeastern portion was once part of Rupert's Land under the Hudson's Bay Company. The border with the United States was eventually set at the 49th parallel in 1818. Following this, the region became the Dakota Territory in 1861. This era saw many settlers arrive, often driven by the Homestead Act of 1862.

Economic life shifted from the fur trade to large-scale agriculture.

Between 1878 and 1886, a period called the Dakota Boom occurred. During this time, massive farms spread across the rolling prairies. Farmers grew huge amounts of wheat, making the territory a regional economic power.

Railroad companies like the Northern Pacific and Great Northern competed for access to these grain centers. This era also saw the rise of the Populist Movement. Farmers formed political and socioeconomic alliances to protect their interests. These movements eventually led to the creation of the Bank of North Dakota. It remains the only state-run bank in the United States.

North and South Dakota officially joined the Union on November 2, 1889.

They were admitted as the 39th and 40th states. There was a rivalry over which state would be admitted first. To prevent conflict, President Benjamin Harrison shuffled the statehood papers before signing them. This meant no one knew the official order of admission. Because of this, the states are listed in alphabetical order in official records. By around 1920, the pioneer period had mostly ended and the state was fully settled. The capital city is Bismarck, while Fargo is the most populous city. Fargo contains nearly one-fifth of the state's total population.

In the mid-20th century, the state's economy began to rely on natural resources.

Federal investment led to projects like the Garrison Dam. In the 21st century, the discovery of oil in the Bakken formation changed the state again. This oil is located in the northwest part of the state. The extraction of this resource has helped the state prosper. It has led to increased job growth and a rising population.

However, this oil boom has also coincided with a rise in violent crime rates. In 2016, the violent crime rate was three times higher than it was in 2004. Many people believe workers in the oil boom towns contributed to this change.

North Dakota contains several unique geographical and historical points of interest. Some believe the geographic center of North America is located in Rugby.

The state was also home to the KVLY-TV mast. This was once the tallest artificial structure in the Western Hemisphere. The state's landscape remains a mix of urban centers and vast rural areas. Even today, half of all North Dakotans live in rural settings.

The state continues to balance its agricultural roots with its growing energy industry.