Situated in the Upper Midwest region of the U.S, lying in the center of North America, and one of the 13 states to border Canada, you can discover the vastly underappreciated state of North Dakota.
North Dakota may be a little chilly and snowy in the winter, but its summers are generally hot and sunny. North Dakota’s redeeming qualities certainly outweigh the negatives. Also, many iconic people and inventions were born there, and you can’t simply just ignore the natural beauty on display 365 days a year despite potential harsh weather in the winter.
Not only has North Dakota got a perfect natural environment for its booming agriculture industry, but it also showcases a beautiful landscape with 5 different national parks dotted around the state. There is a lot more to do and see than meets the eye, that’s for sure. So, without further ado, let’s discover our awesome checklist consisting of 25 interesting facts about the Peace Garden State that you probably didn’t know about!
If you would rather skip straight to our North Dakota economy facts, click on the link to take you there, or scroll down the page.
25 of the Most Interesting Facts About North Dakota:
1. The agriculture industry is booming in North Dakota due to a number of things, but mainly the abundance of natural resources. The state produces the most spring wheat, durum wheat, dry edible peas, dry edible beans, honey, flaxseed, and canola in the entire nation.
2. Almost 90% of North Dakota’s land area (39.1 million acres) is farmland and ranches.
3. The largest hamburger in the world was eaten in Rutland, North Dakota! Weighing in at a whopping 3,591 pounds, and with a crowd of 8,000 people, this must have been some spectacle.
4. This one is for the trivia lovers out there, as most people you speak to will not actually know what the capital of North Dakota is, we thought we would let you know! The capital city is Bismarck, boasting a relatively small population of just over 74,000 people, making it the second-largest city within the state, with Fargo being the largest (125,000+ people).
5. North Dakota is actually the least visited state in the whole nation. However, with the state’s ever-growing economy, and healthy business environment, coupled with more awareness of the true beauty of North Dakota, this statistic will change over time.
6. The majority of the pasta sold in North America is made from North Dakota durum wheat!
7. We are all aware that some states have, for one reason or another, decided to keep hold of some simply bizarre laws, and North Dakota is no stranger to this. Here are some extremely strange crimes you need to be careful of committing when visiting or if you have recently relocated to the state:
- It is illegal to dance with a hat on when in the city of Fargo.
- It is illegal to wear a hat dancing at a party where others are dancing too.
- Taking a nap with your shoes still on could get you in serious trouble in North Dakota as it is totally illegal.
- After 11 pm it is illegal to set fireworks off at Devil’s Lake in North Dakota.
8. The famous cowboy song, “Red River Valley” hails from North Dakota, and more specifically, shares its name with the huge valley running down North Dakota’s and Minnesota’s border from Canada.
9. North Dakota does not have any towns or villages, each built-up location within the state is considered a city, despite its size or population.
10. Although Kansas sports the nickname, “Sunflower State”, the real sunflower state is North Dakota, with the state growing the most in the United States. Despite the Sunflower State not being the official North Dakota nickname, the state does have a few non-official and official nicknames – check out our dedicated page on this to find out more.
11. 1995 saw the square dance become North Dakota’s official American folk dance. The dance itself encompasses elements of many famous European dances.
12. North Dakota farmers produce enough wheat each year to make over 12 billion loaves of bread, that’s a lot of carbs!
13. The smallest state in the U.S. (Rhode Island), could fit into the size of North Dakota 46 times.
14. If you ever go to New Salem, North Dakota, make sure to check out Salem Sue, a 38 feet statue of a Holstein Cow. This statue is the world’s largest of this specific cow and can be seen towering above the vast, North Dakota landscapes.
North Dakota Economy Facts
There is plenty to consider when looking at the North Dakota economy facts and how they affect the business environment. Many have perceived North Dakota’s economy and business climate as being weaker than most other states – this is not necessarily the case.
North Dakota is becoming increasingly popular with business owners, investors, and entrepreneurs alike, and there seems to be no indication of a shift in this momentum. When you consider all the aspects of a strong economy, for example, a healthy GDP, median income, college education, business costs, and more, North Dakota offers a great environment for businesses to flourish.
Here is the list of North Dakota economic facts
- North Dakota’s GDP is around $54 billion.
- North Dakota has one of the lowest progressive income tax rates, ranging from 1.10% to 2.90%.
- North Dakota’s economic strength has been ranked 15th in the U.S. by US News & World Report.
- Over 44% of the state’s population are college-educated!
- According to US News & World Report, North Dakota’s economic opportunity is the 9th highest in the nation.
- Both the cost of living and poverty rate metrics are lower than the national average!
- North Dakota can boast many impressive achievements, but perhaps non as environmentally beneficial as this one – with a renewable energy usage rate of 21.4% which is 11.4% higher than the national average.
- The average commute time in North Dakota is over 10 minutes less than the national average at 16.5 minutes.
- The minimum wage in North Dakota is $7.25 per hour.
- Agriculture, Oil & Gas, Mining, and Construction are the top industries in North Dakota.
- North Dakota’s median income is $34,041.
- The average house price in North Dakota is $238,112, however, this number is seasonally adjusted. To see the latest house prices in North Dakota, take a look at Zillow’s website.
- Small businesses are taking over the country, for the greater good! And North Dakota’s number of small businesses is rising each year, there are currently over 75,000 small businesses.
- These small businesses account for over 98% of all North Dakota businesses.
- There are over 195,000 small business employees in North Dakota.
- The number of small business employees makes up over 57% of all employees in the state.
- North Dakota is home to over 1,742 small business exporters.
- The sales tax rate in North Dakota is 5%.
All of these economic facts about North Dakota provide encouragement for those looking to move to the state to start a business or franchise, or find a new job – and you can see why!
Fun Facts About North Dakota
Here are the remaining facts about North Dakota
15. MSN has called out four cities in North Dakota on their list of “America’s 50 coldest cities“. These cities are Grand Forks, Bismarck, Huron, and Fargo.
16. On the flip side, the summers do heat up in North Dakota! The highest recorded temperature was set in the town of Steele, reaching 121° F in July 1936.
17. North Dakota can boast many things, from boring, to interesting, and some just plain weird! One of the oddest is that the state has the largest state-owned sheep research center in the United States.
18. In 2012, North Dakota became one of the fastest-growing states in the U.S. With this exponential growth stemmed from an oil boom in the Bakken fields on the west side of the state, which resulted in North Dakota being the 2nd-highest oil-producing state behind Texas.
19. North Dakota is home to 62 wildlife refuges, which is the most out of any other U.S. state.
20. There are certainly more cattle than people occupying the state, with around 1.7 million cattle, and approximately 750,000 people, meaning that there are more than two cows per person in North Dakota!
21. The maximum speed limit in North Dakota is 75 mph.
22. Milk is the state beverage.
23. North Dakota is the No. 1 producer of honey in the nation.
24. The city of Maza, North Dakota, has the smallest population out of any city currently residing in the state, and with a population of fewer than 20, it is easy to see why.
25. The town of Rugby is the geographical center of North America. It was founded in 1886 at a junction on the Great Northern Railway. The railroad promoters initially named it the “Rugby Junction” for the famous railroad junction in Rugby – Warwickshire, England.
Thanks for taking a look at our 25+ interesting facts about North Dakota! If you have some facts and fun information regarding North Dakota’s past and present that we have not covered, make sure to comment below.
