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Facts and Figures
Statehood:
- President Benjamin Harrison went to great lengths to obscure the order in which the statehood proclamations of North Dakota and South Dakota were signed on Nov. 2, 1889, so the exact order in which the two stated entered the union in unknown. However, because of alphabetical position, North Dakota is often considered the 39th state.
Capital City:
- Bismarck-Commonly known as the "Skyscraper on the Prairie", the present-day capitol building was constructed in 1934 after a fire destroyed the original building. The Capitol building stands a towering 19 stories with its Moderne style architecture and Art Deco interior. Click here for more information on the Capital City.
Our Great Seal:
- The description reads as follows: A tree in the open field, the trunk of which is surrounded by three bundles of wheat; on the right a plow, anvil and sledge; on the left, a bow crossed with three arrows, and an Indian on horseback pursuing a buffalo toward the setting sun; the foliage of the tree arched by a half circle of forty-two stars, surrounded by the motto Liberty and Union Now and Forever, One and Inseparable; the words Great Seal at the top; the words State of North Dakota at the bottom; October 1st on the left and 1889 on the right. Click here for more information on our great seal.
State Motto:
- "Liberty and Union Now and Forever, One and Inseparable." Quoted from Daniel Webster's Reply to Hayne.
Nickname:
- Peace Garden State - Adopted by the 1957 Legislature, the name represents the International Peace Garden that was built on the international boundary between North Dakota and the Canadian province of Manitoba.
State Flag:
- North Dakota's dark blue field displays a bald eagle holding an olive branch and a bundle of arrows in its claws. in its beak, the eagle carries a ribbon with the word "E Pluribus Union." The fun-shaped design above the eagle has 13 stars, representing the original 13 states and the birth of a new nation, the United States. The name "North Dakota" appears on a red scroll below the eagle. Click here for more information on the state flag.
State Tree:
State Flower:
- Wild Prairie Rose (Rosa blanda or Arkansana) - The flower has been identified as Rosa pratincula in species. The flower sports five bright pink petals with a tight cluster of yellow stamens in the center. The Wild Prairie Rose grows along roadsides in pastures and in native meadows. Click here for more information on the state flower.
State Fruit:
State Bird:
- Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) - Approximately the size of a robin, the meadowlark sports a yellow breast with a black bib over its mottled brown body. These songbirds are found from Wisconsin to Texas and westward to the Pacific Ocean. Click here for more information on the state bird.
State Fish:
Highest Point:
- The highest point in North Dakota is White Butte, located in Bowman County. White Butte is 3,506 feet above sea level.
State Grass:
- Western Wheatgrass (Agropyron smithii) - Tough native prairie grass, once covered nearly all of the state. The North Dakota Chapter of the Society for Range Management called for adopting an official state grass. Western Wheatgrass was selected for its adaptability to soil conditions, its performance record for hay and pasture, and its role in range management as a species found in all the state's counties. Click here for more information on the state grass.
State Fossil:
- Teredo Petrified Wood - The Teredo was a worm-shaped mollusk related to clams, mussels, and oysters. It burrowed its way through sequoias and other trees growing near warm-water swamps in North Dakota 60 to 80 million years ago. Click here for more information on the state fossil.
Population: State Population - 642,200
Largest Cities
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Fargo - 90,599
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Bismarck - 55,532
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Grand Forks - 49,321
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Minot - 36,567
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Mandan - 16,718
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Dickinson - 16,010
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Jamestown - 15,527
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West Fargo - 14,940
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