Burke County, North Dakota

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Burke County, North Dakota
Location in the state of North Dakota
North Dakota's location in the U.S.
Founded	February 8, 1910
Named for	John Burke
Seat	Bowbells
Largest city	Bowbells
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	1,129 sq mi (2,924 km²) 1,104 sq mi (2,859 km²) 26 sq mi (67 km²), 2.28%
PopulationEst.  - (2013)  - Density	2,306 21/sq mi (8/km²)
Congressional district	At-large
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.burkecountynd.com

Burke County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,968. Its county seat is Bowbells. It is south from the Canadian border of Saskatchewan.

History

Burke County was partitioned in 1910 from what was once known as 'Imperial Ward' County (which covered present-day Burke, Mountrail, Renville, and Ward counties). It is named after John Burke (1859–1937), a politician who served as governor of North Dakota and Treasurer of the United States. The county government was first organized on July 15, 1910; the county seat has always been Bowbells.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,129 square miles (2,924.1 km²), of which 1,104 square miles (2,859.3 km²) is land and 26 square miles (67.3 km²) (2.28%) is water.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 52

North Dakota Highway 5 North Dakota Highway 8 North Dakota Highway 40 North Dakota Highway 50

Adjacent counties and rural municipalities

• Estevan No. 5, Saskatchewan (north)
• Coalfields No. 4, Saskatchewan (north)
• Village of North Portal, Saskatchewan (north)
• Enniskillen No. 3, Saskatchewan (north)
• Renville County (east)
• Ward County (southeast)
• Mountrail County (south)
• Williams County (southwest)
• Divide County (west)

National protected areas

• Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1910	9,064		—
1920	9,511		4.9%
1930	9,998		5.1%
1940	7,653		−23.5%
1950	6,621		−13.5%
1960	5,886		−11.1%
1970	4,739		−19.5%
1980	3,822		−19.4%
1990	3,002		−21.5%
2000	2,242		−25.3%
2010	1,968		−12.2%
Est. 2013	2,306		2.9%
U.S. Decennial Census 2013 Estimate

As of the 2000 census, there were 2,242 people, 1,013 households, and 680 families residing in the county. The population density was 2.0 people per square mile (0.8/km²). There were 1,412 housing units at an average density of 1.3 per square mile (0.5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 99.24% White, 0.13% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.04% from other races, and 0.22% from two or more races. 0.36% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 52.4% were of Norwegian, 18.4% German and 7.4% Swedish ancestry.

There were 1,013 households out of which 23.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.20% were married couples living together, 5.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.80% were non-families. 31.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.77.

The county's population was spread out with 20.80% under the age of 18, 3.50% from 18 to 24, 22.30% from 25 to 44, 28.30% from 45 to 64, and 25.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females there were 101.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $25,330, and the median income for a family was $31,384. Males had a median income of $28,164 versus $16,382 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,026. About 11.70% of families and 15.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.20% of those under age 18 and 16.50% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The main industries are farming and oil. Burke County is one of several western North Dakota counties with significant exposure to the Bakken Formation in the Williston Basin.

Communities

Cities

1. 368 - Bowbells
2. 305 - Powers Lake
3. 178 - Lignite
4. 149 - Portal
5. 145 - Columbus
6. 72 - Flaxton

Note: all incorporated communities in North Dakota are called "cities" regardless of their size.

2012 estimate population

Townships

Battleview Bowbells Carter Clayton Cleary Colville Dale Dimond Fay Foothills

Forthun Garness Harmonious Kandiyohi Keller Lakeview Leaf Mountain Lucy Minnesota North Star

Portal Richland Roseland Short Creek Soo Thorson Vale Vanville Ward

Unincorporated communities

• Larson (Population:12)
• Northgate

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Burke County, North Dakota