Bismarck (; from 1872 to 1873: Edwinton) is the

capital city A capital city, or just capital, is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state (polity), state, province, department (administrative division), department, or other administrative division, subnational division, usually as its ...

of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

and the

seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but may also refer to concentrations of power in a wider sense (i.e " seat (legal entity)"). See disambiguation. Types of seat The ...

of Burleigh County. It is the state's second-most populous city, after Fargo. The population was 73,622 at the 2020 census, and was estimated to be 75,092 in 2023, while its metropolitan population was 133,626. In 2020, ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'' magazine ranked Bismarck as the seventh fastest-growing small city in the United States. Bismarck was founded by European-Americans in 1872 on the east bank of the

Missouri River The Missouri River is a river in the Central United States, Central and Mountain states, Mountain West regions of the United States. The nation's longest, it rises in the eastern Centennial Mountains of the Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Moun ...

. It has been North Dakota's capital city since 1889, when the state was created from the

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of ...

and admitted to the Union. Bismarck is across the river from

Mandan The Mandan () are a Native American tribe of the Great Plains who have lived for centuries primarily in what is now North Dakota. They are enrolled in the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation. About half of the Mandan still ...

, named after a Native American tribe of the area. The two cities comprise the core of the Bismarck metropolitan area. The North Dakota State Capitol is in central Bismarck. The state government employs more than 4,600 in the city. As a hub of retail and health care, Bismarck is the economic center of south-central North Dakota and north-central

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...

History

For thousands of years, various

indigenous peoples There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

inhabited present-day central North Dakota. The historic

Native American tribe occupied the area long before Europeans arrived. The Hidatsa name for Bismarck is ''mirahacii arumaaguash'' ("Place of the tall willows"); the

Arikara The Arikara ( ), also known as Sahnish,
''Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation.'' (Retrieved Sep 29, 2011) ...

name is ''ituhtaáwe tUhtaáwe'' In 1872, European Americans founded a settlement at what was then called Missouri Crossing, so named because the

Lewis and Clark Expedition The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the United States expedition to cross the newly acquired western portion of the country after the Louisiana Purchase. The Corps of Discovery was a select gro ...

crossed the river there on their exploration of the land acquired by the

Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana Purchase () was the acquisition of the Louisiana (New France), territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. This consisted of most of the land in the Mississippi River#Watershed, Mississipp ...

in 1804–06. It had been an area of Mandan settlement. Later, the new town was called Edwinton, after Edwin Ferry Johnson, engineer-in-chief for the

Northern Pacific Railway The Northern Pacific Railway was an important American transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the Western United States, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest between 1864 and 1970. It was approved and chartered b ...

. Its construction of railroads in the territory attracted workers and settlers. In 1873, the Northern Pacific Railway renamed the city Bismarck in honor of German chancellor

Otto von Bismarck Otto, Prince of Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg (; born ''Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck''; 1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898) was a German statesman and diplomat who oversaw the unification of Germany and served as ...

. Railroad officials hoped to attract German settlers to the area and German investment in the railroad. It is the only U.S. state capital named for a foreign statesman. The discovery of gold in the nearby Black Hills of

the following year was a great impetus for growth. Thousands of miners came to the area, encroaching on what the

Lakota Lakota may refer to: *Lakota people, a confederation of seven related Native American tribes *Lakota language Lakota ( ), also referred to as Lakhota, Teton or Teton Sioux, is a Siouan languages, Siouan language spoken by the Lakota people of ...

considered sacred territory, leading to heightened tensions with Native Americans. Bismarck became a freight-shipping center on the "Custer Route" from the Black Hills. In 1879, the first recorded tornado in North Dakota history smashed a steamship into the Missouri River's bank near Bismarck, causing major damage. In 1883, the Bismarck was designated as the

capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

of the

in place of

Yankton, South Dakota Yankton is a city in and the county seat of Yankton County, South Dakota, United States. It became a city in 1889. The population was 15,411 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in South Dakota, 7th most po ...

, and in 1889, as the

state capital Below is an index of pages containing lists of capital city, capital cities. National capitals *List of national capitals *List of national capitals by latitude *List of national capitals by population *List of national capitals by area *List of ...

of the new state of

Geography

Bismarck is located at (46.8142737, -100.7694052). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has an area of , of which is land and is water.

Cityscape

2009-0521-CDNtrip049-ND-Bismarck-McKenziePatterson

The city has developed around downtown Bismarck, the center of historic development. It is distinctive because the city's major shopping center, Kirkwood Mall, is in the city center rather than in the suburbs. Several other major retail stores are near Kirkwood Mall, which was developed near the Bismarck Event Center. The two Bismarck hospitals, CHI St. Alexius Medical Center and Sanford Health (previously Medcenter One Health Systems), are downtown. The streets are lined with small stores and restaurants. Much recent commercial and residential growth has occurred in the city's northern section, largely because of expanding retail centers. Among the shopping centers in northern Bismarck are Gateway Fashion Mall, Northbrook Mall, Arrowhead Plaza, and the Pinehurst Square " power center" mall. The North Dakota State Capitol complex is just north of downtown Bismarck. The 19-story

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

capitol is the tallest building in the state, at a height of . Completed during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

in 1934, it replaced the original capitol building that burned to the ground in 1930. The capitol grounds encompass the North Dakota Heritage Center, the North Dakota State Library, the

North Dakota Governor's Residence The North Dakota Governor's Residence is the home of the governor of North Dakota. The current residence is on the southwest corner of the North Dakota State Capitol grounds in Bismarck, North Dakota, Bismarck, and is the third official residen ...

, the State Office Building, and the Liberty Memorial Building. The North Dakota State Penitentiary is in eastern Bismarck. The Cathedral District, named after the Art Deco Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, is a historic neighborhood near downtown Bismarck. Some homes in this neighborhood date to the 1880s, although many were built in the first decades of the 20th century. At times, the city has proposed widening the streets in the neighborhood to improve traffic flow. Many residents object because such a project would require the removal of many of the towering

American elm ''Ulmus americana'', generally known as the American elm or, less commonly, as the white elm or water elm, is a species of elm native to eastern North America. The trees can live for several hundred years. It is a very hardy species that can ...

s which line the streets. These have escaped the elm disease that destroyed street canopies of trees in eastern cities. After the completion of the Garrison Dam in 1953 by the Army Corps of Engineers, which improved flood control, the

floodplain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river. Floodplains stretch from the banks of a river channel to the base of the enclosing valley, and experience flooding during periods of high Discharge (hydrolog ...

of the

became a more practical place for development. Significant residential and commercial building has occurred in this area on the city's south side. The Upper Missouri River is still subject to seasonal flooding.

Climate

Situated in the middle of the

Great Plains The Great Plains is a broad expanse of plain, flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include th ...

, between the geographic centers of the United States and Canada, Bismarck displays a highly variable four-season

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Dfa/Dfb'', Trewartha ''Dcac/Dcbc'') bordering on a cold semi arid climate. Bismarck's climate is characterized by cold, somewhat dry, snowy, and windy winters and warm, humid summers.

Thunderstorm A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustics, acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorm ...

s occur in spring and summer, but much of the rest of the year is dry. The warmest month in Bismarck is July, with a daily mean of , with typically wide variations between day and night. The coldest month is January, with a 24-hour average of . Precipitation peaks from May to September and is rather sparse in the winter. Winter snowfall is typically light to moderate, occurring with the passage of frontal systems; major storms are rare.

Demographics

As of the 2023

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

, there are 32,208 estimated households in Bismarck with an average of 2.23 persons per household. The city has a median household income of $77,608. Approximately 9.7% of the city's population lives at or below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

. Bismarck has an estimated 64.8% employment rate, with 38.7% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 95.0% holding a high school diploma. The top two reported ancestries (people were allowed to report up to two ancestries, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were English (93.8%) and Other (6.2%). The median age in the city was reported to be 39.8 years.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 73,622 people, 31,739 households, and 18,107 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 34,049 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 84.72%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 2.91%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 4.84% Native American, 1.31% Asian, 0.42%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1.30% from some other races, and 4.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 3.52% of the population. 21.9% of residents were under the age of 18, 5.6% were under 5 years of age, and 18.7% were 65 and older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.7% male and 50.3% female.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 61,272 people, 27,263 households, and 15,624 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 28,648 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.40%

, 0.65%

, 4.53% Native American, 0.56% Asian, 0.03%

, 0.30% from some other races, and 1.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.33% of the population. Regarding ancestry, 56.1% were German, 20.5% were Norwegian, 7.2% were Irish, 6.7% were

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

, 3.7% were American, and 3.6% were English descent. There were 27,263 households, of which 27% had children under the age of 18 living with them (the lowest percentage in North Dakota), 44.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.7% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.82. The median age in the city was 38 years. 20.8% of residents were under 18; 11% were between 18 and 24; 26.2% were from 25 to 44; 26.8% were from 45 to 64; and 15.4% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.6% male and 51.4% female.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 55,532 people, 23,185 households, and 14,444 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 24,217 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.78%

, 0.28%

, 3.39% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.03%

, 0.17% from some other races, and 0.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 0.75% of the population. There were 23,185 households, of which 30.2% had children under 18 living with them, 50.1% were

living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.7% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.5% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.94. The city's population was spread out, with 23.5% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males. The median income per household in the city was $39,422, and the median income per family was $51,477. Males had a median income of $33,804 versus $22,647 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $20,789. About 5.7% of families and 8.4% of the population were below the

, including 9.5% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Top employers

According to the city's 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the largest employers in the city are:

Unemployment rate

The

United States Department of Labor The United States Department of Labor (DOL) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is responsible for the administration of federal laws governing occupational safety and health, wage and hour standards, unemp ...

Bureau of Labor Statistics The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is a unit of the United States Department of Labor. It is the principal fact-finding agency for the government of the United States, U.S. government in the broad field of labor economics, labor economics and ...

unemployment rate (not seasonally adjusted).

Arts and culture

The Belle Mehus

Auditorium An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoriums can be found in entertainment venues, community halls, and t ...

, named after a local piano teacher, is a 1914 historic building in downtown Bismarck and is a center for the arts in the area. Performances of Northern Plains Dance and the Bismarck-Mandan Symphony Orchestra are held there. Theater companies in Bismarck include the Capitol Shakespeare Society, Sleepy Hollow Summer Theatre, the Shade Tree Players children's theater group, Dakota Stage Ltd, University of Mary, Bismarck State College, and various high school groups. The Gannon and Elsa Forde Art Galleries are at Bismarck State College. The Missouri Valley Chamber Orchestra, founded in 2000, performs a variety of musical genres.

Libraries

Bismarck libraries include Bismarck Veterans Memorial Public Library and North Dakota State Library.

Sports

Amateur

High school and college sports are the main feature of the local athletics landscape. The athletic teams at the three public Bismarck high schools, Bismarck High School, Century High School, and Legacy High School, are known as The Demons, The Patriots, and The Sabers, respectively. The athletic teams at St. Mary's Central High School, Bismarck's Catholic high school, are known as The Saints. The teams at Bismarck State College and United Tribes Technical College are known as The Mystics and Thunderbirds, and both compete in the

National Junior College Athletic Association The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) is the governing association of community college, state college, and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions across 24 states ...

in the

Mon-Dak Conference The Mon-Dak Athletic Conference (MDAC) is a junior college conference for eight Tech and Community Colleges located in Montana and North Dakota, and it is a conference in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). Conference champi ...

. The teams at the

University of Mary The University of Mary (UMary or simply Mary) is a private, Benedictine university near Bismarck, North Dakota. It was established in 1959 as Mary College. The university is the largest degree-granting institution in western North Dakota. It h ...

are The Marauders and compete in

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is the intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment ...

in the

Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, which operates in the Upper Midwest of the United States. Nine of ...

. Bismarck has an

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States, U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It comprises U.S. state, state, Territories of the United States, U.S. terr ...

baseball team called the Governors. In the fall, the accent is on high school and college football. There are spirited rivalries among the several high schools in the area. Most University of Mary football games are played in the Community Bowl. Other popular winter sports include ice hockey, wrestling and basketball. In spring, baseball is one of the city's top amateur sports, with each high school, Bismarck State College, and The University of Mary providing teams. The University of Mary and Bismarck State College both also have a softball team. High schools and colleges also feature track and field during the spring. In the summer, Bismarck has American Legion baseball and auto racing. The Fourth of July holiday is the height of rodeo time, with rodeos in Mandan and Bismarck. Slow-pitch softball is played by teams in the city. Bismarck is the host city of the world's largest charity softball tournament, the Sam McQuade Sr. softball tournament, in which more than 400 teams from the U.S. and Canada compete. The

Bismarck Bobcats The Bismarck Bobcats are a junior ice hockey#Tier II, Tier II junior ice hockey team in the North American Hockey League's (NAHL) Central Division, and play out of Bismarck, North Dakota, in the V.F.W. Sports Center. Originally a part of the Amer ...

hockey team of the

North American Hockey League The North American Hockey League (NAHL) is one of the top junior hockey leagues in the United States and is in its 50th season of operation in 2024–25. It is the only Tier II junior league sanctioned by USA Hockey, and acts as an alternati ...

is made up of junior players (age 20 and younger, sometimes 21 if waived). The Bobcats won back-to-back Borne Cup championships as

America West Hockey League The America West Hockey League (AWHL) was a Tier II Junior A ice hockey league. The AWHL was formed in 1992 to offer junior ice hockey to the Rocky Mountain region of USA Hockey. It originally was called the American Frontier Hockey League (AFHL), ...

members before merging into the NAHL in 2003. The Bobcats have made several trips to the NAHL's national tournament, claiming their first Robertson Cup title in 2010. Since 2017, the Bismarck Larks, a

Northwoods League The Northwoods League is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league. All players in the league must have National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA eligibility remaining in order to participate. The league is amateur, and players are not ...

expansion baseball team, have played their home games at Bismarck Municipal Ballpark.

Professional

The Dakota Wizards of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...

were formerly based in Bismarck. The Wizards' first season took place in 1995 in the International Basketball Association. They won one title during their International Basketball Association days (1995–2001) and two during their

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA), originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association, was a men's professional basketball m ...

days (2001–2006). They were the 2006–07 champions of the NBA D-League, their first season in the league. The team moved to

Santa Cruz, California Santa Cruz (Spanish language, Spanish for "Holy Cross") is the largest city and the county seat of Santa Cruz County, California, Santa Cruz County, in Northern California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city population ...

, in 2012, a year after being purchased by the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

. Starting with the 2017 season, Bismarck was home to the Bismarck Bucks, a professional indoor football team in the

Indoor Football League The Indoor Football League (IFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional indoor American football league in the United States. The league comprises 14 teams, divided equally between the Eastern Conference (EC) and Western Conference ...

. Bismarck has been the home of two professional indoor football teams, the Bismarck Blaze and the Bismarck Roughriders, but both left the city soon after they were formed. Bismarck once had a professional baseball team, the Dakota Rattlers, but the team moved to Minot after several seasons in Bismarck.

Parks and recreation

Bismarck has a large park system and an extensive network of exercise trails. The Bismarck Parks and Recreation District, established in 1927, operates many parks, swimming pools, and several golf courses within the city. The

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Memorial Building, which is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

and operated by the recreation district, serves as a community gymnasium and was recognized by a 100 Cities 100 Memorials grant in 2018. The Parks and Recreation District operates roughly of public parkland. Sertoma Park stretches more than along the banks of the

. Within the park are several miles of biking trails and the Dakota Zoo. There are five golf courses in Bismarck: four 18-hole courses (Apple Creek Country Club, Hawktree Golf Club, Riverwood Golf Course, and Tom O'Leary Golf Course), and one nine-hole course (Pebble Creek Golf Course). Hunting and fishing are popular in the area, with hunting seasons for deer, pheasant, and waterfowl. Fishing is a year-round sport on the

bordering Bismarck, and there are public docks on the river. From north to south, there is a dock at the Port of Bismarck, from which the ''Lewis and Clark'' passenger riverboat plies the Missouri; Fox Island Landing, about a half mile southwest of Riverwood Golf Course; and the Bismarck Dock at General Sibley Park, which has a boat ramp and picnic facilities. In February 2007, Bismarck broke the record for the most snow angels made in one place. A total of 8,962 participants came to the capitol grounds for the event.

Government

Bismarck operates under the city commission style of municipal government. Citizens elect a mayor and four commissioners on an

at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather tha ...

basis for terms of four years, with a limit of three consecutive terms. The commission exercises both legislative and executive powers, with each commissioner exercising oversight over several city departments. The mayor serves as president of the commission and has few powers over and above his fellow commissioners. The current mayor of Bismarck is Mike Schmitz. The city commission meets every second and fourth Tuesday of each month.

Crime

According to the Uniform Crime Report statistics compiled by the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

(FBI) in 2023, there were 197 violent crimes and 1,734 property crimes per 100,000 residents. Of these, the violent crimes consisted of 2 murders, 32 forcible rapes, 30 robberies and 133 aggravated assaults, while 170 burglaries, 1,908 larceny-thefts, 201 motor vehicle thefts and 3 acts of arson defined the property offenses.

Education

Elementary, middle and high schools

The Bismarck Public Schools system operates sixteen

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

s, three

middle school Middle school, also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school, is an educational stage between primary school and secondary school. Afghanistan In Afghanistan, middle school includes g ...

s (Simle, Wachter, Horizon), three

public high school A state school, public school, or government school is a primary school, primary or secondary school that educates all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in part by taxation and operated by the government of the state. State-f ...

s ( Century High, Legacy High School, and Bismarck High) and one alternative high school (South Central High School). The system educates 13,976 students and employs 2,169 people in the School Year of 2023–2024. Three Bismarck Catholic parishes operate

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

s (

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

through eighth grade): St. Mary's Grade School, St. Anne's Grade School, and Cathedral Grade School. St. Mary's Grade School, founded in 1878, is the oldest continuously operating elementary school in North Dakota. The city has three private high schools: the Catholic St. Mary's Central High School, Shiloh Christian School, operated by Protestants, and Dakota Adventist Academy.

Higher education

There are three colleges and a university in Bismarck. The

is a four-year university, operated by the Benedictine Sisters of Annunciation Monastery. Bismarck State College is a two-year public college, and a member of the

North Dakota University System The North Dakota University System (NDUS) is the public system of higher education and policy coordination entity in the U.S. state of North Dakota. The system includes all public institutions in the state including two research universities, f ...

. United Tribes Technical College is a two-year tribal college. Sanford Health, formerly Medcenter One, operates a nursing school that offers a Bachelor of Science in nursing. The campus is just north of the medical center in central Bismarck.

Media

Print

Bismarck is served by the '' Bismarck Tribune,'' the city's daily newspaper. Established in 1873, the paper is the oldest continuously operating business in the city. The ''Tribune'' is the official newspaper of the city of Bismarck, Burleigh County, and the state of

. The daily newspapers of other major cities in North Dakota are also available at area newsstands.

Television

Bismarck is the center of a

television market A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area (DMA), television market area, or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same (or similar) television and radio station offerings, and may also incl ...

covering most of western North Dakota and portions of Montana. Five stations are based in Bismarck. The four commercial stations have rebroadcasters in Minot, Williston, and Dickinson. The stations are: * KBME ( ATSC RF channel 22) – virtual channels 3.1

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

, 3.2

World The world is the totality of entities, the whole of reality, or everything that Existence, exists. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the world as unique, while others talk ...

, 3.3 Minnesota Channel, 3.4

PBS Kids PBS Kids (stylized as PBS KIDS) is the branding used for nationally distributed children's programming carried by the U.S. public television network PBS. The brand encompasses a daytime block of children's programming carried daily by most PBS ...

* KFYR ( ATSC RF channel 31) – virtual channels 5.1

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

, 5.2 Fox *

KXMB KXMB-TV (channel 12) is a television station in Bismarck, North Dakota, United States, serving as an affiliate of CBS and an owned-and-operated station of The CW Plus. The station is owned by Nexstar Media Group, and maintains studios on Nor ...

( ATSC RF channel 12) – virtual channels 12.1 CBS, 12.2

The CW Plus The CW Plus is a secondary national broadcast television broadcast syndication, syndication service feed of The CW, whose controlling stake of 75% is owned by Nexstar Media Group, with Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery holding their ow ...

KBMY KBMY (channel 17) is a television station in Bismarck, North Dakota, United States, affiliated with ABC and MyNetworkTV. Owned by Forum Communications Company, the station maintains a news bureau and advertising sales office on North 15th St ...

( ATSC RF channel 17) – virtual channels 17.1 ABC, 17.3

MyNetworkTV MyNetworkTV (stylized as mynetworkTV; unofficially abbreviated MNT or MNTV) is an American commercial broadcast television syndication service and former television network owned by Fox Corporation, operated by its Fox Television Stations ...

* KNDB ( ATSC RF channel 26) – virtual channels 26.1 BEK Prime Bismarck also carries

Public-access television Public-access television (sometimes called community-access television) is traditionally a form of non-commercial mass media where the general public can create content television programming which is Narrowcasting, narrowcast through cable tele ...

channels, on

cable TV Cable television is a system of delivering television broadcast programming, programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This ...

channels 2 and 12.

Radio

Bismarck supports 27 radio stations. Most of the commercial stations are owned by either

iHeartMedia iHeartMedia, Inc., or CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc., formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc., a company founded by ...

Cumulus Media Cumulus Media, Inc. is a broadcasting company of the United States and is the second largest owner and operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States ahead of Audacy and behind iHeartMedia iHeartMedia, Inc., or CC Media Holdi ...

. Many of the lower frequency stations are broadcasters of national

Christian radio Christian radio refers to Christian media radio formats that focus on Christian religious broadcasting or various forms of Christian music. Many such formats and programs include contemporary Christian music, gospel music, sermons, radio dramas, ...

networks. The local stations are:

FM frequencies

* KBMK 88.3 FM (

Contemporary Christian music Contemporary Christian music (CCM), also known as Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music, is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christianity, Chri ...

)

K-Love K-Love (stylized as K-LOVE) is an American Christian radio network. Owned by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF), a non-profit Christian ministry, it primarily broadcasts contemporary Christian music. As of June 2019, the network's progr ...

network affiliate * K204FG 88.7 FM (

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

) BBN

translator Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''trans ...

* KLBF 89.1 FM (

) Faith Radio from the University of Northwestern - St Paul * KNRI 89.7 FM (

Christian rock Christian rock is a form of rock music that features lyrics focusing on matters of Christian faith, often with an emphasis on Jesus in Christianity, Jesus. This music is typically performed by Christians, Christian individuals. The extent to whi ...

) Air 1 affiliate * KCND 90.5 FM (

Public Radio Public broadcasting (or public service broadcasting) is radio, television, and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service with a commitment to avoiding political and commercial influence. Public broadcasters receive ...

) Prairie Public Radio * KXRP 91.3 FM (

)

Family Radio Family Radio is a non-profit Christian radio network based in Franklin, Tennessee, United States. Established in 1959, Family Radio airs Calvinist teaching and Christian music. The network is most widely known for its false Family Radio#Failed ...

affiliate * KPHA 91.7 FM (

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

)

Real Presence Radio Real Presence Radio is a lay apostolate Catholic talk radio, talk Christian radio, radio network in the United States, with stations and broadcast translator, translators (low power re-broadcasters) in North Dakota, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wisc ...

* KYYY 92.9 FM (

Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...

) "Mix 92.9" * KBEP-LP 93.7 FM (

) 3ABN affiliate * KQDY 94.5 FM (

Country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

) "KQ 94.5" * K237FQ 95.3 FM translator simulcasting KJIT-LP * KBYZ 96.5 FM (

Classic rock Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...

) "The Walleye" * KKCT 97.5 FM ( Top 40/CHR) "Hot 97-5" * KACL 98.7 FM ( Classic hits) "Cool 98.7" *K259AF 99.7 FM translator simulcasting KFYR-AM * KLBE-LP 100.7 FM (

) "Club Radio" * KSSS 101.5 FM (

Mainstream Rock Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada. Format background Mainstream rock stations represent a cross between classic rock, active rock and alternativ ...

) "Rock 101" * KUAK-LP 102.5 FM (

Community Radio Community radio is a radio service offering a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial broadcasting, commercial and public broadcasting. Community broadcasting, Community stations serve geographic communities and communities o ...

) "Radio Access" * KUSB 103.3 FM (

) "US 103.3" * KNDR 104.7 FM (

) * KKBO 105.9 FM (

) "Big Rig 105.9" * KJIT-LP 106.7 FM (

) Radio 74 affiliate * KXRV 107.5 FM ( Classic Hits) "Mojo 107.5"

AM frequencies

* KFYR 550 AM (

News/Talk Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. They may feature monologues, dialogues between the hosts, interviews ...

Sports Sport is a physical activity or game, often competitive and organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The number of participants in ...

Oldies Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as well as for a radio format playing this music. Since 2 ...

/ Classic Hits/ Top 40/CHR) "K-Fire" * KXMR 710 AM (

) "

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

710" * KBMR 1130 AM ( Classic country) "Bismarck's original country station" * KLXX 1270 AM ( Talk) * KDKT 1410 AM (

) "

Fox Sports Radio Fox Sports Radio is an Radio in the United States, American Sports radio, sports radio network. Based in Los Angeles, California, the network is operated and managed by Premiere Networks in a content partnership with Fox Corporation's Fox Sports ...

1410" *WQDL503 1610 AM ( Traveler's Information Station), North Dakota Department of Transportation

NOAA Weather Radio NOAA Weather Radio (NWR), also known as NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards, is an automated 24-hour network of Very high frequency, VHF Frequency modulation, FM weather radio stations in the United States which broadcast weather information direct ...

station WXL78 broadcasts from Bismarck on 162.475 MHz.

Infrastructure

Health care

Bismarck is a regional center for health care. The city has two hospitals: CHI St. Alexius Medical Center (285-bed) and Sanford Health (238-bed). When it opened in 1885, St. Alexius was the first hospital in

and the Catholic facility is the oldest health care provider in the state. St. Alexius and Medcenter One have joined forces to form the Bismarck Cancer Center. Medcenter One was founded in 1908 as Bismarck Evangelical Hospital. In 1955, it was renamed Bismarck Hospital. In 1984, it was renamed MedCenter One, and in 2012, it became part of the Sanford Health system.

Transportation

Public transit

2009-0521-ND-Bismarck-NorthernPacificdepot

The Capital Area Transit System, operated by Bis-Man Transit, began operations in May 2004. This public bus system has eleven routes throughout Bismarck and Mandan, Monday-Saturday. Bis-Man Transit also operates a para-transit service for senior citizens and people with disabilities. Bismarck had electric streetcar service from 1904 to 1931. Intercity bus service to the city is provided by

Jefferson Lines Jefferson Lines (JL or JLI) is a regional intercity bus company operating in 14 states in the Midwest and the West of the United States. History The company is operated by Jefferson Partners L.P., located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Jefferson P ...

Aviation

Bismarck Municipal Airport is south of the city. It has the largest passenger volume in western North Dakota and the second highest within the state. The airport is served by

United Express United Express is a regional airline network that supports United Airlines operations, primarily by serving smaller cities and connecting traffic to United's main hubs. Representing six percent of United's total capacity for 2024, United Express ...

Allegiant Air Allegiant Air is an American ultra low-cost carrier, ultra-low cost airline headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. The airline focuses on serving leisure traffic from small and medium-sized cities which it considers to be underserved, using an ult ...

Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, operating nine hubs, with Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport being its ...

, and American Eagle. A new $15 million terminal opened in May 2005. The previous terminal was built in the mid-1960s and expanded in the mid-1970s. After a windstorm collapsed part of the roof connecting the expanded terminal to the original building, officials decided to demolish the entire complex and build the new terminal.

Rail service

The

BNSF Railway BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three Transcontinental railroad, transcontine ...

runs east–west through the city. The railway was originally integral to the growth of Bismarck and Mandan. Today it is used for freight. Due to restructuring in the railroad industry, there has not been passenger train service to Bismarck station since

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

's North Coast Hiawatha service ended in 1979. The closest Amtrak station is in Minot, 106 miles (170 kilometers) north of Bismarck, which is served by the

Empire Builder The ''Empire Builder'' is a daily long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago and either Seattle or Portland via two sections west of Spokane. Introduced in 1929, it was the flagship passenger train of the Great North ...

Roadways

Two federal highways pass through Bismarck.

Interstate 94 Interstate 94 (I-94) is an east–west Interstate Highway connecting the Great Lakes and northern Great Plains regions of the United States. Its western terminus is just east of Billings, Montana, at a junction with I-90; its eastern ter ...

runs east–west through the city. The north–south U.S. Route 83 merges in north Bismarck with Interstate 94 and runs east for roughly before turning south.

Walking and cycling

BisParks BCycle is a public bikeshare system with four docks situated around the city. Bismarck is not ranked as a walk-friendly community, and is rated bronze for bike-friendliness.

Notable people

* Sam Aanestad, dentist and California state legislator * David Andahl, businessman and politician * Shane Balkowitsch, American wet plate photographer * Carmen Berg, ''Playboy'' playmate (July 1987) * Leslie Bibb, actress * Paula Broadwell,Barney, Madison (January 30, 2012
Bismarck native profiles Gen. David Petraeus in new book.
'' Bismarck Tribune'' a consultant and author and extramarital partner of General

David Petraeus David Howell Petraeus (; born 7 November 1952) is a retired United States Army General (United States), general who served as the fourth director of the Central Intelligence Agency from September 2011 until his resignation in November 2012. Pri ...

* John Burke, state Supreme Court Justice, tenth

governor of North Dakota The governor of North Dakota is the head of government of North Dakota and serves as the commander-in-chief of the state's North Dakota National Guard, military forces. The Constitution of North Dakota specifies that "the executive power is ves ...

, 24th

Treasurer of the United States The treasurer of the United States is an officer in the United States Department of the Treasury who serves as the custodian and trustee of the federal government's collateral assets and the supervisor of the department's currency and coinage pr ...

* Gary Cederstrom, Major League Baseball umpire * Neil Churchill, Bismarck businessman and baseball executive * Dale Clausnitzer, Minnesota state legislator and businessman * Kent Conrad, U.S. senator * Kevin Cramer, U.S. senator (since 2019); former U.S. congressman and North Dakota Public Service Commissioner * Ronnie Cramer, artist, filmmaker * Britta Curl, ice hockey forward for PWHL Minnesota * Dale DeArmond,

printmaker Printmaking is the process of creating artworks by printing, normally on paper, but also on fabric, wood, metal, and other surfaces. "Traditional printmaking" normally covers only the process of creating prints using a hand processed technique ...

and book illustrator * Weston Dressler,

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 19 ...

slotback * Shannon Galpin, activist and adventurer * Linnea Glatt, post-modern sculptor and installationist * Melissa Grunlan, professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

* Todd Hendricks, former professional football player *

John Hoeven John Henry Hoeven III ( ; born March 13, 1957) is an American banker and politician serving as the senior U.S. senator from North Dakota, a seat he has held since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, Hoeven served as the 31st governor of N ...

, U.S. senator, (since 2011) 31st

Governor of North Dakota The governor of North Dakota is the head of government of North Dakota and serves as the commander-in-chief of the state's North Dakota National Guard, military forces. The Constitution of North Dakota specifies that "the executive power is ves ...

(2000–2010) * Clay Jenkinson, Author, Thomas Jefferson scholar * Thomas S. Kleppe, former Bismarck mayor, 41st U.S. Secretary of the Interior *

Brock Lesnar Brock Edward Lesnar ( ; born July 12, 1977) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist, Amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler and professional American football player. As a ...

, wrestler and former heavyweight UFC champion * Jamalcolm Liggins, professional football player * Cara Mund, Miss America 2018 * Mike Peluso, right wing with the

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (N ...

and

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...

* Fannie Almara Quain, first woman born in North Dakota to earn a doctor of medicine * John Andrew Rea, newspaper editor, helped draft the state constitution * Mel Ruder,

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

winning journalist *

Ed Schafer Edward Thomas Schafer (born August 8, 1946) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 30th governor of North Dakota from 1992 to 2000 and as the 29th United States secretary of agriculture from 2008 to 2009 under President Georg ...

, 30th

, 29th U.S.

Secretary of Agriculture The United States secretary of agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other governments The department includes several organiz ...

* Jonathan Twingley, artist, illustrator and novelist * Carson Wentz, professional football player for the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

History

Geography

Cityscape

Climate

Demographics

2020 census

2010 census

2000 census

Economy

Top employers

Unemployment rate

Arts and culture

Libraries

Sports

Amateur

Professional

Parks and recreation

Government

Crime

Education

Elementary, middle and high schools

Higher education

Media

Print

Television

Radio

FM frequencies

AM frequencies

Infrastructure

Health care

Transportation

Public transit

Aviation

Rail service

Roadways

Walking and cycling

Notable people

See also

Notes

References

External links