Burke County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

on the north edge 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 sove ...

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

, adjacent to the south line of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,201. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

is Bowbells. The county is named after John Burke, the 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 military forces. The Constitution of North Dakota specifies that "the executive power is vested in the governor" in Secti ...

History

A vote was held on November 3, 1908, in which county voters authorized the partition of Burke County from what was then known as 'Imperial Ward County' (which consisted of what is now Burke, Mountrail, Renville, and

Ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

counties). Its name recognized the state governor at the time, John Burke. However, the vote was challenged in court, and appealed to the state supreme court. That court ruled on June 3, 1910, to uphold the election results, so on July 12, Governor Burke issued a proclamation creating Burke County. Its organization was effected on July 15, with Bowbells as its county seat. The county is managed by a three-member Board of Commissioners. As of 2018 the Board Chair is Debbie Kuryn.

Geography

Burke County lies on the north line of North Dakota. Its north boundary line abuts the south boundary line of

. The

Des Lacs River The Des Lacs River is a river in central North America which flows through Saskatchewan and North Dakota. It originates in southeastern Saskatchewan and joins the Souris River, of which it is the primary tributary, in Burlington, North Dakota. N ...

flows south-southeasterly through the east part of the county, and the White Earth River flows northeasterly through the lower part. The county terrain consists of semi-arid low hills in the northeast part of the county, with higher carved and eroded ridges on the southwestern portion of the county. The area is partly used for agriculture.''Burke County ND'' Google Maps (accessed February 15, 2019)
/ref> The terrain slopes to the north; its highest point is on the lower west boundary line, at 2,461' (750m) ASL. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.2%) is water.

Major highways

* U.S. Highway 52 *

North Dakota Highway 5 North Dakota Highway 5 (ND 5) is a east–west state highway in North Dakota. Its route is in the extreme north part of the state, near the Canada–United States border. The eastern terminus is located about four miles (6 km) east of ...

* 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 *

Enniskillen No. 3, Saskatchewan The Rural Municipality of Enniskillen No. 3 (Canada 2016 Census, 2016 population: ) is a List of rural municipalities in Saskatchewan, rural municipality (RM) in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan within ...

– north * Renville County – east * Ward County – southeast * Mountrail County – south * Williams County – southwest * Divide County – west

Protected areas

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

Lakes

* Beaver Lake * Enget Lake * Iverson Slough * Powers Lake (part) * Shallow Lake * Swensons Slouth * Teal Slough * Thompson Slough * Upper Thompson Lake

Demographics

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 2,242 people, 1,013 households, and 680 families in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...

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 White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 0.13%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.22% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.04% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.22% from two or more races. 0.36% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race. 52.4% were of

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

, 18.4%

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

and 7.4%

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

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 population contained 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 Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $14,026. About 11.70% of families and 15.40% of the population were 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 t ...

, including 17.20% of those under age 18 and 16.50% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 1,968 people, 913 households, and 567 families in the county. The population density was . There were 1,340 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.8% white, 0.8% American Indian, 0.7% Asian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.0% from other races, and 0.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 45.2% were of Norwegian, 34.9% German, 13%

, and 10%

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

ancestry. Of the 913 households, 22.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.4% were married couples living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.9% were non-families, and 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.74. The median age was 48.1 years. The median income for a household in the county was $50,800 and the median income for a family was $62,283. Males had a median income of $49,958 versus $27,206 for females. The per capita income for the county was $32,347. About 3.3% of families and 5.8% of the population were below the

, including 9.4% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

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

Williston Basin The Williston Basin is a large intracratonic sedimentary basin in eastern Montana, western North Dakota, South Dakota, southern Saskatchewan, and south-western Manitoba that is known for its rich deposits of petroleum and potash. The basin is a ...

Communities

Cities

* Bowbells (county seat) * Columbus * Flaxton * Lignite * Portal * Powers Lake

Census-designated place

* Larson

Unincorporated communities

* Atcoal * Battleview * Coteau * Kincaid * Northgate * Perella * Rival * Stampede * Woburn

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

Politics

Burke County voters have been reliably Republican for several decades. In no national election since 1964 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2020). In 1912, it was one of only four counties nationwide to vote for Socialist nominee

Eugene Debs Eugene may refer to: People and fictional characters * Eugene (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Eugene (actress) (born 1981), Kim Yoo-jin, South Korean actress and former member of the sin ...

References

{{Coord, 48.79, -102.52, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-ND_source:UScensus1990 1910 establishments in North Dakota Populated places established in 1910