Divide 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 ...

in 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 ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,195. Its

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 ...

Crosby Crosby may refer to: Places ;Canada *Crosby, Ontario, part of the township of Rideau Lakes, Ontario *Crosby, Ontario, a neighbourhood in the city of Markham, Ontario ;England *Crosby, Cumbria *Crosby, Lincolnshire *Crosby, Merseyside ** Crosby (U ...

History

On November 8, 1910, election, the voters of Williams County voters determined that the county should be divided into a northern and a southern county. The vote was affirmative; the southern portion retained the Williams name; the newly created county was named "Divide", with Crosby as the seat. The county government was effected on December 9 of that year, and the county's boundaries have remained unchanged since that time. Most histories attribute the county name to its "division" from Williams County, though the county's location on the

Laurentian Divide The Laurentian Divide also called the Northern Divide and locally the ''height of land'', is a continental divide in central North America that separates the Hudson Bay watershed to the north from the Gulf of Mexico watershed to the south and the ...

, separating runoff waters between Hudson Bay and

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United ...

, may have been involved.

Geography

Divide County lies at the northwest corner of North Dakota. Its northern boundary line abuts the south boundary line of Canada, opposite

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...

, and its west boundary line abuts the east boundary line of the state of

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

. The terrain of Divide County consists of semi-arid rolling hills, dotted with lakes and ponds, partially devoted to agriculture.''Divide County ND'' Google Maps (accessed February 17, 2019)
/ref> The terrain generally slopes to the east; the northern part also slopes to the north while the southern part slopes to the south. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.6%) is water. Divide 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 ...

Major highways

U.S. Highway 85 U.S. Route 85 (US 85) is a north–south United States Highway that travels in the Mountain and Northern Plains states of the United States. The southern terminus of the highway is at the Mexican border in El Paso, Texas, connecting wi ...

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 40 * North Dakota Highway 42

Adjacent counties and rural municipalities

* Rural Municipality (RM) of Lake Alma No. 8, Saskatchewan (SK) - northwest * RM of Souris Valley No. 7, SK - north * RM of Cambria No. 6, SK - north * RM of Estevan No. 5, SK - northeast * Burke County - east * Williams County - south *

Sheridan County, Montana Sheridan County is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,539. Its county seat is Plentywood. Its northern boundary is the Canada–United States border south of Saskatchewan. History The Montana ...

- west

Lakes

* Bright Water Lake * McCone Lake * Miller Lake * Musta Lake * North Lake * Rattler Lake * Round Lake (part) * Willow Lake

Demographics

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 2,283 people, 1,005 households, and 649 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 1.8 people per square mile (0.7/km²). There were 1,469 housing units at an average density of 1.2 per square mile (0.4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.99%

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% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.18% 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 0.18% from two or more races. 0.61% 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. There were 1,005 households, out of which 22.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.8% were married couples living together, 4.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were non-families. 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.9% 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 2.79. The county population contained 20.2% under the age of 18, 3.6% from 18 to 24, 20.1% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 29.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females there were 100.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.5 males. The median income for a household in the county was $30,089, and the median income for a family was $39,292. Males had a median income of $28,333 versus $16,371 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 $16,225. About 9.5% of families and 14.6% 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 19.5% of those under age 18 and 14.7% of those age 65 or over. The largest ancestries are Norwegian (64.7%), German (24.0%), Swedish (8.8%), and Irish (5.9%). Among the population claiming adherence to a particular religious organization, 80.6% claimed adherence to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in 2010. This rate is the highest such rate for the ELCA among all counties in the United States.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 2,071 people, 977 households, and 584 families in the county. The population density was . There were 1,324 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.0% white, 0.5% American Indian, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.0% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 57.7% were

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 ...

, 30.3% were

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 ...

, 8.5% were

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

, 5.2% were

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 ...

, and 2.9% were American. Of the 977 households, 19.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.2% were married couples living together, 4.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 40.2% were non-families, and 36.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.05 and the average family size was 2.66. The median age was 51.4 years. The median income for a household in the county was $48,152 and the median income for a family was $65,000. Males had a median income of $42,341 versus $27,596 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,462. About 9.4% of families and 14.0% of the population were below the

, including 40.7% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.

Population by decade

Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.8) id:sfondo value:rgb(1,1,1) id:barra value:rgb(0.55,0.0,0.0) ImageSize = width:455 height:303 PlotArea = left:50 bottom:50 top:30 right:30 DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:10000 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:1000 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:250 start:0 BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo BarData= bar:1910 text:1910 bar:1920 text:1920 bar:1930 text:1930 bar:1940 text:1940 bar:1950 text:1950 bar:1960 text:1960 bar:1970 text:1970 bar:1980 text:1980 bar:1990 text:1990 bar:2000 text:2000 bar:2010 text:2010 bar:2020 text:2020 bar:2021 text:2021 PlotData= color:barra width:25 align:left bar:1910 from: 0 till:6015 bar:1920 from: 0 till:9637 bar:1930 from: 0 till:9636 bar:1940 from: 0 till:7086 bar:1950 from: 0 till:5967 bar:1960 from: 0 till:5566 bar:1970 from: 0 till:4564 bar:1980 from: 0 till:3494 bar:1990 from: 0 till:2653 bar:2000 from: 0 till:2283 bar:2010 from: 0 till:2071 bar:2020 from: 0 till:2195 bar:2021 from: 0 till:2188 color:darkblue PlotData= bar:1910 at:6015 fontsize:S text: 6015 shift:(-8,5) bar:1920 at:9637 fontsize:S text: 9637 shift:(-8,5) bar:1930 at:9636 fontsize:S text: 9636 shift:(-8,5) bar:1940 at:7086 fontsize:S text: 7086 shift:(-8,5) bar:1950 at:5967 fontsize:S text: 5967 shift:(-8,5) bar:1960 at:5566 fontsize:S text: 5566 shift:(-8,5) bar:1970 at:4564 fontsize:S text: 4564 shift:(-8,5) bar:1980 at:3494 fontsize:S text: 3494 shift:(-8,5) bar:1990 at:2653 fontsize:S text: 2653 shift:(-8,5) bar:2000 at:2283 fontsize:S text: 2283 shift:(-8,5) bar:2010 at:2071 fontsize:S text: 2071 shift:(-8,5) bar:2020 at:2195 fontsize:S text: 2195 shift:(-8,5) bar:2021 at:2188 fontsize:S text: 2188 shift:(-8,5) TextData= fontsize:S pos:(20,20) text:Data from U.S. Census Bureau

Places of interest

Two petroglyphs are displayed at Writing Rock State Historical Site in Writing Rock Township.

Communities

Cities

* Ambrose *

(county seat) *

Fortuna Fortuna ( la, Fortūna, equivalent to the Greek goddess Tyche) is the goddess of fortune and the personification of luck in Roman religion who, largely thanks to the Late Antique author Boethius, remained popular through the Middle Ages until at ...

* Noonan

Unincorporated communities

* Alkabo * Colgan * Juno * Kermit * Paulson * Stady

Townships

* Alexandria * Ambrose * Blooming Prairie * Blooming Valley * Border * Burg * Clinton * Coalfield * Daneville * De Witt * Elkhorn * Fertile Valley * Fillmore * Frazier * Frederick * Garnet * Gooseneck * Hawkeye * Hayland * Lincoln Valley * Long Creek * Mentor * Palmer * Plumer * Sioux Trail * Smoky Butte * Stoneview * Troy * Twin Butte * Upland * Westby * Writing Rock

Politics

Divide County has been a swing county, with a Republican tendency. Since 1960 the county has selected the Republican Party candidate in two-thirds of the national elections (as of 2020). It has selected the Republican party candidate in every presidential election since 2000.

References

External links

Stories and histories of Divide County (1964)
from th
Digital Horizons website

Divide County map
''North Dakota DOT'' {{Coord, 48.81, -103.49, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-ND_source:UScensus1990 1910 establishments in North Dakota Populated places established in 1910