Elgin is a city in

Grant County Grant County may refer to: Places ;Australia * County of Grant, Victoria ;United States *Grant County, Arkansas *Grant County, Indiana * Grant County, Kansas *Grant County, Kentucky *Grant County, Minnesota *Grant County, Nebraska *Grant C ...

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

, United States. The population was 543 at the 2020 census.

History

Elgin was

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bear ...

ted in 1910 when the railroad was extended to that point. The town was originally known as Shanley, but when the Northern Pacific Railroad came through town, they objected to the name as it was too similar to Stanley (the seat of Mountrail County), so the citizens were asked to choose a new name. At one point, one committee member checked the time on his Elgin pocket watch and suggested the brand name, which was found to be acceptable. A post office has been in operation at Elgin since 1910. On July 4, 1978 an F4

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...

struck Elgin, causing five deaths and 35 injuries.

Geography

Elgin is located at (46.403603, -101.844706). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the city has a total area of , all land.

Climate

This

climatic Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologic ...

region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Elgin has a

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 freezing ...

, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Elgin, North Dakota
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Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 642 people, 339 households, and 167 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 416 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.3%

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 on ...

, 0.9% Native American, 0.2% 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 0.6% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, 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 Vic ...

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 were 0.2% of the population. There were 339 households, of which 16.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.3% were married couples living together, 5.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 50.7% were non-families. 49.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 32.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.82 and the average family size was 2.59. The median age in the city was 57.4 years. 17% of residents were under the age of 18; 2.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 14.6% were from 25 to 44; 30% were from 45 to 64; and 35.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 45.5% male and 54.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 659 people, 316 households, and 170 families residing in the city. The

was 814.5 people per square mile (314.1/km). There were 379 housing units at an average density of 468.5 per square mile (180.7/km). The racial makeup of the city was 97.12%

, 1.06% Native American, 0.30%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.76% from

, and 0.76% from two or more races.

of any race were 0.76% of the population. There were 316 households, out of which 18.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples living together, 3.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.9% were non-families. 44.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 25.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.91 and the average family size was 2.65. In the city, the population was spread out, with 17.0% under the age of 18, 3.5% from 18 to 24, 16.4% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 38.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 56 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $22,391, and the median income for a family was $30,972. Males had a median income of $28,750 versus $15,417 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 city was $18,080. About 8.8% of families and 14.7% 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 16.9% of those under age 18 and 19.3% of those age 65 or over.

Notable person

* Donald D. Lorenzen (1920–80), member of the

Los Angeles City Council The Los Angeles City Council is the legislative body of the Los Angeles, City of Los Angeles in California. The council is composed of 15 members elected from single-member districts for four-year terms. The President of the Los Angeles City Counc ...

(1969–1977)

References

{{Authority control Cities in North Dakota Cities in Grant County, North Dakota Populated places established in 1910 1910 establishments in North Dakota