Oliver County is a

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

located 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 sover ...

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 ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,877. 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 ...

and only city is

Center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

History

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 No ...

legislature created the county on April 14, 1885, with territory partitioned from Mercer County. It was named for Harry S. Oliver of Lisbon, North Dakota, a Republican politician and member of the Dakota Territory House of Representatives at the time. The county government was organized on May 18, with Sanger (then known as "Bentley") as county seat. The seat was moved to

in 1902. Oliver County is included in the Bismarck, North Dakota

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

Geography

The northeastern/eastern boundary of Oliver County is delineated by the Missouri River as it flows southeastward after leaving

Lake Sakakawea Lake Sakakawea is a large reservoir in the north central United States, impounded in 1953 by Garrison Dam, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dam located in the Missouri River basin in central North Dakota. Named for the Shoshone-Hidatsa woman Saka ...

. The county terrain consists of rolling hills, mostly devoted to agriculture.''Oliver County ND'' Google Maps (accessed February 26, 2019)
/ref> The terrain slopes to the east, with the highest point a hill near its southwestern corner, at 2,382' (726m) ASL. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.2%) is water. It is the fifth-smallest county in North Dakota by area. By sheer coincidence, the county seat,

, named for being near the geographical center of the county, has also been calculated to be the geographic center of North America.

Major highways

* North Dakota Route 25 * North Dakota Route 31 * North Dakota Route 48 * North Dakota Route 1806 * North Dakota Route 200A

Adjacent counties

* McLean County - northeast *

Burleigh County Burleigh County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 98,458, making it the second-most populous county in North Dakota. Its county seat is Bismarck, the state capital. The county was named fo ...

- east * Morton County - south * Mercer County - northwest

Protected areas

* Cross Ranch State Park

Lakes

* Mandan Lake * Nelson Lake

Demographics

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 2,065 people, 791 households, and 604 families in the county. 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 2.86/sqmi (1.10/km²). There were 903 housing units at an average density of 1.25/sqmi (0.48/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.58%

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 ...

, 0.15%

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 have o ...

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 ...

, 1.26% Native American, 0.10%

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 ...

, and 0.92% from two or more races. 0.63% of the population were

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. 59.2% were of

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 ...

, 13.6%

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 ...

and 6.5%

American ancestry American ancestry refers to people in the United States who self-identify their ancestral origin or descent as "American," rather than the more common officially recognized racial and ethnic groups that make up the bulk of the American peop ...

. There were 791 households, out of which 35.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.20% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 3.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.60% were non-families. 21.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.05. The county population contained 27.40% under the age of 18, 4.70% from 18 to 24, 23.50% from 25 to 44, 30.10% from 45 to 64, and 14.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 107.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.20 males. The median income for a household in the county was $36,650, and the median income for a family was $45,430. Males had a median income of $40,577 versus $19,015 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 $16,271. About 11.20% of families and 14.90% 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 23.60% of those under age 18 and 13.90% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 1,846 people, 756 households, and 554 families in the county. The population density was 2.55/sqmi (0.99/km²). There were 905 housing units at an average density of 1.25/sqmi (0.48/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.3% white, 1.5% American Indian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 66.8% were

, 19.3% were

, 7.6% were

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

, 6.3% were

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, and 4.4% were

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

. Of the 756 households, 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.5% were married couples living together, 4.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 26.7% were non-families, and 22.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.84. The median age was 47.6 years. The median income for a household in the county was $62,308 and the median income for a family was $75,069. Males had a median income of $60,592 versus $28,409 for females. The per capita income for the county was $29,348. About 6.5% of families and 9.7% of the population were below the

, including 13.0% of those under age 18 and 19.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

(county seat)

Unincorporated communities

* Fort Clark *

Hannover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German States of Germany, state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germa ...

* Hensler * Price * Sanger (originally "Bentley"; now a ghost town)

Politics

Oliver County voters are traditionally Republican. In only one national election since 1936 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2016).

Education

School districts include: * Beulah Public School District 27 * Center-Stanton Public School District 1 * Glen Ullin Public School District 48 * Hazen Public School District 3 * New Salem-Almont School District * Washburn Public School District 4 Center previously had a separate school district, but it merged with Stanton's in 2004.

References

External links

Oliver County map
''North Dakota DOT'' {{Coord, 47.11, -101.35, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-ND_source:UScensus1990 1885 establishments in Dakota Territory Populated places established in 1885