Ramsey 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, ...

. As of the

2020 United States Census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to off ...

, the population was 11,605. 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 ...

is Devils Lake.

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 N ...

legislature created the county on January 4, 1873, with areas partitioned from Pembina County. The county was named for

Alexander Ramsey Alexander Ramsey (September 8, 1815 April 22, 1903) was an American politician. He served as a Whig and Republican over a variety of offices between the 1840s and the 1880s. He was the first Minnesota Territorial Governor. Early years and fa ...

, a

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and power ...

from

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over t ...

. The county government was not completed at that time, and the county was not attached to another county for administrative or judicial purposes. This situation continued until January 25, 1883, when the county government was effected. The county's boundaries were altered twice in March 1883, twice more in 1885, and in 1890. Its present boundaries have remained unchanged since 1890. Map of Ramsey County, N

Geography

The southwest boundary of Ramsey County is defined by Devils Lake. The county terrain consists of rolling hills, dotted with lakes and ponds. The area is largely devoted to agriculture.''Ramsey County ND'' Google Maps (accessed February 26, 2019)
/ref> The terrain slopes to the lake, with its highest point at the NE county corner, at 1,631' (497m) ASL. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (8.8%) is water.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 2 U.S. Route 2 or U.S. Highway 2 (US 2) is an east–west U.S. Highway spanning across the northern continental United States. US 2 consists of two segments connected by various roadways in southern Canada. Unlike some routes, wh ...

* U.S. Highway 281 *

North Dakota Highway 1 North Dakota Highway 1 (ND 1) is a major north–south highway in North Dakota. It runs from Manitoba Highway 31 in Maida to South Dakota Highway 37 south of Ludden. It is in length. Route description ND 1 enters North Dakota as a continu ...

* North Dakota Highway 17 *

North Dakota Highway 19 North Dakota Highway 19 (ND 19) is an east–west route through central North Dakota. It runs from County Road 19 (CR 19) at the McHenry– Pierce county line to ND 20 in Devils Lake, a total of . It has one concurrency with ...

North Dakota Highway 20 North Dakota Highway 20 (ND 20) is a north–south highway in North Dakota. It runs from U.S. Route 52 (US 52) and US 281 in Jamestown to the Canada–United States border near Sarles. The highway continues into Manitoba as ...

* North Dakota Highway 57

Adjacent counties

Cavalier County Cavalier County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. It is south of the Canada–US border with Manitoba. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,704. Its county seat is Langdon. The city of Cavalier is in nearby Pembina Coun ...

- north * Walsh County - east * Nelson County - southeast * Benson County - southwest * Towner County - northwest

National protected areas

* Lake Alice National Wildlife Refuge (part) * Silver Lake National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Lakes

* Chain Lake * Creel Bay * Dry Lake * East Devils Lake * Lake Alice * Lake Irvine * Mikes Lake * Morrison Lake * Sixmile Bay * Sweetwate Lake

Demographics

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 12,066 people, 4,957 households, and 3,187 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 RosenberPopu ...

was 10.2/sqmi (3.92/km²). There were 5,729 housing units at an average density of 4.83/sqmi (1.86/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.31%

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 ...

, 0.21%

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 ha ...

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 ...

, 5.40% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.17% from other races, and 1.64% from two or more races. 0.52% 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 for ...

or Latino of any race. 37.7% 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 ...

and 33.7% Norwegian ancestry. There were 4,957 households, out of which 29.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.80% 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 ...

living together, 8.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.70% were non-families. 31.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.94. The county population contained 25.00% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 25.90% from 25 to 44, 22.30% from 45 to 64, and 18.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 97.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.40 males. The median income for a household in the county was $35,600, and the median income for a family was $42,439. Males had a median income of $29,562 versus $18,629 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 $18,060. About 8.70% of families and 12.60% 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 ...

, including 16.90% of those under age 18 and 8.00% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 11,451 people, 4,955 households, and 3,008 families in the county. The population density was 9.65/sqmi (3.72/km²). There were 5,615 housing units at an average density of 4.73/sqmi (1.83/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 87.7% white, 8.7% American Indian, 0.4% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.2% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 41.9% were

, 37.7% were Norwegian, 7.0% were Irish, 5.7% were Swedish, 5.2% 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 ...

, and 2.9% 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 4,955 households, 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 39.3% were non-families, and 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.82. The median age was 43.0 years. The median income for a household in the county was $41,792 and the median income for a family was $56,632. Males had a median income of $41,274 versus $25,171 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,130. About 8.7% of families and 11.5% of the population were below the

, including 16.7% of those under age 18 and 15.4% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

* Brocket * Crary * Devils Lake (county seat) * Edmore * Hampden * Lawton * Starkweather

Unincorporated communities

* Bartlett * Churchs Ferry * Darby * Derrick * Doyon * Essex * Garske * Grand Harbor * Keith * Lakewood Park * Penn * Ramsey * Rohrville * Saint Joe *

Southam Southam () is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district of Warwickshire, England. Southam is situated on the River Stowe (called 'The Brook' by many locals), which flows from Napton-on-the-Hill and joins Warwickshire's ...

* Sweetwater * Webster

Townships

* Bartlett * Cato * Chain Lakes * Coulee * Creel * De Groat * Dry Lake * Fancher * Freshwater * Grand Harbor * Hammer * Harding * Highland Center * Hope * Klingstrup * Lawton * Lillehoff * Minnewaukan * Morris * Newbre * Newland * Noonan * North Creel * Northfield * Odessa * Ontario * Overland * Pelican * Poplar Grove * Prospect * Royal * South Minnewaukan * Stevens * Sullivan * Triumph * Webster

Politics

Ramsey County voters have traditionally voted Republican. In only two national elections since 1944 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2020).

References

External links

Ramsey County official website
* Ramsey County maps
Sheet 1
(northern) an
Sheet 2
(southern), ''North Dakota DOT'' {{Coord, 48.25, -98.72, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-ND_source:UScensus1990 1883 establishments in Dakota Territory Populated places established in 1883