Williams County is located on the western border of the U.S. state of North Dakota, next to Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,950. Its county seat is Williston. The Williston Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Williams County. It is bordered on the south by the upper Missouri River, whose confluence with its tributary Yellowstone River is located just east of the border with Montana.

History

There have been two Williams counties in the history of North Dakota. The first, created in 1873, was located south of the Missouri River near where Dunn and Mercer counties are today. This county continued to exist through North Dakota statehood, and while the second Williams County was created in 1891. The first Williams County was extinguished by a county referendum on November 8, 1892; part of its territory was absorbed by Mercer County and the rest reverted to an unorganized territory. The second Williams County was created by the

North Dakota legislature The North Dakota Legislative Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of North Dakota. The Legislative Assembly consists of two chambers, the lower North Dakota House of Representatives, with 94 representatives, and the upper North ...

on March 2, 1891, from the previous counties of Buford and Flannery, which were dissolved. The government of this county was organized on December 8, 1891. This county's boundaries were altered in 1910, when a portion of its territory was annexed to create

Divide County Divide County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,195. Its county seat is Crosby. History On November 8, 1910, election, the voters of Williams County voters determined that the coun ...

. Its boundaries have remained unchanged since then. The county is named for Erastus Appleman Williams, a European-American settler who served in the Dakota Territory legislature and the North Dakota legislature. Map of Williams County, N

Geography

Williams County lies on the west edge of North Dakota. Its west boundary line abuts the east boundary line of the state of Montana. The Missouri River flows eastward along the county's south boundary line from the confluence with its tributary Yellowstone River, located on the Dakota side of the state border with Montana. Horse Creek and Willow Creek flow to the west across the upper portion of the county. The terrain consists of isolated hills amid rolling, hilly, semi-arid stretches. The area is partly devoted to agriculture.''Williams County ND'' Google Maps (accessed February 19, 2019)
/ref> The terrain is highest across its midpoint, and slopes to the NW and SE. Its highest point is a hill near the NE corner, at 2,470' (753m) ASL. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (3.3%) is water. It is the fourth-largest county in North Dakota by area. Lake Sakakawea, a reservoir on the Missouri River, is situated on the southern boundary of the county. Little Muddy Creek is entirely within Williams County. The confluence of the Yellowstone River with the Missouri is west of Williston. The Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site is located in Williams County along the Missouri River on the Montana border. Williams County is one of several western North Dakota counties with significant exposure to the

Bakken formation The Bakken Formation () is a rock unit from the Late Devonian to Early Mississippian age occupying about of the subsurface of the Williston Basin, underlying parts of Montana, North Dakota, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The formation was initi ...

in the Williston Basin.

Major highways

* * * * * * *

Adjacent counties

(north) * Burke County (northeast) * Mountrail County (east) *

McKenzie County McKenzie County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,704. Its county seat is Watford City. The county lies immediately adjacent to the Williston Micropolitan Statistical Area, althoug ...

(south) * Roosevelt County, Montana (southwest) *

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)

Protected areas

* Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site (part) * Hofflund State Game Management Area * Lewis & Clark State Park *

Lake Zahl National Wildlife Refuge Lake Zahl National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge in Williams County in the U.S. state of North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous D ...

* North Tobacco Garden State Game Management Area

Lakes

* Alkali Lake * Blacktail Lake * Cottonwood Lake * Epping Dam * Green Lake * Helle Slough * Holm Lake * Lake Trenton * Lake Zahl * McLeod Lake * Shirley Lake * Tioga River Dam * Twin Lakes KotaRay Dam

Demographics

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 19,761 people, 8,095 households, and 5,261 families in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile (4/km²). There were 9,680 housing units at an average density of 5 per square mile (2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.95% White, 0.12% Black or African American, 4.40% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races, and 2.21% from two or more races. 0.94% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 48.3% were of Norwegian and 22.0% German ancestry. There were 8,095 households, out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% 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, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% were non-families. Of all households 30.9% were made up of individuals, and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.99. The county population contained 26.2% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 96.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.6 males. The median income for a household in the county was $31,491, and the median income for a family was $39,065. Males had a median income of $29,884 versus $19,329 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,763. About 9.6% of families and 11.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.5% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 22,398 people, 9,293 households, and 5,746 families in the county. The population density was . There were 10,464 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 92.1% white, 4.0% American Indian, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.3% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 46.2% were of Norwegian, 35.9% of German, 9.8% of Irish, 4.5% of

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 4.4% of English ancestry. Of the 9,293 households, 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.2% were non-families, and 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age was 39.0 years. The median income for a household in the county was $55,396 and the median income for a family was $67,875. Males had a median income of $50,735 versus $27,071 for females. The per capita income for the county was $29,153. About 4.7% of families and 8.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.7% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.

Media

* ''The Williston Herald''

Communities

Cities

Alamo The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna reclaimed the Alamo Mission near San Ant ...

* Epping * Grenora *

Ray Ray may refer to: Fish * Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea * Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin Science and mathematics * Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point * Ray (g ...

* Springbrook *

Tioga Tioga may refer to: United States communities *Tioga, California, former name of Bennettville, California *Tioga, Colorado *Tioga, Florida * Tioga, Iowa *Tioga, Louisiana *Tioga, New York, a town in Tioga County *Tioga County, New York, a county at ...

* Wildrose * Williston (county seat)

Census-designated places

* Blacktail * Long Creek * McGregor * Trenton

Other unincorporated communities

* Appam * Bonetraill * Buford * Corinth * Hamlet * Hanks * Lunds Landing * Temple *

Wheelock Wheelock and similar may refer to: Firms and buildings * Cooper Wheelock, a manufacturer of fire alarm and general signaling products * Wheelock and Company, formerly British Hong Wheelock and Marden Company Limited * Wheelock College, a small li ...

* Zahl

Townships

* Athens * Barr Butte * Big Meadow * Big Stone * Blacktail * Blue Ridge * Bonetraill * Brooklyn * Buford * Bull Butte * Champion * Climax * Cow Creek * Dry Fork * Dublin * East Fork * Ellisville * Equality * Farmvale * Golden Valley * Good Luck * Grenora * Hardscrabble * Hazel * Hebron * Judson * Lindahl * Marshall * Missouri Ridge * Mont * New Home * Oliver * Orthell * Pherrin * Pleasant Valley * Rainbow * Rock Island * Round Prairie * Sauk Valley * Scorio * South Meadow * Springbrook * Stony Creek * Strandahl * Tioga * Trenton * Truax * Twelve Mile * Tyrone * View * West Bank * Wheelock * Williston * Winner

Defunct townships

* Hofflund

Politics

Williams County voters have been reliably Republican for decades. In no national election since 1964 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate.

Education

School districts include:
Text list
- This map was made before

Williston Public School District 1 The Williston Public School District #1 was a school district serving Williston, North Dakota. While most of the district was in Williams County, where it served almost all of Williston, a section was in McKenzie County. History In 2020 a vote ...

and

Williams County Public School District 8 Williams County School District #8, previously New Public School District #8 or New Public Schools, was a school district headquartered in Williston, North Dakota. The district mainly served unincorporated areas that were rural territories near W ...

merged into

Williston Basin School District 7 Williston Basin School District 7 (WBSD7) is a school district headquartered in Williston, North Dakota. History In 2020 a vote was held on whether it was to merge the Williston School District 1 with the Williams County Public School District ...

. * Divide County Public School District 1 * Eightmile Public School District 6 *

Grenora Public School District 99 Grenora is a city in Williams County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 221 at the 2020 census. Grenora was founded in July 1916 at the terminus of a Great Northern Railway branch line that began in Stanley. The name is a portman ...

* Nesson Public School District 2 * Tioga Public School District 15 *

Former districts include:
Text list
/ref> *

- Merged into Williston Basin 7 in 2021. *

(formerly New Public School District 8, elementary only) - Merged into Williston Basin 7 in 2021.

References

External links

Map of southeastern portion of Williams County
''North Dakota DOT''
Map of northern portion of Williams County
''North Dakota DOT''
Map of southwestern portion of Williams County
''North Dakota DOT'' {{Coord, 48.35, -103.48, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-ND_source:UScensus1990 1891 establishments in North Dakota Populated places established in 1891 North Dakota counties on the Missouri River