Belcourt is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the count ...

(CDP) in Rolette County,

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 ...

, United States. It is within the

Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation (Ojibwe language: ''Mikinaakwajiwing'') is a reservation located in northern North Dakota, United States. It is the land base for the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians. The population of the Turtle Moun ...

. The population was 1,510 at the 2020 census. The community is the seat of the

Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians (Ojibwe language: ''Mikinaakwajiw-ininiwag'') is a Native American tribe of Ojibwa mixed heritage people, who would be considered Metis if they were Canadian, based on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reser ...

. Belcourt was originally known as ''Siipiising,'' which is

Anishinaabe The Anishinaabeg (adjectival: Anishinaabe) are a group of culturally related Indigenous peoples present in the Great Lakes region of Canada and the United States. They include the Ojibwe (including Saulteaux and Oji-Cree), Odawa, Potawat ...

(Chippewa) for "creek that sings with life-giving water." The name refers to what European Americans called "Ox Creek", which flows through the center of town. Belcourt was laid out in 1884. The community was named Belcourt in honour of Georges-Antoine Belcourt,. Father Belcourt was a French Canadian

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

diocesan priest and

missionary A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

who served the Chippewa and Métis throughout his ministry in the mid-nineteenth century. Belcourt advocated politically on the behalf of the Anishinaabeg and Métis in Canada and in the United States until 1859. Father Belcourt described the Chippewa historical territory in the Pembina River basin as covering an area about 400 miles from north to south and 500 miles from east to west. The town is served by different forms of media, such as KEYA, a tribal radio station that can be found at 88.5 FM; and the ''Turtle Mountain Times,'' the tribally owned newspaper that was established in 2003. ''The Tribal Independent,'' an independently owned online newspaper, was established in 2011 and folded in 2012.

Geography

Belcourt is located at (48.840666, -99.746588). 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 t ...

, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land and (3.36%) is water. It is named after Father Belcourt.

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 in ...

of 2010, there were 2,078 people, 711 households, and 465 families in the city. 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 . There were 783 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 2.6%

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 ...

, 0.2%

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 ...

, 95.8% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% 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 1.1% from two or more races.

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 ...

or Latino of any race were 1.4% of the population. There were 711 households, of which 36.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 27.0% were married couples living together, 30.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.6% were non-families. 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.54. The median age in the city was 27.8 years. 35.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.6% were from 25 to 44; 21.2% were from 45 to 64; and 8.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.3% male and 50.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,440 people, 806 households, and 561 families residing in the CDP. The

was 417.0 people per square mile (161.0/km²). There were 856 housing units at an average density of 146.3/sq mi (56.5/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 3.93%

, 0.12%

, 95.41% Native American, 0.25% from

, and 0.29% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.94% of the population. There were 806 households, out of which 46.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 27.5% were married couples living together, 33.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.3% were non-families. 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.96 and the average family size was 3.54. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 38.6% under the age of 18, 12.5% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 16.5% from 45 to 64, and 6.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.2 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $12,880, and the median income for a family was $15,000. Males had a median income of $23,047 versus $17,292 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 CDP was $8,432. About 49.6% of families and 53.9% 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 65.3% of those under age 18 and 30.6% of those age 65 or over.

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 meteorological ...

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, Belcourt 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.

Education

The local school district is the

Belcourt School District Belcourt School District #7 (BSD#7) is a school district headquartered in Belcourt, North Dakota. In addition to Belcourt, it serves Green Acres, St. John, and almost all of Shell Valley. It is the school district of the Turtle Mountain Indian ...

(Turtle Mountain Community School).

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Rolette County, North Dakota Census-designated places in North Dakota