Mercer 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 census, the population was 8,350. 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 Stanton.

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 enacted an January 8, 1873 law to create a county named Mercer, whose boundaries would be identical to Pratt (a now-extinct county). This county did not come into existence, as the 1873 act was nullified on January 14, 1875, by the legislature. On that date the legislature created another Mercer County, from previously unorganized territory. The county was named for William Henry Harrison Mercer, (1844–1901), a rancher who settled north of Bismarck in 1869. The unorganized county was not attached to another county for judicial or administrative purposes; this condition continued until November 6, 1883, when the county government was organized. The county boundaries were altered in 1879, 1881, 1885, 1892, and 1901. Its boundaries have remained unchanged since 1901. Map of Mercer County, N

Geography

The northern boundary of Mercer County is delineated by

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 Sa ...

, created in 1956 on the Missouri River. The county's eastern boundary is delineated by the river as it flows southeastward from the dam that created the lake. The county terrain consists of rolling hills, largely devoted to agriculture.''Mercer County ND'' Google Maps (accessed February 26, 2019)
/ref> The terrain slopes to the north and east; its highest point is near the midpoint of its southern boundary, at 2,451' (747m) ASL. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (6.3%) is water. The southwestern corner counties of North Dakota (Adams, Billings, Bowman, Golden Valley, Grant, Hettinger, Slope, Stark) observe Mountain Time. The counties of McKenzie, Dunn, and Sioux counties are split, with their northern portions observing Central Time and the southern portions observing Mountain Time. Prior to November 7, 2010, the western portion of Mercer County was in Mountain Time. But it was all moved into the

Central Time Central Time may refer to: * Central Time Zone, a time zone in North America * Central European Time, a time zone in Europe *Australian Central Time, a time zone in Australia (see Time in Australia Australia uses three main time zones: Austra ...

on that date.

Major highways

* North Dakota Highway 31 * North Dakota Highway 48 * North Dakota Highway 49 *

North Dakota Highway 200 North Dakota Highway 200 (ND 200) is a major east–west state highway in North Dakota, United States. It runs from Minnesota State Highway 200 at the Minnesota border near Halstad, Minnesota to Montana Highway 200 near Fairview, Montana. A ...

* North Dakota Highway 1806

Adjacent counties

* McLean County - north * Oliver County - east * Morton County - south * Stark County - southwest (observes Mountain Time) * Dunn County west (observes Mountain Time in southern portion)

Protected areas

* Beaver Creek State Game Management Area * Hazen Bay Recreation Area * Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site * Lake Sakakawea State Park

Lake

Demographics

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 8,644 people, 3,346 households, and 2,445 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 8.29/sqmi (3.20/km²). There were 4,402 housing units at an average density of 4.22/sqmi (1.63/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.04%

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 ...

, 0.05%

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 ...

, 2.00% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.38%

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 ...

, 0.12% from other races, and 1.16% from two or more races. 0.37% 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. 68.8% 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 8.2% Norwegian ancestry. There were 3,346 households, out of which 37.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.20% 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 ...

living together, 5.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.90% were non-families. 24.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.05. The county population contained 29.10% under the age of 18, 4.20% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 24.90% from 45 to 64, and 14.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 101.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.90 males. The median income for a household in the county was $42,269, and the median income for a family was $51,983. Males had a median income of $47,969 versus $21,667 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 $18,256. About 5.50% of families and 7.50% 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 5.20% of those under age 18 and 20.90% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 8,424 people, 3,625 households, and 2,500 families in the county. The population density was 8.08/sqmi (3.12/km²). There were 4,450 housing units at an average density of 4.27/sqmi (1.65/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.6% white, 2.3% American Indian, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.1% Pacific islander, 0.4% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 64.7% were

, 21.5% were Norwegian, 6.6% were Russian, 6.2% were Irish, and 2.2% 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 3,625 households, 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.1% were married couples living together, 5.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.0% were non-families, and 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.76. The median age was 46.3 years. The median income for a household in the county was $60,191 and the median income for a family was $71,075. Males had a median income of $63,321 versus $32,294 for females. The per capita income for the county was $30,616. About 4.1% of families and 6.2% of the population were below the

, including 7.2% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

* Beulah * Golden Valley * Hazen * Pick City * Stanton (county seat) * Zap

Politics

Mercer County voters have traditionally voted Republican. In no national election since 1936 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2020).

Education

School districts include: * Beulah Public School District 27 * Center-Stanton Public School District 1 * Glen Ullin Public School District 48 * Halliday Public School District 19 * Hazen Public School District 3 * Hebron Public School District 13 * Underwood Public School District 8 Elementary: * Twin Buttes Public School District 37 Stanton previously had a separate school district, but it merged with Center's in 2004.

References

External links

* Mercer County maps
Sheet 1
(northern) an
Sheet 2
(southern), ''North Dakota DOT'' {{Coord, 47.30, -101.82, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-ND_source:UScensus1990 North Dakota counties on the Missouri River 1884 establishments in Dakota Territory Populated places established in 1884