Ward 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, So ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 69,919, making it the fourth-most populous county in North Dakota. 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 ...

Minot Minot ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ward County, North Dakota, United States, in the state's north-central region. It is most widely known for the Air Force base approximately north of the city. With a population of 48,377 at the 20 ...

. Ward County is part of the Minot, ND Micropolitan Statistical Area.

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 April 14, 1885, with areas partitioned from Renville, Stevens, and Wynn counties (Stevens and Wynn counties are now extinct). The county government was not organized at that date; the organization was effected on November 23 of that year. The county was named for Mark Ward, chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Counties during the session. Burlington was the county seat; this was changed to Minot in 1888. The boundaries of Ward County were altered two times in 1887, and in 1892, 1909 and 1910. The present county boundaries have been in place since 1910. Until 1908, Ward County included what is now

Burke Burke is an Anglo-Norman Irish surname, deriving from the ancient Anglo-Norman and Hiberno-Norman noble dynasty, the House of Burgh. In Ireland, the descendants of William de Burgh (–1206) had the surname ''de Burgh'' which was gaelicised ...

, Mountrail, and Renville counties; this landmass often being referred to as 'Imperial Ward' County and which was the largest county in the state at the time. In 1908, voters took up measures to partition the county. The results for that portion forming Mountrail County were accepted but the results for the portions that would become Burke and Renville counties were disputed in court, which resulted in favorable rulings in 1910. When the proposed county lines for Burke and Renville counties were drawn, neither group wanted to include

Kenmare Kenmare () is a small town in the south of County Kerry, Ireland. The name Kenmare is the anglicised form of ''Ceann Mara'', meaning "head of the sea", referring to the head of Kenmare Bay. Location Kenmare is located at the head of Kenmare Ba ...

and risk that city's becoming the county seat, so Kenmare was left in Ward County at the end of a narrow strip of land, commonly referred to as the 'gooseneck'. One of the options reportedly considered around this time was to create a fifth county, Lake, with Kenmare as its seat.

Geography

The

Des Lacs River The Des Lacs River is a river in central North America which flows through Saskatchewan and North Dakota. It originates in southeastern Saskatchewan and joins the Souris River, of which it is the primary tributary, in Burlington, North Dakota. N ...

flows southeasterly through the northeast part of the county before doubling to the northeast on its journey to

Lake Winnipeg Lake Winnipeg (french: Lac Winnipeg, oj, ᐑᓂᐸᑲᒥᐠᓴᑯ˙ᑯᐣ, italics=no, Weenipagamiksaguygun) is a very large, relatively shallow lake in North America, in the province of Manitoba, Canada. Its southern end is about north of t ...

. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, dotted with ponds and lakes in its southern part, and carved by drainage gullies. The area is largely devoted to agriculture.''Ward County ND'' Google Maps (accessed February 22, 2019)
/ref> The terrain slopes to the east and north, with its highest point near the southwest corner, at 2,175' (663m) ASL. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.1%) is water. It is the fifth-largest county in North Dakota by land area.

Major highways

* U.S. Highway 2 * U.S. Highway 52 * U.S. Highway 83 *

North Dakota Highway 5 North Dakota Highway 5 (ND 5) is a east–west state highway in North Dakota. Its route is in the extreme north part of the state, near the Canada–United States border. The eastern terminus is located about four miles (6 km) east of ...

* North Dakota Highway 23 * North Dakota Highway 28 * North Dakota Highway 50

Adjacent counties

* Renville County, North Dakota, Renville County - north * McHenry County, North Dakota, McHenry County - east * McLean County, North Dakota, McLean County - south * Mountrail County, North Dakota, Mountrail County - west * Burke County, North Dakota, Burke County - northwest

Protected areas

* Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge (part) * Hiddenwood National Wildlife Refuge (part) * National Wildfowl Production Areas * Upper Souris National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Lakes

* Carpenter Lake * Douglas Lake (part) * Hiddenwood Lake (part) * Makoti Lake * Rice Lake * Rush Lake

Demographics

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census, 2000 census, there were 58,795 people, 23,041 households, and 15,368 families in the county. The population density was 29.2/sqmi (11.3/km²). There were 25,097 housing units at an average density of 12.5/sqmi (4.81/km²). The county is predominately Race (United States Census), White (92.40%), with Race (United States Census), African Americans and Race (United States Census), Native Americans making up 2.22% and 2.07% respectively. Race (United States Census), Asians and Race (United States Census), Pacific Islanders made up less than 1% of the population. Race (United States Census), Other races and those that identified as being two or more races made up 2.43%. 1.91% of the population were Race (United States Census), Hispanic or Race (United States Census), Latino of any race. 34.7% were of German people, German ancestry and 27.9% Norwegian people, Norwegian ancestry. There were 23,041 households, out of which 34.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.20% were Marriage, married couples living together, 8.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.30% were non-families. 27.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.01. The county population contained 26.20% under the age of 18, 13.00% from 18 to 24, 29.10% from 25 to 44, 19.20% from 45 to 64, and 12.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 99.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.50 males. The median income for a household in the county was $33,670, and the median income for a family was $41,342. Males had a median income of $27,980 versus $19,830 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,926. About 7.90% of families and 10.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.50% of those under age 18 and 8.40% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, 2010 census, there were 61,675 people, 25,029 households, and 15,597 families in the county. The population density was 30.6/sqmi (11.8/km²). There were 26,744 housing units at an average density of 13.3/sqmi (5.13/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 90.3% white, 2.6% American Indian, 2.5% black or African American, 0.9% Asian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 0.7% from other races, and 2.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 44.4% were Germans, German, 30.8% were Norwegians, Norwegian, 11.6% were Irish people, Irish, 5.7% were English people, English, and 2.3% were Americans, American. Of the 25,029 households, 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.9% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.7% were non-families, and 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age was 32.7 years. The median income for a household in the county was $48,793 and the median income for a family was $60,361. Males had a median income of $37,569 versus $28,415 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,326. About 6.7% of families and 9.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.0% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

* Berthold, North Dakota, Berthold * Burlington * Carpio, North Dakota, Carpio * Des Lacs, North Dakota, Des Lacs * Donnybrook, North Dakota, Donnybrook * Douglas, North Dakota, Douglas *

* Makoti, North Dakota, Makoti *

(county seat) * Ryder, North Dakota, Ryder * Sawyer, North Dakota, Sawyer * Surrey, North Dakota, Surrey

Census-designated places

* Foxholm, North Dakota, Foxholm * Logan, North Dakota, Logan * Minot Air Force Base#Demographics, Minot AFB * Ruthville, North Dakota, Ruthville

Unincorporated communities

* Aurelia - (ghost town) * Drady * Gassman - founded when the Gassman Creek Coulee trestle was being built, now referred to as "Trestle Valley" * Hartland, North Dakota, Hartland - (ghost town) * Hesnault * Lonetree * Rice Lake - community at Rice Lake near Minot * South Prairie * Wolseth

Historical areas

* Harrison - early community, now part of Minot * Ralston - railroad siding * Waldorf - early community, now part of Minot

Townships

* Afton Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Afton * Anna Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Anna * Baden Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Baden * Berthold Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Berthold * Brillian Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Brillian * Burlington Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Burlington * Burt Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Burt * Cameron Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Cameron * Carbondale Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Carbondale * Carpio Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Carpio * Denmark Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Denmark * Des Lacs Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Des Lacs * Elmdale Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Elmdale * Eureka Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Eureka * Evergreen Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Evergreen * Foxholm Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Foxholm * Freedom Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Freedom * Gasman Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Gasman * Greely Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Greely * Greenbush Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Greenbush * Harrison Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Harrison * Hiddenwood Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Hiddenwood * Hilton Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Hilton * Iota Flat Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Iota Flat * Kenmare Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Kenmare * Kirkelie Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Kirkelie * Linton Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Linton * Lund Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Lund * Mandan Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Mandan * Margaret Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Margaret * Maryland Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Maryland * Mayland Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Mayland * McKinley Township, Ward County, North Dakota, McKinley * Nedrose Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Nedrose * New Prairie Township, Ward County, North Dakota, New Prairie * Newman Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Newman * Orlien Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Orlien * Passport Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Passport * Ree Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Ree * Rice Lake Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Rice Lake * Rolling Green Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Rolling Green * Rushville Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Rushville * Ryder Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Ryder * Saint Marys Township, Ward County, North Dakota, St. Marys * Sauk Prairie Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Sauk Prairie * Sawyer Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Sawyer * Shealy Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Shealy * Spencer Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Spencer * Spring Lake Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Spring Lake * Sundre Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Sundre * Surrey Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Surrey * Tatman Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Tatman * Tolgen Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Tolgen * Torning Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Torning * Vang Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Vang * Waterford Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Waterford * Willis Township, Ward County, North Dakota, Willis

Politics

Ward County voters are traditionally and increasingly Republican. In only one national election since 1944 (1964) has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate. In 2020, Donald Trump received 70.7% of the vote in this county, the highest for any candidate since Theodore Roosevelt, although his margin relative to his Democratic opponent declined from 2016, most likely due to the high number of third party votes from the 2016 election cycle in Ward County.