Washburn is a city in southern McLean 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. Located along the upper Missouri River, it is the

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 ...

of McLean County. The population was 1,300 at the 2020 census. Washburn was founded in 1882 near the former site of Fort Mandan, winter quarters of the

Lewis and Clark Expedition The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the United States expedition to cross the newly acquired western portion of the country after the Louisiana Purchase. The Corps of Discovery was a select gr ...

in 1804-1805, near a Mandan village. The town was designated as the county seat in 1883. The city's name honors General

Cadwallader C. Washburn Cadwallader Colden Washburn (April 22, 1818May 14, 1882) was an American businessman, politician, and soldier who founded a mill that later became General Mills. A member of the Washburn family of Maine, he was a U.S. Congressman and governor o ...

. Washburn is home to the North Dakota Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, which focuses on the Expedition's winter near the

Mandan The Mandan are a Native American tribe of the Great Plains who have lived for centuries primarily in what is now North Dakota. They are enrolled in the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation. About half of the Mandan still re ...

village. It houses a full-scale replica of Fort Mandan, which workers of the expedition built as their base, and one of the expedition's canoes.

Geography

Washburn is located at (47.291313, −101.027647). 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 city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

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 1,246 people, 551 households, and 369 families living 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 661 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.0%

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 ...

, 0.1%

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 ...

, 0.6% Native American, 0.5% 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 0.9% 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 ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1.1% of the population. There were 551 households, of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.3% were married couples living together, 4.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.0% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.76. The median age in the city was 46.2 years. 21.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.2% were from 25 to 44; 35.9% were from 45 to 64; and 15.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.3% male and 48.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,389 people, 557 households, and 407 families living in the city. The

was 781.8 people per square mile (301.3/km). There were 659 housing units at an average density of 370.9 per square mile (142.9/km). The racial makeup of the city was 98.78%

, 0.72% Native American, 0.22% from

, and 0.29% from two or more races.

of any race were 0.50% of the population. There were 557 households, out of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.4% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.9% were non-families. 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.96. In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.4% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $40,789, and the median income for a family was $54,250. Males had a median income of $47,500 versus $21,364 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 city was $19,726. About 5.9% of families and 8.6% 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 10.5% of those under age 18 and 12.7% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Jean Baptiste Charbonneau was born in 1804 at Fort Mandan to Sacagewea, a young Shoshone woman, and

Toussaint Charbonneau Toussaint Charbonneau (March 20, 1767 – August 12, 1843) was a French-Canadian explorer, trader and a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. He is also known as the husband of Sacagawea. Early years Charbonneau was born in Boucherv ...

, a French Canadian. As an infant, he was taken along by his mother on her travels with the

. He became an explorer and interpreter, fluent in French, English, Shoshone, and other Native American languages * Clint Hill, Secret Service agent assigned to Jacqueline Kennedy, raised in Washburn * Ernie Kell, mayor of

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

from 1984 to 1994 * Bruce Peterson, NASA test pilot, born in Washburn * Homer N. Wallin, World War II era Vice-Admiral in the U.S. Navy, born in Washburn

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, Washburn 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.Climate Summary for Washburn, North Dakota
/ref>

References

External links

City of Washburn official website
{{Authority control Cities in McLean County, North Dakota Cities in North Dakota County seats in North Dakota Populated places established in 1882 North Dakota populated places on the Missouri River