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 counte ...

(CDP) in Rolette County,

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

, United States. It is within the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation. The population was 1,510 at the 2020 census. The community is the seat of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians. Belcourt was originally known as ''Siipiising,'' which is

Anishinaabe The Anishinaabe (alternatively spelled Anishinabe, Anicinape, Nishnaabe, Neshnabé, Anishinaabeg, Anishinabek, Aanishnaabe) are a group of culturally related Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples in the Great Lakes region of C ...

(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. 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.

History

Belcourt was laid out in 1884. The community was named Belcourt in honour of Georges-Antoine Belcourt. Father Belcourt was a

French Canadian French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French people, French colonists first arriving in Canada (New France), France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of ...

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

diocesan priest and

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who 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.Thoma ...

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.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, 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 (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 2,078 people, 711 households, and 465 families in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

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 chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.2%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

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

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

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 Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

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 population density was . 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 other races, 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

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 average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

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 ...

, including 65.3% of those under age 18 and 30.6% of those age 65 or over.

Climate

This climatic 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 divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

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 cold ...

, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.

Education

The local school district is the Belcourt School District (Turtle Mountain Community School).

References

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