Mott is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

Hettinger County Hettinger County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,489. Its county seat is Mott. The city of Hettinger, North Dakota is not located in Hettinger County North Dakota but located in ...

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. The population was 653 at the 2020 census.

History

Mott was founded in 1904 when territory was opened to settlers. There are conflicting stories of how the city was named. One theory is the city was named for Lillian Mott, the secretary of the town promoter, while the competing theory says the city was named for C. W. Mott, a railroad employee. A post office has been in operation at Mott since 1904. A 1975 F4 tornado struck Mott, killing one and injuring four. A distinctive symbol for Mott was the art deco arched "rainbow" bridge crossing the Cannonball River to the unincorporated area colloquially known as "West Mott". The arched bridge was damaged beyond repair in a 1997 flood.

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 city has a total area of , all land.

Climate

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 721 people, 315 households, and 191 families residing 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 415 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.9%

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 ...

, 0.4% Native American, and 1.7% from two or more races. There were 315 households, of which 21.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% 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, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 0.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.4% were non-families. 37.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 23.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.75. The median age in the city was 52.9 years. 20.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 3.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 15% were from 25 to 44; 27% were from 45 to 64; and 34% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.2% male and 52.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 808 people, 362 households, and 205 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 441 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.50%

, 0.12% Native American, 0.25%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, and 0.12% from two or more races. There were 362 households, out of which 22.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were

living together, 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.1% were non-families. 42.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 27.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.83. In the city, the population was spread out, with 20.8% under the age of 18, 3.0% from 18 to 24, 18.1% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 34.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 51 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $27,583, and the median income for a family was $33,929. Males had a median income of $24,327 versus $15,833 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 city was $15,718. About 9.6% of families and 13.9% 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 21.5% of those under age 18 and 13.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Mott shares the Mott/Regent School District, a unified school district with nearby

Regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

. Grades K-12 are located in Mott. The school districts's mascot is the ''Wildfire''. Prior to unification the Mott School District's mascot was the ''Cardinals''.

Notable people

* James Bannon, Wisconsin state legislator and politician, moved to a farm in Mott in 1905. * Eric Hardmeyer, president and CEO of the

Bank of North Dakota The Bank of North Dakota (BND) is a State-owned enterprise, state-owned, state-run financial institution based in Bismarck, North Dakota, Bismarck, North Dakota. It is the only government-owned general-service bank in the United States. It is th ...

* James Kerzman, North Dakota state legislator, farmer, and rancher * Melvin J. Miller, Minnesota state legislator and farmerMinnesota Legislators: Past & Present-Melvin J. Miller
/ref> *

Larry Woiwode Larry Alfred Woiwode (October 30, 1941April 28, 2022) was an American writer from North Dakota, where he was the state's Poet Laureate from 1995 until his death. His work appeared in ''The New Yorker'', ''Esquire'', ''The Atlantic Monthly'', ''H ...

, author and poet laureate of North Dakota

References

External links

City of Mott official website
{{Authority control Cities in North Dakota Cities in Hettinger County, North Dakota County seats in North Dakota Populated places established in 1904 1904 establishments in North Dakota