Sibley is a city in Barnes 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. The population was 19 at the 2020 census. Sibley was founded in 1959.

Geography

Sibley is located at (47.214858, -97.965218). 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.

History

Sibley was created by Eddie and Edythe Hagglund beginning in 1954, when they observed the popularity of the nearby Lake Ashtabula and decided that a

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restaurant A restaurant is an establishment that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and Delivery (commerce), food delivery services. Restaurants ...

would be profitable. Therefore, they purchased some land near the lake and began to erect buildings: a

dance hall Dance hall in its general meaning is a hall for Dance, dancing, but usually refers to a specific type of twentieth-century venue, with dance clubs (nightclubs) becoming more popular towards the end of the century. The palais de danse was a term ap ...

, the restaurant, and many others. The city was incorporated after a dispute with authorities of Sibley Trail Township: although the Hagglunds wanted a

liquor license A liquor license (or liquor licence in most forms of Commonwealth English) is a governmentally issued permit for businesses to sell, manufacture, store, or otherwise use alcoholic beverages. Canada In Canada, liquor licences are issued by the l ...

, the township authorities would not grant one, so the Hagglunds incorporated the city. It was named after

Henry Hastings Sibley Henry Hastings Sibley (February 20, 1811 – February 18, 1891) was a fur trader with the American Fur Company, the first U.S. Congressional representative for Minnesota Territory, the first governor of the state of Minnesota, and a U.S. mi ...

, a

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and the first

Governor of Minnesota The governor of Minnesota is the head of government of the U.S. state of Minnesota, leading the state's executive branch. Forty people have been governor of Minnesota, though historically there were also three governors of Minnesota Territory ...

. In the 1970s, the Hagglunds sold the majority of the city to others, keeping the core businesses. They retained the business core of the city for many years, even after Eddie's death, but in 2007, Edythe announced the upcoming sale of the remaining parts of the city at

auction An auction is usually a process of Trade, buying and selling Good (economics), goods or Service (economics), services by offering them up for Bidding, bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from th ...

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 30 people, 18 households, and 9 families living 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 50 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.7%

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 ...

and 3.3% Native American. There were 18 households, of which 5.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% 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, and 50.0% were non-families. 44.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 27.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.67 and the average family size was 2.22. The median age in the city was 67 years. 6.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 0.0% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 9.9% were from 25 to 44; 20.1% were from 45 to 64; and 63.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 56.7% male and 43.3% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 46 people, 23 households, and 14 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 59 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 100.00%

. There were 23 households, out of which 21.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% were

living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.1% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.00 and the average family size was 2.57. In the city, the population was spread out, with 19.6% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 8.7% from 25 to 44, 30.4% from 45 to 64, and 32.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 55 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $20,469, and the median income for a family was $17,500. Males had a median income of $18,750 versus $22,500 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 $11,327. There were 14.3% of families and 15.4% of the population living 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 16.7% of under eighteens and 15.4% of those over 64.

References

{{Authority control Cities in Barnes County, North Dakota Cities in North Dakota Populated places established in 1954