St. Thomas is a city in

Pembina County Pembina County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,844, and was estimated to be 6,588 in 2024, The county seat and the largest city is Cavalier. History For thousands of years, various i ...

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 323 at the 2020 census. The city, located in the

Red River Valley The Red River Valley is a region in central North America that is drained by the Red River of the North; it is part of both Canada and the United States. Forming the border between Minnesota and North Dakota when these territories were admitted ...

region and is located just 14 miles away from the Red River.

History

St. Thomas was laid out in 1881. The city was named after

St. Thomas, Ontario St. Thomas is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It gained its city charter on March 4, 1881. The city is also the seat for Elgin County, although it is independent of the county. At the time of the 2021 Census, the population of the city w ...

. A U.S. post office has been in operation at St. Thomas since 1881 and is open weekdays. The St. Thomas Public School was established in 1882. St. Thomas Elementary School and St. Thomas High School offered classes for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade through the 2020-21 school year. The three-person class of 2021 was the last class to graduate from St. Thomas Public School. Pre-K-12th grade students from St. Thomas now attend school in Grafton, ND (in the newly consolidate
Grafton School District #18
.

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.

Demographics

2020 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 2020, there were 323 people lived in St. Thomas. Three-quarters of those residents were born in or near the town itself. It is a racially and ethnically diverse town, where 16% of residents are Latino, 8% are Indigenous, and most other residents are white. According to the census, every man who lives in the town owns his home, and 75% of women do too.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 331 people, 150 households, and 107 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 182 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.6%

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 ...

, 0.6% Native American, 4.5% from other races, and 0.3% 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 19.6% of the population. There were 150 households, of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% 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, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 8.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 28.7% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.63. The median age in the city was 46.1 years. 19.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.7% were from 25 to 44; 35.2% were from 45 to 64; and 17.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 52.6% male and 47.4% female.

Notable people

Edward K. Thompson Edward Kramer Thompson (January 15, 1907 – October 8, 1996) was an American writer and editor. He was the editor of ''Life'' from its early days as a weekly and was the founding editor of '' Smithsonian'' magazine. Biography Thompson was born ...

, editor of

LIFE magazine ''Life'' (stylized as ''LIFE'') is an American magazine launched in 1883 as a weekly publication. In 1972, it transitioned to publishing "special" issues before running as a monthly from 1978 to 2000. Since then, ''Life'' has irregularly publi ...

and SMITHSONIAN magazine

References

External links

Pioneer Women's Histories : St. Thomas and Glasston
from th
Digital Horizons website

A century of St. Thomas times (1980)
from th
Digital Horizons website

Official website
{{Authority control Saint Thomas, North Dakota Saint Thomas Populated places established in 1881 1881 establishments in Dakota Territory