Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index

Minot, North Dakota

Minot, population 36,567, is a city located in north central North Dakota. Minot is the fourth largest city in the state and is the trading centre of a large portion of northern North Dakota, southeastern Saskatchewan, and southwestern Manitoba. It is the county seat of Ward County6. Minot is known as the Magic City.

Table of contents
1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 History
4 Transportation
5 Media
6 Politics
7 Education
8 External Links

Geography

Minot is located at in north central North Dakota, at 48°13'59" North latitude , 101°17'32" West longitude. (48.233190, -101.292229)1. Minot is located about 170 km (100 mi) north of Bismarck, 300 km (200 mi) west of Grand Forks and 400 km (250 mi) northwest of Fargo and southeast of Regina, Saskatchewan.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 37.7 km² (14.6 mi²). 37.7 km² (14.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it is water. The Souris River, its oxbow lakes, and a few creeks take up 0.14% of the city's total landmass.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 36,567 people, 15,520 households, and 9,265 families residing in the city. The population density is 970.4/km² (2,513.1/mi²). There are 16,475 housing units at an average density of 437.2/km² (1,132.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 93.18% White, 1.34% African American, 2.76% Native American, 0.62% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.49% from other races, and 1.54% from two or more races. 1.47% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 15,520 households out of which 28.6% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.6% are married couples living together, 10.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 40.3% are non-families. 32.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 12.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.27 and the average family size is 2.90.

In the city the population is spread out with 23.2% under the age of 18, 13.3% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 89.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $32,218, and the median income for a family is $42,804. Males have a median income of $30,283 versus $20,023 for females. The per capita income for the city is $18,011. 12.8% of the population and 8.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 16.0% are under the age of 18 and 8.9% are 65 or older.

History

Minot came into existence in 1887, when Jim Hill's Great Northern Railroad ended its push through the state for the winter, after having trouble constructing a trestle across Apple Valley. The tent town sprung up over night, as if by magic, thus the city came to be known as the Magic City.

The town was named after Henry Davis Minot, a railroad investor.

Transportation

The railroads that built Minot remain there today, though Great Northern is now part of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway and the Soo Line is run by the Canadian Pacific Railway

Additionally, three US Highways run through the city: US 2, US 52, and US 83.

Minot has a commercial airport, serviced three times daily by Northwest Airlines.

Media

Minot has six television stations:

KSRE 6, PBS
KMOT 10, NBC
KXMC 13, CBS
KMCY 14, ABC
K21GQ 21, TBN
KXND 24, Fox/UPN

Only KXMC offers live local news seven days a week. KMOT largely rebroadcasts its Bismarck sister station, KFYR, except for short local news segments on weekdays.

Minot has ten radio stations (7 FM, 3 AM), of which six are owned by Clear Channel Communications. One is a public radio station, and the remainder are nonprofit Christian stations.

The local newspaper is the Minot Daily News, which publishes seven days a week.

Politics

The mayor of Minot is Curt Zimbelman, a banker. As mayor he chairs the 14-member City Council, but only casts a vote to break a tie.

Minot can be said to be a deeply divided place. Fierce debates over tax policy, fiscal management, and economic development policy have gripped the city in the past years, and continue to linger.

Education

Minot's public school system has 10 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and one high school on two campuses. Minot Public Schools also operates an adult learning centre.

For private schools, Minot has a Catholic school system with two elementary schools and a combined middle and high school. There is also a protestant K-12 school.

Minot is also home to Minot State University.

External Links

City of Minot website
MSU Library online collection on the history of Minot