The story
History
For thousands of years, various indigenous peoples inhabited present-day central North Dakota. The historic Mandan Native American tribe occupied the area long before Europeans arrived. The Hidatsa name for Bismarck is mirahacii arumaaguash ("Place of the tall willows"); the Arikara name is ituhtaáwe [itUhtaáwe].
In 1872, European Americans founded a settlement at what was then called Missouri Crossing, so named because the Lewis and Clark Expedition crossed the river there on their exploration of the land acquired by the Louisiana Purchase in 1804–06. It had been an area of Mandan settlement. Later, the new town was called Edwinton, after Edwin Ferry Johnson, engineer-in-chief for the Northern Pacific Railway. Its construction of railroads in the territory attracted workers and settlers.
In 1873, the Northern Pacific Railway renamed the city Bismarck in honor of German chancellor Otto von Bismarck. Railroad officials hoped to attract German settlers to the area and German investment in the railroad. It is the only U.S. state capital named for a foreign statesman. The discovery of gold in the nearby Black Hills of South Dakota the following year was a great impetus for growth. Thousands of miners came to the area, encroaching on what the Lakota considered sacred territory, leading to heightened tensions with Native Americans.
Bismarck became a freight-shipping center on the "Custer Route" from the Black Hills. In 1879, the first recorded tornado in North Dakota history smashed a steamship into the Missouri River's bank near Bismarck, causing major damage.
In 1883, Bismarck was designated as the capital of the Dakota Territory in place of Yankton, South Dakota, and in 1889, as the state capital of the new state of North Dakota.
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Bismarck had a population of 73,622. The median age was 37.9 years. 21.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.8 males age 18 and over.
99.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.1% lived in rural areas. The population density was 2,122.71 inhabitants per square mile (819.6/km2). There were 34,049 housing units at an average density of 981.72 per square mile (379.0/km2).
There were 31,739 households and 18,107 families. Of all households, 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. 43.5% were married-couple households, 21.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 35.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
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Housing units were 6.8% vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.8%.
The most reported ancestries were:
German (49.4%)
Norwegian (15.0%)
Irish (11.1%)
English (9.6%)
Russian (3.9%)
Swedish (3.4%)
French (3.3%)
Scottish (2.3%)
Polish (2.0%)
Scandinavian (1.8%)
2010 census
As of the 2010 census, there were 61,272 people, 27,263 households, and 15,624 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,986.5 inhabitants per square mile (767.0/km2). There were 28,648 housing units at an average density of 928.6 inhabitants per square mile (358.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 92.40% White, 0.65% African American, 4.53% Native American, 0.56% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.30% from some other races, and 1.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.33% of the population.
Regarding ancestry, 56.1% were German, 20.5% were Norwegian, 7.2% were Irish, 6.7% were Russian, 3.7% were American, and 3.6% were English descent.
There were 27,263 households, of which 27% had children under the age of 18 living with them (the lowest percentage in North Dakota), 44.1% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.7% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.82.
The median age in the city was 38 years. 20.8% of residents were under 18; 11% were between 18 and 24; 26.2% were from 25 to 44; 26.8% were from 45 to 64; and 15.4% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.6% male and 51.4% female.
2000 census
As of the 2000 census, there were 55,532 people, 23,185 households, and 14,444 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,065.2 inhabitants per square mile (797.4/km2). There were 24,217 housing units at an average density of 900.6 inhabitants per square mile (347.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 94.78% White, 0.28% African American, 3.39% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from some other races, and 0.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 0.75% of the population.
There were 23,185 households, of which 30.2% had children under 18 living with them, 50.1% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.7% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.5% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.94.
The city's population was spread out, with 23.5% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males.
The median income per household in the city was $39,422, and the median income per family was $51,477. Males had a median income of $33,804 versus $22,647 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,789. About 5.7% of families and 8.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.5% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.
Parks and recreation
Bismarck has a large park system and an extensive network of exercise trails. The Bismarck Parks and Recreation District, established in 1927, operates many parks, swimming pools, and several golf courses within the city. The World War I Memorial Building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and operated by the recreation district, serves as a community gymnasium and was recognized by a 100 Cities 100 Memorials grant in 2018.
The Parks and Recreation District operates roughly 2,300 acres (930 ha) of public parkland. Sertoma Park stretches more than 3 miles (4.8 km) along the banks of the Missouri River. Within the park are several miles of biking trails and the Dakota Zoo.
There are five golf courses in Bismarck: four 18-hole courses (Apple Creek Country Club, Hawktree Golf Club, Riverwood Golf Course, and Tom O'Leary Golf Course), and one nine-hole course (Pebble Creek Golf Course).
Hunting and fishing are popular in the area, with hunting seasons for deer, pheasant, and waterfowl. Fishing is a year-round sport on the Missouri River bordering Bismarck, and there are public docks on the river. From north to south, there is a dock at the Port of Bismarck, from which the Lewis and Clark passenger riverboat plies the Missouri; Fox Island Landing, about a half mile southwest of Riverwood Golf Course; and the Bismarck Dock at General Sibley Park, which has a boat ramp and picnic facilities.
In February 2007, Bismarck broke the record for the most snow angels made in one place. A total of 8,962 participants came to the capitol grounds for the event.
From Wikipedia’s article on Bismarck, North Dakota, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4