Towner County, North Dakota

Not to be confused with Towner, North Dakota.

Towner County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population is 2,162.^[1] Its county seat is Cando.^[2] It is south of the Canada–US border with Manitoba.

Towner County
County
Postcard. Towner County Courthouse in Cando, North Dakota, a historic Queen Anne-style building.
Location within the U.S. state of North Dakota
North Dakota's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 48°41′N 99°15′W
Country	United States
State	North Dakota
Founded	March 8, 1883 (created) January 24, 1884 (organized)
Named for	Oscar M. Towner
Seat	Cando
Largest city	Cando
Area
• Total	1,041 sq mi (2,700 km2)
• Land	1,025 sq mi (2,650 km2)
• Water	17 sq mi (40 km2)  1.6%
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,162
• Estimate  (2022)	2,064
• Density	2.1/sq mi (0.80/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	At-large
Website	www.tccounty.com

History

The Dakota Territory legislature created the county on March 8, 1883, with areas partitioned from Cavalier and Rolette counties. It was named for Oscar M. Towner (1842–1897), a businessman and member of the 15th territorial legislature. The county organization was not completed at that time, and the county was attached to Pembina County for judicial and administrative purposes. That lasted until January 24, 1884, when the county organization was effected, and its attachment to Pembina was dissolved. However, on January 26, 1889, the county was attached to Ramsey County for judicial and administrative purposes. This arrangement only lasted a few months. The boundaries of Towner County, as first formed, have not been altered to the present (as of 2019).^[3][4]

The city of Towner, North Dakota, is in McHenry County.

Outline map of Towner County, North Dakota, 1909

Geography

Towner County lies on the north line of North Dakota, and thus on the north line of the continental United States. Its north boundary line abuts the south boundary line of Canada. Its terrain consists of rolling hills dotted with lakes and ponds. The area is devoted to agriculture.^[5] The Laurentian Divide runs across Towner County - the northern terrain slopes to the north while the southern terrain slopes to the south, and the county as a whole slightly slopes to the east.^[6] The county has a total area of 1,041 square miles (2,700 km²), of which 1,025 square miles (2,650 km²) is land and 17 square miles (44 km²) (1.6%) is water.^[7]

Towner County, North Dakota Weather Data

Averages use 1901-2000  

Records are from 1895–Present

	Avg Temp	Min Temp	Max Temp	Precip
Avg Jan	0.92	-9.39	11.26	0.59
Hist Hi Jan	21.80  2006	14.20   2006	29.50  2006	2.10  1917
Hist Lo Jan	-16.70 1950	-25.40 1950	-8.00  1950	0.02 1973
Avg Feb	6.84	-3.66	8.60	0.43
Hist Hi Feb	24.00 1954	17.40 1998	33.60 1954	2.11 1998
Hist Lo Feb	-17.60 1936	-27.00 1936	-8.30 1936	0.03 1971
Avg Mar	20.54	10.22	30.85	0.75
Hist Hi Mar	38.00 1910	25.70 2012	50.90 1910	3.02 1902
Hist Lo Mar	2.70 1899	-9.90 1899	15.20 1899	0.02 2019
Avg Apr	38.55	26.88	50.22	1.17
Hist Hi Apr	48.20 1987	34.20 2006	64.30 1952	4.19 1896
Hist Lo Apr	25.70 2013	15.80 2013	35.60 2013	0.03 1952
Avg May	51.97	38.54	65.39	2.19
Hist Hi May	63.40 1977	48.50 1977	78.40 1977	6.37 1999
Hist Lo May	41.40 1907	27.90 1907	54.80 1907	0.18 1907
Avg Jun	61.14	48.53	73.75	4.05
Hist Hi Jun	71.70 1988	56.20 1988	87.20 1988	11.08 1954
Hist Lo Jun	53.50 1915	41.70 1969	65.20 1915	0.97 1900
Avg Jul	66.51	53.30	79.73	2.81
Hist Hi Jul	76.50 1936	59.80 1936	93.20 1936	8.48 1993
Hist Lo Jul	59.50 1992	47.90 1915	70.60 1992	0.41 1985
Avg Aug	64.30	50.45	78.14	2.48
Hist Hi Aug	71.50 1983	56.50 1983	88.30 1961	7.57 1980
Hist Lo Aug	57.70 2004	45.30 1977	69.00 2004	0.24 1961
Avg Sep	53.85	40.58	67.12	1.74
Hist Hi Sep	63.30 2009	49.80 2009	78.90 1897	6.16 1941
Hist Lo Sep	44.60 1965	33.80 1965	55.50 1965	0.06 1938
Avg Oct	41.42	29.28	53.55	1.10
Hist Hi Oct	52.50 1963	37.90 1963	67.00 1963	5.16 1994
Hist Lo Oct	29.40 1919	17.90 1919	39.00 1925	0.06 1944
Avg Nov	22.75	13.48	32.03	0.67
Hist Hi Nov	37.80 2016	28.30 2016	47.30 2016	2.93 2000
Hist Lo Nov	2.50 1896	-5.60 1896	10.50 1896	0.02 1939
Avg Dec	7.91	-1.64	17.46	0.59
Hist Hi Dec	22.80 1939	14.70 1997	32.90 1939	1.85 1906
Hist Lo Dec	-5.40 1917	-15.30 1917	4.10 1983	0.01 1954
Avg 12 Mo	36.39	24.71	48.07	1.49
Hi 12 Mo	76.50 Jul 1936	59.80 Jul 1936	93.20 Jul 1936	11.08 Jun 1954
Lo 12 Mo	-17.60 Feb 1936	-27.00 Feb 1936	-8.30 Feb 1936	0.01 Dec 1954

Major highways

• U.S. Route 281
• North Dakota Highway 4
• North Dakota Highway 5
• North Dakota Highway 17
• North Dakota Highway 66

Adjacent counties and rural municipalities

• Municipality of Killarney-Turtle Mountain, Manitoba - northwest
• Cartwright-Roblin Municipality, Manitoba - north
• Municipality of Louise, Manitoba - northeast
• Cavalier County - east
• Ramsey County - southeast
• Benson County - south
• Pierce County - southwest
• Rolette County - west

National protected areas

• Brumba National Wildlife Refuge
• Lake Alice National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• Rock Lake National Wildlife Refuge
• Snyder Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Lakes^[5]

• Armourdale Lake
• Brumba Pool
• Lake Alice (part)
• McLaughlin Lake
• Moore Lake
• Pound Lake
• Rock Lake
• Snyder Lake

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1890	1,450		—
1900	6,491		347.7%
1910	8,963		38.1%
1920	8,327		−7.1%
1930	8,393		0.8%
1940	7,200		−14.2%
1950	6,360		−11.7%
1960	5,624		−11.6%
1970	4,645		−17.4%
1980	4,052		−12.8%
1990	3,627		−10.5%
2000	2,876		−20.7%
2010	2,246		−21.9%
2020	2,162		−3.7%
2022 (est.)	2,064	[8]	−4.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1790-1960[10] 1900-1990[11] 1990-2000[12] 2010-2020[1]

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, there were 2,162 people.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 2,246 people, 1,048 households, and 639 families in the county. The population density was 2.19 people per square mile (0.85 people/km²). There were 1,449 housing units at an average density of 1.41 units per square mile (0.54/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.7% white, 2.2% American Indian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.3% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 46.5% were German, 41.5% were Norwegian, 10.4% were Irish, 7.4% were English, 5.5% were Swedish, and 3.2% were American.

Of the 1,048 households, 22.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 39.0% were non-families, and 36.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.71. The median age was 50.3 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $43,684 and the median income for a family was $54,609. Males had a median income of $36,350 versus $26,164 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,203. About 8.5% of families and 10.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.1% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.

Population by decade

Communities

Cities

• Bisbee
• Cando (county seat)
• Egeland
• Hansboro
• Perth
• Rocklake
• Sarles (mostly in Cavalier County^[13])

Unincorporated communities

• Agate
• Maza
• Olmstead

Townships

• Armourdale
• Atkins
• Bethel
• Cando
• Coolin
• Crocus
• Dash
• Gerrard
• Grainfield
• Howell
• Lansing
• Maza
• Monroe
• Mount View
• New City
• Olson
• Paulson
• Picton
• Rock Lake
• Sidney
• Smith
• Sorenson
• Springfield
• Teddy
• Twin Hill
• Victor
• Virginia
• Zion

Politics

United States presidential election results for Towner County, North Dakota^[14]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	796	71.45%	289	25.94%	29	2.60%
2020	830	70.70%	317	27.00%	27	2.30%
2016	733	63.35%	305	26.36%	119	10.29%
2012	623	52.71%	516	43.65%	43	3.64%
2008	536	44.78%	621	51.88%	40	3.34%
2004	754	54.21%	606	43.57%	31	2.23%
2000	694	58.37%	410	34.48%	85	7.15%
1996	542	39.08%	649	46.79%	196	14.13%
1992	600	34.15%	748	42.57%	409	23.28%
1988	946	48.91%	970	50.16%	18	0.93%
1984	1,242	60.15%	789	38.21%	34	1.65%
1980	1,375	64.89%	568	26.81%	176	8.31%
1976	993	44.45%	1,216	54.43%	25	1.12%
1972	1,349	58.02%	944	40.60%	32	1.38%
1968	1,109	49.84%	990	44.49%	126	5.66%
1964	788	32.60%	1,628	67.36%	1	0.04%
1960	1,410	52.16%	1,292	47.80%	1	0.04%
1956	1,391	54.25%	1,169	45.59%	4	0.16%
1952	1,960	69.23%	843	29.78%	28	0.99%
1948	1,145	49.76%	1,100	47.81%	56	2.43%
1944	1,097	47.99%	1,185	51.84%	4	0.17%
1940	1,630	50.29%	1,596	49.24%	15	0.46%
1936	720	22.40%	1,744	54.26%	750	23.34%
1932	765	25.51%	2,190	73.02%	44	1.47%
1928	1,588	54.23%	1,324	45.22%	16	0.55%
1924	1,173	47.66%	223	9.06%	1,065	43.28%
1920	2,192	79.33%	476	17.23%	95	3.44%
1916	665	43.69%	769	50.53%	88	5.78%
1912	352	26.39%	532	39.88%	450	33.73%
1908	867	54.19%	655	40.94%	78	4.88%
1904	1,022	67.24%	435	28.62%	63	4.14%
1900	805	61.97%	454	34.95%	40	3.08%
1896	303	42.74%	394	55.57%	12	1.69%
1892	166	43.68%	0	0.00%	214	56.32%

Education

School districts include:^[15]

• Leeds Public School District 6
• Mount Pleasant Public School District 4
• Munich Public School District 19
• North Star School District
• Starkweather Public School District 44

Former school districts:

• Bisbee-Egeland School District - Formed in 1980 with the merger of the Bisbee and Egeland districts,^[16] known as West Central School District 12 and East Central School District 12, respectively.^[17] Merged into North Star Schools in 2008.^[16]
• Cando School District - Merged into North Star Schools in 2008.^[16]
• North Central Public School District 28^[18]

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Towner County, North Dakota

References

1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. "Dakota Territory, South Dakota, and North Dakota: Individual County Chronologies". Dakota Territory Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2006. Archived from the original on April 2, 2018. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
4. "County History". North Dakota.gov. The State of North Dakota. Archived from the original on February 2, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
5. Towner County ND Google Maps (accessed February 21, 2019)
6. ""Find an Altitude/Towner County ND" Google Maps (accessed February 21, 2019)". Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
7. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on January 29, 2015. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
8. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022". Census.gov. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
9. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
10. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
11. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (April 20, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
12. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
13. 2007 Taxable Valuation Survey Archived February 13, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, North Dakota League of Cities
14. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
15. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Towner County, ND" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 25, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2022. - Text list
16. "Bisbee-Egeland school's final day ends in acceptance". Bismarck Tribune. May 23, 2008. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
17. Schatz, Robert (March 16, 1989). "Bisbee celebrated 100 years in 1988". Bismarck Tribune. Bismarck, North Dakota. p. 44. - Clipping from Newspapers.com - The author was an English teacher at Bisbee-Egeland High School.
18. "SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP (2010 CENSUS): Towner County, ND" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 24, 2017. Retrieved July 23, 2022. - Text list

External links

• Towner County official website
• Towner County map, North Dakota DOT

48.69°N 99.25°W / 48.69; -99.25