North Dakota, But Make It Weird: 44 Facts About the Peace Garden State

North Dakota might not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of quirky facts, but this state has a lot more going on than just wide-open plains and brutal winters. From legendary buffalo to a mysterious “no shoes while sleeping” law, there’s plenty here to make you think twice about the Peace Garden State. Continuing our coverage on all 50 states — from Alaska to California to Hawaii to Kansas to New York to North Carolina and beyond — here are 44 facts about Nebraska

What is North Dakota known for?

1. Fargo! It’s not just a city in North Dakota, it’s a great movie, too. From its unforgettable dialogue and oddball humor to its stunning cinematography and haunting score, every frame of Ethan and Joel Coen’s Fargo (1996) is meticulously crafted. It’s an absolute masterpiece, perhaps the best American film of the last 40 or 50 years. The film’s brilliance lies in its sharp contrast between everyday Midwestern politeness and the disturbing violence and greed that lurk just beneath the surface. Frances McDormand’s portrayal of Marge Gunderson, the pregnant, down-to-earth police chief, is iconic, with her character’s warmth, intelligence, and wit bringing a moral center to the film that’s rare in American cinema.

2. The Great Plains! East of the Rocky Mountains across the central United States that includes basically all of North Dakota, the Great Plains are a vast flatland or prairies and grasslands that includes at least most of Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota, as well as parts of Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, and New Mexico.

3. North Dakota has a rich and enduring Native American heritage, with tribal cultures that have shaped the state’s history, traditions, and identity. There are six recognized reservations in North Dakota, including Standing Rock Sioux Reservation that is home to the Lakota and Dakota nations, and the Turtle Mountain Reservation of Chippewa Indians. Known for their vibrant powwows where dance, music, and traditional dress celebrate both their cultural resilience and community spirit, the Native American communities continue to play an integral role in North Dakota today.

A short history of North Dakota

4. Believe it or not, rhinoceros roamed what is now North Dakota about 66 million years ago during the Cenozoic era.

5. When Native Americans inhabited the land before white people came along, the major tribes living in present-day North Dakota included the Mandan, Chippewa, and Sioux. By the time white people came along, the peoples had already developed medicine, dyes, and rope they created from hundreds of different kinds of plants.

6. The French Canadian explorer Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye was the first known white guy to explore North Dakota around 1738.

7. North Dakota became a part of United States territory with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.

8. The Dakota Territory was formed in 1861, combining present-day North and South Dakota.

9. On November 2, 1889, North Dakota joined the Union simultaneously with South Dakota as the 39th and 40th states.

What famous people are from North Dakota?

10. Angie Dickinson won a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Female Newcomer for her performance in the 1959 Howard Hawks film Rio Bravo opposite John Wayne and Dean Martin. She went onto star in dozens of films and television shows over the next 40 years, including Dressed to Kill and Even Cowgirls Get the Blues. She was born Angeline Brown on September 30, 1931 in Kulm, North Dakota.

11. Wiz Khalifa gained widespread fame with his 2008 hit single “Black and Yellow,” which became an anthem for his adopted hometown of Pittsburgh. However, the artist was born Cameron Jibril Thomaz in Minot, North Dakota.

12. Peggy Lee was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, and actress, renowned for her sultry voice and emotional delivery. Born in Jamestown, North Dakota, she gained fame in the 1940s with hits like “Fever” and “Is That All There Is?”

13. Bandleader Lawrence Welk hosted his namesake show on television for over 30 years starting in 1951, entertaining American households with his warm and folksy persona and brand of wholesome entertainment. He was born March 11, 1903 in Strasburg, North Dakota.

14. You’re probably quite familiar with Richard Edlund’s work, even if you don’t know the name. He’s been nominated for several Academy Awards as the special effects supervisor for the Star Wars trilogy, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Ghostbusters, and other popular films. He was born in Fargo, North Dakota.

15. Louis L’Amour was a wildly popular and prolific author of Western fiction novels, often writing his books faster than his publishers could publish them. He has sold more than 200,000,000 copies of his books, which included more than 80 novels and many short story collections. Louis was born March 22, 1908 in Jamestown, North Dakota.

16. Transformers actor Josh Duhamel won a Daytime Emmy Award winner for his performance in All My Children in 2003. He was born on November 14, 1972 in Minot, North Dakota.

What are the state symbols of North Dakota?

17. In 1993, North Dakota designated the Nokota horse as the honorary equine. These beautiful steeds often have gorgeous blue roan coats and are descended from the horses of Native American tribes and early ranching stock from when white people starting colonizing the Northern Plains.

18. In 1947, North Dakota elected the western meadowlark as the official state bird. They have that in common with Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Oregon, and Wyoming.

19. North Dakota has an official dance and it’s the square dance. It also happens to be the official dance of Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, and Georgia, as well as Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, and Missouri. And Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Oregon, as well as Tennessee and Texas. And Utah. And Virginia. And also Washington state. It’s also the official folk dance of California, New Jersey, and South Carolina. Clearly, America needs to diversify its dance card, amiright lmao.

20. Milk is supposed to do a body good. We’ll let the scientists tell you about that but in the meantime, it’s also a state symbol for Arkansas, Delaware, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, and also Wisconsin. And also North Dakota!

21. The American elm tree was made the official state tree of North Dakota in 1947, and it’s also the state tree of Massachusetts.

22. The convergent lady beetle was designated the official state insect of North Dakota in 2011, and it’s just another word for the ladybug, which also happens to be a state symbol for Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Tennessee.

23. North Dakota declared the American elm as its official state tree in 1947. Massachusetts did the same a few years earlier in 1941.

24. What’s a chokecherry? I’m not really sure but a bunch of 6th graders at Rickard Elementary School in Williston, North Dakota pushed to make it the official state fruit in 2007 and it worked. Commonly found in the state, they even have a festival celebrating the chokecherry every year.

Topography & geography of North Dakota

25. When North Dakota joined the Union in 1899, Bismarck was named the capital.

26. In addition to Bismarck, other relatively big cities in North Dakota include Fargo, Minot, Grand Forks, Williston, and Dickinson.

27. North Dakota borders Canada to the north, as well as Minnesota to the east, Montana to the west, and South Dakota to the south.

28. At about 70,706 square miles, North Dakota is the 19th-biggest state. Less than 3% of that is water.

29. The highest point in North Dakota is White Butte in Dickinson, at like 3,609 feet above sea level.

30. At the Manitoba, Canada border, you’ll find the lowest elevation point in North Dakota, the Red River of the North at a mere 864 feet above sea level.

31. If you want to drive across North Dakota from north to south, it is exactly 300 miles. If you were to drive from east to west, it is exactly 200 miles. That seems intentional!

32. There are 53 counties in the state of North Dakota, with the largest being McKenzie County and the smallest being Eddy County.

Where should I visit in North Dakota?

33. The North Dakota Museum of Art was made the official art museum of the state in 1981, and it’s located at the North Dakota University Campus at Grand Forks. It features an absolutely lovely outdoor sculpture garden by Richard Nonas, as well as pieces that highlight the unique landscapes and cultures of the Northern Plains. The Cuban multimedia artist María Magdalena Campos Pons and the Canadian bee (yes, bee!) artist Aganetha Dyck also have their brilliant works on display here.

34. In 1959, this art instructor from Jamestown College named Elmer Paul Peterson built this big-ass 60-ton buffalo out of gunnite that measures 26 feet tall and 46 feet long. It’s considered the world’s largest buffalo, and you can find it in Jamestown, North Dakota.

35. Located in an alley between Broadway and 5th Street in Fargo, North Dakota is the so-called Fargo Mario Wall, where two local artists who call themselves Icky Hiccup and Dark Elvis created a colorful street art mural of the classic original Super Mario Bros. video game. It’s a perfect social media selfie opportunity.

36. Theodore Roosevelt National Park is located in western North Dakota, and this a scenic and rugged park named after the 26th U.S. president was profoundly influenced by Teddy’s time spent in the North Dakota Badlands. The park spans over 70,000 acres and is known for its dramatic landscapes, including colorful painted canyons, towering buttes, expansive grasslands, and diverse wildlife.

37. The North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame in Medora have dedicated themselves to preserving and celebrating the state’s relationship with the old American West while paying tribute to the men, women and livestock who significantly influenced cowboy culture.

38. The Tommy the Turtle roadside attraction in Bottineau, North Dakota is inarguably one of the oddest and coolest and most enjoyable in the country. The turtle is considered the world’s tallest at 30 feet high and if that weren’t enough, Tommy is riding the world’s largest snowmobile at 34 feet long.

Fun, cool, interesting & weird North Dakota facts

39. The oldest mosque built in the United States, the oldest one that still exists, anyway, can be found in Ross, North Dakota a mile east of US Route 2. Built in 1929 by immigrants from present-day Lebanon and Syria, this shelter stands modestly against the surrounding fields and pastures.

40. For some reason, it is totally illegal to lie down and fall asleep with your shoes still on your feet in North Dakota.

41. The Williston Basin International Airport is in Williston, North Dakota, and it is the smallest city in the United States to have an international airport.

42. On February 17, 2007, an astonishing 8,962 people made snow angels in Bismarck, North Dakota, setting a Guinness World Record for the most made simultaneously in one place.

43. In 1938, the very first clothes dryer were mass-produced by Hamilton Manufacturing in Wisconsin after North Dakotan J. Ross Moore spent over 30 years fine-tuning his invention. Thank you for my quickly-warmed clothes, J. Ross!

44. Dakota is the Sioux word for “friend,” and perhaps a bit more formally, “allies.”

Image Credit: Image by anned from Pixabay

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