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Ramsey County, North Dakota facts for kids

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Ramsey County
Ramsey County Courthouse in Devils Lake, North Dakota.
Ramsey County Courthouse in Devils Lake, North Dakota.
Map of North Dakota highlighting Ramsey County
Location within the U.S. state of North Dakota
Map of the United States highlighting North Dakota
North Dakota's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  North Dakota
Founded January 4, 1873 (created)
January 25, 1883 (organized)
Named for Alexander Ramsey
Seat Devils Lake
Largest city Devils Lake
Area
 • Total 1,301 sq mi (3,370 km2)
 • Land 1,187 sq mi (3,070 km2)
 • Water 114 sq mi (300 km2)  8.8%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 11,605
 • Estimate 
(2023)
11,463 Decrease
 • Density 8.920/sq mi (3.4441/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district At-large

Ramsey County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,605. Its county seat is Devils Lake.

History

The Dakota Territory legislature created the county on January 4, 1873, with areas partitioned from Pembina County. The county was named for Alexander Ramsey, a U.S. Senator from Minnesota. The county government was not completed at that time, and the county was not attached to another county for administrative or judicial purposes. This situation continued until January 25, 1883, when the county government was effected.

The county's boundaries were altered twice in March 1883, twice more in 1885, and in 1890. Its present boundaries have remained unchanged since 1890.

Map of Ramsey County, N.D., 1909
Outline map of Ramsey County, North Dakota, 1909

Geography

The southwest boundary of Ramsey County is defined by Devils Lake. The county terrain consists of rolling hills, dotted with lakes and ponds. The area is largely devoted to agriculture. The terrain slopes to the lake, with its highest point at the NE county corner, at 1,631 ft (497 m) ASL. The county has a total area of 1,301 square miles (3,370 km2), of which 1,187 square miles (3,070 km2) is land and 114 square miles (300 km2) (8.8%) is water.

Ramsey County is beautiful “pothole country” In the center of the migratory bird flyway
Ramsey County is beautiful “pothole country” In the center of a migratory bird flyway.

Major highways

  • US 2.svg U.S. Highway 2
  • US 281.svg U.S. Highway 281
  • North Dakota 1.svg North Dakota Highway 1
  • North Dakota 17.svg North Dakota Highway 17
  • North Dakota 19.svg North Dakota Highway 19
  • North Dakota 20.svg North Dakota Highway 20
  • North Dakota 57.svg North Dakota Highway 57

Transit

  • Amtrak Empire Builder (Devils Lake station)

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

  • Lake Alice National Wildlife Refuge (part)
  • Silver Lake National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Lakes

  • Chain Lake
  • Creel Bay
  • Dry Lake
  • East Devils Lake
  • Lake Alice
  • Lake Irvine
  • Mikes Lake
  • Morrison Lake
  • Sixmile Bay
  • Sweetwate Lake

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1880 281
1890 4,418 1,472.2%
1900 9,198 108.2%
1910 15,199 65.2%
1920 15,427 1.5%
1930 16,252 5.3%
1940 15,626 −3.9%
1950 14,373 −8.0%
1960 13,443 −6.5%
1970 12,915 −3.9%
1980 13,048 1.0%
1990 12,681 −2.8%
2000 12,066 −4.8%
2010 11,451 −5.1%
2020 11,605 1.3%
2023 (est.) 11,463 0.1%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2020

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 11,605 people, 4,947 households, and 2,883 families in the county. The population density was 9.8 inhabitants per square mile (3.8/km2) There were 5,843 housing units.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 11,451 people, 4,955 households, and 3,008 families in the county. The population density was 9.65 people per square mile (3.73 people/km2). There were 5,615 housing units at an average density of 4.73 units per square mile (1.83/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 87.7% white, 8.7% American Indian, 0.4% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.2% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 41.9% were German, 37.7% were Norwegian, 7.0% were Irish, 5.7% were Swedish, 5.2% were English, and 2.9% were American.

Of the 4,955 households, 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 39.3% were non-families, and 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.82. The median age was 43.0 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $41,792 and the median income for a family was $56,632. Males had a median income of $41,274 versus $25,171 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,130. About 8.7% of families and 11.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.7% of those under age 18 and 15.4% of those age 65 or over.

Population by decade

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities

Townships

  • Bartlett
  • Cato
  • Chain Lakes
  • Coulee
  • Creel
  • De Groat
  • Dry Lake
  • Fancher
  • Freshwater
  • Grand Harbor
  • Hammer
  • Harding
  • Highland Center
  • Hope
  • Klingstrup
  • Lawton
  • Lillehoff
  • Minnewaukan
  • Morris
  • Newbre
  • Newland
  • Noonan
  • North Creel
  • Northfield
  • Odessa
  • Ontario
  • Overland
  • Pelican
  • Poplar Grove
  • Prospect
  • Royal
  • South Minnewaukan
  • Stevens
  • Sullivan
  • Triumph
  • Webster

Education

School districts include:

  • Dakota Prairie Public School District 1
  • Devils Lake Public School District 1
  • Edmore Public School District 2
  • Lakota Public School District 66
  • Leeds Public School District 6
  • Minnewaukan Public School District 5
  • North Star School District
  • Starkweather Public School District 44
  • Warwick Public School District 29

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Ramsey (Dakota del Norte) para niños

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