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Ransom County, North Dakota facts for kids

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Ransom County
Ransom County Courthouse
Ransom County Courthouse
Map of North Dakota highlighting Ransom 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)
April 4, 1881 (organized)
Named for Fort Ransom
Seat Lisbon
Largest city Lisbon
Area
 • Total 864 sq mi (2,240 km2)
 • Land 862 sq mi (2,230 km2)
 • Water 1.4 sq mi (4 km2)  0.2%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 5,703
 • Estimate 
(2022)
5,640 Decrease
 • Density 6.601/sq mi (2.5485/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district At-large

Ransom County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,703. Its county seat is Lisbon.

History

The Dakota Territory legislature created Ransom County on January 4, 1873. It was so named due to its military fort, which had been named Fort Ransom for Civil War veteran Major General Thomas E.G. Ransom. The fort had operated between 1867 and 1872. The county was not organized at that time, nor was it attached to another county for administrative or judicial purposes. Its proposed boundaries were altered two times during 1881. On April 4, 1881, the county government was effected. The county's area was again reduced in 1883 when Sargent County was created. Ransom County has retained its present configuration since that time.

Map of Ransom County, N.D., 1910
Outline map of Ransom County, North Dakota, 1910

Geography

The Sheyenne River meanders through Ransom County. The county terrain consists of rolling hills, dotted with lakes and ponds in its western part. The area is largely devoted to agriculture. The terrain slopes to the east and south; its highest point is on the north boundary line near its northwestern corner, at 1,421 ft (433 m) ASL. The county has a total area of 864 square miles (2,240 km2), of which 862 square miles (2,230 km2) is land and 1.4 square miles (3.6 km2) (0.2%) is water.

Major highways

  • North Dakota 27.svg North Dakota Route 27
  • North Dakota 32.svg North Dakota Route 32
  • North Dakota 46.svg North Dakota Route 46

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

  • Browns Ranch
  • Fort Ransom State Historic Site
  • Fort Ransom State Park
  • Nature Conservancy's Sheyenne Delta
  • North Country Trail
  • Pigeon Point Reserve
  • Sheyenne National Grassland (part)
  • Sheyenne State Forest

Lakes

  • Lone Tree Lake

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1880 537
1890 5,393 904.3%
1900 6,919 28.3%
1910 10,345 49.5%
1920 11,618 12.3%
1930 10,983 −5.5%
1940 10,061 −8.4%
1950 8,876 −11.8%
1960 8,078 −9.0%
1970 7,102 −12.1%
1980 6,698 −5.7%
1990 5,921 −11.6%
2000 5,890 −0.5%
2010 5,457 −7.4%
2020 5,703 4.5%
2022 (est.) 5,640 3.4%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2020

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, there were 5,704 people.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 5,457 people, 2,310 households, and 1,466 families in the county. The population density was 6.33 people per square mile (2.44 people/km2). There were 2,656 housing units at an average density of 3.08 units per square mile (1.19/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.8% white, 0.4% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.1% Pacific islander, 0.1% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.2% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 54.2% were German, 36.6% were Norwegian, 9.0% were Irish, 6.9% were Swedish, 5.1% were English, and 1.6% were American.

Of the 2,310 households, 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% were married couples living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.5% were non-families, and 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.89. The median age was 45.2 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $46,044 and the median income for a family was $59,973. Males had a median income of $42,380 versus $28,209 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,995. About 7.5% of families and 9.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.2% of those under age 18 and 11.6% of those age 65 or over.

Population by decade

Communities

Cities

Census-designated places

Townships

  • Aliceton
  • Alleghany
  • Bale
  • Big Bend
  • Casey
  • Coburn
  • Elliott
  • Fort Ransom
  • Greene
  • Hanson
  • Island Park
  • Isley
  • Liberty
  • McLeod
  • Moore
  • Northland
  • Owego
  • Preston
  • Rosemeade
  • Sandoun
  • Scoville
  • Shenford
  • Springer
  • Sydna
  • Tuller

Education

School districts include:

  • Enderlin Area Public School District 24
  • Fort Ransom Public School District 6
  • Kindred Public School District 2
  • LaMoure Public School District 8
  • Litchville-Marion Public School District 46
  • Lisbon Public School District 19
  • Milnor Public School District 2
  • North Sargent Public School District 3
  • Oakes Public School District 41
  • Wyndmere Public School District 42

In 1905 it had 22 school districts, with 16 not having a bond. Circa 1905 the county had 2,431 students in its three high schools, five grade schools, and 75 schoolhouses.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Ransom para niños

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