Burke County, North Dakota

Burke County, North Dakota
Burke County is a county on the north edge of the U.S. state of North Dakota, adjacent to the south line of Canada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,201. The county seat is Bowbells. The county is named after John Burke, the tenth Governor of North Dakota.
History
A vote was held on November 3, 1908, in which county voters authorized the partition of Burke County from what was then known as 'Imperial Ward County' (which consisted of what is now Burke, Mountrail, Renville, and Ward counties). Its name recognized the state governor at the time, John Burke. However, the vote was challenged in court, and appealed to the state supreme court. That court ruled on June 3, 1910, to uphold the election results, so on July 12, Governor Burke issued a proclamation creating Burke County. Its organization was effected on July 15, with Bowbells as its county seat. The county is managed by a three-member Board of Commissioners. As of 2018 the board chair is Debbie Kuryn.
Geography
Burke County lies on the north line of North Dakota. Its north boundary line abuts the south boundary line of Canada. The Des Lacs River flows south-southeasterly through the east part of the county, and the White Earth River flows northeasterly through the lower part. The county terrain consists of semi-arid low hills in the northeast part of the county, with higher carved and eroded ridges on the southwestern portion of the county. The area is partly used for agriculture. The terrain slopes to the north; its highest point is on the lower west boundary line, at ASL. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.2%) is water.
Major highways
U.S. Highway 52
North Dakota Highway 5
North Dakota Highway 8
North Dakota Highway 40
North Dakota Highway 50
Adjacent counties and rural municipalities
Estevan No. 5, Saskatchewan – north
Coalfields No. 4, Saskatchewan – north
Enniskillen No. 3, Saskatchewan – north
Renville County – east
Ward County – southeast
Mountrail County – south
Williams County – southwest
Divide County – west
Protected areas
Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge (part)
Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge (part)
Lakes
Beaver Lake
Enget Lake
Iverson Slough
Powers Lake (part)
Shallow Lake
Swensons Slouth
Teal Slough
Thompson Slough
Upper Thompson Lake
Demographics
2020 census
As of the census of 2020, there were 2,201 people.
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 1,968 people, 913 households, and 567 families in the county. The population density was . There were 1,340 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.8% white, 0.8% American Indian, 0.7% Asian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.0% from other races, and 0.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 45.2% were of Norwegian, 34.9% German, 13% Swedish, and 10% Danish ancestry.
Of the 913 households, 22.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.4% were married couples living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.9% were non-families, and 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.74. The median age was 48.1 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $50,800 and the median income for a family was $62,283. Males had a median income of $49,958 versus $27,206 for females. The per capita income for the county was $32,347. About 3.3% of families and 5.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.4% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.
Population by decade
Economy
The main industries in Burke County are farming and oil extraction. Burke County is one of several western North Dakota counties with significant exposure to the Bakken Formation in the Williston Basin.
Communities
Cities
Bowbells (county seat)
Columbus
Flaxton
Lignite
Portal
Powers Lake
Census-designated place
Larson
Unincorporated communities
Atcoal
Battleview
Coteau
Kincaid
Northgate
Perella
Rival
Stampede
Woburn
Townships
Battleview
Bowbells
Carter
Clayton
Cleary
Colville
Dale
Dimond
Fay
Foothills
Forthun
Garness
Harmonious
Kandiyohi
Keller
Lakeview
Leaf Mountain
Lucy
Minnesota
North Star
Portal
Richland
Roseland
Short Creek
Soo
Thorson
Vale
Vanville
Ward
Politics
Burke County voters have been reliably Republican for several decades. In no national election since 1964 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2020). In 1912, it was one of only four counties nationwide to vote for Socialist nominee Eugene Debs.
See also
National Register of Historic Places listings in Burke County, North Dakota
References
1910 establishments in North Dakota
Populated places established in 1910