Bismarck, North Dakota

Bismarck is the capital city of the U.S. state of North Dakota. It is also the county seat of Burleigh County. In 2020, 73,622 people lived there.  133,626 people lived in the metropolitan area.

Bismarck was founded in 1872. It is named in honor of the German chancellor, Otto von Bismarck. It has been North Dakota's capital since it became a state in 1889.

Bismarck is on the east side of the Missouri River, directly across the river from Mandan.https://www.dmr.nd.gov/ndgs/Publication_List/pdf/geoinv/GI_3.pdf The two cities make up most of the Bismarck-Mandan Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The North Dakota State Capitol, the tallest building in the state, is in the center of Bismarck. The state government employs more than 4,000 in the city.  Bismarck is the economic center of south-central North Dakota and north-central South Dakota with health care and retail businesses.

 Climate 
Bismarck is in the middle of the Great Plains. Its weather changes a lot. It has a four-season humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa/Dfb). It is close to being a cold semi arid climate. In the winter, Bismarck is cold, dry, snowy, and windy. In the summer, it is warm and humid. There are many thunderstorms in Bismarck in the summer and spring. Much of the year is dry.
The warmest month in Bismarck is July. The mean temperature in July is . with typically wide variations between day and night. The coldest month in Bismarck is January. It has a mean temperature of . Precipitation is most common from May to September. There is not as much rain in the winter. In winter, there is usually light to moderate snow. Big storms in the winter are rare.

 Education 

 Elementary, middle and high schools 
The Bismarck Public Schools system has 17 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, and public high schools, and an alternative high school.

There are also three elementary schools run by churches. One of them is St. Mary's Grade School. This school was founded in 1878. It is the oldest elementary school that still runs in North Dakota.

The city has three private high schools.

 Higher education 
There are three colleges and a university in Bismarck. The University of Mary is a four-year university. Bismarck State College is a two-year public college. United Tribes Technical College is a two-year tribal college. Sanford Health runs a nursing school.

References


Category:County seats in North Dakota
Category:State capitals in the United States
Category:1872 establishments in the United States
Category:1870s establishments in Dakota Territory