Wells County, North Dakota

Wells County, North Dakota
Location in the state of North Dakota
North Dakota's location in the U.S.
Founded	1873
Seat	Fessenden
Largest city	Harvey
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	1,291 sq mi (3,344 km²) 1,271 sq mi (3,292 km²) 19 sq mi (49 km²), 1.50%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	4,207 5/sq mi (2/km²)
Website	www.wellscountynd.com

Wells County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of 2010, the population was 4,207.^[1] Its county seat is Fessenden.^[2] The center of population of North Dakota is located in the extreme southeastern corner of Wells County, about 9 miles (14 km) southeast of Sykeston.^[3]

Wells County was created by the 1872-73 territorial legislature and named after Edward Payson Wells, a Jamestown banker, early promoter of the James River Valley, and member of the legislature in 1881. The county government was organized on August 28, 1884. The county seat was Sykeston from 1884 to 1894, after which time Fessenden was given the title.^[4]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,291 square miles (3,340 km²), of which, 1,271 square miles (3,290 km²) of it is land and 19 square miles (49 km²) of it (1.50%) is water.

Townships

Berlin Bilodeau Bremen Bull Moose Cathay Chaseley Crystal Lake Delger Fairville Forward Fram Germantown

Haaland Hamburg Hawksnest Heimdal Hillsdale Johnson Lynn Manfred Norway Lake Oshkosh Pony Gulch Progress

Rusland Saint Anna Silver Lake South Cottonwood Speedwell Sykeston Valhalla Wells West Norway West Ontario Western Woodward

Major highways

U.S. Highway 52

North Dakota Highway 3 North Dakota Highway 15 North Dakota Highway 30 North Dakota Highway 91 North Dakota Highway 200

County 1[5] County 5 County 52

Adjacent counties

• Benson County (north)
• Eddy County and Foster County (east)
• Stutsman County (southeast)
• Kidder County (south)
• Sheridan County (west)
• Pierce County (northwest)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1890	1,212		—
1900	8,310		585.6%
1910	11,814		42.2%
1920	12,957		9.7%
1930	13,285		2.5%
1940	11,198		−15.7%
1950	10,417		−7.0%
1960	9,237		−11.3%
1970	7,847		−15.0%
1980	6,979		−11.1%
1990	5,864		−16.0%
2000	5,102		−13.0%
2010	4,207		−17.5%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census^[6] of 2000, there were 5,102 people, 2,215 households, and 1,453 families residing in the county. The population density was 4 people per square mile (2/km²). There were 2,643 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 99.12% White, 0.14% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.02% from other races, and 0.25% from two or more races. 0.29% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 59.5% were of German and 24.1% Norwegian ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 2,215 households out of which 25.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.60% were married couples living together, 4.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.40% were non-families. 32.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.85.

In the county the population was spread out with 22.50% under the age of 18, 4.60% from 18 to 24, 22.70% from 25 to 44, 24.20% from 45 to 64, and 26.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 96.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,894, and the median income for a family was $39,284. Males had a median income of $27,277 versus $16,810 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,932. About 10.30% of families and 13.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.10% of those under age 18 and 17.90% of those age 65 or over.

Places

Cities

• Bowdon
• Cathay
• Fessenden
• Hamberg
• Harvey
• Hurdsfield
• Sykeston

Note: all incorporated communities in North Dakota are called "cities" regardless of their size.

Unincorporated communities

• Bremen
• Chaseley
• Heaton ^[7]

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Wells County, North Dakota

References

1. ^ "2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File". American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_PL_GCTPL2.ST05&prodType=table. Retrieved 3 May 2011. 
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
3. ^ "2010 Census Centers of Population by State". United States Census Bureau, Geography Division. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/2010census/centerpop2010/statecenters.html. Retrieved 5 May 2011. 
4. ^ "County History". Official Portal for North Dakota State Government. http://www.nd.gov/content.htm?parentCatID=83&id=County%20History. Retrieved 4 May 2011. 
5. ^ Google map of Wells County
6. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
7. ^ [1]

External links

• Wells County official website

Coordinates: 47°35′N 99°40′W / 47.58°N 99.67°W / 47.58; -99.67