ZIP Code 58701

Minot is a city in and the county seat of Ward County, North Dakota, United States. Founded in 1886 during the construction of James J. Hill's Great Northern Railway, Minot is also known as "Magic City", commemorating its remarkable growth in size over a short time. With a population of 48,377 at the 2020 census, it is the state's fourth-largest city. It is most widely known for the Air Force base approximately 15 miles (24 km) north of the city. The city was named after Henry D. Minot, a railroad investor, ornithologist and friend of Hill. Its Arikara name is niwaharít sahaáhkat; its Hidatsa name is dibiarugareesh ("Plum Coulee"). In 1969, a severe flood on the Mouse River devastated Minot. On June 21, 2011, KXMC-TV reported that a flood of historic proportions was imminent in the Mouse Valley, upstream of the dam. Around 12,000 people were evacuated when the river crested at 1,476 feet (476 meters) on June 26, 2011. In early 2006, the owner of the chemical country, the largest such spill in U.S. history, Eric Klinenberg used the incident as an example of the failure of the media to disseminate information in an emergency. The 2011 flood caused extensive damage throughout theMouse River Valley, largely due to large releases of water.

History

Minot was named after Henry D. Minot, a railroad investor, ornithologist and friend of Hill. Its Arikara name is niwaharít sahaáhkat; its Hidatsa name is dibiarugareesh ("Plum Coulee"). The city was incorporated on July 16, 1887. A tornado passed over Minot and bore down in a coulee 3 miles (4.8 km) southeast of town. The tornado picked up Andy Botz's home and hurled it to the ground, killing his wife, breaking his shoulder, and slightly injuring the two Botz children who were in the house. A severe train derailment west of the city sent a gigantic cloud of anhydrous ammonia toward the city in 2002. In early 2006, court cases were heard in Minneapolis, Minnesota, against Canadian Pacific Railway, the owner of the derailed train. In 1969, a severe flood on the Mouse River devastated Minot. Afterward, the Army Corps of Engineers straightened the river's path through the city and built several flood control structures. In the 1950s saw a large influx of federal funding into the region, with the construction of Minot Air Force Base (1956-1957) and Garrison Dam (1947-1953) on the Missouri River, about fifty miles (80 km) south. In 2011, KXMC-TV reported that a flood of historic proportions was imminent in the mouse River Valley, largely due to large dam releases upstream. Around 12,000 people were evacuated.

Geography

Minot is on the Drift Prairie of northwestern North Dakota. It is at 48°1359N 101°1732W, about 100 miles (160 km) north of Bismarck. The Mouse River, or Souris River, runs through the city west to east. The elevation of the river at the city center is 1,540 feet (470 m) above sea level. The city is laid out on a grid-based street system. Streets run north-south and avenues run east-west. There are four city quadrants (NW, SW, SE, NE) to designate the location of any address. Main Street addresses are designated North and South. Central Avenue addresses are designate East and West. Minot is one of only three counties in North Dakota that do not follow the statewide grid system (the others are Burleigh County and Grand Forks County). The city has several small horseshoe-shaped oxbow lakes within its limits near the river, created by the Mouse's meandering course. The mouse River divides the city approximately in half, north and south. The valley rises to the plains both north andSouth of the River. The river sits 160 feet (49 m) below the surrounding plains; the elevation at the Minot International Airport on North Hill is 1, 716 feet (523 m) The elevation at Minot's main airport is 1,716ft (523m) The city's area is 17.45 square miles (45.20 km²), of which 17.43 square miles is land and 0.02 sq miles is water.

Climate

Minot experiences a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen: Dwb) in its marginal zone receiving sufficient precipitation for such category. Summers range from warm to moderately hot, with frequent thunderstorm activity. Winters are typically bitterly cold and snowy, with high winds and below-freezing temperatures for weeks at a time. The average annual snowfall total is 43 inches (110 cm). In some years the temperature can reach 100 °F (38 °C) in Minot. It is located in the U.S. West Coast Ranges, in the Rocky Mountains, and in the Great Lakes region of North America. The city is located on the North Dakota-Wyoming border and has a population of about 2,000. It has an average annual rainfall of 2,500 mm (100 in) and an average yearly temperature of 90 °F (32 °C) It is in the marginal zone of the Dwb climate classification, which means it receives sufficient precipitation to be classified as humid continental. The climate has great temperature variation, with temperatures reaching 90 °F on 14 days per summer and 100°F in some years. In the winter, lows below 0 °F occur on about 39 days during the winter; temperatures reach 90 °C (32°F) on 14 days per summer, and in some years reach 100°C (38°F), and in some years reach 100 °F or more.

Demographics

As of the census of 2020, there were 48,377 people, 20,979 households, and 9,978 families residing in the city. The most populous ancestry groups are German (40.8%), Norwegian (8.7%), English (5.4%), Swedish (3.2%) and French (2.6%). The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was2.86. The median age in theCity was 33.8 years. The gender makeup of the city was 51.9% male and 48.1% female. The city has a population of 40,888 people, with 18,744 people living under the age of 18. There were 16,475 housing units at an average density of 1,132.3 per square mile (437.2/km²) The city's population was 90.2% White, 2.3% African American, 3.2%. Native American, 0.9%. Asian, 0.,1% Pacific Islander, and 2.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.3%. The city is located on the shores of the Red River, which is a tributary of the Mississippi River. The Red River flows through the city and flows into the Little Red River. It is the only city in the state to have a river that runs through the middle of its downtown area. The population of the City was 36,567 at the time of the 2000 census.

Law and government

Minot uses the councilmanager system of government. Seven councilmen are elected from 7 city wards to four-year terms. All city offices are nonpartisan. Northwest Area Water Supply (NAWS) has had disputes with the Canadian government over a plan calling for water to be pumped from Lake Sakakawea, then to Minot for treatment, and then to large stretches of Northwest North Dakota. The last mayoral election in Minot was in 2022. The mayor of Minot is Tom Ross, who chairs the 7-member City Council, but only casts a vote to break a tie. The city manager Harold Stewart handles the city's day-to-day affairs. The councilman from each ward is elected every even-numbered year; the mayor is elected to a four- year term as well. City elections are held in June in North Dakota, along with the state primary election, and the mayoral election is held in November. It is the only city in the U.S. that has a mayor who is not a resident of the state. It has a population of about 3,000 people, about half of whom live in the city. The average income is about $30,000, about the same as New York City. The median household income is $28,000. It's the lowest in the United States, with the exception of New York, which has a median income of more than $50,000 and a median age of about 30. It also has the lowest crime rate in the country, at about 10%.

Economy

Minot has seen a significant increase in population and infrastructure investments in the last several years with the expanding drilling (using hydrofracking) of oil in the Bakken Formation and Three Forks Groups. Minot's economy predominantly centers around the Air Force Base 13 miles (21 km) north of town, making the city's economy more robust than other cities of its size due to its large service area. According to the City's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the largest employers in the city are:. The State of North Dakota has a website detailing daily oil activity in the state. The largest employer in Minot is:. ReliaStar established a service center inMinot in December 1998;. The city's largest employer is Minot-Bismarck, North Dakota, with a workforce of more than 2,000 people;. It is the largest city in North Dakota with a population of over 3,000;. Its economy is predominantly centered around the air force base;. There is a large number of small businesses in the area. The City's economy is mainly based around the oil and gas industry. It has seen an increase in the number of oil and natural gas drilling operations in the past few years. The state has a site detailing dailyOil activity. It also has a web page detailing daily Oil and Natural Gas Activity in the State of N.D., which is used by the state's oil companies to share information about their drilling activities in the region. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has a facility in the Minot area that is used to drill oil.

Education

The Minot Public Schools system operates ten elementary schools (K5) in the city. There are three middle schools in the system: Jim Hill in the south and Erik Ramstad in the north. The city has one public high school, Minot High School, divided between two campuses. Private schools in Minot include Bishop Ryan Catholic School, which offers preschool through grade 12 at a single campus. There is also a Protestant K12 school, Our Redeemer's Christian School. Minot is also home to Minot State University, the state's third-largest university. Many of the larger daycare centers and preschools in the Minot area work in collaboration with local church groups. The in-home daycare providers are state registered and licensed. The school district also operates an adult learning center and Souris River Campus, an alternative high school. In 2021, voters passed a school bond issue to fund renovation of Central Campus in downtown Minot into a third in-town middle school for students in grades 6 to 8. A second four-year high school will be in north Minot on the site of the former Cognizant office building, which has been donated to the school district and will be expanded and renovated. The new high school is expected to open in the fall of 2021. The district operates two elementary schools on Minot Air Force Base: Dakota and North Plains. It also operates Bell Elementary, about five miles southeast of Minot, and Washington Elementary, which closed in 2003.

Culture

Nearly 40% of the city's residents are of Scandinavian ancestry. Every October since 1977, Minot has been the host to the Norsk Høstfest, North America's largest Scandinavian-American festival. Scandinavian Heritage Park features remembrances and replicas from each of the Scandinavian countries: Norway, Sweden and Denmark, as well as Finland and Iceland. The city's largest parks are Roosevelt Park and Oak Park. Roosevelt Park Zoo is one of the top zoos in the region. A "bark park" for dogs opened in the summer of 2005. The North Dakota State Fair is held in July annually, in Minot. The Minot State Beavers play ice hockey at All Seasons Arena, baseball at Corbett Field, football at Herb Parker Stadium and basketball at the MSU Dome. The Mouse River Rollers play roller derby at different locations around the city, including the Maysa Arena. Minot is also a sister city of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, about 300 miles (480 km) to the north-west. The two cities share many qualities, including their size, location on river valleys, historical origins, and air force bases. They are also sister cities with the city of Skien, Norway, which is 300 miles to the south-west of Minot, and with the town of Fargo, North Dakota which is about 100 miles (160 km) north of Minneapolis. The town is home to several municipal sports venues including the All Seasons arena, Corbett field, MaysA Arena and the Minot Municipal Auditorium.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Minot, Ward County, North Dakota = 89. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 60. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 89. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Minot = 3 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 48,377 individuals with a median age of 36.4 age the population dropped by -4.39% in Minot, Ward County, North Dakota population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,747.53 residents per square mile of area (674.71/km²). There are average 2.21 people per household in the 15,228 households with an average household income of $43,218 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 2.50% of the available work force and has growths 3.00% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 43.50%. The number of physicians in Minot per 100,000 population = 211.8.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Minot = 17.6 inches and the annual snowfall = 42.7 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 91. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 204. 81 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and -0.8 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 56, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Minot, Ward County, North Dakota which are owned by the occupant = 57.12%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 39 years with median home cost = $128,110 and home appreciation of 4.86%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $15.66 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,267 per student. There are 11.4 students for each teacher in the school, 350 students for each Librarian and 343 students for each Counselor. 7.94% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 18.26% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 5.86% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).