Arnegard, North Dakota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Arnegard, North Dakota
City
Arnegard Post Office
Country	United States
State	North Dakota
County	McKenzie
Founded	1913
Area
• Total	0.34 sq mi (0.88 km2)
• Land	0.34 sq mi (0.88 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	2,244 ft (684 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	282
• Estimate  (2022)	267
• Density	829.41/sq mi (319.87/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	58835
Area code(s)	701
FIPS code	38-03220
GNIS feature ID	1035915

Arnegard is a city in McKenzie County, North Dakota, United States. In 2020, 282 people lived there. Arnegard was officially started in 1913.

Looking north at the old grain elevator in Arnegard.

A Look at Arnegard's Past

Arnegard was founded in 1906. It was named after brothers Evan and Oscar Arnegard. They were the first people to settle in this area.

The first church was a small log cabin. It was called the Wilmington Lutheran Church. Many of the first settlers came from Spring Grove, Minnesota. They belonged to a church there with the same name.

A post office opened on July 14, 1906. Gerhard A. Stenehjem was the first postmaster. The town became official in 1913. This happened when the Great Northern Railroad built its tracks through Arnegard.

The Arnegard School Story

In 1914, the town built the Arnegard School. It was a one-story building with four rooms. It taught students from first grade all the way to twelfth grade. The school opened on January 29, 1915.

In 1936, they added a second story and a back part. This gave the school four more classrooms and a library. It also added a gym and an office for the principal.

The back part was taken down in 1954. A much bigger gym was built. The Arnegard Spuds basketball team became very successful. They won many games across the state. Wrestlers from the school also won awards. In 1961, the school won the State Class C Boys' Basketball Championship.

The high school closed in 1963 because fewer students were attending. But elementary school classes continued until 1976. McKenzie County later gave the building to the city of Arnegard. It was used as a roller skating rink, a library, and a meeting place.

By the early 1980s, the second floor was not safe. The building eventually closed. In 1998, a local man named Milton Hanson bought it. He completely fixed it up. It then became a place called "Old School Bed & Breakfast." It was even shown on TV shows. In 2015, it was sold and is no longer a bed and breakfast.

Buildings in Arnegard.

Fires and Growth in Arnegard

Arnegard had a big fire on its Main Street in January 1959. Another fire happened in March of the same year. But by 1961, most of the buildings on Main Street were rebuilt.

Arnegard started with about 100 people. Its population reached its highest point of 254 people in 1930. The town managed well during the Great Depression. But by 1940, the population dropped to 222.

The number of people stayed about the same until 1960. Then it dropped a lot, to just 141 people in 1970. There was a short increase in population during the 1970s oil boom. Oil and natural gas were found nearby around 1974. But this boom ended in 1980. Drillers found that most of the oil was in a type of rock called shale. At that time, it was hard to get the oil out.

By 1990, the population was 122. By 2000, it was only 105. Arnegard has seen a small rise in population more recently. This is due to the North Dakota Oil Boom in the 2000s.

Where is Arnegard?

Arnegard is a small city. It covers an area of about 0.34 square miles (0.88 square kilometers). All of this area is land.

How Many People Live in Arnegard?

In 2010, there were 115 people living in Arnegard. These people lived in 47 homes. About 31 of these were families. The city had about 460 people per square mile.

Most people living in Arnegard in 2010 were White (97.4%). A small number were Native American (0.9%) or from two or more races (1.7%). About 1.7% of the people were Hispanic or Latino.

In 29.8% of homes, there were children under 18. About 51.1% of homes had married couples. The average home had 2.45 people. The average family had 2.94 people.

The average age of people in Arnegard was 41.3 years old. About 28.7% of residents were under 18. About 10.4% were 65 or older. More males lived in the city (58.3%) than females (41.7%).

Famous People from Arnegard

• Orville W. Hagen was the 27th Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota. He was an important leader in the state government.

See also

In Spanish: Arnegard (Dakota del Norte) para niños