Burleigh County, North Dakota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Burleigh County
U.S. county
Burleigh County Courthouse
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of North Dakota
North Dakota's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	North Dakota
Founded	January 4, 1873
Named for	Walter A. Burleigh
Seat	Bismarck
Largest city	Bismarck
Area
• Total	1,668 sq mi (4,320 km2)
• Land	1,633 sq mi (4,230 km2)
• Water	36 sq mi (90 km2)  2.1%
Population  (2020)
• Total	98,458
• Estimate  (2023)	100,012
• Density	59.028/sq mi (22.791/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	At-large

Burleigh County is a county in the state of North Dakota. In 2020, about 98,458 people lived there. This makes it the second most populated county in North Dakota. The main city and county seat is Bismarck, which is also the state capital. The county was named after Walter A. Burleigh, an important person in the Dakota Territory.

History of Burleigh County

Burleigh County was created on January 4, 1873. This happened when the government of the Dakota Territory decided to form new areas. The county officially started operating on July 16, 1873. Its borders have changed a few times since then. Burleigh County is part of the "Bismarck–Mandan" area. This is a larger region that includes Bismarck and nearby Mandan.

Geography and Nature

The Missouri River flows along the western edge of Burleigh County. Many small creeks flow south through the middle of the county. The land here has low, rolling hills and is quite dry. Some areas are used for farming. The highest point in the county is about 2,060 feet (628 meters) above sea level. The county covers about 1,668 square miles (4,320 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, but about 36 square miles (93 square kilometers) is water.

Main Roads

You can find several important roads in Burleigh County:

Public Transport

• Bis-Man Transit helps people get around Bismarck and Mandan.
• Jefferson Lines offers longer bus trips.

Neighboring Counties

Burleigh County shares its borders with these counties:

Protected Natural Areas

The county has several special areas to protect nature:

Lakes in the County

Many lakes can be found in Burleigh County:

People and Population

Population in 2020

In 2020, the county had 98,458 people. There were about 39,927 households, which are groups of people living together. The average number of people per square mile was about 60.3.

Population in 2010

In 2010, there were 81,308 people living in Burleigh County. Most people (93%) were white. About 4.2% were Native American. People from Germany (61%) and Norway (21.1%) were the largest ancestry groups. The average age of people in the county was 37.3 years old. The average income for a household was $53,465.

How the Population Has Grown

The chart below shows how the number of people living in Burleigh County has changed over many years. You can see that the population has grown a lot since 1880.

Towns and Communities

Burleigh County has several cities and smaller communities where people live.

Cities

• Bismarck (the county seat)
• Lincoln
• Regan
• Wilton (partly in McLean County)
• Wing

Census-Designated Places

These are areas that are like towns but are not officially cities:

• Apple Valley
• Driscoll
• Menoken

Other Communities

These are smaller, unincorporated places:

Education

Many school districts serve the children of Burleigh County.

K-12 Schools

These districts offer education from kindergarten through 12th grade:

Elementary Schools

These districts focus on younger students:

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Burleigh para niños