Leith, North Dakota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Leith
City
Leith in 2009
Location within Grant County and North Dakota
Country	United States
State	North Dakota
County	Grant
Founded	1910
Area
• Total	3.24 sq mi (1.25 km2)
• Land	3.20 sq mi (1.24 km2)
• Water	0.04 sq mi (0.02 km2)
Elevation	2,333 ft (711 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	28
• Estimate  (2022)	26
• Density	22.64/sq mi (8.74/km2)
Time zone	UTC–7 (Mountain (MST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC–6 (MDT)
ZIP code	58529
Area code(s)	701
FIPS code	38-45860
GNIS feature ID	1036126

Leith (pronounced LEETH) is a small city located in Grant County, North Dakota, in the United States. In 2020, about 28 people lived there. It's a quiet place with a unique history.

History of Leith

Leith was started in 1910. It was built along a railroad line that helped connect towns. The railroad officials named the town Leith. They chose the name from a harbor town called Leith near Edinburgh, Scotland.

The railroad line was closed in 1984. This made Leith feel a bit isolated. The main roads in the area were not built to go through the city.

Community Challenges

In 2011, a man named Craig Cobb started buying land in Leith. By 2013, he owned many pieces of land. Cobb wanted to take over the city government. He aimed to change Leith into a place that followed his extreme beliefs.

A group called the National Socialist Movement supported his plan. At that time, it was a large group with similar extreme views in the United States. However, the people who already lived in Leith strongly disagreed with Cobb's ideas. Some locals even thought about officially closing down the town. They hoped this would stop Cobb from taking control.

On September 22, 2013, many people gathered in Leith to protest. Hundreds of people participated, especially Native Americans from nearby areas. They protested against Cobb's actions. They also protested a meeting that the National Socialist Movement had planned for the same day.

In November 2013, Cobb and one of his followers were arrested. They had confronted another resident with weapons. In February 2014, Cobb agreed to a deal. He was sentenced to four years of supervised probation. He had to wear an ankle monitor. He was also not allowed to return to Leith.

Today, Cobb no longer owns any buildings in Leith. He gave six properties back to the town for free. He also sold a few other properties. A few properties were still owned by other people with similar extreme views. But they did not seem interested in continuing Cobb's plans.

In June 2018, two men thought to be connected to Cobb were elected to the city council. Because of this, the mayor, Ryan Schock, started a petition. He wanted to ask people to vote on whether to close down the city of Leith. The local county government allowed a vote to happen. The vote was set for November 6, 2018. As of July 2024, Leith is still listed as a city on the Grant County website.

Geography of Leith

Leith is a small city in terms of size. It covers about 1.24 square miles (3.2 square kilometers) of land. Only a tiny part, about 0.01 square miles (0.02 square kilometers), is water. Leith is located about 5 miles (8 kilometers) southwest of a town called Carson.

Population Information

Population in 2010

In 2010, there were 16 people living in Leith. These people lived in eight different homes. Five of these were families. The city had about 18 housing units.

Most of the people living in Leith in 2010 were White (93.8%). A small number were African American (6.3%).

In the homes, about 12.5% had children under 18. Half of the homes (50%) had married couples living together. About 37.5% of all homes had people living alone. Some of these people were 65 years old or older. On average, there were 2 people per household.

The average age of people in Leith was 55 years old. About 12.5% of residents were under 18. About 25% were between 25 and 44 years old. The population was split evenly between males and females.

See also

In Spanish: Leith (Dakota del Norte) para niños