Medora, North Dakota facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Medora, North Dakota
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Business District of Medora (2008)
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| Motto(s):
"North Dakota's #1 Destination"
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Location within Billings County and North Dakota
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 Medora, North Dakota
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | North Dakota |
| County | Billings |
| Founded | 1883 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.41 sq mi (1.07 km2) |
| • Land | 0.39 sq mi (1.02 km2) |
| • Water | 0.02 sq mi (0.05 km2) |
| Elevation | 2,270 ft (692 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 121 |
| • Estimate
(2022)
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123 |
| • Density | 307.89/sq mi (118.85/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| ZIP code |
58645
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| Area code(s) | 701 |
| FIPS code | 38-51900 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1036158 |
Medora is a small city in Billings County, North Dakota, United States. It is the only official city in Billings County and also its county seat (the main town for county government). Much of the land around Medora is part of the Little Missouri National Grassland or Theodore Roosevelt National Park. In 2020, 121 people lived there. Medora is also part of the larger Dickinson area.
Contents
History of Medora
Medora was started in 1883. It was built along the transcontinental train line of the Northern Pacific Railway. A French nobleman named Marquis de Mores founded the city. He named it after his wife, Medora von Hoffman.
The Marquis wanted to send refrigerated meat to Chicago by train. He built a meat packing plant for this. He also built a large house called the Chateau de Mores, which is now a museum.
On April 7, 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt visited Medora. He had owned ranches in the area in the 1880s. Many people from the Badlands came to see him. Roosevelt later said that everyone, even babies, came to meet him. He felt they saw him as an old friend.
A local hotel changed its name to the Rough Riders Hotel that same year. Later, in 1962, Harold Schafer bought the hotel. Today, the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation runs it.
In April 2021, a wildfire came close to Medora. The town had to be evacuated during its busy tourist season. The fire burned over 2,200 acres but did not burn the town itself.
Medora is famous for the Medora Musical. This makes it one of the most popular places to visit in North Dakota.
Geography and Climate
Medora is a small city. According to the United States Census Bureau, it covers about 0.37 square miles (0.96 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, with a small part being water.
Medora's Climate
Medora has a cold semi-arid climate. This means it gets some rain, but not a lot. It has cold winters and warm to hot summers.
| Climate data for Medora, North Dakota (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1948–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 66 (19) |
70 (21) |
82 (28) |
95 (35) |
101 (38) |
107 (42) |
110 (43) |
110 (43) |
106 (41) |
95 (35) |
83 (28) |
66 (19) |
110 (43) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 51.7 (10.9) |
54.7 (12.6) |
68.6 (20.3) |
78.9 (26.1) |
86.3 (30.2) |
93.4 (34.1) |
99.1 (37.3) |
99.8 (37.7) |
95.1 (35.1) |
81.9 (27.7) |
65.6 (18.7) |
53.0 (11.7) |
102.0 (38.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 27.6 (−2.4) |
31.9 (−0.1) |
43.7 (6.5) |
55.5 (13.1) |
66.7 (19.3) |
76.7 (24.8) |
85.6 (29.8) |
85.2 (29.6) |
74.4 (23.6) |
57.5 (14.2) |
42.4 (5.8) |
30.9 (−0.6) |
56.5 (13.6) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 15.5 (−9.2) |
19.8 (−6.8) |
31.1 (−0.5) |
42.5 (5.8) |
53.6 (12.0) |
63.4 (17.4) |
70.8 (21.6) |
69.2 (20.7) |
58.6 (14.8) |
43.8 (6.6) |
30.2 (−1.0) |
19.1 (−7.2) |
43.1 (6.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 3.4 (−15.9) |
7.7 (−13.5) |
18.4 (−7.6) |
29.5 (−1.4) |
40.5 (4.7) |
50.1 (10.1) |
55.9 (13.3) |
53.2 (11.8) |
42.8 (6.0) |
30.1 (−1.1) |
18.1 (−7.7) |
7.3 (−13.7) |
29.8 (−1.2) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −22.2 (−30.1) |
−14.9 (−26.1) |
−5.8 (−21.0) |
12.3 (−10.9) |
25.5 (−3.6) |
37.9 (3.3) |
45.1 (7.3) |
39.9 (4.4) |
28.1 (−2.2) |
13.1 (−10.5) |
−2.1 (−18.9) |
−16.0 (−26.7) |
−28.4 (−33.6) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −49 (−45) |
−47 (−44) |
−34 (−37) |
−13 (−25) |
8 (−13) |
28 (−2) |
34 (1) |
28 (−2) |
13 (−11) |
−13 (−25) |
−31 (−35) |
−44 (−42) |
−49 (−45) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.32 (8.1) |
0.44 (11) |
0.63 (16) |
1.59 (40) |
2.60 (66) |
2.92 (74) |
2.10 (53) |
1.41 (36) |
1.42 (36) |
1.18 (30) |
0.62 (16) |
0.56 (14) |
15.79 (401) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 4.4 (11) |
7.2 (18) |
3.8 (9.7) |
3.4 (8.6) |
0.4 (1.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
1.8 (4.6) |
3.0 (7.6) |
6.0 (15) |
30.1 (76) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 5.9 | 5.3 | 5.8 | 7.0 | 10.1 | 11.2 | 9.4 | 6.5 | 6.6 | 7.1 | 5.3 | 5.7 | 85.9 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 4.6 | 4.8 | 2.8 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.6 | 4.9 | 22.2 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
Population of Medora
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1960 | 133 | — | |
| 1970 | 129 | −3.0% | |
| 1980 | 94 | −27.1% | |
| 1990 | 101 | 7.4% | |
| 2000 | 100 | −1.0% | |
| 2010 | 112 | 12.0% | |
| 2020 | 121 | 8.0% | |
| 2022 (est.) | 123 | 9.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 2020 Census |
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2010 Census Details
In 2010, there were 112 people living in Medora. These people lived in 56 households. About half of the households were families. Most of the people living in Medora were White. A small number were Native American or Asian.
The average age of people in Medora was about 45 years old. About 11.6% of residents were under 18 years old. About 18.8% were 65 years or older. There were slightly more females than males living in the city.
Places to Visit
- Medora Musical
- Theodore Roosevelt National Park (South Unit)
- Maah Daah Hey Trail
- Chateau de Mores
See also
In Spanish: Medora (Dakota del Norte) para niños
