Rolette County, North Dakota facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rolette County
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Location within the U.S. state of North Dakota
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 North Dakota's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  North Dakota |
| Founded | January 4, 1873 (created) October 14, 1884 (organized) |
| Named for | Joseph Rolette |
| Seat | Rolla |
| Largest community | Belcourt |
| Area | |
| • Total | 939 sq mi (2,430 km2) |
| • Land | 903 sq mi (2,340 km2) |
| • Water | 36 sq mi (90 km2) 3.9% |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 12,187 |
| • Estimate
(2023)
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11,728  |
| • Density | 12.979/sq mi (5.0111/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | At-large |
Rolette County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,187. Its county seat is Rolla.
Contents
History
The Dakota Territory legislature created the county on January 4, 1873, with territory partitioned from Buffalo County. It was not organized at that date, and was not attached to another county for judicial or administrative purposes. It was named for Joseph Rolette Jr., a fur trader and political figure from Pembina. The county government was effected on October 14, 1884, with Dunseith as the county seat. In 1885 the county seat was assigned to Saint John, and in 1889 it was assigned to Rolla.
The county boundaries were adjusted in 1883 and in 1887. It has retained its present boundary configuration since 1887.
The International Peace Garden is located in the northwest corner of the county along the Canada–United States border with Manitoba.
Geography
Rolette County lies on the northern border of North Dakota with Canada. Gimby Creek and Wakopa Creek flow into the county from Canada. The terrain consists of dry rolling hills in the south, and more verdant low hills in the north and northwest, dotted with lakes and ponds.
Part of the Turtle Mountain plateau lies in the northwestern part of the county. The terrain slopes to the south and east; its highest point is its northwest corner, at 2,195 ft (669 m) ASL.
The Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation is in the northeast section of Rolette County.
Rolette County has an area of 939 square miles (2,430 km2), of which 903 square miles (2,340 km2) is land and 36 square miles (93 km2) (3.9%) is water.
Major highways
U.S. Highway 281
North Dakota Highway 3
North Dakota Highway 5
North Dakota Highway 30
North Dakota Highway 43
North Dakota Highway 66
Adjacent counties and rural municipalities
- Municipality of Boissevain-Morton, Manitoba - northwest
- Municipality of Killarney-Turtle Mountain, Manitoba - northeast
- Towner County - east
- Pierce County - south
- Bottineau County - west
Protected areas
- Lords Lake National Wildlife Refuge (part)
- Rabb Lake National Wildlife Refuge
- School Section Lake National Wildlife Refuge
- Willow Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Lakes
- Belcourt Lake
- Bigham Lake
- Bymes Lake
- Carpenters Lake
- Coon Lake
- Gatten Lake
- Girl Lake
- Gordon Lake
- Hartley Lake (part)
- Horseshoe Lake
- Island Lake
- Lagerquist Lake
- Lake Upsilon
- Little Gurr Lake
- Long Lake
- Lords Lake (part)
- Mill Lake
- Mill Lake
- Rabb Lake
- School Section Lake
- Schutte Lake
- South Messier Lake (part)
- Ducker Lake
- Twin Lake
- Twin Lakes (part)
- Willow Lake
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1890 | 2,427 | — | |
| 1900 | 7,995 | 229.4% | |
| 1910 | 9,558 | 19.5% | |
| 1920 | 10,061 | 5.3% | |
| 1930 | 10,760 | 6.9% | |
| 1940 | 12,583 | 16.9% | |
| 1950 | 11,102 | −11.8% | |
| 1960 | 10,641 | −4.2% | |
| 1970 | 11,549 | 8.5% | |
| 1980 | 12,177 | 5.4% | |
| 1990 | 12,772 | 4.9% | |
| 2000 | 13,674 | 7.1% | |
| 2010 | 13,937 | 1.9% | |
| 2020 | 12,187 | −12.6% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 11,728 | −15.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2020 |
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2020 census
| Race / Ethnicity | Pop 1990 | Pop 2000 | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
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| White alone (NH) | 4,211 | 3,416 | 2,802 | 2,298 | 31.0% | 25.12% | 20.3% | 18.9% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 28 | 10 | 21 | 13 | 0.1% | 0.07% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 8,497 | 9,907 | 10,677 | 9,210 | 68.0% | 73.01% | 77.2% | 76.1% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 13 | 10 | 16 | 23 | 0.1% | 0.07% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0.0% | 0.00% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 23 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 0.3% | 0.12% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 0 | 217 | 284 | 490 | 0.0% | 1.61% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 0 | 110 | 133 | 137 | 0.0% | 0.80% | 1.0% | 1.1% |
| Total | 12,772 | 13,674 | 13,937 | 12,187 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
As of the 2020 census, there were 12,187 people, 4,114 households, and 2,857 families in the county. The population density was 13.5 inhabitants per square mile (5.2/km2) There were 4,581 housing units.
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 13,937 people, 4,783 households, and 3,413 families in the county. The population density was 15.4 people per square mile (5.9 people/km2). There were 5,372 housing units at an average density of 5.95 units per square mile (2.30/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 77.2% American Indian, 20.3% white, 0.2% black or African American, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 48.5% were French Canadian, 7.0% were German, 6.8% were Norwegian, and 0.3% were American.
Of the 4,783 households, 44.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.1% were married couples living together, 23.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 28.6% were non-families, and 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.39. The median age was 30.5 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $28,265 and the median income for a family was $35,523. Males had a median income of $35,595 versus $27,459 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,632. About 25.9% of families and 31.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.5% of those under age 18 and 24.8% of those age 65 or over.
Population by decade
Communities
Cities
Census-designated places
Unincorporated communities
Townships
- Kohlmeier
- Maryville
- Shell Valley
- South Valley
- Holmes
Education
School districts include:
- Belcourt Public School District 7 (as the Turtle Mountain Community School, in cooperation with the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE))
- Bottineau Public School District 1
- Dunseith Public School District 1
- Mount Pleasant Public School District 4
- North Star School District
- Rolette Public School District 29
- Rugby Public School District 5
- St. John Public School District 3
Former districts:
- Wolford Public School District 1 - Closed in 2019
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Rolette para niños
