Zap, North Dakota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Zap, North Dakota
City
Immanuel Lutheran Church in Zap
Nickname(s):  "The little town with a big heart"
Location of Zap, North Dakota
Country	United States
State	North Dakota
County	Mercer
Founded	1913
Area
• Total	1.02 sq mi (2.64 km2)
• Land	1.02 sq mi (2.64 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.01 km2)
Elevation	1,844 ft (562 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	221
• Estimate  (2022)	222
• Density	217.09/sq mi (83.78/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP code	58580
Area code(s)	701
FIPS code	38-88140
GNIS feature ID	1036345

Zap is a city in Mercer County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 221 at the 2020 census.

Zap was founded in 1913 along a branch line of the Northern Pacific Railway that began in Mandan. The exact origin of the name is uncertain, though there are numerous unconfirmed theories; some say the town was named after Zapp, which was either a prominent Minnesota banking family or a coal-mining town in Scotland. Zap has been noted for its unusual place name.

The "Zip to Zap"

The town of Zap is probably most widely known for the Zip to Zap riot, which occurred on May 10, 1969. The Zip to Zap was originally intended as a spring break diversion. Between 2000 and 3000 people descended upon the town after an article by Chuck Stroup, originally appearing in the North Dakota State University Spectrum newspaper, and then later picked up by the Associated Press, persuaded busloads and chartered planes full of people from around the United States to go there.

The amiable revelry began early with an all-night party in the streets outside an overwhelmed small bar. When the mayor finally exited the bar in the middle of the night and discovered a bonfire on main street and realized the size of the crowd in his tiny town, he panicked and called the governor, William Guy. At dawn, marching in formation and armed with bayonets placed, the National Guard invaded the town and forced the crowd to leave Zap. The event moved to several other towns before the Governor announced that a park in Bismarck would host the crowd. The then-popular rock station, KFYR, and their disc jockeys were in communication with event organizers and falsely reported where the crowd had gone before they arrived, effectively directing all the listeners on which small town and park to proceed to next. In one village, locals cleaned out the Farmers Union of every implement handle in order to patrol their town against the wave of invading hippies and cowboys.

Geography

Zap is located in the prairie country along Spring Creek, a tributary of the Knife River.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.05 square miles (2.72 km²), all land.

Climate

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 237 people, 109 households, and 70 families residing in the city. The population density was 225.7 inhabitants per square mile (87.1/km²). There were 135 housing units at an average density of 128.6 per square mile (49.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.6% White, 3.0% Native American, 1.3% Asian, and 4.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.4% of the population.

There were 109 households, of which 24.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.7% were married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 8.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.8% were non-families. 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.63.

The median age in the city was 49.1 years. 17.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.2% were from 25 to 44; 38.8% were from 45 to 64; and 16% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 54.0% male and 46.0% female.

See also

In Spanish: Zap (Dakota del Norte) para niños