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New Town, North Dakota

Mandan/Hidatsa/Arikara
Post office in New Town
Post office in New Town
Location of New Town, North Dakota
Location of New Town, North Dakota
Country United States
State North Dakota
County Mountrail
Area
 • Total 1.19 sq mi (3.08 km2)
 • Land 1.19 sq mi (3.08 km2)
 • Water 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
1,900 ft (579 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total 1,925
 • Estimate 
(2019)
2,592
 • Density 2,176.32/sq mi (840.54/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP code
58763
Area code(s) 701
FIPS code 38-56740
GNIS feature ID 1030400
Highways ND 23, ND 1804
Website New Town

New Town is a city in Mountrail County, North Dakota. The population was 1,925 at the time of the 2010 census. New Town was platted in 1950 as a replacement site for the residents of Sanish and Van Hook, as these towns were scheduled to be flooded by the creation of Lake Sakakawea, a reservoir to provide water for irrigation.

It is the largest city and the administrative center of the Fort Berthold Reservation. New Town is home to Fort Berthold Community College. New Town is located on State Highway 23 at the crossing of Lake Sakakawea by the Four Bears Bridge. The city has recreation for all seasons, including fishing, boating, water skiing, and trails for hiking.

History

In 1944, the United States Congress authorized the Garrison Dam and Reservoir Project. The dam was planned to be the world's largest rolled-earth filled dam and would create the second largest reservoir in the world. It would form a lake 200 miles long, 14 miles wide in some places and have roughly 1,500 miles of shoreline. In order to make this dam and reservoir, the towns of Sanish, Elbowoods, Lucky Mound, Shell Creek, Nishu, Charging Eagle, Beaver Creek, Red Butte, Independence, and Van Hook needed to be dissolved and the residents relocated. A total of seven possible sites were inspected before the present site was chosen.

After the site was purchased, plans were quickly developed for the proposed town. With the help of Army engineers, by August 1950, the combined town site was platted. On September 10, 1950, a ground-breaking ceremony and celebration was held at the proposed town site. The official ground-breaking was a furrow cut by a county road grader in what was to become Main Street. The first building set up was for the relocation company. They held an auction to sell off lots in what was now called New Town.

Two days later over sixty percent of the lots had sold and the school was gifted to the town as well as the church lots for the relocating churches. In November 1952, seventy-four voters went to the polls to elect the first city officials of New Town. On January 1, 1953, the post office was established in the former office of the Relocation Company. Businesses were moved from the surrounding villages and soon people had to go to New Town for groceries and supplies. The towns were officially dissolved as of April 30, 1953 and July 1, 1953 was the deadline given to the residents to be moved out of their respective towns.

In the fall of 1953, school opened for New Town students. The New School was ready in September 1954, and dedicated April 15, 1955. The first scheduled train arrived at New Town on September 22, 1953. By 1955, the town had grown to about 1,400 residents.

The discovery of oil in this part of the state led to the development of oil fields in the vicinity. This brought many people to the community and with work on the new bridge, roads, and construction in the town, jobs were plentiful. The bridge across the reservoir was completed in October 1955. It was named Four Bears after two great Indian chiefs, a Mandan and a Hidatsa, who bore the same name.

This information was gathered from the book 'New Town 1951-1976' by James McMaster, editor of the New Town News in 1976.

Geography

New Town is located at 47°58′54″N 102°29′5″W / 47.98167°N 102.48472°W / 47.98167; -102.48472 (47.981748, -102.484842).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.28 square miles (3.32 km2), all of it land.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1960 1,586
1970 1,428 −10.0%
1980 1,335 −6.5%
1990 1,388 4.0%
2000 1,367 −1.5%
2010 1,925 40.8%
2020 2,764 43.6%
2019 (est.) 2,592 34.6%
U.S. Decennial Census
2019 Estimate

2,740 population on
January 1, 2021 Estimate

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 1,925 people, 647 households, and 437 families living in the city. The population density was 1,503.9 inhabitants per square mile (580.7/km2). There were 701 housing units at an average density of 547.7 per square mile (211.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 17.8% White, 0.2% African American, 76.4% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.2% from other races, and 4.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.3% of the population.

There were 647 households, of which 43.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.3% were married couples living together, 23.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 9.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.5% were non-families. 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.96 and the average family size was 3.58.

The median age in the city was 30.2 years. 30.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 12.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.6% were from 25 to 44; 23.1% were from 45 to 64; and 8.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.

Climate

This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, New Town has a humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.



Education

New Town students attend New Town Public Schools.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: New Town (Dakota del Norte) para niños

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