Foster County, North Dakota

Foster County
County
Foster County Courthouse in Carrington, North Dakota.
Location within the U.S. state of North Dakota
North Dakota's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 47°28′N98°53′W / 47.46°N 98.89°W / 47.46; -98.89
Country	United States
State	North Dakota
Founded	January 4, 1873 (created) October 11, 1883 (organized)
Seat	Carrington
Largest city	Carrington
Area
• Total	647 sq mi (1,680 km2)
• Land	635 sq mi (1,640 km2)
• Water	11 sq mi (30 km2)  1.8%
Population  (2020)
• Total	3,397
• Estimate  (2022)	3,378
• Density	5.3/sq mi (2.0/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	At-large
Website	www.fostercounty.com

Foster County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,397. ^[1] Its county seat is Carrington. ^[2]

History

The Dakota Territory legislature created the county on January 4, 1873, with lands partitioned from Pembina County. It was named for George I. Foster, a pioneer and member of the Territorial legislature. ^[3] Its governing structure was not completed at that time, and it was not attached to another county for administrative purposes. Its boundaries were altered in 1881, two times in 1883, and finally in 1885 its boundary was set at the present configuration. Its county organization was effected on October 11, 1883. ^{[4] [5]}

Geography

The James River flows south-southeastward through the central part of Foster County. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, mostly devoted to agriculture, its eastern portion dotted with lakes and ponds. ^[6] The terrain slopes to the south and east; its highest point is at its southwestern corner, at 1,942 ft (592 m) ASL. ^[7] The county has a total area of 647 square miles (1,680 km²), of which 635 square miles (1,640 km²) is land and 11 square miles (28 km²) (1.8%) is water. ^[8] It is the second-smallest county in North Dakota by area.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 52
• U.S. Highway 281
• North Dakota Highway 9
• North Dakota Highway 20
• North Dakota Highway 200

Adjacent counties

• Eddy County - north
• Griggs County - east
• Stutsman County - south
• Wells County - west

National protected area

• Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Lakes

Source: ^[6]

• Blue Cloud Lake
• Jack Lake
• Juanita Lake
• Lake Bonita
• Lake George
• Russell Lake

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	37		—
1890	1,210		3,170.3%
1900	3,770		211.6%
1910	5,313		40.9%
1920	6,108		15.0%
1930	6,353		4.0%
1940	5,824		−8.3%
1950	5,337		−8.4%
1960	5,361		0.4%
1970	4,832		−9.9%
1980	4,611		−4.6%
1990	3,983		−13.6%
2000	3,759		−5.6%
2010	3,343		−11.1%
2020	3,397		1.6%
2022 (est.)	3,378	[9]	−0.6%
U.S. Decennial Census [10] 1790-1960 [11] 1900-1990 [12] 1990-2000 [13] 2010-2020 [1]

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, there were 3,397 people.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 3,343 people, 1,495 households, and 930 families in the county. The population density was 5.3 inhabitants per square mile (2.0/km²). There were 1,801 housing units at an average density of 2.8 units per square mile (1.1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.4% white, 0.6% American Indian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.1% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 54.2% were German, 35.9% were Norwegian, 9.8% were Irish, 5.8% were American, and 5.1% were Swedish.

Of the 1,495 households, 23.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% were married couples living together, 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.8% were non-families, and 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.81. The median age was 46.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $41,066 and the median income for a family was $55,278. Males had a median income of $40,076 versus $29,189 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,945. About 3.4% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.2% of those under age 18 and 13.4% of those age 65 or over.

Population by decade

Communities

Cities

• Carrington (county seat)
• Glenfield
• Grace City
• McHenry

Unincorporated communities

• Barlow
• Bordulac
• Guptill ^[6]
• Juanita ^[6]
• Melville

Government

The county is divided into 18 townships for certain aspects of governance.

Townships

• Birtsell
• Bordulac township
• Bucephalia
• Carrington
• Eastman
• Estabrook
• Florance
• Glenfield
• Haven
• Larrabee
• Longview
• McHenry
• McKinnon
• Melville
• Nordmore
• Rolling Prairie
• Rose Hill
• Wyard

Politics

Foster County voters have traditionally voted Republican. In only two national elections since 1948 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2024).

United States presidential election results for Foster County, North Dakota ^[14]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	1,326	77.86%	335	19.67%	42	2.47%
2020	1,362	76.60%	373	20.98%	43	2.42%
2016	1,241	72.19%	347	20.19%	131	7.62%
2012	1,030	61.24%	607	36.09%	45	2.68%
2008	914	55.36%	687	41.61%	50	3.03%
2004	1,219	69.03%	518	29.33%	29	1.64%
2000	1,172	67.24%	474	27.19%	97	5.57%
1996	801	45.93%	664	38.07%	279	16.00%
1992	803	41.39%	565	29.12%	572	29.48%
1988	1,218	58.84%	837	40.43%	15	0.72%
1984	1,422	64.23%	765	34.55%	27	1.22%
1980	1,534	66.61%	586	25.45%	183	7.95%
1976	1,120	48.59%	1,147	49.76%	38	1.65%
1972	1,352	60.28%	861	38.39%	30	1.34%
1968	1,119	52.31%	897	41.94%	123	5.75%
1964	927	41.31%	1,315	58.60%	2	0.09%
1960	1,351	53.34%	1,182	46.66%	0	0.00%
1956	1,234	53.51%	1,062	46.05%	10	0.43%
1952	1,558	64.17%	862	35.50%	8	0.33%
1948	938	44.82%	1,089	52.03%	66	3.15%
1944	891	44.39%	1,102	54.91%	14	0.70%
1940	1,109	43.20%	1,446	56.33%	12	0.47%
1936	685	24.83%	1,894	68.65%	180	6.52%
1932	609	24.65%	1,838	74.38%	24	0.97%
1928	1,137	48.99%	1,178	50.75%	6	0.26%
1924	922	45.13%	287	14.05%	834	40.82%
1920	1,583	78.99%	371	18.51%	50	2.50%
1916	549	44.45%	662	53.60%	24	1.94%
1912	285	29.97%	403	42.38%	263	27.66%
1908	569	56.00%	434	42.72%	13	1.28%
1904	618	71.69%	223	25.87%	21	2.44%
1900	415	61.48%	241	35.70%	19	2.81%

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Foster County, North Dakota

References

1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 130.
4. "Dakota Territory, South Dakota, and North Dakota: Individual County Chronologies". Dakota Territory Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2006. Archived from the original on April 2, 2018. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
5. "County History". North Dakota.gov. The State of North Dakota. Archived from the original on February 2, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
6. "Foster County · North Dakota". Google Maps. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
7. ""Find an Altitude/Foster County ND" Google Maps (accessed February 18, 2019)". Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
8. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on January 29, 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
9. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022" . Retrieved April 6, 2023.
10. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
11. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
12. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
13. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
14. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 12, 2018.

External links

• ND DOT county map of Foster County (PDF)
• Foster County official website

47°28′N98°53′W / 47.46°N 98.89°W / 47.46; -98.89