Minot is a city in and the county seat of Ward County, North Dakota, United States, in the state's north-central region. It is most widely known for the Air Force base located approximately 15 miles (24 km) north of the city. With a population of 40,888 at the 2010 census, Minot is the fourth largest city in the state and a trading center for a large portion of northern North Dakota, southwestern Manitoba, and southeastern Saskatchewan. Founded in 1886 during the construction of James J. Hill's Great Northern Railway, Minot is also known as "Magic City", commemorating its remarkable growth in size over a short time.
Weyburn is the tenth-largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. The city has a population of 10,870. It is on the Souris River 110 km (68 mi) southeast of the provincial capital of Regina and is 70 km (43 mi) north from the North Dakota border in the United States. The name is reputedly a corruption of the Scottish "wee burn," referring to a small creek. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Weyburn No. 67.
The Souris River or Mouse River is a river in central North America. It is about 700 km (435 mi) in length and drains about 23,600 square miles (61,100 km2). It rises in the Yellow Grass Marshes north of Weyburn, Saskatchewan. It wanders south through North Dakota beyond Minot to its most southern point at the city of Velva, and then back north into Manitoba. The river passes through the communities of Melita, Hartney, Souris and Wawanesa and on to its confluence with the Assiniboine River at Treesbank, about 25 miles (40 km) south east of Brandon. The main tributaries which flow into the Souris in Manitoba are the Antler River, the Gainsborough and Plum Creeks. Much of its drainage basin is fertile silt and clay deposited by former glacial Lake Souris.
The North Dakota State Fair is an annual state fair held each July in Minot, North Dakota, USA. The fair has carnival rides, agricultural expositions, government and commercial exhibitions, and a variety of musical and performance entertainment.
Erik Reiersen Ramstad was one of the founders of Minot, North Dakota.
The Minot Municipal Auditorium is a 5,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Downtown Minot, North Dakota.
Roosevelt Park Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums and open year-round.
The Minot Park District is the unit of the Minot, North Dakota municipal government responsible for maintaining city parks. The District is managed by a board of five directors elected by city voters to four year terms.
The geography of Minot, North Dakota is treated extensively in this article.
Upper Souris National Wildlife Refuge, located 30 miles (48 km) northwest of Minot, North Dakota, was established in 1935 as a refuge and breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife. The refuge straddles 35 miles (56 km) of the picturesque Souris River valley in northern North Dakota. The Souris River basin figures prominently in the cultural and natural history of the North American mid-continent plains and prairies.
SRT Communications is the largest telecommunications cooperative in North Dakota, serving over 50,000 people with Internet, Security Alarm and Video Surveillance, TV and Business Phone Systems and services.
The 2011 Souris/Mouse River flood in Canada and the United States occurred in June and was greater than a hundred-year flooding event for the river. The US Army Corps of Engineers estimated the flood to have a recurrence interval of two to five centuries.
Lake Darling Dam is an earthen embankment dam on the Souris River located 20 mi (32 km) northwest of Minot, in Ward County, North Dakota. The dam began impounding water in April 1936 and was completed July of that year. It was created for the purposes of water storage and conservation. It is part of the Upper Souris National Wildlife Refuge and is owned by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The dam and lake are named after Jay N. "Ding" Darling, the first director of the Bureau of Biological Survey. Although the dam is located in Ward County, Lake Darling is almost entirely located in Renville County, to its north.
Downtown Minot is the central business district of Minot, North Dakota, located south of the Souris River in the Souris Valley. Downtown is the site of the first permanent settlement in Minot in 1886. Downtown is home to many of Minot's cultural sites of interest. It is also home to numerous galleries, stores and restaurants. The Minot Riverwalk traverses the downtown.
West Minot is a neighborhood in Minot, North Dakota, located in the Souris River Valley. It borders Oak Park to the South, North Hill to the North, Bel Air to the west and Nubbin Park to the east. The neighborhood is largely residential and there are no commercial thoroughfares, which run through the neighborhood. It received its name when at the time it was the westernmost neighborhood in Minot. Today, there are neighborhoods, such as Bel Air further west of here, but the area has retained the name West Minot. West Minot is home to the Quentin N. Burdick Jobs Center, Minot's Hebrew Cemetery and the West Minot Church of God.
North Hill is a neighborhood in Minot, North Dakota, located north of the Souris River, above the Souris River Valley. It is a primarily residential neighborhood, though there are industries and businesses in the area, primarily along North Broadway and 21st Ave NW. North Hill is also home to Minot International Airport.
South Hill is a neighborhood in Minot, North Dakota, located south of the Souris River, above the Souris River Valley. It is a primarily residential neighborhood, although there are commercial zones along South Broadway, Twentieth Avenue South and around the Dakota Square Mall.
West Oaks is a neighborhood in Minot, North Dakota. The neighborhood is bounded by Oak Park to the North, the Souris River to the east, the Soo Line Railroad tracks to the south and Sixteenth Street SW. The neighborhood is home to the West Oaks Animal Hospital, the West Oaks Apartments, Harleys Automotive Center and gas station, Eagles Wings Community Fellowship and a number of single family homes. Oak Park's south entrance is located in the neighborhood on Oak Drive SW. A thin strip of land between the Oak Park Oxbow and the Souris River connects the park with the neighborhood. The neighborhood was greatly impacted by the Souris River flood in 2011. In June 2011, the Washington Post printed a story about the Minot flood on the front page with an accompanying photograph of Harleys and the nearby Arrowhead Mall. Water inundated both structures, despite the large dikes constructed around both buildings. On June 26, 2011, the New York Times also printed an article with an aerial photograph of the flooded Harleys. Similar aerial photographs of the flood at that location are displayed at the Harleys gas station.
