Sheridan County, North Dakota

Sheridan County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,265, ^[1] making it the third-least populous county in North Dakota. Its county seat is McClusky. ^[2]

47°35′N100°20′W / 47.58°N 100.34°W / 47.58; -100.34

Sheridan County
County
Sheridan County Courthouse (McClusky, North Dakota)
Location within the U.S. state of North Dakota
North Dakota's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 47°35′N100°20′W / 47.58°N 100.34°W / 47.58; -100.34
Country	United States
State	North Dakota
Founded	January 4, 1873 (created) December 24, 1908 (organized)
Named for	Philip Henry Sheridan
Seat	McClusky
Largest city	McClusky
Area
• Total	1,006 sq mi (2,610 km2)
• Land	972 sq mi (2,520 km2)
• Water	33 sq mi (90 km2)  3.3%
Population  (2020)
• Total	1,265
• Estimate  (2022)	1,295
• Density	1.3/sq mi (0.49/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	At-large
Website	www.co.sheridan.nd.us

History

The Dakota Territory legislature created the county on January 4, 1873, naming it for Civil War General Philip Henry Sheridan. The county organization was not completed at that time, but the new county was not attached to another county for administrative or judicial purposes. In 1883 and again in 1887, the county boundaries were reduced, and on November 8, 1892, the county was dissolved, its remaining territory assigned to McLean. This lasted until the November 3, 1908 election, when McLean County voters chose to partition off the eastern portion of that unit into a new county, although the new boundaries were somewhat different from the former Sheridan. The new county government was effected on December 24 of that year. ^{[3] [4] [5]}

Sheridan has been severely affected by out-migration; its population collapsed from 7,373 in 1930 to 1,321 by 2010. ^[6] Its population decline of 38.4% from 1990 to 2016 was the highest among all North Dakota counties. ^[7]

Outline map of Sheridan County, North Dakota, 1914

Geography

The terrain of Sheridan County consists of dry rolling hills, dotted with lakes and ponds. The area is largely devoted to agriculture. ^[8] The terrain slopes to the north and east, with its highest point on the eastern part of its southern boundary at 2,034 ft (620 m) ASL. ^[9] The county has a total area of 1,006 square miles (2,610 km²), of which 972 square miles (2,520 km²) is land and 33 square miles (85 km²) (3.3%) is water. ^[10]

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 52
• North Dakota Highway 14
• North Dakota Highway 53
• North Dakota Highway 200

Adjacent counties

• McHenry County - north
• Pierce County - northeast
• Wells County - east
• Kidder County - southeast
• Burleigh County - south
• McLean County - west

National protected area

• Sheyenne Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Lakes ^[8]

• Bentz Lake
• Cherry Lake
• Coal Mine Lake
• Ebel Lake
• Guyes Lake
• Heckers Lake
• Kandt Lake
• Krueger Lake
• Lake Richard (part)
• Lone Tree Lake
• Moesner Lake
• Pelican Lake (part)
• Postel Lake
• Salt Lake (part)
• Sand Lake
• Sheyenne Lake

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1910	8,103		—
1920	7,935		−2.1%
1930	7,373		−7.1%
1940	6,616		−10.3%
1950	5,253		−20.6%
1960	4,350		−17.2%
1970	3,232		−25.7%
1980	2,819		−12.8%
1990	2,148		−23.8%
2000	1,710		−20.4%
2010	1,321		−22.7%
2020	1,265		−4.2%
2022 (est.)	1,295	[11]	2.4%
U.S. Decennial Census [12] 1790-1960 [13] 1900-1990 [14] 1990-2000 [15] 2010-2020 [1]

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, there were 1,265 people.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 1,321 people, 645 households, and 417 families in the county. The population density was 1.36 people per square mile (0.53 people/km²). There were 894 housing units at an average density of 0.92 units per square mile (0.36/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.7% white, 1.1% American Indian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.2% Pacific islander, 0.2% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.2% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 70.1% were German, 14.2% were Norwegian, 6.3% were English, 6.0% were Russian, and 1.8% were American.

Of the 645 households, 17.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% were married couples living together, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.3% were non-families, and 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.05 and the average family size was 2.55. The median age was 53.4 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,727 and the median income for a family was $43,906. Males had a median income of $30,833 versus $24,583 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,286. About 15.0% of families and 18.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.1% of those under age 18 and 19.7% of those age 65 or over.

Population by decade

Communities

Cities

• Goodrich
• Martin
• McClusky (county seat)

Census-designated place

• Denhoff

Unincorporated communities ^[8]

• Lincoln Valley
• Pickardville

Townships

• Berlin
• Boone
• Denhoff
• Edgemont
• Fairview
• Goodrich
• Highland
• Lincoln Dale
• Martin
• Mauch
• McClusky
• Pickard
• Prophets
• Rosenfield

Defunct townships

• Holmes ^[16]
• New Germantown ^[16]

Politics

Sheridan County voters have been reliably Republican for decades. In no national election since 1936 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2020).

United States presidential election results for Sheridan County, North Dakota ^[17]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	688	84.73%	104	12.81%	20	2.46%
2016	650	82.59%	95	12.07%	42	5.34%
2012	642	78.10%	163	19.83%	17	2.07%
2008	555	69.12%	229	28.52%	19	2.37%
2004	727	77.01%	200	21.19%	17	1.80%
2000	707	76.19%	161	17.35%	60	6.47%
1996	566	60.15%	252	26.78%	123	13.07%
1992	589	50.13%	276	23.49%	310	26.38%
1988	885	67.15%	428	32.47%	5	0.38%
1984	1,075	77.01%	306	21.92%	15	1.07%
1980	1,326	82.51%	208	12.94%	73	4.54%
1976	935	60.87%	569	37.04%	32	2.08%
1972	1,460	80.71%	334	18.46%	15	0.83%
1968	1,295	74.99%	350	20.27%	82	4.75%
1964	1,187	62.11%	724	37.89%	0	0.00%
1960	1,552	73.98%	539	25.69%	7	0.33%
1956	1,646	77.71%	472	22.29%	0	0.00%
1952	2,016	87.31%	267	11.56%	26	1.13%
1948	1,554	78.92%	372	18.89%	43	2.18%
1944	1,910	82.76%	386	16.72%	12	0.52%
1940	2,405	81.33%	543	18.36%	9	0.30%
1936	834	29.81%	1,150	41.10%	814	29.09%
1932	468	19.08%	1,945	79.29%	40	1.63%
1928	1,242	56.61%	944	43.03%	8	0.36%
1924	594	34.66%	49	2.86%	1,071	62.49%
1920	1,776	92.12%	134	6.95%	18	0.93%
1916	807	70.05%	310	26.91%	35	3.04%
1912	306	32.01%	170	17.78%	480	50.21%

See also

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

References

1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. "Sheridan County - Main Page". Archived from the original on September 29, 2011. Retrieved May 5, 2011.
4. "County History". Official Portal for North Dakota State Government. Archived from the original on February 2, 2015. Retrieved May 4, 2011.
5. "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 23, 2019.
6. Wilkerson, Isabel (January 3, 1990). With Rural Towns Vanishing, States Choose Which to Save, The New York Times
7. (April 11, 2017). Population Decline; The Hardest Hit Counties In Each State Since 1990, Lost Americana, Retrieved October 24, 2017.
8. Sheridan County ND Google Maps (accessed February 23, 2019)
9. ""Find an Altitude/Sheridan County ND" Google Maps (accessed February 23, 2019)". Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
10. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on January 29, 2015. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
11. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022" . Retrieved April 5, 2023.
12. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
13. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
14. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (April 20, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
15. "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 February 1, 2015.
16. U.S. Census boundary changes - North Dakota
17. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 13, 2018.

External links

Template:Attached KML/Sheridan County, North Dakota

KML is from Wikidata

• Sheridan County official website
• Sheridan County GenWeb - Genealogy Links
• Sheridan County map, North Dakota DOT