North Dakota

The Mandan, Sioux, Chippewa, and other Native American tribes lived in the region that would become North Dakota for centuries before the Lewis and Clark expedition passed through the area in 1804–05. A small settlement was established soon afterwards by the Hudson's Bay Trading Company, and it was not until 1861 that the Dakota Territory was established, with North Dakota gaining statehood on November 2, 1889. Six years earlier, North Dakota—along with South Dakota—introduced compulsory education for all children between the ages of 7 and 16. Early pioneer women struggled to bring up families, but by the 1920s many had extended families to help them, along with church groups and community associations. However, the droughts in the 1930s that resulted in the Dust Bowl caused the loss of much agricultural land and the destruction of many villages as farming families were forced off the land.

The state capital Bismarck is evidence of the large number of German settlers in the region, [Page 926]many from the Volga region of Russia, who make up about 30 percent of the population. In addition, 40 percent of the population have a Scandinavian ancestry, mainly from Norway. During the late 19th century and early 20th century, the area became heavily agricultural; The current economy is based largely on wheat, with much of the population either living on farms or small towns. In 2008, 70.1 percent of women in North Dakota were in the civilian labor force. In 2007, per capita income was $34,846 (29th among U.S. states), and 13.1 percent of the population lived below the poverty line (ranked 25th).

The divorce rate in 2004 was 3.1 per 1,000 population, and the marriage rate was 7.0 per 1,000. Of all households, 10.9 percent included a single parent and one child age 18 or younger.