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Northernmost of the Great Plain states, North Dakota was once considered part of the Wild West, and a frontier mentality still pervades the state. Battered by a harsh climate, North Dakota is a land of farms and family where braving the elements is rewarded with peaceful open vistas that stretch as far as the eye can see.

The Dakotas (North and South) were named after the Dakota Indians who (among many other groups) first inhabited the territories. Today’s North Dakota stayed very sparsely populated until the arrival of the railroads brought an influx of settlers in the late 1800s. North Dakota became the 39th state in 1889, just ahead of its neighbor and competitor to the South.

While federal construction projects and a 1980s oil boom have spurred the economy, North Dakota’s population has stayed fairly stable since the 1920’s. In recent years, emigration has become a statewide concern as younger university graduates leave to find opportunities outside the state.

Watered by the Missouri river, Western North Dakota is home to the hilly Great Plains, the northern portion of the Badlands and Lake Sakakawea, the third-largest man-made lake in the country. This region is home to natural resources like lignite coal and oil.

Central North Dakota is covered in lakes, streams and rolling hills, while in the eastern part of the state is extremely flat Red River Valley. Formed by the Red River of the North (one of the rare rivers to flow northwards), this fertile agricultural valley is dotted with farms and small towns.

North Dakota is a textbook example of a continental climate. Home to the geographic center of North America (near Rugby, N.D.), its distance from any major bodies of water means the state has little to buffer it from the elements. As such, North Dakota’s climate is characterized by scorching, humid summers and bitterly cold winters. High winds, thunderstorms and severe snow storms are common across the state, while springtime flooding often affects the Red River Valley.