North Dakota is a state situated within the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state of North Dakota is surrounded by Canada to the north, the state of Minnesota towards the east, the state of South Dakota towards the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S. It is also the third least populous, with 672,591 inhabitants according to the 2010 census. The state of North Dakota was carved out of the Dakota Territory and admitted to the Union on November 2, 1889, simultaneously together with the state of South Dakota.
The biggest city in the state is Fargo, while Bismarck is the state capital. There are three public universities in the state of North Dakota, that are located within Grand Forks, Fargo and Dickinson. The U.S. Air Force operates Air Force Bases at Minot AFB and Grand Forks AFB.
For over a decade, North Dakota has had a strong economy, with unemployment lower than the national average, job and population growth, and low housing vacancies. Much of the growth has been based upon development of the Bakken oil shale fields within the western part of North Dakota, but it has also had growth in the service and technology sectors. Flooding during June 2011 has caused extensive damage to Minot and threatened Fargo, the largest city.
Agriculture is the largest industry within North Dakota, although food processing and petroleum are likewise major industries. The economy of North Dakota had a gross domestic product of $24 billion in the year 2005. The per capita income during 2006 was $33,034, ranked 29th in the US. The three-year median household income from 2002-2004 was $39,594, ranking 37th in the United States. The state of North Dakota is also the only state with a state owned flour mill, the North Dakota Mill and a state owned bank, the Bank of North Dakota within Bismarck and Elevator within Grand Forks.
As of September 2010, the state's unemployment rate is the lowest within the country at 3.7% and it never touched 5 percent ever since the year 1987, the state with the country's lowest unemployment rate. At end of the year 2010, the state per capita income was rank in 17th of the nation, the largest increase of whatever state in a decade from rank 38th.
North Dakota is the largest producer of many cereal grains, consisting of barley, durum wheat, hard red spring wheat, oats, and combined wheat products. What's more, the state is the 2nd leading producer of buckwheat. As of 2007, corn became the state's biggest crop produced, though just 2 percent of U.S. production.
The energy business is a main contributor to the economy. Lignite coal reserves within Western North Dakota are utilized to generate roughly 90% of the electricity consumed, and is likewise exported to nearby states. The state of North Dakota has the second largest lignite coal production within the U.S.