How Bismarck Became North Dakota's Second-Largest City

Let's take a look at "Now vs Then" in the Capital City with the help of Google.

Bismarck has changed a lot over the last 20 years. Back in 2005, Bismarck had a population of just over 58,000. Now the city is bursting at the seams with a population of almost 76,000.

The Capital City has the second-highest population in the state, behind only Fargo, which also continues to grow at a large rate. Fargo currently sits at almost 138,000 people.

I remember a time when Bismarck was smaller than Grand Forks. It doesn't seem that long ago, as I was born and raised in the Forks. Bismarck surpassed Grand Forks in population somewhere between 2000 and 2010.

It's unlikely that Grand Forks will catch Bismarck in population in our lifetime.

Bismarck continues to grow while Grand Forks has been holding steady or slightly declining, with a population of around 58,000.

The oil boom was obviously a driving force for the Capital Region's population in the 2000s. Even with the boom leveling out, Bismarck continues to grow steadily year after year. It's a great place to raise a family, and there are plenty of good-paying jobs.

No place in the city has experienced more growth than the northeast and northwest parts of the city.

I remember coming into Bismarck 20 plus years ago, and taking the first exit at Centennial, and all that was there was the Cenex Gas Station and a mobile home park to the west of that.

My, how times change. Now we have shopping centers just north of there, schools, and various types of residential developments.

Let's take a look at Bismarck Now vs Then (20 years ago) and see the difference.