Bowbells, North Dakota

Bowbells, North Dakota
City
Location of Bowbells, North Dakota
Country	United States
State	North Dakota
County	Burke
Area
• Total	0.81 sq mi (2.10 km2)
• Land	0.80 sq mi (2.07 km2)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2)
Elevation	1,962 ft (598 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	336
• Estimate  (2012)	368
• Density	420.0/sq mi (162.2/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	58721
Area code	701
FIPS code	38-08500
GNIS feature ID	1028092Template:GR
Website	www.bowbellsnd.com

Bowbells is a city in Burke County, North Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Burke County. The population was 336 at the 2010 census.

History

The city of Bowbells was founded in 1898 along the main line of the Soo Line Railroad and incorporated in 1906. The city was named by railroad officials after the famed Bow bells at St Mary-le-Bow in London, England.

The city's centennial celebration was held in the third week in July, 2006. Several hundred people from all over the country registered and attended. Burke County celebrated its centennial in the summer of 2010.

Culture

The town is home to a Lutheran, a Methodist, and a Roman Catholic church.

A municipal golf course is located 4 miles east of the city, and a community swimming pool, park and campground are available as well for visitors and residents.

Economy

Farmers in the area produce crops such as barley, canola, flax, oats, peas, sunflowers, durum and Hard Red Spring Wheat. There have been substantial oil wells in the area and thus oil-related businesses, including drilling, service and distribution businesses.

Some of the businesses in the town include an implement dealership, a gas station, a service station, a handful of crop and property insurance agencies, Dacotah Bank, SunPrairie Grain (a division of CHS Incorporated), Savage Industries, and government-related buildings and businesses. During a VOA reporter's visit, the town's main street included a boarded-up hotel, café, hardware store, bowling alley, and a grocery store. Since it is the county seat of Burke County, the county courthouse is located here. It's on the southwest side of town. The official county newspaper, The Burke County Tribune newspaper, is located in the city as well.

Montana-Dakota Utilites provides electrical service to the town. There is no municipal natural gas service.

Geography

Bowbells is located at 48°48′N 102°15′W (48.8038, -102.2462)Template:GR, a few miles west of Upper Des Lacs Lake and the Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge. The Des Lacs valley was formed as meltwater flowed out of Glacial Lake Regina thousands of years ago.

Bowbells is about 20 km (12 mi) south of the Canadian border, just off a 90-degree bend in U.S. Highway 52 and along the Canadian Pacific Railway, a railway serving the SunPrairie Grain grain terminal there. It is located approximately 52 miles northwest of Minot, North Dakota, the nearest city with an international airport (MOT) and 30 miles north of Stanley, North Dakota, the nearest passenger train station.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.81 square miles (2.10 km²), of which 0.80 square miles (2.07 km²) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km²) is water.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1910	651		—
1920	643		−1.2%
1930	695		8.1%
1940	787		13.2%
1950	806		2.4%
1960	687		−14.8%
1970	584		−15.0%
1980	587		0.5%
1990	498		−15.2%
2000	406		−18.5%
2010	336		−17.2%
2012 (est.)	368		9.5%
U.S. Decennial Census 2012 Estimate

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 336 people, 161 households, and 93 families residing in the city. The population density was 420.0 inhabitants per square mile (162.2/km²). There were 223 housing units at an average density of 278.8 per square mile (107.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.4% White, 0.6% Native American, 2.7% Asian, and 0.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.6% of the population.

There were 161 households of which 24.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.6% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.2% were non-families. 36.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.70.

The median age in the city was 47.7 years. 21.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.3% were from 25 to 44; 34.7% were from 45 to 64; and 19% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 52.4% male and 47.6% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 406 people, 174 households, and 116 families residing in the town. The population density was 511.2 people per square mile (198.4/km²). There were 214 housing units at an average density of 269.5 per square mile (104.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.77% White, 0.74% Native American, 0.25% Asian, and 0.25% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.25% of the population.

There were 174 households out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.7% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the town the population was spread out with 27.3% under the age of 18, 3.7% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 20.9% who are 65 years of age or older. About 100 K-12 students attend the town's local public school. The median age is 42 years. For every 100 females there were 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $30,455, and the median income for a family was $35,625. Males had a median income of $30,833 versus $12,212 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,491. About 9.2% of families and 8.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.1% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.

In popular culture

The town of Bowbells was referenced in an episode of the television series Royal Pains as the hometown of a married couple who wins a large sum of money in an undisclosed lottery and move to The Hamptons to renew their wedding vows.

In the video game Grand Theft Auto V the story starts out in a fictional town called Ludendorff in a fictional state called North Yankton. While the name seems to be a parody of the North Dakota capital Bismarck, the town itself is shown in gameplay to be very small as well as having the cops drive around in vehicles for the 1980s suggesting that the town's police force is severely underfunded so it's believed to have actually been based on Bowbells due to its low population and police budget. The intro mission is played here at the very beginning of the game and the area is later revisited in a late game mission. In both appearances it's constantly snowing and is shown to have heavy wilderness outside the city limits. While you can't explore it through normal gameplay as the mission will fail if you go offtrack you can access the town though glitches where it's shown to be unfinished, with the player being able to walk through several buildings and floors.

Climate

This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Bowbells has a humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.

External links

• City of Bowbells official website
• Bowbells public school website

• ... Small Towns Disappear, a September 2005 VOA story about Bowbells, also in MP3 audio format