Barnes

Formed January 1, 1872 (2^nd county)

Barnes County (10,848), Valley City (6,584)

The masonry Classical Revival facility at 4^th Street Northwest, 2^nd Avenue Northwest, 5^th Street Northwest, and 3^rd Avenue Northwest was built in 1927.  United States Highway 52 Business passes four blocks to the southeast of the courthouse.  Toltz, King, and Day are the architects.  There was an earlier courthouse from 1883 in Valley City, the only county seat.  The current courthouse features columns but veteran memorials are in a park downtown.  The county was created on January 1, 1872 as the 2^nd county.  Barnes County is named for Judge Alanson H. Barnes.  The county seat is a geographical name for its location.  Barnes County is the birthplace of 1 North Dakota governor; Fred G. Aandahl. 

Barnes County government consists of a recorder, a sheriff, an attorney, and a treasurer (executive).  It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.)  Seven District Court Judges serve Barnes, Dickey, Eddy, Foster, Griggs, LaMoure, Ransom, Richland, Sargent, Stutsman, and Wells counties and a court clerk serves Barnes County (judicial.)  The county is in the southeast part of the state.  Fargo, North Dakota is east and Bismarck, North Dakota is west of the county.  The county center is 5.8 miles West of Valley City.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Steele, Cass, Ransom, La Moure, Stutsman, and Griggs counties. 

The area of the county is 1492 square miles.  It is 15 out of 53 in the state.  It ranks 13 out of 53 in population in the state.  It has a density of 7.3 persons per square mile making it 15 out of 53 in the state.  Barnes County has 70.1% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 94 travels through the county from east to west from Cass County to Stutsman County.  United States Highway 52 is joined with Interstate Highway 94 from Cass to Stutsman counties.  The county is an overall rectangular shape.  Valley City is located near the center of the county.  Valley City is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 60.7% of the county population.