Burleigh

Formed January 4, 1873 (4^th county)

Burleigh County (98,466), Bismarck (73,625)

A masonry Art Deco facility, on a square at 5^th Street, Thayer Avenue, 6^th Street, and Rosser Avenue, was built in 1930.  Interstate Highway 94 Business is three blocks south of the courthouse.  An Annex was added in 1960 and the courthouse was enlarged in 1984.  A county/city office building is across the street.  A classier courthouse was built in 1875 in Bismarck, the only county seat.  Ira L. Rush was the courthouse designer.  The county was founded on January 4, 1873 as the 4^th county.  It is named for Walter Burleigh, United States Congressman.  Bismarck is named for German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck.  Burleigh County is the birthplace of 2 North Dakota governors; Edward T. Shafer and John H. Hoeven III. 

Burleigh County government consists of a recorder, a sheriff, an attorney, and a treasurer (executive).  It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.)  Seven District Court Judges serve Burleigh, Emmons, Grant, Kidder, Logan, McIntosh, McLean, Mercer, Morton, Oliver, Sheridan, and Sioux counties and a court clerk serves Burleigh County (judicial.)  The county is located in the central part of the state.  Minot, North Dakota is north and Fargo, North Dakota is east of the county.  The Missouri River forms its western border.  The county center is 30.6 miles Northeast of Bismarck nearer Regan.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Sheridan, Kidder, Emmons, Morton, Oliver, and McLean counties. 

The area of the county is 1633 square miles.  It is 13 out of 53 in the state.  It ranks 2 out of 53 in population in the state.  It has a density of 60.3 persons per square mile making it 2 out of 53 in the state.  Burleigh County has 79.5% of its population in its incorporated areas.  The North Dakota state capitol is located in this county.  Interstate Highway 94 passes through the county from east to west from Kidder County to Morton County.  United States Highway 83 enters from McLean County and exits into Emmons County.  The county resembles the State of Oklahoma standing on its eastern side.  Bismarck is located on the southwest border of the county.  Bismarck is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 74.8% of the county population.  The county is pronounced BUR-LEE.  This county is in the Bismarck Metropolitan Statistical Area.