Cass

Formed January 4, 1873 (5^th county)

Cass County (184,528), Fargo (125,952)

The pleasant red stone and masonry Renaissance Revival and French Second Empire courthouse was erected in 1904.  It is located on a square at 9^th Street, 2^nd Avenue, 10^th Street, and 3^rd Avenue.  United States Highway 10 is two blocks north of the location.  Charles E. Bell provided the courthouse designs.  The building was enlarged in 1982, 1986 and 2012.  An Annex supports the courthouse.  Cass County was established on January 4, 1873 as the 5^th county with Fargo as the only county seat.  The county is named for Railroad Officer George Washington Cass.  The county seat is named for Railroad Officer William G. Fargo.  Cass County is the birthplace of 3 North Dakota governors; William Langer, George A. Sinner, and Douglas J. Burgum. 

Cass County government consists of a recorder, a sheriff, an attorney, and a treasurer (executive).  It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.)  Seven District Court Judges serve Cass, Steele, and Traill counties and a court clerk serves Cass County (judicial.)  Cass County is on the southeast border with Minnesota.  Grand Forks, North Dakota is north and Bismarck, North Dakota is west of the county.  The county center is 24.6 miles Northwest of Fargo nearer Arthur.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Traill County and Minnesota and Richland, Ransom, Barnes, and Steele counties. 

The area of the county is 1766 square miles.  It is 10 out of 53 in the state.  It ranks 1 out of 53 in population in the state.  It has a density of 104.5 persons per square mile making it 1 out of 53 in the state.  Cass County has 96.2% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 29 travels through the county north to south from Traill County to Richland County.  Interstate Highway 94 goes east to west from Minnesota to Barnes County.  United States Highway 52 is joined with Interstate Highway 94 from Minnesota to Barnes County.  United States Highway 81 is joined with Interstate Highway 29 from Traill to Richland counties.  The county is an overall rectangle.  Fargo is on the eastern border of the county.  Fargo is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 68.3% of the county population.  This county is in the Fargo Metropolitan Statistical Area.