Morton

Formed January 8, 1873 (22^nd county)

Morton County (33,287), Mandan (24,192)

The Modern look to the 1954 concrete courthouse seems unusual in North Dakota.  It is at 2^nd Avenue Northwest and 1^st Street Northwest.  Interstate Highway 94 Business is one block to the south of the facility.  Foss and Company were the building designers.  An Administration Building was added in 1992 and the courthouse was renovated in 1998.  Veteran memorials are on the grounds.  There was an 1885 courthouse also in Mandan, the only county seat.  The county was created on January 8, 1873 as the 22^nd county.  It is named for Indiana Governor Oliver Hazard Perry Throck Morton.  Mandan is named for the Native American tribe.  Morton County is the birthplace of 1 North Dakota governor; George F. Shafer. 

Morton County government consists of a recorder, a sheriff, an attorney, and a treasurer (executive).  It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.)  Seven District Court Judges serve Morton, Burleigh, Emmons, Grant, Kidder, Logan, McIntosh, McLean, Mercer, Oliver, Sheridan, and Sioux counties and a court clerk serves Morton County (judicial.)  The county is located in the center of the state.  Bismarck, North Dakota is directly east and Minot, North Dakota is north of the county.  The county center is 21.7 miles West of Mandan nearer Judson.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Oliver, Burleigh, Emmons, Sioux, Grant, Stark, and Mercer counties. 

The area of the county is 1926 square miles.  It is 7 out of 53 in the state.  It ranks 7 out of 53 in population in the state.  It has a density of 17.3 persons per square mile making it 7 out of 53 in the state.  Morton County has 81.1% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 94 travels through the county from east to west from Burleigh County to Stark County.  The county looks like a hatchet.  Mandan is located on the northeast border of the county.  Mandan is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 72.7% of the county population.  The county seat is pronounced MAN-DAN.  This county is in the Bismarck Metropolitan Statistical Area.