Richland

Formed January 4, 1873 (17^th county)

Richland County (16,528), Wahpeton (8,013)                

The domed masonry Beaux Arts structure serves Richland County.  It was built in 1912.  The facility is on 2^nd Avenue at 4^th Street.  North Dakota State Highway 13 is two blocks south of the courthouse.  Buechner & Orth are the architects.  The building was enlarged in 1997.  The courthouse features columns and the grounds have veteran memorials.  There was an 1882 courthouse also in Wahpeton, the only county seat.  The county was formed on January 4, 1873 as the 17^th county.  Richland County is a descriptive term for the area.  The county seat name is a Native American word meaning “leaf dwellers.” 

Richland County government consists of a recorder, a sheriff, an attorney, and a treasurer (executive).  It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.)  Seven District Court Judges serve Richland, Barnes, Dickey, Eddy, Foster, Griggs, LaMoure, Ransom, Sargent, Stutsman, and Wells counties and a court clerk serves Renville County (judicial.)  The county is in the southeast corner of the state.  Fargo, North Dakota is north and Bismarck, North Dakota is northwest of the county.  The county center is 14.6 miles West of Wahpeton nearer Mooreton.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Cass County and Minnesota and South Dakota and Sargent and Ransom counties. 

The area of the county is 1437 square miles.  It is 18 out of 53 in the state.  It ranks 9 out of 53 in population in the state.  It has a density of 11.5 persons per square mile making it 9 out of 53 in the state.  Richland County has 70.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 29 goes north to south in the county from Cass County to South Dakota.  United States Highway 81 is joined with Interstate Highway 81 from Cass County to South Dakota.  The county is shaped like the State of Georgia.  Wahpeton is located on the eastern border of the county.  Wahpeton is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 48.5% of the county population.  The county seat is pronounced WA-PEE-TON.  This county is in the Wahpeton Micropolitan Statistical Area.