Stutsman

Formed January 4, 1873 (20^th county)

Stutsman County (21,607), Jamestown (15,853)

The Modern concrete and glass building built in 1982 was designed by Dura and Associates.  There was a classic 1883 courthouse earlier in Jamestown, the only county seat.  The county was established on January 4, 1873 as the 20^th county.  The facility is on 2^nd Avenue Southeast at 5^th Street Southeast.  United States Highway 281 passes one block to the east of the site.  The county is named for Legislator Enos Stutsman settler.  Jamestown is named for Jamestown, Virginia. 

Stutsman County government consists of a recorder, a sheriff, an attorney, and a treasurer (executive).  It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.)  Seven District Court Judges serve Stutsman, Barnes, Dickey, Eddy, Foster, Griggs, LaMoure, Ransom, Richland, Sargent, and Wells counties and a court clerk serves Stutsman 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 16.3 miles West of Jamestown nearer Eldridge.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Foster, Griggs, Barnes, La Moure, Logan, Kidder, and Wells counties. 

The area of the county is 2222 square miles.  It is 2 out of 53 in the state.  It ranks 8 out of 53 in population in the state.  It has a density of 9.7 persons per square mile making it 11 out of 53 in the state.  Stutsman County has 78.1% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 94 crosses the county east to west from Barnes County to Kidder County.  United States Highway 52 comes in from the north, Foster County, and joins Interstate Highway 94 into Barnes County.  United States Highway 281 is joined with United States Highway 52 from Foster County, splits and continues south into La Moure County.  The county is a large rectangle.  Jamestown is located in the southeast quarter of the county.  Jamestown is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 73.4% of the county population.  This county is in the Jamestown Micropolitan Statistical Area.