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Big small town

Living in Watford City, ND

Watford City is a big small town of 6,039 people in McKenzie County, North Dakota. It's about 97 miles from Minot, ND and 515 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 82°F and winter highs 22°F, with about 50 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $409k and rent runs about $1k a month.

6,039people
$409kTypical home
$1,336/moRent
82° / 22°Summer / winter
50"Snow
241Sunny days
95Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Big small town of 6,039
  • A standalone small town, not a suburb
  • About 677 people per sq mi
  • 515 mi to Minneapolis, MN
  • 97 mi to Minot, ND
  • 32 mi to the nearest town of 10k+

Money

  • Typical home $409k (≈$2,576/mo)
  • Median rent $1,336/mo
  • Median household income $102k
  • Property tax about 0.6% of value
  • 1.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 82°F
  • Winter highs around 22°F
  • Comfortable summers (dew point 51°F)
  • 241 sunny days a year (69 totally clear)
  • 124 cloudy days a year
  • 40 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 95 days a year with rain or snow
  • 50" of snow a year
  • 18 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • 2 days a year over 100°F
  • 67 nights a year below 10°F
  • Windier than most places

Safety

  • About average violent crime (387 per 100k)
  • About average property crime (1,951 per 100k)

People

  • Median age 29
  • 35% of households have kids
  • 6% are 65 or older
  • 19% have a college degree
  • Mixed community
  • 7% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 23 min
  • 1% walk or take transit to work
  • 39 mi to XWA airport
  • 519 mi to MSP (major hub)
  • 158 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 34% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 2013
  • 90% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Gently rolling terrain
  • Elevation 2,044 ft
  • 765 mi to the ocean
  • 16 mi to a big lake
  • 15 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 144 mi to the nearest ski area
  • Campground in town
  • 1 golf course within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 12 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 3 bars within 25 mi
  • Few or no coffee shops within 25 mi
  • No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 1 museum within 25 mi
  • No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 135 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the bottom 28% of North Dakota districts (reading)
  • Grocery store in town
  • 6 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 138 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • 65 mi to the nearest vet
  • 42 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 6 congregations per 10k people
  • 29 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • McKenzie County: R+70 in 2024
  • North Dakota: R+37 in 2024

Natural hazards

  • Very low hurricane risk
  • Low tornado risk
  • Low wildfire risk
  • Very low earthquake risk
  • Very low flood risk
  • Moderate drought risk
  • High winter storm risk
  • Very low heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Places near Watford City

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