Accredited Online Colleges in North Dakota (ND)

Making up one of the United States northern border-states to Canada, North Dakota is one of several states that form the sparsely populated north-central area of the United States. The state itself tallies just more than 600,000 people and ranks 48th in population in the nation. One of the states’ strongest upsides is an extremely low unemployment rate of 3.2 percent. The number is well below the national average of 10.2 percent. The cost of living is also very low coming in 17.4 percent lower than the national average. Extremely low housing costs with a median home price of $97,000 also contribute to the low cost f living. Additionally, future job growth is expected to increase by 31 percent over the next 10-years according to www.best places.org.

The states’ largest city, Fargo, lies along the states’ eastern border with Minnesota and is home to 95,402 residents as of the 2010 U.S. census. The number increased by 5.2 percent since the last U.S. Census in 2000. Bismacrk, the states’ second largest city and capitol, is home to more than 59,000 residents and is located on the banks of the Mississippi River. Despite the absence of larger cities, the state does feature smaller metropolitan areas in Grand Forks and Minot. Both cities are home to U.S. Air Force bases and the population of both Grand Forks and Minot total slightly more than 90,000 residents respectively.

Agriculture is the main source of the North Dakota economy however the state has recently seen rapid growth in oil and natural exploration and production. Despite its small population North Dakota ranked 17 in per-capita income in 2010 in the country, up from the 38 spot in 2000. The gain marked the nations’ largest increase over the same 10-year span for any state in the union. The state is also the number one producer of cereal grains, accounting for 36 percent of the U.S. crop. The state also has the second largest number of Ignite coal in the U.S. and as of 2010 is the fourth highest producer of oil.

North Dakota features 11 different public universities with the largest being North Dakota State, located in Fargo, and the University of North Dakota located in Grand Forks. The state also features five tribal community colleges that feature Native American culture and tradition as part of the curricular. North Dakota also offers four private institutions. Some interesting points about the University of North Dakota is that it is one of only 47 universities in the U.S. that feature both accredited schools of law and medicine. Additionally the UND hockey team has won a total of seven Division I men’s championships, tying them with the University of Denver for second most in history.