Bismarck, North Dakota the capital of the Dakota Territory, and in 1889 as the state capital of the new state of North Dakota. Bismarck is at (46.813343, −100.779004). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of , of which, is land and is water. The city has developed around downtown Bismarck, the center of historic development. It is distinctive because the city's major shopping center, Kirkwood Mall, is in the center city rather than in the suburbs. Several other major retail stores are in the vicinity of Kirkwood Mall, which was developed near the Bismarck Civic Center. The
North Dakota Secretary of State University. From the creation of the office with the state's constitution in 1889, to 2015 there had been 14 Secretaries of State, the least number among any of the state offices created in that year. This is attributed to the 34-year tenure of Ben Meier, which was the longest of any state-level Secretary of State in the US. the office had been held by the North Dakota Republican Party at all times except the period 1989 to 1992, when the state's Democratic Party was in office. The Secretary of State originally served a two-year term, but this was extended to