North Dakota North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the midwestern and northern regions of the United States. It is the nineteenth largest in area, the fourth smallest by population, and the fourth most sparsely populated of the 50 states. North Dakota was admitted to the Union on November 2, 1889, along with its neighboring state, South Dakota. Its capital is Bismarck, and its largest city is Fargo. In the 21st century, North Dakota's natural resources have played a major role in its economic performance, particularly with the oil extraction from the Bakken formation, which lies beneath the northwestern
North Dakota State Normal and Industrial School North Dakota State Normal and Industrial School The North Dakota State Normal and Industrial School at Ellendale was a state-supported institution of higher learning located in Ellendale, North Dakota. Provisions were established for its creation at the North Dakota Constitutional Convention in 1889. The school's original name was the State Manual Training School, and this is reflected in the large molded concrete marquee on the west end of the campus Armory building, which reads "MTS." In 1907, with permission of the state legislature, the school's name was changed to "State Normal and Industrial School" and the term "SNI" was adopted