Rugby is a city located in Pierce County, North Dakota of which it is the County seat. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 2,939.

History

Rugby was founded in 1886 at a junction on the Great Northern Railway, where the spur to Bottineau met the main line. The railroad promoters initially named it Rugby Junction for the famous railroad junction in Rugby, England in the hope of attracting English settlers. In fact about 80 per cent of the population is of North Germanic and Scandinavian anscestry. When the community became a city the Junction was dropped from the name.

North Dakota's first permanent settlers arrived in 1812 from the Earl of Selkirk’s colony in neighboring Manitoba, Canada. As farmers, they were more advanced than many of their contemporaries in the rest of the United States, having adopted sophisticated farming methods and machinery. Many of these implements, including an early McCormick Deering threshing machine, have found their way to the restored Pioneer Village at Rugby.

Since 1931 Rugby has officially been recognized as being at the geographic center of North America. The location is marked by a 15 foot (4.5 metre) tall rock obelisk.

Geography

Rugby is located at 48°22'2" North, 99°59'46" West (48.367129, -99.995979).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.0 km² (1.9 mi²). 5.0 km² (1.9 mi²) of it is land and none of the area is covered with water.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there are 2,939 people, 1,291 households, and 765 families residing in the city. The population density is 588.0/km² (1,520.1/mi²). There are 1,434 housing units at an average density of 286.9/km² (741.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 98.09% White, 0.00% African American, 1.02% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.03% from other races, and 0.48% from two or more races. 0.44% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

The top 6 ancestry groups in the city are German (49.6%), Norwegian (40.5%), Irish (5.3%), English (4.0%), Russian (3.7%), French (3.6%).

There are 1,291 households out of which 26.6% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% are married couples living together, 8.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 40.7% are non-families. 37.3% of all households are made up of individuals and 21.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.17 and the average family size is 2.89.

In the city the population is spread out with 23.1% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 28.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 44 years. For every 100 females there are 86.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 81.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $25,482, and the median income for a family is $35,745. Males have a median income of $25,885 versus $18,510 for females. The per capita income for the city is $14,380. 13.7% of the population and 9.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 11.6% of those under the age of 18 and 19.1% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

External links

• City of Rugby, N.D.