North Dakota has quite the wide variety of towns and cities. It’s got places like Fargo with over 100,000 residents, other cities closer to the 50,000 mark, and plenty of smaller towns with populations under 10,000. It also has many teeny-tiny towns that you probably didn’t even know existed, ones that have just enough residents to keep them from qualifying as ghost towns. These are the types of towns where you would definitely know everyone’s names if you lived in there, because there are probably fewer people in these places than there were in your graduating class.
If you drove through these 11 towns, you’d see exactly what the phrase “blink and you’ll miss it” means:
- Ludden
Andrew Filer/Flickr This little town along a stretch of road in Dickey County can be driven through in a matter of seconds. Only 22 people live here and that number has been steadily declining since the 1930s. Ludden does have a unique feature: a one-room jailhouse right on the main street. It looks rather pleasant for a jail!
- Gascoyne
Andrew Filer/Flickr This itty bitty Bowman County town can be seen in a single camera shot, and it isn’t panoramic. It was founded in 1907 under a different name until the following year when it was changed to Gascoyne. Only 16 people total reside here.
- Grano
Andrew Filer/Flickr Grano is one of the tiniest towns in North Dakota at only 7 residents remaining. It is located in Renville County and all that can really be found there is the Grano Lounge, shown above. At the beginning of the 20th century this town had over 300 residents.
- Calio
Andrew Filer/Flickr Calio is a small town in Cavalier County, North Dakota, and the number of people living here is just barely over 20. It was founded in back in 1905. Driving through this place may confuse you into thinking you were on someone’s farm property instead of an actual town itself!
- Amidon
Andrew Filer/Flickr This little town was once America’s smallest county seat at only 26 residents as the seat of Slope County in 2000. This record was taken by a Nebraska town after the 2010 census when Amidon’s population was 20 and the other town’s was 17. This is one of the closest towns to North Dakota’s highest point, White Butte.
- Venturia
Andrew Filer/Flickr This itty bitty town in McIntosh County, North Dakota, had a population reported at only 10 people in the 2010 census. Even though today it is one of the state’s smallest towns, in the early 1940s it had a thriving community of over 250 residents.
- Hannah
Andrew Filer/Flickr Hannah, North Dakota is located in Cavalier County and has one of the state’s smallest populations with only 14 residents. It was founded in 1897 when it had a population closer to 300. The mother of Emmy nominee Rachel Ames, best known for being on the soap opera General Hospital, was from this town.
- Overly
Andrew Filer/Flickr This Bottineau County town is certainly not overly large at a mere 18 residents in total. At one point it was an important stop for railroad lines but by the 1950s most trains passed on through without stopping.
- Loma
Andrew Filer/Flickr Loma is a teensy town in the northeast region of North Dakota with a population of only 16. The town was founded in 1905 and most of the residents don’t actually live in the town, which isn’t much more than a couple of buildings and a grain elevator along the road, but within the township boundaries on their own properties.
- Perth
Andrew Filer/Flickr Perth is within the top 5 smallest towns in all of North Dakota. The population is a mere 9 people in total. Today, not much of the town is left besides the city hall and grain elevators. You might not even know you were passing by a town if you saw it.
- Hamberg
Andrew Filer/Flickr Just 21 people live in this Wells County town. Despite being mostly empty, it still makes for a nice scenic spot on the map.
Want to know what the exact 15 smallest towns in North Dakota are? We ranked them by population size here, and they’re truly tiny!
Andrew Filer/Flickr
This little town along a stretch of road in Dickey County can be driven through in a matter of seconds. Only 22 people live here and that number has been steadily declining since the 1930s. Ludden does have a unique feature: a one-room jailhouse right on the main street. It looks rather pleasant for a jail!
This itty bitty Bowman County town can be seen in a single camera shot, and it isn’t panoramic. It was founded in 1907 under a different name until the following year when it was changed to Gascoyne. Only 16 people total reside here.
Grano is one of the tiniest towns in North Dakota at only 7 residents remaining. It is located in Renville County and all that can really be found there is the Grano Lounge, shown above. At the beginning of the 20th century this town had over 300 residents.
Calio is a small town in Cavalier County, North Dakota, and the number of people living here is just barely over 20. It was founded in back in 1905. Driving through this place may confuse you into thinking you were on someone’s farm property instead of an actual town itself!
This little town was once America’s smallest county seat at only 26 residents as the seat of Slope County in 2000. This record was taken by a Nebraska town after the 2010 census when Amidon’s population was 20 and the other town’s was 17. This is one of the closest towns to North Dakota’s highest point, White Butte.
This itty bitty town in McIntosh County, North Dakota, had a population reported at only 10 people in the 2010 census. Even though today it is one of the state’s smallest towns, in the early 1940s it had a thriving community of over 250 residents.
Hannah, North Dakota is located in Cavalier County and has one of the state’s smallest populations with only 14 residents. It was founded in 1897 when it had a population closer to 300. The mother of Emmy nominee Rachel Ames, best known for being on the soap opera General Hospital, was from this town.
This Bottineau County town is certainly not overly large at a mere 18 residents in total. At one point it was an important stop for railroad lines but by the 1950s most trains passed on through without stopping.
Loma is a teensy town in the northeast region of North Dakota with a population of only 16. The town was founded in 1905 and most of the residents don’t actually live in the town, which isn’t much more than a couple of buildings and a grain elevator along the road, but within the township boundaries on their own properties.
Perth is within the top 5 smallest towns in all of North Dakota. The population is a mere 9 people in total. Today, not much of the town is left besides the city hall and grain elevators. You might not even know you were passing by a town if you saw it.
Just 21 people live in this Wells County town. Despite being mostly empty, it still makes for a nice scenic spot on the map.
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