North Dakota State Capitol Building

On our continual quest to tour all the U.S. State Capitals, we took a trip to Bismark, North Dakota to check out their state capitol building. Sadly, I had heard a few derogatory comments about this capitol, about it not being a real capitol, but I feel they were WAY wrong. This is a gorgeous capitol and very unique. There are only 3 other capitols that I know of that have the same style, Florida, Nebraska, and Louisiana. The current Capitol Building has 19 floors and is 241 feet 8 inches in height. It was completed in 1934 at slightly under its $ 2 million dollar limit. With merely 80 percent usable space, it cost merely 46 cents per cubic foot. Amazing! It is the tallest building in North Dakota and is known as the Skyscraper on the Prairie. Not only is the capitol building a piece of art, the grounds are also spectacular. There are two parks Myron Atkinson Park and the Capitol Park, as well as the Arboretum and Prairie Trail. While walking around you will certainly come across several of the statues throughout the grounds. The two most prominent statues on the grounds are the Pioneer Family and All Veterans Memorial statues. Make a point of seeing them while at the capitol. For more details about our visit to this wonderful capitol, please check out our travel blog at
. Happy Travels.

Not bad…
I’ve been in North Dakota for work for a few weeks now. I had to come here to sort out some paperwork. Actually, my coworker handed me an address and I headed here, not knowing that I was heading to the Capitol.
The building itself is pretty impressive and it’s quite lovely inside. I was there just for business, not a tour, so I can’t speak to that, but I’m sure it’s really nice from the little bit I saw. The building is really clean and the grounds look well-​maintained.
Everyone in this area is so freakin’ nice, it’s crazy to me. I was born in NYC and I’ve lived in NJ for the majority of my life and I’ve never met one person who is as kind to strangers as people in this area are.

Lots going on, especially during legislation. Don’t expect to find good parking except in visitors area during certain parts of the morning. And plan for waiting at the elevator for those that can’t/won’t take the stairs ONE floor…

The biggest building you will see in this little state. If you’re moving to Bismarck, or a tourist interested in this sort of thing, you’ll have to check out the capitol at least once. There are events here from time to time, notably the annual band parade starting right out front and marching all the way down town. In 2007, almost 9000 people gathered here to set the world record for making snow angels!

First, you have to know that the entire state of ND has fewer people than a town like El Paso, Texas. That will keep your expectations realistic.
Entry into capitol was unencumbered by visible security, which I find admirable. Of course, Al Qaeda doesn’t waste resources attacking a state like ND. Tour guide claims two security people were watching everyone on CC cameras. If so, they were probably also watching their herd of cattle at the same time.
What is striking from the free guided tour is how much simpler it is to run a state like ND than a state with, say, 10 million people. These people pride themselves on being efficient and independent yet, like other «frontier» states like Alaska, receive the highest per capita federal spending. It’s really easy to be «independent» when you are one of the biggest federal welfare queens around.
The tour guide was friendly and knowledgeable and we were the only ones on our tour. Small town people are friendly, especially when they are siphoning money from the cities and urban states.

Checking out U.S. state capital cities and their unique capitol buildings is a guilty pleasure of mine. Each one has its own feel, décor, topography and culture. In riverside Bismarck, North Dakota, their capitol happens to be one of only 4 highrise capitol buildings in the nation (next to Florida, Louisiana and Nebraska). Often referred to as «The Skyscraper on the Prairie,» this is the highest man-​made structure in the area for miles. Why you ask? The original capitol building burnt down midst the era of the Great Depression and there were no funds to construct one of great splendor and architecture. Still, I enjoyed my visit due to the relaxed environment with large open space and nature trails, the neighboring Sacajawea statue (who seems to be one of the state’s most prominent figures in addition to bison), and the on site ND Heritage Center Museum and Governor’s home. They offer free capitol tours which takes you up to the 18^th floor observation deck Monday through Friday hourly 8:00 a.m. thru 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. thru 4:00 p.m. (although there is not much to be seen up there).