The Bismarck MSA's estimated 2006 population is 101,138, up from 94,719 as recorded by the 2000 Census. The population is centered in the cities of Bismarck and Mandan, with 2005 population estimates of 57,377 and 17,225, respectively. The remainder of the population resides in the surrounding areas of Burleigh and Morton Counties. Bismarck and Mandan are located in the Central Time Zone, a part of the Plains Midwest region of the United States.

In June 2007, Expansion Management (a leading business site location and facility magazine) again ranked the Bismarck MSA a “Five Star Community” in its annual Quality of Life Quotient rankings. Expansion Management evaluates all 329 metropolitan statistical areas according to nearly 50 statistical areas. Each of the top 15 percent (50 cities) are recognized as a “Five Star Community.”

Bismarck was designated an All-American City in 1997, and the tradition of excellence continues to thrive in Bismarck-Mandan today. Bismarck-Mandan is simply a great place to live and work. It is a solid community of individuals and businesses that offer mutual support to assure continued traditions of working hard, caring for one another, and enjoying life to its fullest.

As you will see, Bismarck-Mandan is well rounded and offers:

• A safe and trusting community, ranking #2 in a national survey conducted by a Harvard University professor to measure social trust
• Hospitals and clinics that are state-of-the-art
• Hands-on state and local government systems that are easily accessible
• An elementary and secondary educational system that consistently produces test scores well above the national average, a high graduation rate, and a 93-96% average daily attendance rate - ND Dept. of Public Instruction and Bismarck Public School District
• Higher education opportunities to attain one-, two-, and four-year degrees, as well as master’s degrees and workforce training
• Available housing at affordable prices, with the 2006 average selling price for a 3-bedroom home in Bismarck $155,955, and in Mandan $125,966 - Bismarck-Mandan Board of Realtors
• Affordable and reliable utilities
• Air, rail, and ground transportation that keeps you connected to the world
• Concise tax codes with competitive rates
• Recreational outlets that include world class golf courses (Bismarck’s Hawk Tree Golf Course placed second on Golf Digest’s 2000 list of the top new courses in the United States), boating, theater, ballet, symphony, fishing, hunting, and frontier history