Here’s a fun North Dakota fact for you: did you know that, no matter the size, all towns in the state are considered cities? It doesn’t matter if they have just a dozen residents or over 50,000. If it is an incorporated place, it’s a city. Thanks to that fact, one of the smallest cities in the country resides right here in the Peace Garden State.
Head out to the middle of nowhere in central North Dakota to find its smallest city.
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Ruso, North Dakota has long held the title of the least populated place in the state. It was founded in 1906.
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Ruso is on the rise, however, and has nearly doubled its population recently: from two residents to four. Yes, you read that right!
Andrew Filer/Flickr
Currently, only three people live in the city. Its longtime mayor of 30 years unexpectedly passed away earlier in 2018 and dropped the population to two, which isn’t enough to be considered a city by state law.
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Fortunately, a nearby farmer could also be considered a resident because he has a mailbox in Ruso and keeps horses and chickens within city limits - so it wasn’t dissolved. The soon-to-be new mayor of Ruso is expected to move in to a new home in the town later this year, bringing its population up to four.
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Ruso may be the smallest place in North Dakota, but it is one of the most internationally known. Fargo isn’t the only city in the state with a movie. A Turkish film called The Cut was heavily centered around Ruso, making the teeny place known internationally!
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The current residents of Ruso hope to keep the town alive for many years to come, so it will remain one of the smallest cities in America for a long time.
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Andrew Filer/Flickr
Here is a list of the 15 smallest cities in North Dakota, with Ruso at number one, of course!
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