Why do the Dakotas exist as two separate states?

History · Published 7 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: To many, the Dakotas appear as identical rectangles on a map. Yet, beneath their shared borders lies a history of strange politics, radicalism, and a shared ancestry of frontier towns that once flourished with saloons, gambling houses, and the occasional burst of gunfire.

The Dakotas were born on the same day, November 2, 1889. While they share a common ancestry and a similar physical scale—roughly 250 by 400 miles—they are fraternal rather than identical. The division reflects the complex and often strange politics of United States territorial history, a subject that has long puzzled students of American geography. Though they are often viewed as obscure flyover states, their shared origins are rooted in the complex territorial politics of the American West. This division remains a point of confusion for many who fly over the region.

The political divergence between the two is striking. While both states are considered progressive, South Dakota maintains a more conservative brand of progressivism. In contrast, North Dakota has historically embraced more radical political schemes. This radicalism is often attributed to the state's large Scandinavian population, particularly Swedes, which may have influenced the political character of cities like Fargo. The legend of Fargo's name even suggests a connection to Swedish settlers who felt the distance from Stockholm was far too great. This influx of immigrants helped shape the unique cultural identity of the region.

The economic landscape of both states was fundamentally reshaped by the 'farm problem' following World War I. During the war, an urgent demand for food led to a massive expansion of cultivated acreage. However, when the war ended, the market for these products contracted sharply. Farmers, facing plummeting land prices, attempted to maintain their income by increasing production to offset lower prices, an instinct that inadvertently aggravated the agricultural crisis. This period of expansion occurred because the Dakotas were among the most recently settled areas within the American farm belt. The resulting surplus of uncultivated land made the region particularly vulnerable to these post-war market shifts.

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