This North Dakota Small Town Named One Of The 7 Cutest In USA

I've never been a big fan of the term "cute"; I prefer ruggedly handsome.

I'm sure our state of North Dakota shares my sentiment. However, the Peace Garden State seldom gets recognized for anything, so we should probably take it when it comes our way.

According to our friends at World Atlas, one North Dakota city has been named one of the 7 cutest in the United States of America.

Albeit, in full disclosure, one of the 7 cutest in the Northern United States for 2025. Cities across the northern tier of America were honored in states like Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Maine, Montana, New York, Washington, and yes, North Dakota.

Our neighboring states with a cute small town include Brainerd in Minnesota.

Brainard is a scenic town that lies on the banks of the Mississippi River. It has a population of 15,000 residents, but significantly more during tourist season, as it's one of Minnesota's biggest lake towns.

I've had the pleasure of spending some time in this city before, and I concur, if you like the outdoors and small town shopping, it is a cute little gem for sure.

Next is our neighboring state to the west, Montana, where the city of Whitefish was also given the title of one of the 7 cutest small towns.

Whitefish, Montana, is home to about 10,000 residents, but is also a big tourist town. It's in close proximity to Whitefish Lake, where swimming, fishing, hiking, and cycling are the things to do in the summertime. In the winter, it's all about skiing and snowboarding.

This brings me to North Dakota's cutest small town that made the list of the 7 best.

I know what you are thinking, it has to be Medora, right? Surprisingly, it's not. The small town, North Dakota, cutie is none other than Bottineau.

The article has this to say about Bottineau, North Dakota. Its close proximity to the International Peace Garden, along with green forests (using that term rather loosely since North Dakota is the least forested state in the country) and rolling hills, makes outside activities easy.

Bottineau Winter Park Resort in the Turtle Mountains is a scenic stop for snowboarders and skiers alike.

The article also mentions visiting the "Tommy the Turtle" statue in town, a 30-foot-high tourist attraction.

As a former hockey dad, I could also add that Bottineau has the COLDEST hockey arena in the entire state, where you could freeze off your extremities in January or February (no lie on that).

There you go, a little love to a North Dakota small town other than Medora for a change.