Can You Name These North Dakota Cities from Their Nicknames?

We have nicknames for our friends, for our family members, even for the state of North Dakota. We give nicknames to basically everything, so it's no surprise that a lot of North Dakota cities have developed nicknames over time.

I thought it would be fun to test you on some North Dakota city nicknames. I'm going to give you a list of nicknames, as you go through, try to guess which North Dakota city it is. At the Very end I'll give you an answer key. Keep in mind this is for a grade.

Just kidding. Okay, let's get started.

North Dakota City Nicknames

1. Queen City

2. Catfish Capitol of the North

3. The Brick City

4. The Capital City

5. The Buffalo City

6. Grain Palace City

7. Geographical Center of North America

8. City at the end of the Rainbow

9. Cattle Capital of North Dakota

10. The Star City

Before I give you the explanations and answer key, remember to give yourself two points for every one you get right.

Answer Key

1. When you hear someone refer to "The Queen City," they are talking about Dickinson, North Dakota. There isn't a lot of information available on how Dickinson got its name. Some speculate that it's because North Dakota is one of the top honey producers, and perhaps it is a reference to bees; others think it's because it is such an important hub in the western part of the state, but the origin of this nickname remains unclear.

2. The Catfish Capital of the North is referring to Drayton, North Dakota. According to many people I've asked, Drayton got this title due to the abundance of catfish in the Red River.

3. This one is kind of obvious. Hebron is referred to as the Brick City because of the Hebron Brick Company.

4. The Capital City should be pretty easy, of course, that's Bismarck. It's the capital of North Dakota, after all.

5. It's hard to miss it. When you drive through Jamestown, North Dakota, you will see a 60-ton concrete structure that has been dubbed "The World's Largest Buffalo." That is how it got this nickname, according to Jamestown.gov. 

6. Ray, North Dakota is also called the Grain Palace City. I'm sure you've heard of the Ray Grain Palace Festival. 

7. This one is also probably obvious. The Geographical Center of North America is Rugby, North Dakota. According to AFAR, Rugby has been considered by many geographical associations as the continent's dead center.

There has been debate on this over years; some pinpoint our continents center point to be six miles west of Rugby, and for a time the town of Center, North Dakota was believed to be, well... the center.

8. Okay, so this one is really weird. I couldn't get any definitive answer as to why St. John, North Dakota is called "The City at the end of the Rainbow," but it is. Feel free to let me know if you have the answer.

9. According to the Minot Daily News, Towner got the nickname of the "Cattle Capital of North Dakota" from a man named Homer Hill in 1920. He took care of cattle as a young boy, and thought the town should have a nickname to promote the area.

10. Last, but not least, "The Star City" is none other than Valley City, North Dakota. I haven't been able to get a clear answer from anyone I've asked about this. Most people have just said that it's probably because there are a lot of event and happenings in Valley City, but fill me in if you know how it got this nickname.

That's it! Congratulations if you got 10/10, you are a true North Dakota pro.