North Dakota Has The Highest Structure In The Western Hemisphere?!

North Dakota has a lot of interesting attractions. Every day I learn something new. Maybe you didn't know this; North Dakota actually has the highest structure in the Western hemisphere.

According to Atlas Obscura there is a TV mast in Blanchard, North Dakota that is 2,063 feet tall. Holy smokes!

The KVYL-TV tower was completed in 1963, according to the source, and do you know it was once the tallest manmade structure in the world?! That's right, the entire world. * Insert oooh's and ahhh's *

It was actually the first structure to exceed 2,000 ft.

The source also explains it held that title until approximately ten years after its completion, when the Warsaw mast was built.

Oddly enough, the Warsaw mast eventually collapsed (1991), giving the Blanchard mast its title once again.

It lost the title once again in 2010 when the Burj Khalifa was built in Dubai. It stands at 2,722 feet.

About The Mast

The KVYL-TV tower takes up 160 acres of land and is owned by Gray Television of Atlanta Georgia. It provides a broadcast area of approximately 9,700 sq miles. This, according to the source. 

Today, the mast can no longer stand on its own without support wires.

Another fun fact: Another TV mast is located only five miles from this one. It stands at 2,060 feet. According to the source, it has been rebuilt twice. Once when a helicopter flew into it, and another time after a bad ice storm.

Now Where Does It Stand?

The KYLY-TV mast is no longer the tallest structure in the world. Now, there are several other skyscrapers and structures that have surpassed the tower. That said, we should never forget this little piece of North Dakota history.