Are There Any Payphones Left In North Dakota?

Are payphones still around?

The History Of The Payphone

The first payphone was invented by a man named William Gray in 1889, this according to ethw.org. The story is, that one was first installed in a bank in Hartford, Connecticut, when the man couldn’t afford a monthly phone subscription, and needed to call the doctor for his sick wife.

He invented a public phone, that he only had to pay for when he needed it. Payphones spread across the country and shortly after could be found in virtually every public building. Banks, courthouses, medical buildings, hotels, gas stations -- you name it!

Payphones have been very useful up until recently

The Decline Of Payphones In The U.S.

Over the past couple decades, payphones have slowly been removed from various businesses. With everyone having cell phones, the need for the phones has greatly declined.

According to the Payphone Project, as of February 2021, North Dakota had only 113 payphones still operating. That said, I’m sure that number has gone down since then. To put it into perspective, in 2000, there were 2,057 payphones in North Dakota. According to KTVZ, that's 95.5% decline.

According to Wanderer.com, there are only 100,000 payphones left in the entire United States, as of February 2024.

Fun Fact: How much do pay phones cost now according to consumerreports.org the going rate for a local call is $.50.

Where Are There Functional Payphones In North Dakota?

According to the Payphone Project, there are payphones in the following North Dakota cities:

Barton, Beach, Belcourt, Belfield, Belgian, Bismarck, Boise, Bottineau, Bowman, Buchanan, cackle, Carrington, Carson, Castleton, Cavalier, Crosby, Devils Lake, Dickinson, Elgin, Emerado, Fairfield, Fargo, Fessenden, Fort, Totten, Fort, Washington, Gardner, Garrison, Gladstone, Glenn Ullin, Grafton, Grandin, Grand Forks, Grandville, Grand Forks, Hankinson, Harvey, Hazelton, Hebron, Hettinger, Hillsboro, Jamestown, Lakota, Linton, Mandan, Max, McCluskey, Minot, New Rockford, ew Salem, Park River, Parshall, Petersburg, Reynolds, Robinson, Rugby, Sherwood, Springfield, Stanley, Steele, Tioga, Tower city, Underwood, Valley City, Watford City, Wahpeton, Walhalla, West Fargo, Williston, and several others.

Where Can You Find A Payphone In Bismarck?

According to the payphoneproject.com, as of 2021, payphones can be found in the following locations in Bismarck:

Eagles Club

Medical Arts Building

Municipal Country Club

Bismarck State College

Holiday Inn of Bismarck

Bismarck Public

YMCA

Bismarck Elks

Family Fare Supermarkets

St. Mary’s