The Historic Small Town That Every North Dakotan Should Visit at Least Once

North Dakota's history could fill up thousands of pages in books. All the cities and historic towns throughout the state have stories, and luckily for us, many still have sites and historic artifacts that preserve their tales. Many of North Dakota's towns were founded when the railroad came through the state heading west, but Hillsboro, North Dakota, has a bit of a different story—almost a legend. The interesting part of this town isn't just its story, either, but the history you can still explore there today.

Hillsboro, North Dakota, is a small town of approximately 1,600 residents along the eastern border of the state. It was founded in 1880 and settled a decade prior, but under a completely different name.

Originally called Comstock, Hillsboro's story will tell you how it came by its new name, and it is quite the tale. When the Great Northern Railway was coming through, a nearby town turned away a man for looking a little rough around the edges. That man went to Comstock and found hospitality there.

That man was the famous railroad baron, James J. Hill. Due to the residents' kindness, he decided to move the railway's route through Hillsboro instead of the other town. The residents changed the name in his honor and they even went as far as taking the county seat title away from the other town and giving it to Hillsboro, which it still is today.

Through all of this history, Hillsboro has gained the official motto of "hospitality, a coffee cup away." Today, it still holds true to that saying. Hillsboro is not only a place that is full of charm and friendly faces, but it has also become a place simply full to the brim with history. Historic buildings such as this old bank building are still used today.

Other spots you can visit to see the century-old roots of this town are places like the Traill Theatre, pictured below. This historic building is still standing today, even though it sits vacant, with its front storefront boarded up.

There are multiple buildings of historic importance here to visit, including the Plummer House. It was built in 1897 and today has been restored and converted into a museum with all of its original grandeur.

If you haven't visited Hillsboro yet, then add it to your North Dakota bucket list. It doesn't matter if you love history or not, the entire town is just delightful to see. It truly is a historic town that everyone should visit at least once.

There are even more towns in the Peace Garden State that have stories to tell and places to see, such as this small town that travelers are quickly falling in love with when exploring. Of course, the best historic small towns in North Dakota also make for great road trip stops and destinations. For some road trip ideas throughout the state, check out a list featuring several of our favorite itineraries. Adventure is calling!