Rugby, North Dakota
7 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1953 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Rugby City. It lies in ZIP code area 58368. The Survey maps it on the Rugby quadrangle. 2,509 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,549 feet above sea level.
Research this city
On record in Rugby
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 4 records
Great Northern Passenger Depotlisted 1991
Pierce County Courthouselisted 1980
US Post Office-Rugbylisted 1989- St. Paul's Episcopal Churchlisted 1992
Population over time
2 figuresRugby fell from 2,876 to 2,509 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 2,876 | |
| 2020 | 2,509 | -367 (-13%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
4 surveys from 7 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1953 USGS Devils Lake quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1955 USGS Rugby quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1956 USGS Devils Lake quadrangle1:250000
- 1985 USGS Leeds quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
26 since 2005Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 26 fires within 5 miles of Rugby between 2005 and 2019, burning about 628 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 15 |
| Debris and open burning | 8 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 2 |
| Smoking | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 September 2019 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | North Dakota State Forest Service | HIGHWAY 3 MM217 |
| 26 September 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | North Dakota State Forest Service | not named |
| 20 September 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5.0 acres | North Dakota State Forest Service | MM207 HIGHWAY 2 |
| 8 August 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | North Dakota State Forest Service | 2018-31 |
| 14 August 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | North Dakota State Forest Service | 2018-32 |
| 4 July 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | North Dakota State Forest Service | 7/4/2019 |
| 9 June 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | North Dakota State Forest Service | 201-24 |
| 7 June 2019 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 1.0 acres | North Dakota State Forest Service | ALONG TRACKS AT PLEASANT LAKE |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
2 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Rugby: 2 producers. All of them still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orville Miller Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Pierce County Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
Storms near this place
60 of 64 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Rugby in 64 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 29 hail, 27 thunderstorm wind, 3 tornado, 3 funnel cloud. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2016 | Hail | Rugby | $450,000 | Large hail occurred in the city of Rugby, with the largest hail falling near the intersection of US Highway 2 and ND Highway 3 on the south end of town. Damage occurred to structures and automobiles, and south of town to crops. |
| July 2011 | Tornado (EF1) | Rugby | $325,000 | A brief tornado touched down five miles south of Rugby on the leading edge of a linear severe thunderstorm. This tornado was within a larger area of straight line thunderstorm winds which also caused damage. Several buildings sustained damage or were destroyed by this tornado, along with trees, and three power poles were snapped along North Dakota Highway 3 where the tornado crossed. A semi truck was picked up along Highway 3 and thrown into the ditch. There were no injuries or deaths reported with this tornado. The tornado damage corresponded to EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. From that it was determined that wind speeds with this tornado were on the order of 100 miles per hour. |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rugby | $75,000 | Very strong straight line winds occurred with a thunderstorm that moved from west of Rugby into Rugby. The strongest wind gust reported was an instantaneous, non-averaged measurement of 104 mph taken three miles west of Rugby by a research team from the National Severe Storms Laboratory, which would correlate to an estimated 87 mph 5-second average gust based upon past published research. Four miles west-northwest of Rugby a large, older barn collapsed. In Rugby, large evergreen trees were uprooted at the cemetery at the northwest end of town. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rugby | $75,000 | Several reports of high wind and damage were received from the Rugby area. Trees were uprooted, including a 60 foot tall spruce, numerous branches were broken, and a large shop was damaged around five miles south of Rugby. There was a tornado within the high wind area. See the tornado entry for Pierce County. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rugby | $35,000 | Tree branches were blown down throughout the city of Rugby. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rugby | $25,000 | Multiple power poles were snapped. |
| June 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rugby | $15,000 | Multiple large tree branches were broken off, with a few broken trees. |
| August 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rugby | $15,000 | 60 mph wind at 735 PM CDT increased to 71 mph at 739 PM CDT and maxed out at 95 mph at 742 PM CDT. Rugby also had one inch of rain from the storm and pea sized hail that covered the ground. Numerous tree branches down in the city. |
| July 1997 | Lightning | Rugby | $12,000 | lightning struck 5 N of Rugby. 19 head of cattle took shelter from the storm under a tree. The tree got struck by lightning, killing all cattle huddled under the tree |
| August 1994 | Hail | Rugby | $5,000 | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Hail | Rugby | $4,000 | Damage to car windows and house siding. |
| May 1998 | Hail | Rugby | $1,000 | no account filed |
| July 2017 | Funnel Cloud | Rugby | - | A brief funnel cloud was reported. |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rugby | - | Strong thunderstorm winds were reported from KZZJ radio in Rugby. |
| June 2008 | Hail | Rugby | - | Trained spotters reported 20 minutes of quarter size hail from ten miles northwest to seven miles northwest of Rugby. |
| June 2008 | Hail | Rugby | - | Nickel to ping pong ball size hail was reported in the city of Rugby, and lasted for around 20 minutes. No report of damage was received from this event. |
| May 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rugby | - | Storm total rain was 1.57 inches. |
| August 2007 | Hail | Rugby | - | Hail up to nickel size lasted 20 minutes. |
| July 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rugby | - | A report from the public in Rugby also included peak winds of around 70 mph during this time. |
| July 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rugby | - | Trees up to 3 feet in diameter snapped in half. |
| July 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rugby | - | Street signs and trees knocked over in Rugby. Roofs were damaged and some torn from buildings. Also had 1.75 inches of rain from the storm. |
| August 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rugby | - | A few trees blown down from the strong winds. |
| June 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rugby | - | Numerous small tree's reported down and fence knocked over at a golf course. |
| July 2000 | Tornado (F1) | Rugby | - | Barns and half of the farm house destroyed. Uprooted trees and up to 20 hay bales moved a half mile away. |
| July 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rugby | - | Minor damage to buildings in the city of Rugby. Damage to shelter belts of 40K. 5 percent yield loss. |
| May 1998 | Tornado (F0) | Rugby | - | Reported by North Dakota Highway Patrol. |
| May 1998 | Hail | Rugby | - | Reported by law enforcement at Red Lake. |
| July 1997 | Hail | Rugby | - | hail fell 5 W Rugby |
| July 1997 | Hail | Rugby | - | hail fell 3 W of Rugby |
| July 1997 | Hail | Rugby | - | hail fell 7 NW Rugby |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rugby | - | no account filed |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rugby | - | no account filed |
| July 2024 | Hail | Rugby | - | no account filed |
| June 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rugby | - | no account filed |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rugby | - | no account filed |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rugby | - | no account filed |
| June 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rugby | - | no account filed |
| July 2020 | Hail | Rugby | - | no account filed |
| July 2020 | Hail | Rugby | - | no account filed |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rugby | - | no account filed |
| July 2018 | Hail | Rugby | - | no account filed |
| July 2017 | Hail | Rugby | - | no account filed |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rugby | - | no account filed |
| July 2016 | Hail | Rugby | - | no account filed |
| June 2013 | Hail | Rugby | - | no account filed |
| June 2012 | Hail | Rugby | - | no account filed |
| May 2007 | Hail | Rugby | - | no account filed |
| August 2007 | Hail | Rugby | - | no account filed |
| May 2006 | Hail | Rugby | - | no account filed |
| July 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rugby | - | no account filed |
| June 2003 | Hail | Rugby | - | no account filed |
| June 2003 | Hail | Rugby | - | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rugby | - | no account filed |
| July 2002 | Hail | Rugby | - | no account filed |
| July 2002 | Hail | Rugby | - | no account filed |
| July 2002 | Hail | Rugby | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Funnel Cloud | Rugby | - | no account filed |
| July 2001 | Funnel Cloud | Rugby | - | no account filed |
| August 1999 | Flood | Rugby | - | no account filed |
| July 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rugby | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Rugby | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q168420 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1031031. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.



