North Dakota is the 19th largest state by area in the US; it is the 3rd least populous, with just over 640,000 residents. North Dakota is considered to be in the U.S. region known as the upper midwest or the great plains. The state capital is Bismarck and the largest city is Fargo. North Dakota's top cities are: Fargo, Bismarck, Grand Forks, Minot, Mandan and Dickinson.The primary public universities are located in Grand Forks and Fargo.