New Salem, ND

New Salem is a Morton County city about 24 miles west of Mandan and 31 miles west of Bismarck, one mile south of Interstate 94. It was founded in 1883 after John Christiansen stepped off a westbound freight train in 1882 and decided the rail line could become a town. The 2020 census counted 973 residents. Prairie roads, rail history, and the Bismarck–Mandan orbit still shape how the city connects to the wider region.

New Salem-Almont School District keeps the school calendar local, while city offices handle council business, planning and zoning, property taxes, forms, and emergency contacts. The city’s parks and camping listings, New Salem Golf Course–Red Trail Links, churches, healthcare, and city auditorium fill out the practical map. Salem Sue, the giant Holstein cow above town, gives the surrounding prairie a landmark travelers can spot from the road. New Salem has the feel of a small rail-founded city that knows its neighbors, its highway mile, and the big-city errands waiting east.