Velva, ND

Velva is a McHenry County city at the southernmost point of the Souris River, settled in 1886 after the railroad reached the area and founded in 1897. It is also where Dot’s Pretzels began, giving this North Dakota town a snack-world claim alongside its rail-and-river history. Velva sits in the Minot metro area, but the local identity is its own: a city shaped by the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad, a K–12 public school, and a pretzel story that started at home. Velva is a Souris River town with an unexpectedly salty signature.