Zap, ND

Zap is a city in Mercer County, North Dakota, United States. The 2020 census counted 221 residents. Zap was founded in 1913 along a branch line of the Northern Pacific Railway that began in Mandan. The exact origin of the name is uncertain, though there are numerous unconfirmed theories; some say the town was named after Zapp, which was either a prominent Minnesota banking family or a coal-mining town in Scotland. That mix gives Zap a clear local shape within North Dakota, with older layers still visible in current places. The local scoop is a place whose streets, landmarks, and institutions keep its earlier story close to the present. Zap has been noted for its unusual place name. Zap is located in the prairie country along Spring Creek, a tributary of the Knife River.