Balta

History

Originally, the town was named Egan, in honor of Egan Pierce, an official with the Soo Line railroad. It was renamed by the locals after the city Balta in the Russian Empire (current Ukraine), the original home of many immigrant settlers.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (which warns that "there is no generally accepted definition of a geographic center"), the center of the continent of North America is six miles west of Balta, at a latitude of 48°10' and a longitude of 100°10'. As Balta is so small, nearby Rugby calls itself the center of the continent.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  56
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  49
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  37
• Western Meadowlark

  Sturnella neglecta Audubon, 1844 · Aves
  37
• Common Grackle

  Quiscalus quiscula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  33
• Ring-necked Pheasant

  Phasianus colchicus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  33
• Red-tailed Hawk

  Buteo jamaicensis (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  32
• Killdeer

  Charadrius vociferus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  31

Most recent

• M 2.6 — 2008-11-15
  6 km ESE of Goodrich, North Dakota