Valley City is a city in Barnes County, North Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Barnes County. The population was 6,585 during the 2010 census, making it the thirteenth largest city in North Dakota. Valley City was founded in 1874. Valley City is known for its many bridges over the Sheyenne River, including the Hi-Line Railroad Bridge. These bridges have earned it the distinction of being called the "City of Bridges". The city is also the home of Valley City State University and the North Dakota High School Activities Association (NDHSAA).

Devils Lake is a city in Ramsey County, North Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Ramsey County. The population was 7,141 at the 2010 census. It is named after the nearby body of water called Devils Lake. The first house in Devils Lake was built in 1882. It was surveyed in 1883 and named Creelsburg and later Creel City, after the surveyor, Heber M. Creel. In 1884 it was renamed Devils Lake.The local paper is the Devils Lake Journal. Devils Lake Municipal Airport serves the city. Devils Lake is home to Lake Region State College and the North Dakota School for the Deaf.

Fargo is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, North Dakota, United States. Being the most populous city in the state, it accounts for 16% of the state population. According to the 2020 United States Census estimates, its population was 125,209, making it the 222nd-most populous city in the United States. Fargo, along with its twin city of Moorhead, Minnesota, and the adjacent cities of West Fargo, North Dakota; and Dilworth, Minnesota; form the core of the Fargo-Moorhead, ND-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area. The MSA had a population of 248,591 in 2020. Fargo was founded in 1871 on the Red River of the North floodplain. It is a cultural, retail, health care, educational, and industrial center for southeastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota. North Dakota State University is located in the city.

Bismarck () is the capital of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Burleigh County. It is the second-most populous city in North Dakota after Fargo. The city's population was estimated in 2020 at 74,018, while its metropolitan population was 129,641. In 2019, Forbes magazine ranked Bismarck as the seventh fastest-growing small city in the United States.Bismarck was founded by European-Americans in 1872 on the east bank of the Missouri River. It has been North Dakota's capital city since 1889, when the state was created from the Dakota Territory and admitted to the Union. Bismarck is across the river from Mandan, named after a historic Native American tribe of the area. The two cities make up the core of the Bismarck–Mandan Metropolitan Statistical Area. The North Dakota State Capitol, the tallest building in the state, is in central Bismarck. The state government employs more than 4,600 in the city. As a hub of retail and health care, Bismarck is the economic center of south-central North Dakota and north-central South Dakota.