Zap is a city in Mercer County, North Dakota in the United States. The population was 231 at the 2000 census. Zap was founded in 1913. The city was named by a railroad company official after the coal mining town of Zapp in Scotland. The new settlement also had a coal mine at its edge.

The "Zip to Zap"

Zap is probably most widely known for the Zip to Zap which happened on May 10, 1969. This event took place at the height of civil unrest over racial segregation and the Vietnam War, but was originally intended as a spring break diversion. Between 2000 and 3000 people descended upon the small town of Zap as a result of an article that originally appeared in the North Dakota State University's Spectrum newspaper and was later picked up by the Associated Press.

As the resources of the small country town were depleted, the amiable revelry began to turn ugly, and the residents of Zap asked the visitors to leave. Some of them complied, but others stayed behind, and the event became a full-fledged riot. The National Guard was called in and the crowd was dispersed.

Geography

Zap is located at (47.287157, -101.923787). It is located in the prairie country along Spring Creek, a tributary of the Knife River.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.0 square miles (2.7 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 231 people, 101 households, and 68 families residing in the city. The population density was 221.8 people per square mile (85.8/km²). There were 129 housing units at an average density of 123.8/sq mi (47.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.24% White, 3.90% Native American, and 0.87% from two or more races.

There were 101 households out of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.4% were married couples living together, 4.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.78.

In the city the population was spread out with 21.6% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 33.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 100.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,536, and the median income for a family was $34,063. Males had a median income of $30,625 versus $18,125 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,175. About 5.2% of families and 10.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.6% of those under the age of eighteen and 18.2% of those sixty five or over.

References

External links

• City of Zap official website
• North Dakota Public Radio article with details on the Zip to Zap
• Another article discussing the historical importance of the Zip to Zap
• Spinning the Zip to Zap: Student Journalist Responsibility and Vulnerability in the Late 1960s by Richard Shafer