Timeline: 2020s

2020

• Mandan diesel spill cleanup declared complete. The spill – estimated upwards of 1.16 million gallons – was discovered in 1984. It was traced to a diesel fueling depot that operated in the Mandan railyard between 1950 and 1979.
• Pier 1 Imports announces closure of its Bismarck store. The retailer opened its Bismarck store in October 1992. Previously, in 1976, a Pier 1 “Associate Store” operated at 112 N 5th Street between roughly 1976-1978.
• Demolition of the former Kelly Inn commences. It closed in February 2019.
• Kmart closes in February. The store opened in 1971.
• Kirkwood Mall announces plans to repurpose about 40,000 square feet of the former Herberger’s space into three restaurants: Chick-fil-A, Five Guys, and Blaze Pizza. Herberger’s – an original anchor – closed in 2018.
• Gordmans announces closure amidst nationwide liquidation. Gordman’s was an original anchor at Hay Creek Shops in 2015.
• AMC shutters its movie theater at Gateway Mall. Midcontinent Theaters established the theater in 1985. It was originally 3 screens, expanding to 8 screens in 1994 – then the city’s largest.
• Cash Wise completes renovations to its south Bismarck store.
• Costco opens.

2021

• Severe drought conditions consistent throughout the year; 5th-driest winter on record with barely a foot of snowfall and not much improvement for rain later in the year. The summer is also one of the warmest on record, tying the most consecutive days (18) above 90 degrees on July 28 with numerous days soaring past 100 degrees. The previous record was established in 1936.
• Kupper Chevrolet and Kupper Subaru became Kramer. The dealerships were branded Ressler until Bob Kupper purchased them in 2011. Previously, the Chevrolet dealership was known as Bob Chase Chevrolet and Ivan Gandrud Chevrolet. It is now known as Chevrolet of Mandan.
• Construction commences on a mixed-use retail-residential building on the northwest corner of Main & 7th called Trestle.
• For the first time in nine years, North Dakota slips from the second-highest oil-producing state to third in March, when New Mexico produced 1,155,000 daily barrels against North Dakota’s 1,027,000.
• Kirkwood Mall announces Thrifty White Drug and Pancheros Mexican Grill
• The historic Patterson Hotel completed a $22 million renovation that restored the brick to its original appearance and added a rooftop sign resembling one that once stood there.

2022

• Bismarck expects to complete two new elementary schools. The first school broke ground in fall 2020 with the second in May 2021. Names were announced as Elk Ridge and Silver Ranch on May 25, 2021.
• Barnes & Noble announces that it will relocate from its long-time location at Southridge Centre as the owner of the shopping center plans to redevelop the space. Barnes & Noble will temporarily locate in Kirkwood Mall until completing a new store. Details on the new permanent store, including its location, hasn’t been announced.
• Multi-day blizzard commences April 12. 18.1 inches of snow officially fell on Bismarck, breaking both the 1997 and 2013 records. Blizzard conditions were witnessed across most of North Dakota, shutting down highways, businesses, and schools for days. Some areas, namely Minot, witnessed more than 36 inches of snow with winds exceeding 60 MPH. Another system passed days later, setting a new monthly snowfall record for April, previously set in April 2013.
• Thrifty White Drug completes relocation from the Parkade to Kirkwood Mall’s outlot. It was one of the last locations still branded with the historical “White Drug” banner and logo. In some ways, this marks the most recent exodus of a major retailer from downtown to a shopping center.
• The Wood House closes without warning (July) after 53 years (originating as King’s Food Host). Ahead of the official closure, the drive-through had previously closed, citing staffing issues, and the menu was trimmed down.
• Eide Ford announces purchase of competitor Bill Barth Ford.
• Highland Acres housing development added to the National Register of Historic Places.
• September: Knowles Jewelry announces closure after its long-time owner passes away. The Minot store, under different ownership, is unaffected.
• September: MacKenzie River Pizza shutters Bismarck restaurant citing labor shortages. A new restaurant called Sazon occupied the building until announcing its closure in October 2024.
• September: Johnny Carino’s announces the closure of its Bismarck restaurant, days after Fargo’s location – the only other North Dakota Carino’s. Staffing shortages cited as the cause.
• Frontier announces it was end service to Bismarck Airport, ending November 3.
• Mid Dakota Clinic merges with Essentia Health (October).

Severe Winter Weather:

• Near-record blizzard strikes the area, dumping the second-highest snow recorded in a single day of 17 inches on November 10; only 0.3″ from the all-time record set on April 14, 2013. The official storm total was 17.1 inches, with areas around Bismarck-Mandan reporting as much as 24 inches.
• The year’s third major blizzard strikes the region the week of December 11th. The storm rages for five days, bringing freezing rain, heavy snow, and strong winds. By 6:00 a.m. the morning of December 16, official snowfall broke both of the prior 2022 winter storms, albeit spread across a larger timeframe. In the end, Bismarck officially recorded 20.3″ of snowfall, resulting in 46.2″ season-to-date – the snowiest start of any season on record; about an entire season’s average. The seasonal total excludes the April snowstorm, which would be part of the 2021-2022 season.
• During a sustained cold stretch the week of December 19, Bismarck records a wind chill of -49 degrees… the lowest since 2001.
• Winter season officially ends as the snowiest start on record through December 31, recording 51.3″ of snow season-to-date… ahead of 2008’s 45.8″. Comparatively, the 2008 season was more compressed into a single month.

2023

• Bisman Community Food Co-op closes January 6. Officially, the closure is temporary as the board plans its future, however the likelihood of re-opening is unsure. The co-op grocery store has long-struggled financial. It was first announced in 2015 and opened in May 2016.
• Borrowed Bucks Roadhouse announces closure in January following the retirement of its long-time manager and partner. Only one week prior, Bucks announced it would operate under greatly reduce hours due to staffing shortages. Bismarck was the third Bucks location to open, in 1994, intended to replace Shades Nightclub at Kirkwood Mall. The Bismarck location was the last of  the Bucks to close, following Grand Forks in 2016, Sioux Falls in 2017, and the original Fargo location in June 2022.
• Tilt Studio expected to occupy the former Herberger’s anchor space at Kirkwood Mall.
• Bed, Bath, & Beyond announces Bismarck’s store closure as the company faces potential bankruptcy.
• Budget Inn Express closes. The hotel originated as the Best Western Fleck House until 2000. Developers announced soon after closure plans to redevelop the property into three different apartment complexes.
• March: Gateway to Science opens a brand new $26 million facility located at 1600 Canary Ave after about four years of development.
• April: Former Pier 1 store demolished to make room for a new Starbucks location
• April: Five Below announced for Kirkwood Mall, to occupy about 10,000 square feet of space in the Target wing along the atrium. The store opens on September 8.
• April: The Toasted Frog announces closure of Bismarck location.
• April: BNSF received final approval to replace historic railroad bridge, expected to take about 4 years until final completion. Ground breaks in July.
• May: The Walrus completes major renovation, the first since opening.
• May: Proposed redevelopment along Bismarck’s riverfront announced, through partnership with Department of Commerce Tourism Division, the City of Bismarck and the Fort Abraham Lincoln Foundation. If completed, the $60-$70 million project will include festival grounds, an amphitheater, and hotel. It will be funded through a combination of public and private funding.
• Several major road construction projects commenced, including State Street (between Divide and Calgary Avenues), Bismarck Expressway/Centennial Road (between Washington Street and Mariam Avenue), and University Drive/Highway 1804. Other major roads with major construction included Century Avenue near State Street, Divide Avenue (between Schafer Street and College Drive), and 9th Street (between Expressway and Front Avenue). The projects mostly targeted improvements to drainage, pedestrian safety (especially ADA upgrades), turn lanes, and traffic signals.  One noted change was eliminating left turn access out of Interchange Avenue on State Street, and left in/out access on Century at 14th Street. Dual left turning lanes were added from Century Avenue onto State Street. The bridge on 19th Street also underwent deck work.
• Dale Pahlke Arena is dedicated after Mandan’s rodeo facility completes $3 million renovation.
• July: SpartanNash announces that Dan’s Supermarket will rebrand under the Family Fare banner, ending the “Dan’s” brand after 70 years.
• August 14: Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health (BBPH) relocates from 500 East Front Avenue to a new facility located at 407 South 26th Street. Dedication is expected September 13. The site was formerly a long-time scrapyard.
• August 23: Mandan Hardee’s closes abruptly. A sign is posted encouraging diners to visit the Bismarck branch.
• September: Dakota Farms announces closure of Mandan restaurant. The building was demolished in 2024 to make way for an Auto Zone.
• September: Prairie Farms Dairy – the successor to Yegen Dairy and Land O’ Lakes – announced it will cease local dairy production and operate only distributing from the Bismarck facility that Yegen Dairy once operated.
• Urban Harvest announces disbandment after 18 years. The weekly summer event showcased various vendors in downtown Bismarck.
• Burger King at Sunrise Town Centre posts temporary closure. The menu signage at the drive-through is soon after removed leading to speculation that the closure is permanent. Google also reports permanent closure and while the location was still posted on Burger King’s official website, all hours are marked closed as of October 1. This particular location has had temporary closures before and inconsistent hours of operation. The franchisee, Meridian Restaurants Unlimited, an owner of numerous Burger Kings filed for bankruptcy in March 2013 and has been shuttering locations since. Most of its locations were sold at auction the day before the temporary closure was posted. Dakota Restaurant Partners acquired the North Dakota locations but it’s unknown if it plans to re-open the Sunrise location.
• October: An unknown Japanese restaurant announced to occupy the former Wood House, which shuttered abruptly in July 2022 after 53 years (originating as King’s Food Host). The restaurant is expected to open in 2024 with more details upcoming.
• October: Scotty’s Drive-in reinstalls its flowing saucer-style “crown” atop its pylon sign – an iconic retro feature long since removed.

2024

• January 13: Several cities including Bismarck witness their coldest wind chill temperatures since the formula was updated in 2001. High winds that created occasional whiteout conditions helped contribute to the low wind chills. Actual air temperature in Bismarck bottomed out at -27 degrees with wind chill of -60. Using the former formula, which recorded wind chills even colder than today’s formula, wind chills would have been -81 degrees.
• January 30: Traffic signal at Thayer and 3rd Street taken out of service. A two-way stop sign yielding traffic to 3rd Street was put in place instead.
• Traffic signal at Arbor & 7th Street to be taken out in a pilot trial.
• February: VFW Sports Center completes $16.6 million expansion, expanding to three rinks.
• April: Demolition begins of Budget Inn Express.
• May: Broadway Taco John’s closes, reportedly to “focus its energy on its other locations.” Rumors circulated it was due to staffing, a common trope in recent history. It was the first Taco Johns to open in Bismarck, in 1973, inside a basic perfricated building on the site. A drive-through and indoor seating were later added.
• Traffic signal installed at Century Avenue and Tyler Parkway. Previously, Century Avenue, which terminates westbound at Tyler Parkway, had exclusive right of way.
• Traffic signal taken out of service at Broadway and Airport Road.
• New Mandan High School opens to replace the 1957-built facility.
• Home Goods expected to open October, filling the vacated Gordman’s space.
• Work commences to replace the Interstate 94 interchange at Centennial Road, among other corridor improvements. The bridge is the last of the original constructed across Interstate 94 in the 1960s. Its replacement is being built directly west of the original. Other traffic improvements are targeted in response to vastly growing traffic through the area, including heavy truck traffic. Work is expected to complete in 2026.
• October: Demolition begins on former Bismarck Junior College building southeast of the Capitol. It housed the college from 1955 until relocating to its current campus location in 1961, and was later used by the state government including to house the transportation department for some time.
• November: Schlotzsky’s Deli closes after 27 years. Its long-time owners had been reportedly trying to sell the business and building for 3 years. The restaurant originated at 1329 E Interstate Avenue in 1997. It relocated to the former site of North American Steak Buffet (originally Bonanza Steakhouse) in 2011. A Cinnabon Express was also housed inside.