Highways 2 and 85, near the confluence of the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers, at the upper end of the Lake Sakakawea reservoir.Īccording to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.56 square miles (19.58 km 2), of which 7.50 square miles (19.42 km 2) is land and 0.06 square miles (0.16 km 2) is water. Williston is located at the crossroads of U.S. Williston is the home of Williston State College and the Miss North Dakota Scholarship Pageant.įounded in 1887, Williston was named for Daniel Willis James, a merchant and capitalist, by his friend, railroad magnate James J. Williston's newspaper is the daily Williston Herald. The city's population nearly doubled between 20, due largely to the North Dakota oil boom.
The 2020 census gave its population as 29,160, making Williston the sixth-most populous city in North Dakota. Williston is a city in and the county seat of Williams County, North Dakota, United States.
