Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Melrose Township vs Riverside Township

Next-door neighbors in Steele County. The biggest differences: homeowners (+26.7 pts renters in Melrose Township) and size (3.4× in Melrose Township).

M ×
Melrose Township, NDA small town of 31Steele County · 31 people
R ×
Riverside Township, NDA small town of 9Steele County · 9 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

Melrose TownshipA small town of 31
Quiet strengthsMelrose Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Melrose Township →
Riverside TownshipA small town of 9
Quiet strengthsRiverside Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Riverside Township →
The biggest differences

Where they differ most

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $360 more a month in Riverside Township

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Melrose Township$1,040/mo
Typical home $188K (Census) · tax rate 0.36% · Housing →
Riverside Township$1,400/mo
Typical home $208K (Census) · tax rate est. 1.8% · Housing →

The difference: $360 a month, about $4,400 a year, between Riverside Township and Melrose Township.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Where they are

Melrose Township and Riverside Township share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Melrose TownshipRiverside TownshipMelrose TownshipRiverside Township
Melrose Township ↔ Riverside Township6.2 miles apart · They share a border · Same county
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
Melrose TownshipRiverside Township
Snow a year42″42″
January low-3°F-3°F
July high79°F79°F
Growing season (days)128d128d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)48th48th
Outdoors & history
Melrose TownshipRiverside Township
Conserved land7%12.2%
Community
Melrose TownshipRiverside Township
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Melrose TownshipRiverside Township
People
Population 31Highest 9Lowest
Median age 63.4±18.9Lowest 77% above ND 69.5±5.1Highest 94% above ND
Riverside Township and Melrose Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 0%±91.2 ND: 23.5% 0%±100 ND: 23.5%
Age 65+ 41.9%±92.7Lowest ND: 16.5% 77.8%±100Highest ND: 16.5%
Riverside Township and Melrose Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 12.9%Highest ND: 32.7% 0%Lowest ND: 32.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0%±45.6 ND: 7.6% 0%±100 ND: 7.6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $94,063±$32k 23% above ND —
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $187,500±$33kLowest 25% below ND $208,300±$168kHighest 17% below ND
Riverside Township and Melrose Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $683 72% below ND —
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 0%±100 ND: 38.9% —
Below poverty line 0%Lowest ND: 10.8% 22.2%Highest ND: 10.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 73.3%Lowest ND: 62.9% 100%Highest ND: 62.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1963Lowest 19 yrs older than ND 1971Highest 11 yrs older than ND
Getting to work
Work from home 0%±50 ND: 8.1% 0%±100 ND: 8.1%
Work in townworking residents 0% 0%
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 21.8 miHighest 12.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.17Highest 0.00Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Sherbrooke Township (25%)Hope (36%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Riverside TownshipFew work in Melrose Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 7%Lowest 12.2%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 21.8 miHighest 14.9 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.6 miHighest 0.4 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 0.8Highest 0.6Lowest
North Dakota average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Melrose Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Melrose Township’s Town Square.

Riverside Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Riverside Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Melrose Township and Riverside Township

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Melrose Township

Towns like Melrose Township

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

Post to Melrose Township

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in