Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Riverside Township vs Melrose 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).

R ×
Riverside Township, NDA small town of 9Steele County · 9 people
M ×
Melrose Township, NDA small town of 31Steele County · 31 people
Swap order
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.

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 →
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 →
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.

Homeowners+26.7 pts renters
Melrose Township has more renters
Riverside Township 100%Melrose Township 73.3%
Size3.4×
Melrose Township is the bigger place
Melrose Township 31Riverside Township 9
Bachelor’s degree++12.9 pts
More adults in Melrose Township have a degree
Melrose Township 12.9%Riverside Township 0%
★ 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.

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

Riverside Township and Melrose Township share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Riverside TownshipMelrose TownshipRiverside TownshipMelrose Township
Riverside Township ↔ Melrose 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
Riverside TownshipMelrose 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
Riverside TownshipMelrose Township
Trails15 mi22 mi
Conserved land12.2%7%
Community
Riverside TownshipMelrose 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.

Riverside TownshipMelrose Township
People
Population 9Lowest 31Highest
Median age 69.5±5.1Highest 94% above ND 63.4±18.9Lowest 77% 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%±100 ND: 23.5% 0%±91.2 ND: 23.5%
Age 65+ 77.8%±100Highest ND: 16.5% 41.9%±92.7Lowest 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+ 0%Lowest ND: 32.7% 12.9%Highest ND: 32.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0%±100 ND: 7.6% 0%±45.6 ND: 7.6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian — $94,063±$32k 23% above ND
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $208,300±$168kHighest 17% below ND $187,500±$33kLowest 25% 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 22.2%Highest ND: 10.8% 0%Lowest ND: 10.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 100%Highest ND: 62.9% 73.3%Lowest ND: 62.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1971Highest 11 yrs older than ND 1963Lowest 19 yrs older than ND
Getting to work
Work from home 0%±100 ND: 8.1% 0%±50 ND: 8.1%
Work in townworking residents 0% 0%
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 12.8 miLowest 21.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.00Lowest 0.17Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Hope (36%)Sherbrooke Township (25%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Melrose TownshipFew work in Riverside Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 12.2%Highest 7%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 14.9 miLowest 21.8 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.4 miLowest 0.6 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 0.6Lowest 0.8Highest
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.

Riverside Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Riverside Township’s Town Square.

Melrose Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Melrose Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Riverside Township and Melrose Township

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

Bordering Riverside Township

S
+ Compare
Sverdrup Township57 people · $156K homes
G
+ Compare
Greenview Township135 people · $115K homes
B
+ Compare
Broadview Township43 people

Towns like Riverside Township

P
+ Compare
Paris Township8 people
S
+ Compare
Schiller Township8 people · $275K homes
B
+ Compare
Barr Butte Township12 people
+ Compare
Pillsbury10 people

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 Riverside 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