The Highland Acres Historic District in Bismarck has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Lorna Meidinger is Coordinator for the National Register of Historic Places in North Dakota
"During World War II, the individuals in Bismarck recognized that a lot of young men were going to come back, they're going to be starting new families. We had already seen a shift of individuals moving out of rural North Dakota due to the depression, jobs, and the economy, and into the cities. So they knew that there was going to be pressure on the housing. A group got together to try to plan for construction of a development, a neighborhood, and they actually called themselves the Bismarck Veterans Homes Owners Cooperative Association. That association did the master planning. "
The Bismarck Veterans Homes Owners Cooperative Association planned the district with the latest ideas of neighborhood planning, including planning for front yards and irregular shaped lots that accommodate the hilly topography. The Highland Acres Historic District was built between 1948 and the early 1970s, resulting in diverse types of residential architecture. Meidinger says these were some of the main factors that were pointed to in applying for the national register.
"The absolute big key reasons we were able to demonstrate was the change in community planning, and the collective mid-century architecture. It really combined in an unusual way for the city of Bismarck."
Meidinger encourages people to drive through the area to see why it is so unique in Bismarck’s history.