Rugby

Geographical center of North America

Rugby Station

Northern Lights Tower

Rugby is a city in the Lakes and Gardens region of North Dakota, with a population of about 2900 people. It is located about halfway between Minot and Devils Lake.

Get in

By car

US Highway 2 runs along the south side of town. West about 60 miles is Minot. East about the same distance is Devils Lake. US 2 crosses Interstate 29 in Grand Forks.

North Dakota Highway 3 runs North to Dunseith and the International Peace Garden. Brandon, on Trans-Canada 1, is about 2 and a half hours from Rugby.

By train

See also: Rail travel in the United States

• 1 Rugby station, 201 West Dewey Street. (updated Oct 2023)
  • Amtrak, ☏ +1 215-856-7924, toll-free: +1-800-872-7245. Operates train service around the United States of America. (updated Mar 2022) Route stopping at Rugby:
    • Empire Builder operating daily between Seattle/Portland and Chicago including stops at Spokane, Glacier National Park, Fargo, Saint Paul, and Milwaukee. The trains split into separate branches between Seattle and Spokane, and between Portland and Spokane, while operating as trains consisting of train cars from both branches between Spokane and Chicago. Eastbound trains arrive daily about 7AM. Westbound trains arrive about 11PM.

Get around

If you come into town by train, you'll have to walk or hitch around town. There isn't any public transport, taxi service, or car rental. Not that this can be a bad thing if, say, you had a rail pass and wanted to spend a day in small-town North Dakota.

However, the more timid may want to take the train to Minot, rent a car, and circle back.

See

The Geographical Center of North America cairn, at the intersection of US 2 and ND 3. The actual center of the continent is some 6 miles west of nearby Balta, but you really have to be a stickler to get there.

Do

• Spirit Lake Casino. 

Buy

Rugby has a number of small shops, mostly located downtown, which is around the train station, and about 2 miles north of Highway 2.

• Leevers Foods, 215 2ND AVE SE, ☏ +1 701 776-5889. 

Eat

• Dakota Farms Restaurant Rugby, Highway 2 East, ☏ +1 701 776-5657. 
• Coffee Cottage, 106 Highway 2 East, ☏ +1 701 776-7650. 

Drink

• Balta Bar & Grill, 202 Main Ave, Balta, ☏ +1 701 542-3322. 
• Eagles Order #3834, 2809 Highway 2 West, ☏ +1 701 776-5122. 
• I.C. Dubbles Downtown Lounge, 215 S. Main Ave, ☏ +1 701 776-7755. 

Sleep

• Northern Lights Hotel, 306 US-2, ☏ +1 701 776-5776. 
• Oakwood Inn & Campground, Corner of Highway 2 and Highway 3, ☏ +1 701 776-5272. 

Go next

Routes through Rugby

Spokane ← Minot ←	W  E	→ Devils Lake → Fargo
Minot ← Towner ←	W  E	→ Churchs Ferry → Grand Forks
Dunseith ← Jct E ← Jct E ←	N  S	→ Balta → Steele