Cando was founded in 1884 as the seat of the newly formed Towner County. It was named from the pioneers' "can do" spirit. The Great Northern Railway was extended to Cando in 1888.
Geography
Cando is located at. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, all of it land.
As of the census of 2010, there were 1,115 people, 518 households, and 309 families living in the city. The population density was. There were 701 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 96.1% White, 0.2% African American, 2.3% Native American, 0.2% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.5% of the population. There were 518 households, of which 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.3% were married couplesliving together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.3% were non-families. 38.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.69. The median age in the city was 49.3 years. 20.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 16.7% were from 25 to 44; 31.1% were from 45 to 64; and 25.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.0% male and 52.0% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,342 people, 595 households, and 345 families living in the city. The population density was 2,178.3 people per square mile. There were 707 housing units at an average density of 1,147.6 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 97.24% White, 0.07% African American, 2.16% Native American, 0.15% Asian, and 0.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.15% of the population. There were 595 households, out of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.7% were married couples living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.0% were non-families. 40.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 24.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.88. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.7% under the age of 18, 2.5% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 26.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $31,989, and the median income for a family was $43,571. Males had a median income of $28,421 versus $17,308 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,128. About 6.5% of families and 9.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.5% of those under age 18 and 14.3% of those age 65 or over.
