Portal is a city in Burke County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 125 at the 2020 census. Portal was founded in 1893.
Portal sits along the Canadian border and is a major port of entry border crossing for road (connecting US Route 52 and Saskatchewan Highway 39) and rail traffic. North Portal, Saskatchewan is just over the border north of Portal and adjacent to it. It is one of three year-round, 24-hour ports in North Dakota (the others being Dunseith and Pembina).
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.
Economy
Because Portal is in the Bakken Oil Field region, the cost of living has risen considerably in recent years. A 2015 speech by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection official used Portal as an example of an area where the cost of living, combined with limited housing availability, and the distance from medical care and shopping, can make it difficult to attract employees for federal government positions.
The Portal State Bank, built in 1903, is on the National Register of Historic Places. The William E. Metzger House, built in 1904 - 1905, is also on the National Register of Historic Places.
A notable tourist attraction is the Gateway Cities Golf Club. It is one of only two golf courses along the border, the other being the Aroostook Valley Country Club in Maine. Eight of the course's nine holes are located within Canada, but the course's ninth hole, and the clubhouse, are located in the United States.