With its location on Interstate 29, halfway between the two metropolitan centers of Greater Grand Forks and Fargo–Moorhead, Hillsboro has seen steady population growth in recent years and has become somewhat of a bedroom community.

Local folklore tells of the residents of nearby Caledonia, North Dakota turning away a shabby surveyor because of his appearance.

[7] Hill was so impressed by the kindness showed to him by the residents of this small community that he decided to place his Great Northern Railway there instead of in Caledonia.

The ensuing contest grew bitter and heated, with Caledonians arming themselves, posting guards in the town, and organizing a committee for defense.

His speeches were well-attended but, despite these efforts, Caledonia lost the county seat to Hillsboro in a 1,291 to 218 vote.

Located in the center of the fertile Red River Valley, the area around Hillsboro is prime agricultural land and very flat.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.09 square miles (2.82 km2), all land.

The economy of Hillsboro, like so many other small, rural towns in North Dakota, is heavily dependent on agriculture.

The large plant, located on U.S. Highway 81, has been responsible for both an increase in population and a steady stream of available jobs during the last few decades that it has been open.

In recent years, Hillsboro has become a bedroom community for the Greater Grand Forks and Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan areas.

A portion of local sales tax revenues is set aside to bolster business development.

[15] New businesses and entrepreneurs can request grants or low-interest loans to help promote development in the city.

In 2012, Hillsboro joined a cooperative agreement in all sports with Central Valley School in rural Buxton.

The city of Hillsboro operates a large park on the north side of town.

For many years, there was also a group of deer living in a penned in area of the park, though they no longer reside there.

Railroad Park has become an area of focused improvement by the City Commission, with projects planned to revitalize this green space.

The Banner has been published continuously since 1879, making it the oldest weekly newspaper in the state of North Dakota.

The BNSF Railway, eventual successor to the Great Northern, continues to maintain tracks in Hillsboro that see a variety of freight trains every day as well as Amtrak's Empire Builder, which passes through without stopping in the early morning hours.

However, residents have to travel either to Grand Forks or Fargo in order to take regularly scheduled flights to major airports.