Fargo: What's the catch? (Bismarck, Grand Forks: 2014, crime, how much)

[parrotheadmomma]

Originally Posted by FunkyMonk

It is very, very, very cold.

This may or may not be a bad thing to you. But Fargo felt like it had a very conservative, fundamentalist Christian vibe to me. I didn't like it.

Some people might consider it boring. Depending on what you're looking for.

So how would you say the people of Fargo might respond to non christians or atheists? It sounds like they wouldn't be welcomed from what I've heard from others?

[FunkyMonk]

Originally Posted by parrotheadmomma

So how would you say the people of Fargo might respond to non christians or atheists? It sounds like they wouldn't be welcomed from what I've heard from others?

I don't think you would be welcomed too well. Fargo is a very, very American-Christian city with an intense American-Christian culture. I would call it a fundamentalist Christian atmosphere. I don't think Fargo would be too great of a place to live if you are not in this category.

But if you're willing to deal with it and ready for some culture shock. Go for it.

[greatmuta]

I lived in ND 5 years and am moving back this year. I'm as far from christian as a person can be and I never experienced any problems whatsoever living up there. I never felt any of the bigger cities like Fargo or Grand Forks had a religious or fundamentalist feeling to them at all. But a lot of the small towns in ND have that vibe of course. I actually don't ever remember hearing anyone talk about religion up there. But maybe that's just because of the crowd i hang with.

[FunkyMonk]

Originally Posted by greatmuta

I lived in ND 5 years and am moving back this year. I'm as far from christian as a person can be and I never experienced any problems whatsoever living up there. I never felt any of the bigger cities like Fargo or Grand Forks had a religious or fundamentalist feeling to them at all. But a lot of the small towns in ND have that vibe of course. I actually don't ever remember hearing anyone talk about religion up there. But maybe that's just because of the crowd i hang with.

It depends where you lived before it and what you are used to. Everything is relative.

The religion is not in your face there, and they don't preach to you or anything like that. And you will not run into any "problems". But I would say that the vast majority of the people there are hardcore Christians. And it shows in the conservative lifestyle and culture even though people don't openly talk about it.

And if you are a really liberal type. You will encounter some bad vibes. You will not be let into a lot of social circles. You have to conform to fit in.

Anyway, it's North Dakota......

It's no secret, Fargo is a conservative Christian city. It isn't really a good or a bad thing. It just is what it is.

[dutchinnd]

But Fargo is most definitely not overwhelmingly fundamentalist--Mainline Christianity is a large presence in the community, but not fundamentalism. Three out of the ten largest Lutheran (ELCA) congregations in the US are in Fargo-Moorhead. Yes, on any given sabbath (Friday night/Saturday/Sunday), over 50% of the populace may be attending a place of worship, but there is a wide variety of walks of faith present.
Some may seem that as conservative or constrictive. I think that it also played a part in the outpouring of caring for one's neighbor that we've seen in the last ten days.

[Reziac]

Originally Posted by dutchinnd

But Fargo is most definitely not overwhelmingly fundamentalist--Mainline Christianity is a large presence in the community, but not fundamentalism. Three out of the ten largest Lutheran (ELCA) congregations in the US are in Fargo-Moorhead. Yes, on any given sabbath (Friday night/Saturday/Sunday), over 50% of the populace may be attending a place of worship, but there is a wide variety of walks of faith present.
Some may seem that as conservative or constrictive. I think that it also played a part in the outpouring of caring for one's neighbor that we've seen in the last ten days.

One thing about Lutheran communities, they tend to be fairly tolerant, possibly because the Lutheran philosophy is more about ordinary life and ordinary neighbour-helping-neighbour as it is about religion, and it is NOT about condemning those who don't believe the same as WE do. So you'll hear "Hi, how are ya, have a cup of coffee, want to come to choral practice with me??" Anyone who is a well-behaved person in general is welcome, even if they're not a Christian at all. People might talk, but people always talk, so that's nothing different.

I was raised Lutheran, and later became an atheist... but I'd still be comfortable walking into a Lutheran gathering. So long as I behaved like a reasonable person, no one would condemn or try to convert me.

[soundman]

Compared to Bismarck, Fargo is a craphole. Fargo has nothing on Bismarck except that it's closer to Minneapolis. Traffic in Fargo sucks. In Bismarck, you can be just about anywhere in 15 minutes from anywhere else in town even during "rush" hour. Fargo is a little bigger than Bismarck and they also have more riff-raff. I lived in Fargo for a while and couldn't stand it. It's a small town with a big city attitude that just doesn't fit. There are no "big" cities in North Dakota and that's fine by me. I've lived in some big cities including Philadelphia, San Diego and Honolulu.

[been_travelin]

Originally Posted by aseattlite

I was thinking if I could handle Chicago-like winter, I'd be able to adjust to ND. Could you give me a sense of what the ND cold is like without me visiting?

I adjusted pretty good. Take the water out of the air. Imagine as soon as you walk outside and take that first breath, you get that gust of frozen air in your lungs, but everytime you breathe.....
My truck was dead, frozen solid for 3 entire days. Frozen. Its not the same as Chicago.

[FargoBison]

Originally Posted by FunkyMonk

I don't think you would be welcomed too well. Fargo is a very, very American-Christian city with an intense American-Christian culture. I would call it a fundamentalist Christian atmosphere. I don't think Fargo would be too great of a place to live if you are not in this category.

But if you're willing to deal with it and ready for some culture shock. Go for it.

I've always thought Fargo was pretty progressive compared to the rest of the region. I don't think I have ever viewed the community as fundamentalist, christian yes but people for most part are pretty laid back around here.

[rzacher]

Fargo and North Dakota in general are NOT parts of the Bible Belt. There is still church going amd church activity involvement here that is relatively higher then other parts of the country. But there is no question that people here who want none of that, or perhaps some of that involvement, are left alone. Residents here are able to make those religious decisions for themselves with very little external pressure or outside influence.

Fargo is not a "craphole," as was said above by soundman in #27. Fargo is a medium sized city with a highly rated quality of life. That said, I am partial to the north end of Fargo which has older, more established neighborhoods. North Fargo also has a more green and leafy and laid back ambiance than the newer south end of town. The south end of Fargo has expanded more rapidly, and it also has more traffic hustle and less greenery than I prefer.