How is ND for special needs? (Fargo, Bismarck: rent, how much, homes)

[crimson007]

My husband & I have been looking to relocate for some time now, but are taking our time in choosing an area. ND has been on our radar for some time now, and is very tempting, but we have concerns. We live in PA in a small town of around 2000 people, we like small towns in general, neither of us are 'big city' type of people. What has attracted us to ND are the cost of homes, my husband would like to do some farming and he hunts as well, and we were amazed at what you can buy for little money.

Also it appears that most of the state has very good schools. I think I read somewhere that there is a greater average of high school graduates than most places. Some of the small towns we have looked up online appear almost 'Norman Rockwell' in setting. Not sure if that's the case, but they look very friendly, peaceful etc.


We have 3 children age 12 and under, and our youngest has Autism. Where we are now he goes to a special preschool (he's 4) but other than that doesn't get much in the way of services..we had tried a few agencies but no luck. Most of the work we do with him, we do ourselves, but I do want him to be able to have a good school for down the road. So, just wondering if anyone knows about services for children w/disabilities in ND. Also wondering how accepting would people be...
Will it be a problem if we choose a rural location?

Also there's the cold issue..it gets cold here in PA, but not in the negative digits like it does there. How much money is spent on heat during the cold months?

Also not sure about jobs there..my husband is a maintenance mechanic working in NJ and makes good money for our area, but he's never home and that is part of why we want to move also..for more quality family time.
If anyone has any input I would be most grateful, these forums seem to be a great place to gather info! Thanks in advance!

~amy

[crimson007]

Anyone? Really looking for some input =)

[fourwinds]

Originally Posted by crimson007

My husband & I have been looking to relocate for some time now, but are taking our time in choosing an area. ND has been on our radar for some time now, and is very tempting, but we have concerns. We live in PA in a small town of around 2000 people, we like small towns in general, neither of us are 'big city' type of people. What has attracted us to ND are the cost of homes, my husband would like to do some farming and he hunts as well, and we were amazed at what you can buy for little money.

Also it appears that most of the state has very good schools. I think I read somewhere that there is a greater average of high school graduates than most places. Some of the small towns we have looked up online appear almost 'Norman Rockwell' in setting. Not sure if that's the case, but they look very friendly, peaceful etc.


We have 3 children age 12 and under, and our youngest has Autism. Where we are now he goes to a special preschool (he's 4) but other than that doesn't get much in the way of services..we had tried a few agencies but no luck. Most of the work we do with him, we do ourselves, but I do want him to be able to have a good school for down the road. So, just wondering if anyone knows about services for children w/disabilities in ND. Also wondering how accepting would people be...
Will it be a problem if we choose a rural location?

Also there's the cold issue..it gets cold here in PA, but not in the negative digits like it does there. How much money is spent on heat during the cold months?

Also not sure about jobs there..my husband is a maintenance mechanic working in NJ and makes good money for our area, but he's never home and that is part of why we want to move also..for more quality family time.
If anyone has any input I would be most grateful, these forums seem to be a great place to gather info! Thanks in advance!
~amy

Generally, in larger ND cities, help for students with autism would be first rate. In small towns, there is a requirement to help, but transportation time and shared special education with other local districts may limit interaction time. Contact a prospective district to know what the options/issues are before you move there: small school districts would be very accommodating to your questions, as most need students. Also, ask the school district what the school age population is projected to be in 10 years. Many rural districts are facing closure over the next decade because of declining populations: due to school consolidation, busing in some areas can be as much as an hour each way. Here's a listing of school districts:

School District Profile Home

I would first concentrate on finding a position and then verifying that the school districts nearby could offer the specialized help before accepting.

Job Service North Dakota

Do you have ideas on where you would like to settle? In most smaller towns, most of the mechanical work is more related to farm equipment (diesel tractors, combines etc). A maintenance mechanic in ND can expect to make significantly less money than one in NJ. Growth areas in rural ND that need workers that are mechanically skilled: oil (Dickinson - Williston areas), coal (Underwood, Beulah, Hazen, Washburn, Wilton, Stanton, Center), corn to ethanol conversion (Williston, again, Underwood, Spiritwood (near Jamestown), western Cass County, another east of Dickinson), wind turbines (Langdon, Wilton, more to come), soybean/sunflower crushing (Northwood, Enderlin). The oil industry is often not family friendly and housing is often more expensive without longer commutes.

As far as heating, ensure whatever home you buy or rent has ample insulation and preferably triple pane windows, and with a roof that extends several feet outside the sides of the house.

If you do move out here, your husband's skills should provide a number of options, even if the first position is not to his liking. The Missouri River area between Bismarck and Minot might be to your liking: less humid than the east, more economic diversity, good hunting and fishing.

[jwmn]

I don't know about special needs, but I would expect that the bigger cities would be better. You might want to consider a small town that is near one of the bigger cities. One good example is Casselton, which has about 2,000 people and is just 20 miles from Fargo.

I live just outside of Fargo, and I spend about $1000 per year to heat my 1350 sq foot home.

[crimson007]

Thank you guys so much, I still have a lot of research to do, but have gotten some great links and places to start, whereas before I was kind of blindly searching.
My husband works on printing press equipment currently, but he is pretty handy..not sure if he would qualify for any of those industries or not but will have him look into it.
Will post more as ?'s come up.

[fourwinds]

Originally Posted by crimson007

Thank you guys so much, I still have a lot of research to do, but have gotten some great links and places to start, whereas before I was kind of blindly searching.
My husband works on printing press equipment currently, but he is pretty handy..not sure if he would qualify for any of those industries or not but will have him look into it.
Will post more as ?'s come up.

If he works in the printing industry, contact Forum Communications in Fargo (publish a number of papers in ND) or the paper in Bismarck, Minot. Also, there are consolidated printers that print a number of small town newspapers.

[Superbecky79]

Bismarck is wonderful for autistic individuals! And you can live in the country and still be within a 10-30 minute drive!

[meggo]

I am a native of Jamestown, ND and a practicing social worker. In regards to special needs...Jamestown has the Anne Carlson Center for Children. The Center has a newly designed and built autism unit. As I am unaware of the functioning level of your child...I would look into what type of services they are able to supply you with. Jamestown also has a few agencies that offer supported living and respte services.

Just an idea....

[cutlassman]

Jamestown discriminates against anyone who isn't like them. If you have a mental illness, disability, your best to stay out of the town of Jamestown ND.

[Corbay]

Jamestown discriminates against anyone who isn't like them. If you have a mental illness, disability, your best to stay out of the town of Jamestown ND.

You obviously don't know diddly about Jamestown. This community STRONGLY supports the Anne Carlson Center, it's employees, and clients. A ton of money is raised locally for it, and accommodations are made at all most all buildings / venues in Jamestown.