Moving to Dickinson-will we fit in? Also, kinds of bugs? (Williston: house, scorpions)

[ladida4]

So we are in AZ and husband was laid off from his regular job almost a year ago, found a part time job and we've barely been making it. He got a job offer in Dickinson and plans to go up by himself for awhile, see how it goes and if we can make the transition with our family. I am white--have a law degree and will have an MA in English by the time we move, husband is Pacific Islander, we have been married over 20 years, have 6 kids. We are faithful, religious "Mormons". Are kids are very much involved with performing arts, volleyball and football. I am wondering if we will fit in. It seems like the locals do not want new families moving in. Will there be prejudice toward our mixed heritage family? Our religion?

Also, what types of bugs are there? We considered a move to Hawaii at one point, but I can't do it because of the centipedes, giant spiders and big, flying cockroaches.

I've never been to that part of the country and am just wondering if it'll work out.

[Norsk/Deutsch/Polska]

Originally Posted by ladida4

So we are in AZ and husband was laid off from his regular job almost a year ago, found a part time job and we've barely been making it. He got a job offer in Dickinson and plans to go up by himself for awhile, see how it goes and if we can make the transition with our family. I am white--have a law degree and will have an MA in English by the time we move, husband is Pacific Islander, we have been married over 20 years, have 6 kids. We are faithful, religious "Mormons". Are kids are very much involved with performing arts, volleyball and football. I am wondering if we will fit in. It seems like the locals do not want new families moving in. Will there be prejudice toward our mixed heritage family? Our religion?

Also, what types of bugs are there? We considered a move to Hawaii at one point, but I can't do it because of the centipedes, giant spiders and big, flying cockroaches.

I've never been to that part of the country and am just wondering if it'll work out.

In my opinion, you're not going to have any problem fitting in here in N.D.. I haven't heard of any race issues, there are a pretty wide variety of people here. There are Mormons here as well - so I don't think that will be an issue. I don't know what religion most people are - unless they tell me, and even if they do, I don't really care, that's their business, not mine .

Not sure where you got the idea that "locals do not want new families moving in" - would you care to explain that further?

We have run of the mill bugs, wide variety of spiders, some very small, some average size, but not the big monsterous types other areas have. In my area of the state we don't have cockroaches, but I don't know about Dickinson. We have mosquitos, mostly just annoying, but certain species can carry West Nile Virus.

[Cinj]

And woodticks. Don't forget about woodticks

[Norsk/Deutsch/Polska]

Originally Posted by Cinj

And woodticks. Don't forget about woodticks

NO kidding! How could I forget those! Since we are having such a nice warm-up, I'm guessing the wood ticks will be out soon, if they aren't already .

[ladida4]

How embarrassing for an English MA candidate! I meant "our kids" not "are kids"! I was about to write something else, but changed gears and forgot to edit. That was a typo and not a lack of knowledge.

Thanks for the insights. Reading other postings on this website gave me the idea that locals are not thrilled with all the new people moving in. I'm not knocking them. Most Arizonans in the Phoenix area have not exactly been pleased to see the rapid decline of our area with the huge influx of newcomers. However, ours are destitute illegal immigrants. I hope the same thing doesn't happen there in ND.

The wood ticks are a bit scary! I went to Youtube and watched a video of a kid with a wood tick on his scalp. Are they only outside, or do they infest homes?

[JanND]

Stay away from trees. Watch for rattlesnakes if you are in the Badlands. Mountain lions, Wolves, Don't go near Buffalo...They will charge you. For that matter so will range cattle....lol You'll be fine, just be safe.

[Broncogirl]

Originally Posted by ladida4

How embarrassing for an English MA candidate! I meant "our kids" not "are kids"! I was about to write something else, but changed gears and forgot to edit. That was a typo and not a lack of knowledge.

Thanks for the insights. Reading other postings on this website gave me the idea that locals are not thrilled with all the new people moving in. I'm not knocking them. Most Arizonans in the Phoenix area have not exactly been pleased to see the rapid decline of our area with the huge influx of newcomers. However, ours are destitute illegal immigrants. I hope the same thing doesn't happen there in ND.

The wood ticks are a bit scary! I went to Youtube and watched a video of a kid with a wood tick on his scalp. Are they only outside, or do they infest homes?

LOL, it's okay, I'm sure you don't have a daughter that corrects your grammar nonstop.

Ticks can be a pest if they are thick with conditions being right for them, like mostly areas of tall grass, trees, but they don't infest your house like roaches or carpet beatles at all. A person might bring them in from outdoors and same with pets, but not on their own free will.

It's not that locals don't want new families moving in, but it's the total lack of infrastructure, greed, and how run down everything is getting that makes some people wish it was like it used to be.

[Roloff1976]

Don't you have rattle snakes and scorpions in Arizona? lol I think I would be more nervous moving to AZ than ND as far as bugs and reptiles. We do have rattlesnake in ND, but pretty much isolated to the rougher terrains like the badlans. Rock piles also tend to attract rattlers. Mosquito's are probably the biggest nuisance. The closer you are to standing water, the worse they are. Williston is notorious for the pety little bugs because of the location along the missouri/yellowstone/little muddy rivers. Lots of swamp and backwater areas for them to produce and flourish. But, one nice thing about WINTER in ND. No bugs for a few months.

[Cinj]

ND actually has a very large and diverse population of insects, reptiles and amphibians considering our harsh winters. Sorry but I'm a bit of geek on the topic and I think they are fascinating. If the concern over them is a health issue - Mosquitos can carry West Nile Virus, I believe there were 4 confirmed cases here last year - deer ticks can carry Lyme Disease, 33 cases in 2010 - if you are allergic to bees carry your pen, bees are abundant - we do have black widow and brown recluse spiders but incidents are rare. We have rattlesnakes and scorpions but they are generally not a problem if you take precautions, also bites/stings are rarely fatal but hurt like hell. About the only bugs that are apt to infest your home long term are wheat weevils and bed bugs - which are on the rise recently.
Now if the issue is more of a phobic nature... might want to rethink ND lol. In fact I don't know where one would reside outside of a plastic bubble

[ladida4]

In AZ, we do have big sewer roaches (that occasionally find their way inside and CAN become a problem), scorpions (only in certain areas--I've lived here for 40 years and never saw one until we moved to one particular house--which we moved out of after a year because I couldn't sleep for fear one would drop on me from the ceiling while in bed--they seem to enjoy that tactic), rattlesnakes (but not in town, I've never seen one!), black widow spiders (mostly outside in storage rooms, etc., I may have seen two or three inside in 40 yrs) and the usual: ants, bees, crickets, mosquitos, etc. (which I can deal with even if they get into the house) Yes, I do have a phobia for certain kinds of bugs--the ones that can infest a house and that either sting or are disgusting (roaches, scorpions). Thanks for your help!