Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hello yall, I have been flipping through this forum for a while, and have learned the basics about ND and bismarck through online research and a few friends up there. I accepted a great position in Bismarck and will be moving there in ~2 weeks. Here are my concerns-
-Size. Omaha metro area is about 1.2 million (I believe) while the Bismarck "metro area" (if it could be called that) from what I have read is about 100,000. I really enjoy the nightlife of omaha, including hip-hop clubs, raves, gay bars (even though I'm straight, there still fun) the college world series, major concerts on often and regular basis. I have seen that bismarck does occasionally get a major band in town, better than most towns of it's size, but not much variety and totally irregular times.I am a classically trained chef and have worked in french kitchens all my life, and while the food scene here is ever-changing and exciting, i know nothing about the food scene in Bismarck. I just can't seem to find any information, and my connections said there really isnt much work being done by young chefs, or well-established venues.
-Shopping. I personally don't really care but my wife is a shopaholic. She enjoys the Coach stores as well as the Louis Vutton store. Von maur, Nordstrom and Sax fifth ave are stores we have here and i'm not sure which of those you guys have. I am truly clueless on this subject.
-Proximity to larger cities. Maybe a couple times a year we get restless and want to get to a city that has more going on than Omaha. Kansas City is the big one but St. Louis and Chicago are both easy drives. It looks like the closest major city to Bismarck is Minneapolis, a city that despite it's size is kind of bland.
I have only lived here in Omaha as well as in Chicago and a (thankfully brief) stay in Minneapolis. I have never lived in a small town, so moving to bismarck is frightening. Is there an active, exciting entertainment/arts district? (something like Old market, near-south side, Midtown crossing, NoDo in case there are any transplants out there).
As i write this i realize my only fear is living in a small town as opposed to a major city. The appeal of small town living, ie no traffic, free parking, slower lifestyle, just do not spark an interest in me...I'm a city guy through-and-through. I'm sorry if i came off as condescending at all, it's just that I dont know anything about smaller places and I'm truly intimidated by the bleakness of remote locations, as well as the blandness I hear about north dakota. Thanks for any information.
Last edited by rjchris66; 05-15-2012 at 06:40 PM..
Yeah... That's probably it. Bismarck has a feel somewhere between Grand Island and Lincoln. The shopping and arts are more like GI, though, than Lincoln. (And ND's capital building is downright ugly. I remember the first time we saw it, we honestly thought it was part of the pen! lol)
Frankly, I like Bismarck. If I had to settle in a city, it would be my second choice, only behind Rapid City, SD. I'd settle on the Mandan side, though, just because I'm happiest the further away from crowds I can be.
Minneapolis is your nearest "big city" but if you were thankful to leave, I'm thinking you're not going to be particularly happy in Bismarck...
What takes you there, anyway? That is, is this a specialized type of job?
Bismarck is slightly bigger than Grand Island as another poster stated.
Most of the basic chains (Wal-Mart, Lowe's, Olive Garden, McDonald's, Target, JC Penney, Kohl's, etc.) and Kirkwood Mall are here.
The nearest cities are Minneapolis/St. Paul (6 hour drive east on I-94) and Denver (10 hour drive) with flight service being offered to those cities. Winnipeg is a 6 hour drive if you can get past the US/Canada border security.
The closest thing to a "club" is Borrowed Bucks Roadhouse. Grand Forks and Fargo, which feel more like Lincoln than Bismarck, have more of a nightlife (which are still miniscule compared to Omaha) from the large universities.
Most of the tours going through ND land in Fargo with occasional major bands landing in Bismarck, Grand Forks and the state fair in Minot. Bismarck's scenery is great, the hospitals and the schools are decent.
There is no traffic like there is in a city. It takes the same amount of time to get somewhere regardless of the time of day. You can drive across town within 15 minutes. Here, "traffic" is getting stuck at the same stop light twice.
I have lived in Denver, Minneapolis and Atlanta. Sure, the pace of life is very different but personally, I like it. I won't lie, it took some time to adjust but I find it quite a nice place now.
He didn't really ask any questions, he just stated that he's gonna hate it.
Doomed to fail with that attitude. Better luck on your next relocation.
Ummmmm, me thinks the same thing.
The op is moving from Omaha NEBRASKA to Bismarck NORTH DAKOTA - it's not like he's coming from Tuscany or Kenya for crying out loud - a move like that might involve some actual 'culture shock', but from Neb to ND ?
The op is moving from Omaha NEBRASKA to Bismarck NORTH DAKOTA - it's not like he's coming from Tuscany or Kenya for crying out loud - a move like that might involve some actual 'culture shock', but from Neb to ND ?
North Dakota to Nebraska won't be the shock. Shoot, even the weather won't be much more than the OP is used to.
The shock is going to be going from a metro area of around 1 million people to a small city of 60K. And he's already said he's a city-guy through and through.
It's going to be an adjustment.
How about talking to the op instead of talking about the op?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
(And ND's capital building is downright ugly. I remember the first time we saw it, we honestly thought it was part of the pen! lol)
?
