Ashley, ND? (Fargo, Bismarck, Grand Forks: transplants, for sale, rent)

[Ant]

I'm considering moving my family from Silicon Valley to Ashley, ND. The rent here is getting to be a bit much, and since I now work from home on the internet, it doesn't make sense for me to live where the cost of living is so high. I'd like to buy an inexpensive house in a rural small town, and Ashley seems to have what I'm looking for.

We lived in Chicago before moving to California, and like the cold, so that shouldn't be an issue (yeah I know it gets a bit colder up there than in Chicago, but that's ok). We mostly keep to ourselves, and do most of our shopping online, so there isn't really anything we would miss about city life.

Anyone here familiar with this area of North Dakota? Or think there's a better area to look into?

Thanks in advance.

[DaninEGF]

Hi....

I work for the Natl Weather Service in Grand Forks and I can tell you a little about the general weather in the area, and having travelled in that part of the state tell you a little about it. I have never been to the town, although I did see that have a nice city web site (which you have probably already looked at).

That area of North Dakota (McIntosh county) is strongly farm/agricultural oriented and heavily of German heritage...hence some town names in the county such as Zeeland. You would be about equal distance between Bismarck and Aberdeen....perhaps easier to get to Aberdeen than Bismarck road wise. Bismarck would have more bigger town services such as Sams Club which just opened up. The area is rolling hills....not completely flat, but rolling hills and few natural trees.

Weather wise, that area is often on the border between the wetter eastern side of ND and the drier western part of the state (west of the Missouri). They tend to loose their snowcover most winters and do warm up in winter more frequently that where I live in northeastern ND. It can be hot in the summer for brief periods...with 100 not uncommon every other summer. Severe winter cold (-25 and lower) will not tend to last long either. Expect quite varied temps/weather day to day as is often the case in the Plains. Wind usually blows. Snowfall is not that heavy usually with seasonal totals not too different than Chicago....but the time period when you can get snow is longer usually Nov 1 to Apr 1.

FYI....North Dakota DOT has several wind/temp sensors scattered throughout the state. There is one at Wishek ND in McIntosh county just northwest of Ashley. There is even a web camera installed on this sensor which can give you an excellent idea of what it looks like as you think about the move. You can also click on Atmospheric History to get current temperature and wind, among other things. I will post the link to the web cam from this site below...I am not sure if the moderators will allow the link to be posted, so if it is not there, just google SCAN web North Dakota DOT and you should come to the main ND SCAN web page.

http://rwis.dot.nd.gov/scanweb/SWFra...atus=&Camera=1

Good luck...You will find people in small towns all through the dakotas to be friendly and welcoming to new families. You might have to make the first approach though as many folks in this part of the country tend to mind themselves.

Dan

[Baby Dumpling]

I live very close to Ashley and have visited there several times. It is quite a way off the main highways and would be a very long drive, at least 1 1/2 hours, just to get to a decent-sized grocery store or Walmart. In my opinion, Ashley does not have very much appeal. When you first move to an area like this, you are excited about small-town living. But after a short time you start to really miss some of the advantages a larger town. I would suggest looking at towns such as Gwinner and Lisbon. They are small towns, but have more charm, activities, available work, stores and restaurants, etc. You will still have the privacy, safety and small town appeal, but a more attractive area. If you are still thinking of a town like Ashley, make sure you take the time to visit before making any final decisions.

A word about North Dakota in general. We love living here. We are transplants from Minneapolis, so we are used to the weather challenges. One important thing that we discovered about this plains region is that the snow will blow and drift over the roads making travel dangerous and sometimes impossible. During the winter months we rarely travel outstate and stay right in town anytime it is snowing. We once became stranded in a snowstorm while returning home to ND from Minneapolis. The temperature was forty below, the roads were impassable, and we were lucky to find a motel where we could stay for the three days that it took for them to clear the roads. We decided then to never again take a chance - it could mean your life. I hope this will help in your decision!

[lin2a]

Originally Posted by Ant

I'm considering moving my family from Silicon Valley to Ashley, ND. The rent here is getting to be a bit much, and since I now work from home on the internet, it doesn't make sense for me to live where the cost of living is so high. I'd like to buy an inexpensive house in a rural small town, and Ashley seems to have what I'm looking for.

We lived in Chicago before moving to California, and like the cold, so that shouldn't be an issue (yeah I know it gets a bit colder up there than in Chicago, but that's ok). We mostly keep to ourselves, and do most of our shopping online, so there isn't really anything we would miss about city life.

Anyone here familiar with this area of North Dakota? Or think there's a better area to look into?

Thanks in advance.

I have a lot for sale in Ashley, N.D. if you are interested in purchasing and building your own modern farm house. If you are interested let me know and I will give you more info. Linda

[DDog]

I am from that area, and Ashley would be a great place to live. Most of the businesses on Main Streets have been remodeled or are new, making it an attractive business center. For variety shops it has a coffee house, a nice size resturant(Wedesdays is German night!), a consignment shop, a bar & grill (serving steak, seafood, etc), a day spa, bowling alley, and a floral & gift shop.

Ashley has a beautiful 9-hole grass green golf course and two city parks. Hoskins Lake, located three miles west of town provides excellent fishing, boating, and skiing as well as fine camping facilities. This area is known for its excellent hunting and fishing with seven more lakes in the area.

In terms of health care, the town has a hospital with two clinics and a board certified surgeon. They also have a dentist, chiropractor, and optometrist.

Cost of living is low, and major cities of population of 25,000 to 60,000 is only 80 to 120 miles away on principal highways. This town welcomes entrepreneurs and innovation and has a few individual internet and computer businesses. Ashley is good place to move and raise a family.

[txdreams]

My dad grew up in Ashley and I have visited there. Ashley is a beautiful town. There are infact in response to the top comment on this page, many stores around. It has good schools and beautiful scenery. A wonderful place for a family.

[TravisW]

That's one thing to be said for small towns that aren't immediately near a larger urban area---they tend to have a lot more local businesses than direct satellite communities. I've been through Ashley once, about 10 years ago. Nice little town. Lots of German or German/Russian folk there.

[3-Oaks]

As someone else replied, it's 1 1/2 - 2 hours to Aberdeen or Bismarck if you want any sort of national chain store. There is 1 bar (has great food), and nightlife consists of bowling & dart tournaments. Main outdoor activities are hunting, fishing and some golf.

If I remember correctly, the population is around 800 and it's the largest town in the area. Housing costs and cost of living are low, but then, there's no much to spend your money on. Houses will tend to be older. I did look & the website shows only 15 building permits (any sort of building...could be house, garage, storage shed, or maybe not a new building but to re-shingle or put in new windows on an existing house, etc.) issued in the past 10 years.

If you're from a BIG city, this may be a bit *tooooo* small and out in the middle of no-where for you. Don't get me wrong, it's a nice little town (emphasize *LITTLE*), but not many people are happy in towns this small unless you were born & raised in a small town or grew up on a farm & this is your first in-town experience.

Personally, I think you'd be much happier in a bigger town such as Valley City (pop 7000), Jamestown (pop 14-15,000), etc. Valley City is 45-50 minutes to Fargo and there are quite a few people who commute to work in Fargo!

There are only 6 or 7 towns in the whole state with over 15,000 pop.

Ellendale-1600 pop, Lisbon-2300, Oakes-2000, are larger towns that are still in the south part of the state if that was part of what you were looking for. These towns also have the same drawback as Ashley of having to go to Bismarck, Aberdeen, or Fargo for anything other than very basic shopping. Other towns in the 1000-2000 range are Cooperstown-1100, Harvey-2000, Hillsboro-1600 (and only 1/2 hour from either Fargo or Grand Forks!), Mayville 2000, Larimore-1400. Of these, Ellendale, Valley City, Jamestown, & Mayville all have colleges.

Good luck with your move & keep us posted as to what/where you decide.

[khmarbut]

my dad was from ashley n.d . i went there once in 71 nice little town..the familey name is Bertsch. do any of you know them the grandfathers name was samuel

[jtur88]

Get yourself a pair of binoculars and a field guide, and take up birdwatching. The birdlife arouind Ashley is abundant and varied. Birdwatchers from all over the US think that is a wonderful part of the country.