texas boy and his family want out!!! (Fargo, Bismarck: rentals, how much)

[texasboy]

Thanks for reading this post. My wife and our 2 young sons are wanting to escape the heat and big city life. We currently own and operate an Outdoor Retail store, guns, hunting, fishing, shooting range etc.... and are in the process of selling out. We would like to move to the Dakotas simply beacause we want a better life for our sons. The area we live in now has grown so much it is not the small country life I was raised in. Does anyone know if I could find work in the outdoor/hunting/firearms industry or anything else for that matter. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated as we are needing to do something pretty quick. Thanks again.

[DaninEGF]

Hi

I live in the Grand Forks ND area (ND/MN border) and yes there is such a demand for hunting/outdoor skills/firearm training, etc. As with much of the midwest, hunting, fishing, etc is a big way of life. I personally do not hunt, but many do and many local school districts let off school for the first day of deer hunting season (firearm hunting), which begins in early November I believe. Bow hunting already is going on. The lakes of North Dakota and northern Minnesota are in the path of many migratory birds and the fall season provides excellent bird hunting and the deer population has been growing by leaps and bounds over the years. Much of ND and northern MN are rural...while the largest towns are growing such as Fargo, Grand Forks, Bismarck, Bemidji, Minot and Williston, outside of these areas it will likely remain very rural just due to weather factors alone. That said, it mainly boils down to how rural do you want and how much of the cold you can stand in the winter. There are certainly many places to choose from. You will find the general populace very open to hunting, fishing, etc activities as it provides quite a bit of money to rural towns. Granted out of state hunters coming in and taking away from resident hunting spots and licenses is another story.

any more specific I would be more than happy to help out.

[texasboy]

Thank you so much for your reply. We would like to live in a very rural area if we could. It is so hard to make a living in a rural area though. You mentioned that there is a demand for people with my skills. What demand might that be and do you know any places that I might check into for employment? My wife and I want the best for our children and want them to have that small town way of life. I benefited from it and I hope they can too. As far as the weather goes. It really dosent matter, we are willing to adapt to anything. Thanks again so much for your help.

[DaninEGF]

Hi

I re-read your initial message again....as for employment in the hunting/outdoors, etc area kind of tough to say where to look as not personally familiar with opportunities in that area. Devils Lake ND is a very big area for fishing as Devils Lake itself has risen to record levels in past years and fishing has been great there. It attracts lots and lots of people summer and in winter....ice fishing is popular. I do know there are private fishing guides that will take people on the lake and he makes a living doing that. And there are some resorts in the DVL area as well that might have employment opportunities in the Devils Lake area. Also, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Agency hires people as well, that is a U.S. government job and I am sure the state of ND has similar people as well. But overall maybe somebody else on the board knows more about employment ideas or check on the web some of the resorts in the Devils Lake or state/national fish and wildlife agencies up here for more info and make some calls for info.

As for finding a place to live...pretty much most of the state is rural so it is like throwing a dart at a map. Much will depend on any job prospects. The best fishing is around Devils Lake area and in what the call the "pothole" area where there is small numerous lakes which includes areas from Devils Lake southward to Jamestown to Aberdeen SD. My best bet for towns to live...pops below 5,000 but above 1,000 would be Rugby ND, Ellendale ND, Valley City ND, and anywhere in between. Enough large towns for some services but very rural in between where you can find a house a farmer wants to sell, but yet the farmer will keep the land around it to farm. My in-laws live south of Minot, in the middle of nowhere, and people farm the land around him but he owns enough land for a "hobby farm". How to find such places may be tough, through local realtors, etc. Again being a rural area probably web searches will not help much.

I this helps some...but maybe someone out there knows more specifics about your field for employment. For areas to live, there is lots of rural space to choose from. The coldest part of ND is that Devils Lake region northward to Canadian border....where you can expect several days of below zero weather for both highs and lows along with wind....

good luck....if I can be of help with anything specific let me know. Most places have chamber of commerce, etc places to help out.

[dorshirlynn]

Were in texas and were thanking of moving there?

Im in the big city and Its disappearing fast the country atmosphere. we want to go to rural North Dakota as well and take our business there to.

were starting our research and trying to figure if this is a good move.

[VWfamily]

You can check out the north dakota game and fish site to see if they need help, game wardens live in all parts of the state. I think the site is www.gf.nd.gov or you might try www.discoverND.com

[chester]

Some really good jobs open in the oil industry in Williston area. Halliburton, Schlumberger, and Sanjel, Amerada Hess, etc... Sanjel is actually building a 15million Oil service center. The area is very rural and hunting, fishing runs in the blood in those parts. But...housing is hard to find in Williston right now. They are building houses as fast as they can...rentals have a waiting list up to 6months to a year...but they are opening a new trailer court at end of October.

[wendyb]

My husband and I recently moved to Williston from Fargo, ND. This is my hometown and we moved after our daughter was born. The educational system in Williston is second-to-none, the people are friendly, and it is a terrific place to raise children. The drawback is the lack of housing. We had a house built and it was an 18-month process. A friend of mine had a home manufactured in Canada and had it moved to their lot, ready to move into. This may be an option as most of the local contractors are swamped right now. Oilfield jobs are plentiful, as are "supportive income" jobs...i.e. food services, bank tellers, retail, etc. We're very happy with our move and the quality of life for families is terrific.

[Dakota Girl]

Originally Posted by texasboy

Thanks for reading this post. My wife and our 2 young sons are wanting to escape the heat and big city life. We currently own and operate an Outdoor Retail store, guns, hunting, fishing, shooting range etc.... and are in the process of selling out. We would like to move to the Dakotas simply beacause we want a better life for our sons. The area we live in now has grown so much it is not the small country life I was raised in. Does anyone know if I could find work in the outdoor/hunting/firearms industry or anything else for that matter. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated as we are needing to do something pretty quick. Thanks again.

Texas Boy, just wanted to let you know that you are very welcome to move to North Dakota. I am a community economic developer and we need families such as yours, with children and people with some skills. We have a very low unemployment rate, especially in the rural communities, and there are a variety of jobs that may fit some of your skills set. You can also purchase a house in many of the rural communities for about 1/4 of what you would be paying elsewhere for the same house. The community that I represent is also located in an Empowerment Zone, so there are some options to help with moving expenses, and helping get established. Please feel free to email me back if you are interested. We are only about 50 miles or so from the Devil's Lake area and in prime hunting and fishing country. Good luck with your decision, and I hope to hear from you soon.

[Dakota Girl]

Originally Posted by dorshirlynn

Were in texas and were thanking of moving there?

Im in the big city and Its disappearing fast the country atmosphere. we want to go to rural North Dakota as well and take our business there to.

were starting our research and trying to figure if this is a good move.

Dorshirlynn, I replied to Texas Boy, and would like to share the same information with you. If you are interested in a quality rural place, I would urge you to consider one of our rural North Dakota communities. We have a very low unemployment rate, and if you have job skills, there will be work for you. Our cost of living is less because housing is so much less than other states, and there are some great opportunities. Please feel free to contact me for further information.