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.
I am looking for information about living in Pembina ND. I currently live in a rural area in northern lower Michigan with population of about 1200.
1. How bad are the winters with regard to temperature and snow? How are the homes heated (Electric, Propane, Natural Gas, etc)? Is there firewood available to self-cut or purchase to utilize a fireplace? How are the roads in the winter? Does ND use salt on the roads?
2. What is the average size of a graduating class in high school? What do teens do for fun or entertainment? How are the school sports programs?
3. I understand the University of ND is in Grand Fork. How long is the commute from Pembina? Is there a community college in the area?
4. What types of restaurants are in the area? Are they chain restaurants or local family owned? What about a grocery store? Kmart/Walmart/Target? Is there a mall within driving distance?
5. Is there a movie theater, bowling alley, or any other indoor recreation? Where do adults go for music concerts, plays, etc.?
6. Are there any apartment complexes that have immediate vacancies?
7. Do people cross over into Canada to shop, dine-out, find entertainment?
8. Is there high-speed Internet and cable available most places in Pembina or just in downtown?
9. How is community development progressing? New businesses, subdivisions, etc. Is there a public library?
Thanks for your help. I don't expect one person to be able to answer all questions. If you would just answer the ones you know it would be very much appreciated! Or feel free to expand on anything you might like to add that would be helpful for someone relocating to Pembina.
I am looking for information about living in Pembina ND. I currently live in a rural area in northern lower Michigan with population of about 1200.
Thanks for your help. I don't expect one person to be able to answer all questions. If you would just answer the ones you know it would be very much appreciated! Or feel free to expand on anything you might like to add that would be helpful for someone relocating to Pembina.
Hi there
I live in the Grand Forks area and have been through that area a few times. Some specific stuff I dont know...but I can help some. You can find a lot of info here...
Now you do realize Pembina is very very small....even by your standards. Pop just over 500. That said...
1. How bad are the winters with regard to temperature and snow? How are the homes heated (Electric, Propane, Natural Gas, etc)? Is there firewood available to self-cut or purchase to utilize a fireplace? How are the roads in the winter? Does ND use salt on the roads?
North Dakota DOT uses a sand and salt mixture....more sand in the very cold time of the year as salt doesnt work to good below zero. Sand is used mostly to help with traction at intersections. Salt/sand mix would be used more for the interstate i-29. I am a meteorologist with NWS Grand Forks, and yes winters can be severe. Pembina is in the coldest place in the state on most days...and in many winters lows of -30 to -35 isnt uncommon with several days having highs below zero. But not all days are like this. A more typical Dec-Jan-Feb day would see highs 5 to 15 and lows 10 to 20 below. The area is very flat right in the red river valley where Pembina is and is thus subject to blizzard conditions....mainly due to winds behind arctic cold fronts picking up the snow on the ground and blowing it around. I-29 can be shut at times....though since most of the time the strongest winds are either north or south due to the red river valley and the interstate is north-south it isnt closed all that often as snow usually blows over it and doest collect terribly like an east-west road would. I would assume firewood can be purchased easily at the local convenience store. The gas station/convenience store in town can be busy as it is a last stop before the border.
Homes in most of the towns use natural gas or electric...depending on the year. But Pembina being so small you may find more propane too. Propane tanks are used a lot in the rural areas.
2. What is the average size of a graduating class in high school? What do teens do for fun or entertainment? How are the school sports programs?
North Border school district serves Pembina and surrounding towns of Neche and Walhalla. North Border Pembina HS had a gradulating class of 11 in 2012, at least that was what I could tell but that could be incorrect....either way the number is not large. You can see the school district website for sports.. Athletics
There is a movie theatre in Cavalier ND the county seat and a 15-20 min drive away. Cavalier is a bit larger and I have been through there and maybe worth looking at as it has a few more things.
3. I understand the University of ND is in Grand Fork. How long is the commute from Pembina? Is there a community college in the area?
Grand Forks to Pembina is about 70 miles....straight shot up I-29. There are no community colleges in the Pembina area....nearest would be Northland Community & Technical College in Thief River Falls, MN and in East Grand Forks MN, and Lakes Region College in Devils Lake. Commute in the winter time would be harsh at times, due with road conditions and psbl whiteouts due to due blowing snow in the country.
4. What types of restaurants are in the area? Are they chain restaurants or local family owned? What about a grocery store? Kmart/Walmart/Target? Is there a mall within driving distance?
Pembina has one corner bar and restaurant, and the local convenience store would have some hot sandwiches and pizza. But that is about it. Cavalier ND would have a few more locally owned places to eat. No chains around...until Grand Forks. There is 1 grocery store in Pembina and 1 in Cavalier. Nearest mall and places like Walmart, Target, etc are in Grand Forks, about 70 miles south.
5. Is there a movie theater, bowling alley, or any other indoor recreation? Where do adults go for music concerts, plays, etc.?
One small movie theatre in Cavalier, but none in Pembina. There is a Pembina Rec Center which has some classes, etc. For other stuff go to Grand Forks or north to Winnipeg. Pembina is about 55 miles south of Winnipeg. But you do have the border station and a passport is required I believe. Winnipeg is a very large city over 600,000, so it offers a lot of activities. Costs in Canada are usually more than the U.S.
6. Are there any apartment complexes that have immediate vacancies?
Check the Pembina city website for housing. But being a small town, housing will be quite a challenge.
7. Do people cross over into Canada to shop, dine-out, find entertainment?
Yes....but with tighter border controls, less than in the past. I believe you need a passport. There are no big towns between Pembina and Winnipeg, but a few smaller towns, largest being Morris Manitoba about half hour north.
8. Is there high-speed Internet and cable available most places in Pembina or just in downtown?
North Polar Communications serves the area and I would assume yes you can get cable/internet anywhere in town.
9. How is community development progressing? New businesses, subdivisions, etc. Is there a public library?
The county public library is in Cavalier. Pembina itself is very small, but it does have Motor Coach Industries, which along with a larger Winnipeg location, builds buses. Over the course of the last decade, there have been occasional shut downs of the plant due to nationwide economic conditions, but right now I dont think there are any issues. People who work there live within a large radius of the plant. Other than that, Pembina is Pembina, not growing per se, but hanging on. Might be some local new businesses here and there, but it is a small away from larger cities and thus doesnt attract a whole lot of growth in terms of population.
Whew! I hope this helps. By all means call the city there and ask them. They would love to hear from someone new coming into town. In small towns, word of mouth is the main player in communications and what is happening.
I can answer some of your questions about Pembina, but maybe someone who lives there can answer more of them.
I am not sure you realize how small Pembina ND is.. The 2010 census showed it to have a population of 592 people.
Pembina, Neche and Walhalla go together and their school is called North Border. They do very well in sports for a small coop- HS sports are big in the area and people who have family and friends in HS follow it. The graduationg class is about 20 to 30 students. Pembina has grades 7-12 in their town. Neche has the smaller grades.
I asked some friends and they said Drayton which is 30 miles from Pembina has a grocery, but Pembina does have a small one or it used to. Grafton is about 40 miles from Pembina(population a bit over 4000) and they have a Hugos grocery and also an Alco, Pamida. They have a hospital and clinic. Grafton, Walhalla and Cavalier have small movie theaters.
Grand Forks is 79 miles from Pembina and yes UND is located in Grand Forks. There is a 2 year Community College located in East Grand Forks, which is on the Minnesota side. There is not any colleges closer to Pembina.
Weather in NE North Dakota does get cold. It will average from 20 below in February though record low is 44 below. August temps average about 79 degrees in August with lows into the 50's.
The nearest mall, Target and Walmart would be in Grand Forks 79 miles South. Grand Forks has concerts and plays. They also have the UND Hockey team which is very poplular in the winter. Here is a link to Grand Forks you may find interesting. The Chamber Grand Forks - East Grand Forks - Events
Here is a link for Pembina which will answer some of your questions:
I found one other link about Pembina I felt you may find interesting. Its the Pembina State Museum. Pembina is ripe with history. It is the oldest town in ND. It started out as a trading post between the French settlers and the Native Americans. The history in that area is just increadible of how people lived in the early years.
The top of this museam is a tower which give you 360 degree views of the flat prairies with rolling grasses and fields of grain that never seem to end. You see far into Canada and the US. It's just a neat place to visit.
I am looking for information about living in Pembina ND. I currently live in a rural area in northern lower Michigan with population of about 1200.
1. How bad are the winters with regard to temperature and snow? How are the homes heated (Electric, Propane, Natural Gas, etc)? Is there firewood available to self-cut or purchase to utilize a fireplace? How are the roads in the winter? Does ND use salt on the roads?
2. What is the average size of a graduating class in high school? What do teens do for fun or entertainment? How are the school sports programs?
3. I understand the University of ND is in Grand Fork. How long is the commute from Pembina? Is there a community college in the area?
4. What types of restaurants are in the area? Are they chain restaurants or local family owned? What about a grocery store? Kmart/Walmart/Target? Is there a mall within driving distance?
5. Is there a movie theater, bowling alley, or any other indoor recreation? Where do adults go for music concerts, plays, etc.?
6. Are there any apartment complexes that have immediate vacancies?
7. Do people cross over into Canada to shop, dine-out, find entertainment?
8. Is there high-speed Internet and cable available most places in Pembina or just in downtown?
9. How is community development progressing? New businesses, subdivisions, etc. Is there a public library?
Thanks for your help. I don't expect one person to be able to answer all questions. If you would just answer the ones you know it would be very much appreciated! Or feel free to expand on anything you might like to add that would be helpful for someone relocating to Pembina.
I don't know if the outdoors figure into your decision, but that area is the closest to the "upper part" of the lower peninsula that you will find in ND. It's wooded. It has the Pembina Gorge, which is very pretty. There is a small ski area not far away, too.
I am looking for information about living in Pembina ND. I currently live in a rural area in northern lower Michigan with population of about 1200.
I moved here last year from Indiana.. It's a very welcoming town, with really awesome people. Be prepared.. Everybody works 2 and 3 jobs here. They are the hardest working bunch of people I've ever met.
1. How bad are the winters with regard to temperature and snow? How are the homes heated (Electric, Propane, Natural Gas, etc)? Is there firewood available to self-cut or purchase to utilize a fireplace? How are the roads in the winter? Does ND use salt on the roads?
We heat with a fuel oil furnace, and electric base board heat, we also have a fire place but I havent used it yet. Some use propane.. No natural gas here
2. What is the average size of a graduating class in high school? What do teens do for fun or entertainment? How are the school sports programs?
Back home the average size classroom was about 35 students per class, here it's 3-5 per class. I think a dozen kids might be graduating this year. Aprox. Something like that.
3. I understand the University of ND is in Grand Fork. How long is the commute from Pembina? Is there a community college in the area?
Grand Forks is an hour drive south. We make trips to GF about once a month to do our shopping. Most the time, we go to Cavalier because it's close and they have a Shopko.
4. What types of restaurants are in the area? Are they chain restaurants or local family owned? What about a grocery store? Kmart/Walmart/Target? Is there a mall within driving distance?
There is a mom and pop diner and bar, that has good food and beer. There is also the Gastrak which has pizza, chicken, and deli. It's a truck stop/gas station.
5. Is there a movie theater, bowling alley, or any other indoor recreation? Where do adults go for music concerts, plays, etc.?
Nope. We got a small grocery, a hardware store, a bank, the cafe, the bar, and Gastrak. That's about it.
We go to Grand Forks or Cavalier for movies, and games. Lots of xbox and PS3 gamers here though. No live music, which was a bummer for me, being a local musician. Grand forks has some, but not much. From here best big name concerts are in Winnipeg Manitoba. Which is about 45 mins drive north.
6. Are there any apartment complexes that have immediate vacancies?
There are some apartment buildings here, vacancies I don't know, but there are a few complexes here in town. The rent isn't cheap.
7. Do people cross over into Canada to shop, dine-out, find entertainment?
Canada is more expensive on just about everything. Canadians come down here to shop.
8. Is there high-speed Internet and cable available most places in Pembina or just in downtown?
Yes we have Polar communications DSL right now, they are switching us over to fiber optics this spring.
9. How is community development progressing? New businesses, subdivisions, etc. Is there a public library?
The library is the school.. Certain hours is open to the public. Biggest growth here has been in the Parcel business.. Where Canadians, have things shipped free in the USA to Pembina, and they cross the border to pick it up. Cheaper than shipping to Canada. Another big occupation here is release clerk at a broker office.
Clearing trains and trucks to bring stuff across the border. GHY, Fedex, DHL, UPS, Jensens, etc... You're going to be a bit lost when you get here, everything is word of mouth. Great first job to meet people and make good good really good friends is the Gastrak, you will get to know the whole town, and hear all the gossip.
Thanks for your help. I don't expect one person to be able to answer all questions. If you would just answer the ones you know it would be very much appreciated! Or feel free to expand on anything you might like to add that would be helpful for someone relocating to Pembina.
I think I did answer all of your questions. This is an awesome town. A bit like the twilight zone because it's a town of about 500 surrounded by nothing for miles. It's been a great adventure moving here. I made lots of friends here, and we may move on someday, maybe go south to be near family, but, for right now, this place is my little "mayberry".. The neighbors will know who you are, and will stop to talk with you, or pull you out if youre stuck in snow, or plow your driveway.. They just do that here. The soil is great, you can grow anything here, our garden was amazing. Oh yeah, the beat farms... The beat harvest is pretty big. Want a farming job, check around you'll find one..
Fishing is amazing in the Red River. You will need 15lb line minimum, I go for 20-30lb though. The catfish are bigger than your leg, and like frogs
Welcome to the big city of Pembina, where no one ever sleeps, cause they work 3 jobs lol
P.S. The winter started in October here, and the wind never stops blowing. Right now it's - 20 degrees out and the wind is blowing. Get a block heater on your car, a remote start is almost a must unless you have a garage, and bring some heavy winter coats gloves boots and face masks.
Straight to the point. What's it like to work for MCI. I'm considering a job offer and obviously a move there, possibly by the end of July. I'm a divorced man of 50 no pets just looking to work and live it out till retirement. I'm from Minnesota originally so I know what to expect for weather and i've lived in small towns before which can either be good or bad depending on you as an individual. I actually tried the Polaris-rosseau route awhile back and from the get go was treated like the plague. I'm just looking for honesty and like everyone else possible a place to live. Any takers????
Straight to the point. What's it like to work for MCI. I'm considering a job offer and obviously a move there, possibly by the end of July. I'm a divorced man of 50 no pets just looking to work and live it out till retirement. I'm from Minnesota originally so I know what to expect for weather and i've lived in small towns before which can either be good or bad depending on you as an individual. I actually tried the Polaris-rosseau route awhile back and from the get go was treated like the plague. I'm just looking for honesty and like everyone else possible a place to live. Any takers????
Thief River Falls' job market has been very strong with DigiKey (electronic shipper worldwide) and Arctic Cat (competitor to Polaris). There's also Central Boiler outside of Greenbush which also makes lawnmowers.
In N Dakota, check out Williston, Minot, Watford City, Dickinson, Stanley, Tioga etc around the oil fields. If you have mechanical abilities, there's openings practically everywhere in ND: Job Service North Dakota
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.
