Info on Mandan or Bismarck (Fargo, Grand Forks: apartments, for rent, crime)

[butiflygrls1220]

Hi,
My husbands company just bought out another company in Mandan.I am wanting to relocate up there.We live in SC and everyday the crime is getting worse.I was just wanting some info on housing and the public schools.We have 3 small children. The school system here is not very good.I think we are ranked #47 in the US.Also are the people friendly?My husband has a few tattoos and some times people see him the wrong way.Thanks anyone who responds to this.
Stacy

[ebitdadada]

K Here we go:

Schools: You'll be moving up from #47 to #1 (depending on what you look at it could go to as low as #4 I suppose ). ND also tends to compete with Singapore and South Korea in math scores (you could say Japan is in the same division but they're perennial cellar dwellers). ND is usually number 1 among the states in the following percentages (I say usually because we sometimes slip to # 2 in HS grad rate - Those **** Iowans! ): 1. % of kids graduating High School 2. % of kids graduating from HS who go on to college 3. % of students entering College that actually graduate from college. I know Bismarck public schools outperform the state averages by a pretty significant margin and its likely Mandan public schools do to. So if you like math and college, the schools should be ok.

FYI Bismarck has significantly higher teacher salaries than Mandan and does better on test scores, graduation rates, etc. This isn't to say Mandan has bad public schools (they're quite good in comparison to the rest of the country) but it’s something to consider.

Friendliness: North Dakotans can be somewhat reserved at times but if you make the effort to break the ice they're a very friendly people. Also, Bismarck - Mandan is growing quite briskly of late which is good for friendliness since its been my experience that others who have also recently moved to a new place tend to be more open to friendship. If you're younger than 35 or 40, I also know Bismarck -Mandan has a farily active young professionals group which is usually a great way to meet people. http://www.ypnetwork.org/

Housing: Bismarck-Mandan recently passed Fargo as the most expensive housing market in ND but it’s still cheaper than most places. A friend of mine recently moved to Bismarck from Charlotte and was a bit unpleasantly surprised by the local housing market. He was expecting it to be much cheaper than Charlotte - Prices were a little bit lower but not by a significant amount.

You may have already been here but here's the website for the Bis-Man Chamber: www.bismarckmandan.com. The relocation section looks pretty useful. According to the living here section. Bismarck-Mandan is the 3rd safest metro in the country. I think that's good unless you enjoy being shot at and/or burglary.

[butiflygrls1220]

Thanks...that really helps alot.I am really surprised at how well the schools are.You would think most parts of ND being rural that it would be differant.In some of the high schools here some kids still can not read.And everyday it seems someone is getting shot. Hopefully we are gonna be able to move within a year.Thanks so much.

[HKB]

Originally Posted by butiflygrls1220

Thanks...that really helps alot.I am really surprised at how well the schools are.You would think most parts of ND being rural that it would be differant.In some of the high schools here some kids still can not read.And everyday it seems someone is getting shot. Hopefully we are gonna be able to move within a year.Thanks so much.

The upper midwest (North Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa in particular) are always near the top in national educational rankings & test scores. Education has traditionally been more of a priority here than in other parts of the country.

I have relatives in Bismarck. I haven't been out there in about 3 years now, but I've always been impressed with the city. It's clean and relatively affordable. Mandan is the smaller city across the river. Housing is probably a little cheaper there, and I'd guess that the schools aren't quite as good as Bismarck, but I have no evidence to back up that statement.

I know the Central/Mountain time zone divider comes very close to that area too. I thought that Bismarck is in CST and across the river in Mandan is in MST? Maybe a local can clear that up.

[DaninEGF]

For clarification...Mandan is on central time as is Bismarck. The city has been on central time the same as Bismarck for some years now...but just recently in 2003 the central to mountain time line was pushed back a bit further west so that all of Morton county where Mandan is in is on the same time. Bismarck is a nice community...kind of stepping up as another Fargo in terms of growth with rapid expansion in the commercial and residential neighborhoods (or rapid for ND, certainly not rapid like bigger metro areas). Very clean and safe and always rated highly in list of small cities with pops between 50,000 and 100,000.

Dan

[butiflygrls1220]

Thanks for the replies.Does anyone know if Mandan has any housing for rent?Maybe apartments?My husband is going to be working in Mandan so is the drive going to be too long from Bismarck?I was also wondering about the winter.Does everyone still go about their daily routine if it snows? If they call for snow here everything shuts down.And everyone buys out the grocery stores.I would like to buy a house but i want to look around first.And we will not be able to vist until we move.We are aiming for July to move.So hopefully it will work out.Thanks!!

[HKB]

Mandan is only a few minutes from Bismarck. I wouldn't worry about the commute. For the most part, snow does will not affect your daily routine. I'd say it would have to snow at least 6" to cause any significant slowdowns.

[butiflygrls1220]

Thanks I had looked on mapquest and it had said 40 miles.Maybe I put something in wrong.Well that is good about the weather.SC stops when they hear "snow".Thanks again. Stacy

[DaninEGF]

Hello

I work for the National Weather Service in Grand Forks ND, check out the NWS Bismarck office web site for weather info and links to climate data, etc so you can tell how the weather is going this winter and spring before you move. www.crh.noaa.gov/bis

Bismarck is in the warmer part of the state....generally the area south and west of the Missouri is what we call over here in Grand Forks "the banana belt'. Often the very cold air doesnt last as long there as it does further north and east toward the Red River valley where Fargo and Grand Forks is. Bismarck is prone to warmups in January and February and get above 32F on occasion and even loose their snowcover....while we I live it is much colder and better for winter enthusiasts. Overall big snows (over 6 inches) occur maybe once or twice a winter....average Bismarck snowfall a winter around 30-35 inches. So most of the winter, you have some snowcover...sometimes none sometimes quite a bit...and wind is fairly common. So when we do get very cold plus wind, that is when wind chills can get bad. Some winters are worse than others of course. But as the previous post said, snow is a part of life and in much of ND people depend on it for recreation and for business. Bismarck can get quite hot in the summer...last year it was over 100 on several occasions.

good luck. You will like the area it is very clean and the state capital so it is modern looking.

Dan

[butiflygrls1220]

Well thanks for the help.It seems that it is a very good place to live. Are there jobs to be found? My hubsands job now is being over shipping and receiving.He can also weld.Always what is the general start in pay?