Why move to North Dakota? (Grand Forks, Valley City: renting, daycares, new house)

[ebitdadada]

Originally Posted by desert sun

you must be a smart kid to type and use your words like this for only being 13.

Its amazing what a decent public education system can do.

On the original subject: That's why you should move to ND.

[roundball]

Originally Posted by ebitdadada

Its amazing what a decent public education system can do.

On the original subject: That's why you should move to ND.

THAT IS NOT TRUE........fessenden is not a bad place i go to school there and it is awsome!!!! the coaches and teachers are great and kids are nice to each other and students hang out with each other not drugs and i LOVE fessenden it might be small but has a big heart with alot of loveing friends dont take her advise fessenden is a great place and is awsome go there and find out its awsome parents no what is going on with their kids just ask one of them i bet they could tell alot of nice stuff about them and fessenden

Another example of ND education that I pasted from a different thread. Seriously, It's a good place to live for some and not for others.

[ebitdadada]

Originally Posted by roundball

THAT IS NOT TRUE........fessenden is not a bad place i go to school there and it is awsome!!!! the coaches and teachers are great and kids are nice to each other and students hang out with each other not drugs and i LOVE fessenden it might be small but has a big heart with alot of loveing friends dont take her advise fessenden is a great place and is awsome go there and find out its awsome parents no what is going on with their kids just ask one of them i bet they could tell alot of nice stuff about them and fessenden

Another example of ND education that I pasted from a different thread. Seriously, It's a good place to live for some and not for others.

Um yeh, that's exactly what I said. ND has a great public education system, hence, "That's why you should move to ND."

FYI: if I had been implying that ND had a bad public education system I would have most likely written, "That's why you shouldn't move to ND." Unless I felt you should move to a place because it had a bad education system, in which case, I would be a complete moron.

[L.L.]

Originally Posted by nskosgs

If I may suggest, Lincoln, ND is just outside of Bismarck. We are located right next to the airport and are conducive to all of the opportunities that a big town allows. However, we are located in an area that allows us the ability to fly under the big city radar. Low taxes, reasonable median home prices, small town atmoshphere, and a penchant for the blue collar worker make Lincoln a desirable place for most family starters in their mid twentiies.

Hello,

I have been looking around for someplace that sounds just like North Dakota! I have lived in Rhode Island all of my life, and I just don't like it much here. I'm looking for peace and quiet, no club scene, some shopping, coffee shops...that all sounds great to me (someone in my mid-twenties). And the cost of living, wow, huge change it seems from here in RI. I'm just tired of a lot of the ways things are in RI, and looking for a change. I think I know what I want, and so far the only thing I don't like about ND is the cold weather . I'm used to snow and cold temps that we get here in RI, but how cold does it get? That is the only thing I'm not a fan of... Thanks everyone for all of your input!!!

[MsFreud]

So- We have orders to Grand Forks.
I am from Las Vegas... while I think the idea of what makes city life "exciting" is prostitutes and drive byes is a somewhat misinformed- I am a bit apprehensive about the idea of "country living". I worked in slots, made good money doing it, and I went home and did my own thing. Everything was open all the time, had no idea what a "blue law" was, and liked the dea that within an hour we could be in the mountains, lake or middle of nowhere desert, or eat any kind of food for pretty cheap 24 hours a day.

I like knowing that if I run out of kid's cough medicine at midnight, I can run to the store and pick some up. If I should be out late at night, that there is more open than IHOP.

That having been said- I am not an outdoors kind of girl- I find my entertainment online, or watching movies with the kids, or playing in the yard, occasionally going to dinner, so I don't need much by way of arts festivals or sporting events to keep me busy- but having the option to go out and have fun without it involving cow shows or pie eating contests would be great. The idea of "It's safe" being a big selling point to me is funny. Any place is safe if you are careful.
I am also typically "city anti-social" I am friendly with my friends, and nice to strangers- I don't want to know everyone's business, nor have them guess what I had for dinner last night by the way I fart.
We have spent the last 6 years in Europe... dealing with lack of shopping options, waiting for everything to be shipped, and exchange rates, no seafood, and AAFES for everything... so Walmart is going to look like the taj mahal to me, and Red Lobster a godsend. We do live on be here, so kind of in am "American Bubble"- prety much a little city inside the gates.

I am all a fluster if we should buy or rent until base housing is available. Not sure we will want to stay there after our 5years is up. Rent rates seem to run more than mortgages , and most landlords seem to hate pets... I also don't like the idea of duplexes, small houses, or no washers and dryers in your own house, especially with 2 active (messy) children... and there seems to be an abundance of these kind of unsavory situations- could just be the military town thing. I have also never lived in any place with a basement- there are no basements in the desert... nor are there tornadoes, floods, or hard winters. See why I am freaking out?

So I guess what I am asking... should I be setting up for five years of complete awkward adjustment- or are the selling points of it being "Safe, friendly, country, etc" just that- selling points... and it is a normal modern society type of thing? Please don't feel the need to jump me about it- I seriously have no idea what to expect

[StartingOverAgain]

If it were me, I'd be a bit more open minded about what "safe, friendly, country, etc." actually means besides cow shows and pie eating contests. Then I'd research if any local stores are open late at night in the area you are going to live as well as other amenities. Since you talk about being internet savvy, why don't you do more on-line research about the area in which you will be living?

Most houses have laundry hookups - nothing unsavory about that. And the notion that any place is safe **as long as you're careful** is a bit silly to me as well. Yes, any place is safe if you are super careful, but honestly -- why would anyone deliberately put themselves in a position where they need to constantly look over their shoulder or worry that the man or woman approaching them might be armed or otherwise dangerous? Especially if children are involved.

Part of ensuring a good living experience is to not offend people near whom you want to live.

Just a few suggestions that might help you acclimate yourself to a MUCH slower life someplace other than the 'Big City". It absolutely will be a culture shock for people who are used to the instant gratification of going shopping or eating out at 3 am., but give it a try - you might be surprised and find you actually like it.

Seriously, I wish you good luck and happiness.

[dutchinnd]

Ms Freud--
Admittedly GFAB is a few miles outside of the City of Grand Forks proper. However, perhaps you didn't realize that Grand Forks is a university town--yes there is stuff going on in the evenings. W/ the Alerus Center, Chester Fritz Auditorium, etc. there are touring acts that come into Grand Forks. With 10,000+ university students, of course there are places where you can eat out at 3 a.m. I'd be really surprised if the grocery stores aren't open 24/7. Maybe Dan in EGF can answer whether Hugo's is open around the clock.
Just don't insult hockey or hockey players in GF.

[roundball]

Originally Posted by MsFreud

So- We have orders to Grand Forks.
I am from Las Vegas...

Just like how people are misinformed about Vegas, so are people about GF. Think about it as a burb. It may not have everything you want but it comes close.

No need to freak out about the tornadoes or floods.
The winters.....start freaking out.

[lookinginnd]

Originally Posted by gdude

why would someone want to move to ND? someone please tell me!

Employment

[DaninEGF]

Originally Posted by dutchinnd

Ms Freud--
Admittedly GFAB is a few miles outside of the City of Grand Forks proper. However, perhaps you didn't realize that Grand Forks is a university town--yes there is stuff going on in the evenings. W/ the Alerus Center, Chester Fritz Auditorium, etc. there are touring acts that come into Grand Forks. With 10,000+ university students, of course there are places where you can eat out at 3 a.m. I'd be really surprised if the grocery stores aren't open 24/7. Maybe Dan in EGF can answer whether Hugo's is open around the clock.
Just don't insult hockey or hockey players in GF.

SuperWalmart with grocery store is 24/7....Hugos is open 6a-mid. As for eating out past midnight...Denny's opened up and I thought they were going to be 24 hrs (at least on Fri/Sat nights). But pretty much only place is the Big Sioux truck stop but its diner has good food and is usually visited by late night college crowd after the bars close.

As for Ms Freud....hard to get a read on if they will like it here or not. Rental single family housing is pretty scarce...or the single family homes that are for rent tend to be pretty old. Now some townhouses are for rent versus buy...and there are lots of apartments being built too over the past few years. We did have one family where I work move here from Phoenix (they are from MSP) but did have a cat and had a hard time finding a place to rent. But they did find a townhouse near the university. That would be your best bet if you plan on living on the GFAFB. The market for selling is pretty slow and can take quite a while so hate for you to be stuck with house to sell while at the same time moving to the base. If you are interested I can send some links for some of the rental agencies in town. Just let me know.

Overall you will find Grand Forks open to outsiders and the military personnel. But overall it is a pretty conservative town, but there is a liberal side due to UND. Pretty quiet place to live and for someone who is used to lots of action it may take a while to adjust. If you have never lived in areas with really cold temperatures it will take a while for sure. We dont get all that much snow....but it blows around a lot and stays on the ground for about 4 months (mid Nov-mid Mar) in most winters. Highs below zero are not that uncommon in the winter...although most January days see highs 10-15 maybe 20-25 if you are lucky. It is usually windy too. Oh...I did see today in the paper that Allegian Air will start service between Las Vegas and GFK a couple times a week. This is a first for our airport as the only other commercial travel is on NWA to MSP. And yes UND hockey is very big here and youth hockey in general is very very big.

Good luck

Dan