Rockford to the OC to Rugby (Bismarck, Minot: apartment, travel, rent)

[kwhitegocubs]

I don't think there is much of a question in here, but just a story.

I was born and raised in Rockford, Illinois and then moved to the small town of Pecatonica (population 1,997 as of 2000) for High School and during summers in College. Rockford was a horrible place to live in many ways - horrendous crime, bad schools, high unemployment, etc... However, they had some great golf courses....

Pecatonica, however, was a great town - people were generally friendly, and I don't think that there is a single person in town who would not know me (or things I'd rather them not know about me ) by first name. I loved the experience there.

Anyways, just short of graduation I landed an incredible job as a rare coin expert here in Orange County working for a major company (PCGS). I have been making good money, but still live in a studio apartment (I could afford a one-bedroom perhaps), etc... After spending my life in a medium-sized city and then a small town, it seems so empty here.

Materialism runs rampant - Million dollar houses, 100,000 dollar Mercedes, 10,000 dollar watches, 1,000 dollar rent (for a studio), 100 dollar meals, and 10 dollar cups of coffee. There is no culture. Sure, there are museums and festivals and parks, but there is no sense of community behind those. I've never been in a place that avoids the concept of meeting new people like this. I'm sure you can meet someone in a bar if there is a mutual need for secondary pleasures, but literally every person but one that I have befriended here was born and raised in a different state!

I miss the wide-open spaces - not the hiking in the OC where you can never get more than 700 feet from a housing development (except Cleveland N.F., which is sadly closed for fire hazard!). I miss driving without being in fear of my life at all times. I miss thunderstorms soooo much, and I even miss the snow.

Usually I am the person who decries stereotypes and generalizations - the PC one - but in this case I have tried very hard to discover friendliness and peace, yet still come up empty.

In other words, I cannot stand it here. So I started researching places I would like to live (by the way, I will work as a road-trip coin dealer - buying and selling coins along towns and sending others in for upgrades. So I'm not worried about the finding a job thing), and the Minot/ Bismarck general region appealed to me.

Yes, low crime appeals to me. Yes, rural settings and small-town nosiness appeals to me. However, the housing is cheaper in the Rugby/ Bottineau area than in any other decent-sized city that I've found. Furthermore, with skiing and hiking in Bottineau, an Amtrak that goes to Chicago (and then by bus to the Rockford area) and the major ND cities for a shorter trip, and what appears to be solid city leadership, I chose Rugby.

Plus, they have a Pamida, a Dairy Queen, a Hardware Hank and an abundance of other stores, restaurants, and of course the ubiquitous North Dakota nine-hole golf course!

I purchased a house that needs some work, but not too much, in Rugby for 17,200 dollars. It has four bedrooms, a washer and dryer, a new stove and refrigerator, new paint on the lower level, and an older but fully functional kitchen and bathroom. All it needs is some plaster knocked out (for cosmetic purposes only - its actually painted and such) in the upstairs bedrooms, some stucco patch and elastomeric paint for the exterior, ten boards and a new window in the attached garage and some new shingles on the addition to the house and the garage. I also feel compelled to replace the blue and tan shag carpeting in the upstairs and will probably add some laminate flooring to some rooms downstairs. However, doing this all myself will probably cost no more than 5 grand. I could build a finished room or two in the basement for another 3 grand.

I am staying about another year here in the OC to build up a little more in the bank account.


Also: Yes, I have visited North Dakota - the tiny town of Lefor in fact - as a destination. I have also travelled through it several times and worked in Yellowstone National Park with only tiny towns around it to purchase goods, etcetera.

So this post basically asks: Am I crazy for giving up the "perfect" (i.e. boring, season-less, bland) weather and world of Orange County to move to rural North Dakota or is everyone else here insane for paying 300 grand for a house in the ghetto of Santa Ana or 1 million for a house the same size as my 17,200 dollar gem??

Also, feel free to give me pointers or ask questions.

WOOT NORTH DAKOTA!

[MikeyToo]

Originally Posted by kwhitegocubs

I don't think there is much of a question in here, but just a story.

I was born and raised in Rockford, Illinois and then moved to the small town of Pecatonica (population 1,997 as of 2000) for High School and during summers in College. Rockford was a horrible place to live in many ways - horrendous crime, bad schools, high unemployment, etc... However, they had some great golf courses....

Pecatonica, however, was a great town - people were generally friendly, and I don't think that there is a single person in town who would not know me (or things I'd rather them not know about me ) by first name. I loved the experience there.

Anyways, just short of graduation I landed an incredible job as a rare coin expert here in Orange County working for a major company (PCGS). I have been making good money, but still live in a studio apartment (I could afford a one-bedroom perhaps), etc... After spending my life in a medium-sized city and then a small town, it seems so empty here.

Materialism runs rampant - Million dollar houses, 100,000 dollar Mercedes, 10,000 dollar watches, 1,000 dollar rent (for a studio), 100 dollar meals, and 10 dollar cups of coffee. There is no culture. Sure, there are museums and festivals and parks, but there is no sense of community behind those. I've never been in a place that avoids the concept of meeting new people like this. I'm sure you can meet someone in a bar if there is a mutual need for secondary pleasures, but literally every person but one that I have befriended here was born and raised in a different state!

I miss the wide-open spaces - not the hiking in the OC where you can never get more than 700 feet from a housing development (except Cleveland N.F., which is sadly closed for fire hazard!). I miss driving without being in fear of my life at all times. I miss thunderstorms soooo much, and I even miss the snow.

Usually I am the person who decries stereotypes and generalizations - the PC one - but in this case I have tried very hard to discover friendliness and peace, yet still come up empty.

In other words, I cannot stand it here. So I started researching places I would like to live (by the way, I will work as a road-trip coin dealer - buying and selling coins along towns and sending others in for upgrades. So I'm not worried about the finding a job thing), and the Minot/ Bismarck general region appealed to me.

Yes, low crime appeals to me. Yes, rural settings and small-town nosiness appeals to me. However, the housing is cheaper in the Rugby/ Bottineau area than in any other decent-sized city that I've found. Furthermore, with skiing and hiking in Bottineau, an Amtrak that goes to Chicago (and then by bus to the Rockford area) and the major ND cities for a shorter trip, and what appears to be solid city leadership, I chose Rugby.

Plus, they have a Pamida, a Dairy Queen, a Hardware Hank and an abundance of other stores, restaurants, and of course the ubiquitous North Dakota nine-hole golf course!

I purchased a house that needs some work, but not too much, in Rugby for 17,200 dollars. It has four bedrooms, a washer and dryer, a new stove and refrigerator, new paint on the lower level, and an older but fully functional kitchen and bathroom. All it needs is some plaster knocked out (for cosmetic purposes only - its actually painted and such) in the upstairs bedrooms, some stucco patch and elastomeric paint for the exterior, ten boards and a new window in the attached garage and some new shingles on the addition to the house and the garage. I also feel compelled to replace the blue and tan shag carpeting in the upstairs and will probably add some laminate flooring to some rooms downstairs. However, doing this all myself will probably cost no more than 5 grand. I could build a finished room or two in the basement for another 3 grand.

I am staying about another year here in the OC to build up a little more in the bank account.


Also: Yes, I have visited North Dakota - the tiny town of Lefor in fact - as a destination. I have also travelled through it several times and worked in Yellowstone National Park with only tiny towns around it to purchase goods, etcetera.

So this post basically asks: Am I crazy for giving up the "perfect" (i.e. boring, season-less, bland) weather and world of Orange County to move to rural North Dakota or is everyone else here insane for paying 300 grand for a house in the ghetto of Santa Ana or 1 million for a house the same size as my 17,200 dollar gem??

Also, feel free to give me pointers or ask questions.

WOOT NORTH DAKOTA!

I grew up in Rugby. Left in 1967 to go to science. In those days, it was the state school of science in whapeton,ND. Perfect is in the eye of the beholder!
What ones perfect place is anothers worst place. I left NoDak many years ago. I probably would have stayed had it been for job opportunity, but left because I was into electronics. I didn't leave because of the weather, I left for job opportunity. Now, after 40 years I'm returning from California. California is far from being a perfect place. My realization is that North Dakota still has a slower pace, and that is whats never left me. So, I'm returing this summer to NoDak and a slower pace.
Thanks be to God!..

Good luck on your quest!!....

[chalovlie]

i live in bottineau! I work at the Pamida here hahahaha... i hate ND

[StartingOverAgain]

I looked at Rugby, but decided on Carrington. I absolutely believe that people are crazy for dealing with all the negatives of the "California Dream" you mentioned. I grew up in Southern California, and moved several times throughout the country. I found MY dream here in North Dakota. If you have the ability to live/work anywhere, I cannot imagine a better place than here - especially if you have children.

Best of luck to you, I feel you've made a great decision.

[DaninEGF]

Originally Posted by StartingOverAgain

I looked at Rugby, but decided on Carrington. I absolutely believe that people are crazy for dealing with all the negatives of the "California Dream" you mentioned. I grew up in Southern California, and moved several times throughout the country. I found MY dream here in North Dakota. If you have the ability to live/work anywhere, I cannot imagine a better place than here - especially if you have children.

Best of luck to you, I feel you've made a great decision.

Good for you...I am so glad you like it in Carrington. Isnt it nice to find peace!

Dan