North Dakota - more like Montana or Minnesota? (Fargo, Bismarck: living, cabins)

[MimzyMusic]

I've always thought of it as being like eastern Montana, but then again you have Minnesotan stereotypes, like the accent and niceness in North Dakota.

[dakota79]

I live in Fargo, the biggest city by far, and it definitely feels and sounds more like Minnesota. A lot of people here have Minnesota ties and go to Minnesota all the time. We are right on the border with MN, and Montana is a distant place to most people here.

For the most part, I would say the eastern third of ND identifies more with Minnesota. The western 2/3 are more like Montana. It has a more "western" feel to it. The thing to keep in mind is that most of population lives in the eastern third, so most of the people will seem more like Minnesotans IMO.

I work with the general public, and one thing I find interesting since living here, is that you don't hear people mention South Dakota (only 1 hour away) as much as you might think.

[DaninEGF]

You definitely have two parts of ND....100 deg longitude about separates the more arid west with more ranches and open land and the greener east with more row crops.... So I would say from about Bottineau to Towner to just west of Jamestown that is about the divide from my travels.... east of more like Minnesota in its wetter climate and more row crops while west of that line is getting more like eastern Montana with its wide open horizon and wheat and grasslands. I live in the Red River valley too (MN side) and GF-Fargo is much more Minnesota...nothing like eastern Montana. Everyone in town here goes east on weekends to their Minnesota lake cabins.

Dan

[Roloff1976]

Definately agree about 2 North Dakota's. The East tends to migrate to Minneapolis, where as those in Western ND (Williston-Dickinson people) tend to migrate to Denver. Bismarck people run to Fargo, Williston-Dickinson people run to Billings or Rapid City..., etc...

[huttah]

i honestly have to say that on I94 Bismarck/Mandan seems to be where there's a large change. from Mandan east the state feels and looks more Minnesotan, and west of mandan the state looks and feels more Montana-y/ Wyoming-ish.

[JACK SAWYER]

Originally Posted by MimzyMusic

I've always thought of it as being like eastern Montana, but then again you have Minnesotan stereotypes, like the accent and niceness in North Dakota.

I thaught the same till i moved here,i guess i should have not watched the movie fargo! where they make everyone look like idiots! they got carried away making that film!

[soundforlanguage81]

The 100th meridian west generally divides the east and west through the frontier strip of the U.S. (TX, OK, KS, NE, SD & ND). While not geographically and demographically perfect, it's a good vantage point.

-The eastern 1/3rd of North Dakota (especially in the Red river valley) supports a wide variety of agriculture, much like rural Minnesota.

-The nearly treeless and semi-arid western 2/3rd's is where you'll find the the typical "west": Rolling hills, badlands, pumpjacks, a very low population density and most of ND's ghost towns. This landscape stretches a few hundred miles west as it builds up elevation through the isolated mountain ranges of central Montana where it runs head-on into the Rockies.

So to sum it up:
Eastern ND-Culturally and agriculturally more in step with Minnesota and with much of the midwest.

Western ND-More in step with the culture of the high plains of the frontier strip and with Wyoming and Montana.

[MimzyMusic]

Originally Posted by soundforlanguage81

The 100th meridian west generally divides the east and west through the frontier strip of the U.S. (TX, OK, KS, NE, SD & ND). While not geographically and demographically perfect, it's a good vantage point.

-The eastern 1/3rd of North Dakota (especially in the Red river valley) supports a wide variety of agriculture, much like rural Minnesota.

-The nearly treeless and semi-arid western 2/3rd's is where you'll find the the typical "west": Rolling hills, badlands, pumpjacks, a very low population density and most of ND's ghost towns. This landscape stretches a few hundred miles west as it builds up elevation through the isolated mountain ranges of central Montana where it runs head-on into the Rockies.

So to sum it up:
Eastern ND-Culturally and agriculturally more in step with Minnesota and with much of the midwest.

Western ND-More in step with the culture of the high plains of the frontier strip and with Wyoming and Montana.

What about a place like Minot? Being further north also makes the agriculture better.

[soundforlanguage81]

Originally Posted by MimzyMusic

What about a place like Minot? Being further north also makes the agriculture better.

To an extent definitely. It's still a desert compared to the red river valley, but the land is far more fertile than all points west. It bridges the gap I suppose. I will always think of Minot as a western city though.

[JACK SAWYER]

Minot does seem to be the gateway? It seems the people are a little diffrent acting than the eastern part of the state?[not sying that in a bad way]