Moorhead or Fargo (Hope: houses, neighborhoods, university)

[snowlandcook]

Good to hear from another biker that biking is do-able. Paths are essential. We currently live in St Cloud MN, which is NOT conducive to biking. The shoulder doubles as a bike lane, and drivers practically run us over. It is very dangerous biking, which is a major disappointment since biking is such a great way to get exercise.

I know about the bike trails in the lakes area of MN. Very nice. But leisurely biking is a different kind of ride than commuter biking.

Billy--I might take you up on the invitation to visit the NDPR station. We're members of MPR--and in fact, years ago, my spouse and I both worked in radio (commercial radio). That's how we met. Nowadays, we're hooked on MPR/NPR. Wouldn't want to live in an area that doesn't get it! It's the best.

One question no-one has answered (or tried to answer)--how do retirees pay high property taxes in ND? For example, I know that in NY state, where property taxes are horrendous, there is a tax break for homeowners who make less than a specific amount of money per year. Is there such a thing in ND? In MN, property taxes are comparatively low, but income tax is higher, so retiring is not as big of a problem. Again, we have a good 20-25 years before we'd retire, but I'd hate to feel like we have to sell our home in order to retire. As Chris Ferrell would say, planning ahead is important.

Billy--what's it like living so close to MSUM? I like the idea of being able to walk to work, but I'm not too keen on the idea of living among the hardiest of partiers. (Then again, you might not be the best person to ask! As I recall, radio broadcasters tend to enjoy the party scene too. Didn't Daniel Shore at one time -- way back in the day -- keep a bottle of booze in his bottom desk drawer?)

Thanks again.

[Billy Baroque]

Ha -- Dan Shore is long past partying hard, as am I -- gotta be up early to get the 11 year old to bass lessons.

Our neighborhood is certainly quiet and family friendly. Right around MSUM you have to take it block by block. There are some very nice blocks, as nice as Fargo's 8th-9th Street South area. I know a couple of families with kids who live on 9th Street in Moorhead, just two or three blocks north of MSUM, and it seems very nice. They're both faculty at Concordia, speaking of which the area just north of Concordia is a good one, too, similar -- trees, older homes, well kept.

I live on 18th Avenue south, less than 10 minutes walk from MSUM (are you used to this north-south streets, east-west avenues system? It's very logical but as someone who did not grow up with it I still get confused). I know a couple, both MSUM biology profs, who live on 12th Avenue south with their 4 kids -- I've been over there a lot and it's a family neighborhood, just 3 blocks south of the edge of campus.

A lot of the student housing is a few blocks over, spreading off the east side of the campus. A lot of cheap apartments -- we don't seem to have as much of the beat-up-house-with-old sofa-and-beer-cans in the yard places, though there are some.

On the property tax question -- it's a major problem in ND and being hotly debated in the legislature, which will probably pass some form of property tax reduction by April. Remember in looking at the rates, though, that property valuations in many North Dakota counties are probably lower than you're used to.

One thing we have a lot of here is public radio -- for a town our size, you can get classical and news from MPR and news and roots-rock-jazz from us. Come on up, we'll give you a radio mug.

You asked in an earlier post about clubs. An awful lot of the social activity here goes on through churches -- I would guess St. Cloud might be like that, too? If you're churchgoers, just pick a compatible one and you'll be looped right in. If you're not, there are other activities, but churches are certainly how most people get involved. Whewn we moved to Lincoln, there was this whole newcomers-welcome thing with, as you say, a newcomers club and so on. I never heard of anything like that when we moved here, but maybe we just missed out on it.

[schools]

Dan- I noticed you also replied to a question about Oldham county KY. We currently live there & are looking into the schools in the Detroit lakes/Fargo/Moorhead area that are comparable to Oldham County. Any advice?

[DaninEGF]

Originally Posted by schools

Dan- I noticed you also replied to a question about Oldham county KY. We currently live there & are looking into the schools in the Detroit lakes/Fargo/Moorhead area that are comparable to Oldham County. Any advice?

Boy, that is a tough one. I have relatives whose kids did go through the Oldham county schools in the 80s and 90s....and one neice whose two young kids are in the school system now. I grew up in western Kentucky, in one of the poorer school districts, and always seemed like Oldham county had better schools, etc just because they could afford to spend more money. I had no issues with my education where I was born...so my viewpoint about the differences may not be too valid. But for reputation, Oldham county was number 1 it seems.

Now I live up in the Grand Forks ND area...and I dont have any relatives in the area and dont know anyone personally in the schools where you are talking about. I do know that Minnesota and North Dakota public schools are all very good and really hard to pick one over the other. You can look at sizes of the districts and the number of kids in each school and those districts in larger cities or growing areas would offer "newer" schools and likely more "AP" type courses and just more opportunities than smaller town schools. With that in mind Fargo public schools are good with South Fargo high school the biggest one in the state. West Fargo public school district is now seeing the most growth as Fargo is getting built out and newer subdivisions are being built in the West Fargo school district. Thus you would likely find newer schools in the West Fargo district than in Fargo. On the Minnesota side of the river....all schools would be fine...Moorhead High School is rated highly. Smaller school districts such as Barnesville and Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton (DGF) are good too and offer more of a rural environment for students. I know least about Detroit Lakes as I have never visited the city proper...but dont know anything bad about DTL.

Basically...sorry cannot provide any specifics as just dont know much. But I do know I wouldnt have any issue with my young son attending any school district in the area. Now...someone who lives in the F-M area and has more specific info feel free to chim in.

Dan

[schools]

Thanks Dan! Anyone else w/info , I'd sure appreciate!!

[snowlandcook]

Would you say that the Fargo-Moorhead area is welcoming to newcomers? Are neighbors friendly? Will people talk to you in the store, even if they don't know who you are?

[Joestoes]

People are reserved but friendly. I was greeted in my neighborhood with cookies, etc. and even a party in the park so I could meet moms in the neighborhood. People here (Fargo) are mostly surrounded by family and therefore don't really have a need to reach out so if they seem unfriendly it is likely they are just so settled in they don't speak. If you reach out to them though, I have found everyone to be friendly and helpful. F-M isn't small enough anymore to even distinguish "outsiders" from anyone else. I will say that there is a very low tolerance for status-oriented people, people with bad attitudes in general, and those who have poor work ethics and this is part of the reason we like it here.

[Billy Baroque]

Joestoes has it pretty right. One of the things we found moving here was that many people had most of the slots in their personal networks filled, and so we felt a little excluded -- not out of unfriendliness, but when people have lots of family and people they've known since kindergarten around that's how it goes. So you have to maybe work a little harder to make connections. The university community is pretty welcoming, in our experience. Fargo-Moorhead is, I think, mostly past the cold shoulder to new folks that a lot of smaller cities and towns display.

[snowlandcook]

Originally Posted by Joestoes

People are reserved but friendly. I was greeted in my neighborhood with cookies, etc. and even a party in the park so I could meet moms in the neighborhood. People here (Fargo) are mostly surrounded by family and therefore don't really have a need to reach out so if they seem unfriendly it is likely they are just so settled in they don't speak. If you reach out to them though, I have found everyone to be friendly and helpful. F-M isn't small enough anymore to even distinguish "outsiders" from anyone else. I will say that there is a very low tolerance for status-oriented people, people with bad attitudes in general, and those who have poor work ethics and this is part of the reason we like it here.

Well, what's considered "status oriented" up there?

[snowlandcook]

Hey--I just noticed there are some new photos at the city-data site for Moorhead. They've included a picture of a nice looking older home. Does anyone have any idea where this home is located? Are the homes around it also nice? Good neighborhood or not?

Here's the URL:
http://www.city-data.com/city/Moorhead-Minnesota.html