Law student heading to Grand Forks (Fargo: apartments, rental, how much)

[schiphol]

Well, I have been accepted to UND School of Law. I'm possibly leaving Miami this summer to head up to Grand Forks. I'm originally from NYC so I'm used to the cold and I miss winter.
I'm wondering what is there to do and where to meet people outside of school. I'm a musician and non-religious. I'm not white either. I usually hate when people start threads like this and here I am doing it myself. Are people in Grand Forks friendly or keep to themselves? Is there a music scene? I'm into everything so I don't care what kind of music. Are there activities to do; is it a small town feel or a mini city? What are the best places to contact to find apartments besides student housing?
I'm really interested in the school and I think the state looks beautiful but I'm having a hard time finding out if there's anything of interest. I do plan on heading up there this summer to visit but wanted some sort of plan for when I head up.
Thanks in advance.

[DaninEGF]

Hi

I will DM you with some links to area property rental companies....most apartments are owned by 3 or 4 companies and you can search or call them specifically for info. There have been lots of new apartments built in the southwest part of town...specifically off of 42nd St S and the area around
28th Ave S... these would be the most pricey...likely 1 BR 700/mo or so...but you do get heated garage parking which is a huge benefit.

As far as the winter....well NYC cold and Grand Forks cold are completely different...NYC will seem like Miami to you after a winter here...in NYC it is huge news if the low temp gets below 10 degrees F but here it is big news if the high temp is above 10F in January. But we do have a much drier cold here than the wet cold of the east coast...so it doesnt feel bad (I dont think).

Small town feel or mini city....for most folks it still has the small town feel I think....unless you do come from a very small town. Being a university town there is a music scene....I dont know much about it but there are some local blogs that describe different aspects of GF life.

Valley Sound

I can provide more info later....overall I like it it is pretty safe and quiet place... hockey is big here of course....as well as football too with UND.

Dan

[schiphol]

Thanks for the response, Dan. I look forward to your DM.
From what I have seen in the photo thread and the few relevant blogs I could find, Grand Forks seems like a really great area. It's very picturesque though I do have this fear that I might get bored or might not survive the winter based on what I have read. Oh, well, more study time for me if that's the case. Thanks again.

[DaninEGF]

Hi...I sent you a DM with apartment management websites for the area and some possible suggestions. I definitely suggest on visiting the area...The winters can be long....but it all depends on your attitude and what you dont or do like about winter weather. If you dread the cold and hate it....then this is not the place....but it is survivable of course and there are plenty of things to do with UND hockey being the main one in the winter season.

We dont get tons of snow...but it stays on the ground for a long time...usually first sticking snow Nov 1-15 with usual snowcover on the ground from Dec1 to Mar 15. Greening of grass and trees takes place as early as mid April some years to early to mid May. I usually think of Mothers Day of when I start noticing trees budding out. We average 60 days with the temp at some point below zero....and usually have a stretch of 3-4 days with temps below zero for highs and lows. Some years worse than others.
Wind is always a factor as it comes with the flat land.

If I can help additionally please let me know. I think the links I gave you will give you a great idea on places to rent in town. The national apartment web sites are pretty useless for our area and dont show much.

Dan

[DaninEGF]

I thought I would paste a link to a local blog with news/info about the area....and it has links to other area websites/blogs. This should give you an idea about the community. The blogger is a reporter for the local paper.

The City Beat

Dan

[schiphol]

Dan,

Thanks for the response and the links. I'm looking forward to heading up there this summer to take it all in. You've been a great help.

[DaninEGF]

Glad to be of help and good luck with wherever you decide to go.

Dan

[Kylo]

Hey man, I don't want to detere you from coming up here for law school or anything, but I really have to advise you to try to find somewhere else. The people in this city are really nice, but it is pretty difficult to find things to do. I've been here for two years now and I am still fighting for a way out. I came from colorado for the aviation program up here and this place has ruined me. sure, I may a little biased with the flat land and all, but that isn't the only thing. Coming from colorado, I also thought I knew cold and snow and i thought I was comfortable with it. I come up here and find out you can go a month at a time without the temperatures rising above zero. Like Dan was saying, we don't get much snow, but the snow that does fall stays. Roads rarely get cleared off, so for at least 4 months out of the year you are driving on at least an inch of ice at all times. Cabin fever becomes a major issue because you are confined to the indoors for such a long time in the winter. This place does not have a very good local/live music scene. There are a couple nights where blues or jazz will be played at local bars, but nothing intense. Big name acts rarely come this way so be prepared to drive the 5 hours to minneapolis to see a concert. This place is beautiful in the summer and that's when the majority of the photos you see are taken. However, summer doesn't last real long here. The winters become so cold that not many people go out and walk the streets. The only businesses that stay open past 9 (10 at the very latest) are walmart and the bars. Even though I came from a larger city in Colorado, I would still consider this a mini city but with the small town feel/atmosphere. The people are really nice but very conservative in there thoughts and actions. The city itself would be a nice city to live in if it were only located somewhere else and closer to a larger city so you could get away when you needed. I'm not writing this to bash ND. I just wish some one had slapped me in the face and gave me some information like this before I made my decision to come up here. The only, and I definitely mean ONLY, reason I'm still here is purely for financial reasons. you may come here and absolutely love it, but like I said, I just have to present the other side. Congrats on getting into law school and I sincerely hope you enjoy it while your here if you do decide to go through with it. good luck finding a place, there are some nice ones around the city so you should be able to find a good one.

[schiphol]

Thanks, Kylo. I haven't decided 100% that I will be heading to Grand Forks but I'm close to it. I guess the winter is something I would have to brave. at least the confinement will keep me on my studies, right? I'm not much for going out anyway but I do like having options. Big reason I love my native NYC and hate parochial Miami.
I'm also a musician, I play bass, so I was hoping to maybe meet people interested in playing with me. Oh well, I'll just have to see how I like the place. I think weather is going to be my deciding factor.
Thanks for the honest input.

[DaninEGF]

Originally Posted by schiphol

Thanks, Kylo. I haven't decided 100% that I will be heading to Grand Forks but I'm close to it. I guess the winter is something I would have to brave. at least the confinement will keep me on my studies, right? I'm not much for going out anyway but I do like having options. Big reason I love my native NYC and hate parochial Miami.
I'm also a musician, I play bass, so I was hoping to maybe meet people interested in playing with me. Oh well, I'll just have to see how I like the place. I think weather is going to be my deciding factor.
Thanks for the honest input.

Hi again

Well if you have any weather questions I am a meteorologist at the local Nat. Weather Service....the one in town here serves eastern ND and nw MN. We have had new employees come in and swear to leave after the first winter....and yes we have had some thinking they were going to stay one year and they are here after 9 years. We do have a guy here who was raised I believe in Queens....and he can tolerate it...though by March he is getting very anzy to get on the golf course....so far he has played every year on April 15th....though this year was close as it was a cold first half of April.

But weather is a big factor. Me, I am from Kentucky born and raised and I grew up wanting so bad to live up north.....so I am fine. That local blog on the music scene I sent should help out some ideas on what we have here. I do know there is an article on it describing a new place to open up that hopes to have live bands. But this isnt a large city...and you are 1 hour from Fargo....so you certainly arent going to have terribly great things here I suppose. I do say if you have a car parked outside highly invest in a remote starter or at the least a plug in for it as if you park your vehicle outside for long periods of time it can be tough to start in very very cold weather. But we only have real real cold weather for only a few weeks of the winter (meaning sustained lows -20s and highs -5 to 5 above. More typical are highs 10-15 and lows 10 below for the majority of mid Dec to mid Feb when the coldest of weather is.

Also maybe I am brave...but I often leave my car running when going into a grocery store or other places for a very quick visit. I dont have a remote starter so I leave my car unlocked....so far no problems.


Dan