AT&T/Iphone in Grand Forks (Fargo, Bismarck: coupons, apartment)

[ONIE11817]

We will be relocating to Grand Forks from Tampa, this June. I've been planning to get to the forum and hopefully get some idea of how big our life is gonna change. For now, I have this one question ..Mothers day is coming up, and Im planning to buy an Iphone for my wife. I called At&t they said, she can still use Iphone but not with 3G speeds. Hows At&t coverage in Grand Forks? Is having an Iphone worth it if its slow? Thank you!

[schiphol]

I'd love to know as well. I have AT&T and an iPhone. I had Sprint Nextel when I moved to Miami and only had a signal at work.

[DaninEGF]

Hi

Bad news for you....

I know that Verizon and Alltell hold the service monopoly in Grand Forks it seems with Verizon having the most stores....but I have never seen an AT&T one. I just noticed too that Sprint has a store in Grand Forks too. I did some web searching and right now AT&T service is not avbl in Grand Forks or Fargo....but they did recently (last year) get service to Minot, Bismarck and Dickinson....so they may yet head our way. On the AT&T website it mentioned they partner with someone up here for service....i.e. probably
roaming fees apply for phone coverage.

I just now found this link which mentioned someone's experience with AT&T and roaming....very weak signal at best it seems

http://www.cellreception.com/coverag...rks/page1.html


But please be sure to call your carrier for updates....as in todays world of mergers things can change fast.

Dan

[DaninEGF]

Originally Posted by ONIE11817

We will be relocating to Grand Forks from Tampa, this June. I've been planning to get to the forum and hopefully get some idea of how big our life is gonna change. For now, I have this one question ..Mothers day is coming up, and Im planning to buy an Iphone for my wife. I called At&t they said, she can still use Iphone but not with 3G speeds. Hows At&t coverage in Grand Forks? Is having an Iphone worth it if its slow? Thank you!

In regards to the move up here....is this a military move or move up for work/school? Have you only lived in Tampa? If so yes it will be an adjustment....a bit slower way of life and quieter. Mothers Day is appraoching and just now getting some buds on the trees....usually by now getting more leaves than this but it was a chilly spring (but it was 72 today and I almost sweated to death outside)....

Good luck

Dan

[ONIE11817]

Originally Posted by DaninEGF

In regards to the move up here....is this a military move or move up for work/school? Have you only lived in Tampa? If so yes it will be an adjustment....a bit slower way of life and quieter. Mothers Day is appraoching and just now getting some buds on the trees....usually by now getting more leaves than this but it was a chilly spring (but it was 72 today and I almost sweated to death outside)....

Good luck

Dan

Thank you very much for the reply. Yes, I have only lived in Tampa, so I dont really have any experience living with snow/ice. It would be quiet an adventure for us. My job training brings me and my family to Grand Forks for three years or maybe more if we like it, a once in a lifetime chance. I chose ND over NY and TX, because of the relatively low cost of living, good schools, and good family values.

[DaninEGF]

Originally Posted by ONIE11817

Thank you very much for the reply. Yes, I have only lived in Tampa, so I dont really have any experience living with snow/ice. It would be quiet an adventure for us. My job training brings me and my family to Grand Forks for three years or maybe more if we like it, a once in a lifetime chance. I chose ND over NY and TX, because of the relatively low cost of living, good schools, and good family values.

Hi....I must say good for you for willing to go so far away from home. Good thing you are coming in June....you will have time to adapt slowly in the fall. Fall is our best season....but our springs and falls are pretty short....Fall from Labor Day to Halloween....usually little snow in this period....though can be some accumulating snow by Halloween. Weather varies for Halloween....one year it was 15 degrees in the early evening and we had some snow the day before....the next year it was in the 50s in the early evening. There are many threads out there regarding winter clothing. Best bet is get a good quality coat....one with a waterproof interlining...and an outershell. Columbia brand coats are real popular...can be kind of spendy...but worth it. Good hat and gloves too...and if you dont have a garage I would hightly suggest investing in a remote car starter they are sooo nice....as you can start your car from inside and let it warm up for you. The doors remained locked so no danger there. Costs are 250-450 depending on model.

How was it getting housing up here....hope it was successful.

Dan

[ONIE11817]

I already signed a lease for an apartment. Heat, water and covered garage comes with the rent.

I was told not to buy the jackets here in Fl and wait till I get there or they might end up inadequate. I also dont know anything about layering, guess I'll just learn along the way. Like you said, luckily were moving in June..

I was shopping for remote starters too, and again I was told the shops here don't know a lot about installing them. So I have to wait till I get there. Any suggestion on a reputable shop? Do I need an engine block heater and a remote starter, or either one will do. How are the roads during winter season? I'm staying within city limits, are they plowed early? I need to to get to the workplace at 0600 or might get called in during the night. Are snow tires necessary or all season tire will do?


Again, thank you for your response.

[DaninEGF]

Originally Posted by ONIE11817

I already signed a lease for an apartment. Heat, water and covered garage comes with the rent.

I was told not to buy the jackets here in Fl and wait till I get there or they might end up inadequate. I also dont know anything about layering, guess I'll just learn along the way. Like you said, luckily were moving in June..

I was shopping for remote starters too, and again I was told the shops here don't know a lot about installing them. So I have to wait till I get there. Any suggestion on a reputable shop? Do I need an engine block heater and a remote starter, or either one will do. How are the roads during winter season? I'm staying within city limits, are they plowed early? I need to to get to the workplace at 0600 or might get called in during the night. Are snow tires necessary or all season tire will do?


Again, thank you for your response.

Agree...wait and some of best deals on coats are early in the fall...you know how stores seem to be one season ahead in terms of clothing. Scheels (sporting good store) is one place to recommend for coat shopping -- they carry Columbia brand. I recommend getting one really good coat for any long stays outside and then several lighter coats or more dressy ones for work. That is what my wife has and she is a native North Dakotan.

Since you are in a apartment and garage too....you dont have to worry about shoveling yourself out....but probably still want to get a nice pair of winter boots....often people wear them to go from the parking lots into work and then they switch out of them into more comfy shoes. Honestly...yes it can be very cold for days on end...but unless you plan on jogging outside or taking a dog on long walks in the winter msot of your exposure will be running from car to building.

We had SoundDesign install our remoter starter on our Odyssey van. They did a good job and sometimes have coupons in the mail in the fall. They use Astrostart brand which when I did research was recommended as they are a Canadian brand. You need to get one that gives you a signal back...i.e. you have some emblems on the remote starter and when you press the key button to start the vehicle, you will get a green color back if it starts or a red one if it is too far away for the signal to reach. These are the mid range prices...around 350.00 ish.

Well, in terms of winter driving...we tend to get mostly light snows...with a few heavier ones thrown in (heavier meaning 6+ inches). They plow for 2 or 3 and higher otherwise they use lots of sand....very little salt is used as usually it is too cold for salt to be effective. Sand is put down at intersections for traction. The city does plow....but does not plow the road bare. It rarely gets warm enough to melt a lot of the snow in the heart of the winter...so most of the time there is a that skim layer of ice/snow on the roads. We dont get much freezing rain/ice either....more light powdery dry snow. We have a dry cold here most of the winter...and those who have experienced a wet cold says that zero dry cold feels like 30 wet cold. Nothing to me like a fresh cold morning clear blue sky and the snow crinkling under your foot. Usually need -10 or -20 for that. We have about 60 days a year when at least at some point the temp is below zero during the day. We usually have 5-7 days when both the high and low are below zero.
Wind chills can be a factor on some days...and you just take it....

In terms of your other questions...you dont need both an engine block heater and remote starter. If you are a work for a long time and parked outside you can program some starters to run every few hours on/off. If you have a newer vehicle and newer battery....you wont run into issues with cold weather unless your vehicle is parked for days on end outside.

And...the regular all season tires work just great. Many folks here have all wheel drive or 4x4 vehicle...not needed....but nice to have. I had a Saturn when I arrived here in 1998 and my issue was seeing around corners at intersections as the car sat too low to the ground. The extra height given by a SUV or truck helps in seeing over snow banks and also helps in clearance when going through snow drifts. But many many people do just fine in cars with regular all season tires.

Sounds like you are prepared....good for you. Really though winter snow is not great...nothing like New England...but here it is just cold so the snow doesnt ever melt...what is on the ground at Thanksgiving stays on the ground til March.

I work at the National Weather Service and here is a link to our site....www.crh.noaa.gov/fgf click on Grand Forks and you can get the 7 day forecast that way....


Dan

[ONIE11817]

Dan,

I cant thank you enough for the information. A lot of my co-workers are teasing me about the move. A lot of them, who lived in florida all their adult life, says I'm crazy but I know they're happy for me. These guys also gave a lot of advice which were highly appreciated but sometimes are very alarmist. I'm not saying its going to be an easy transition but we are going to look at this as an adventure, and being well informed and well prepared makes it fun.

My wife drives an odyssey FWD and I drive an element AWD. So thats great!

Originally Posted by DaninEGF

Agree...wait and some of best deals on coats are early in the fall...you know how stores seem to be one season ahead in terms of clothing. Scheels (sporting good store) is one place to recommend for coat shopping -- they carry Columbia brand. I recommend getting one really good coat for any long stays outside and then several lighter coats or more dressy ones for work. That is what my wife has and she is a native North Dakotan.

Since you are in a apartment and garage too....you dont have to worry about shoveling yourself out....but probably still want to get a nice pair of winter boots....often people wear them to go from the parking lots into work and then they switch out of them into more comfy shoes. Honestly...yes it can be very cold for days on end...but unless you plan on jogging outside or taking a dog on long walks in the winter msot of your exposure will be running from car to building.

We had SoundDesign install our remoter starter on our Odyssey van. They did a good job and sometimes have coupons in the mail in the fall. They use Astrostart brand which when I did research was recommended as they are a Canadian brand. You need to get one that gives you a signal back...i.e. you have some emblems on the remote starter and when you press the key button to start the vehicle, you will get a green color back if it starts or a red one if it is too far away for the signal to reach. These are the mid range prices...around 350.00 ish.

Well, in terms of winter driving...we tend to get mostly light snows...with a few heavier ones thrown in (heavier meaning 6+ inches). They plow for 2 or 3 and higher otherwise they use lots of sand....very little salt is used as usually it is too cold for salt to be effective. Sand is put down at intersections for traction. The city does plow....but does not plow the road bare. It rarely gets warm enough to melt a lot of the snow in the heart of the winter...so most of the time there is a that skim layer of ice/snow on the roads. We dont get much freezing rain/ice either....more light powdery dry snow. We have a dry cold here most of the winter...and those who have experienced a wet cold says that zero dry cold feels like 30 wet cold. Nothing to me like a fresh cold morning clear blue sky and the snow crinkling under your foot. Usually need -10 or -20 for that. We have about 60 days a year when at least at some point the temp is below zero during the day. We usually have 5-7 days when both the high and low are below zero.
Wind chills can be a factor on some days...and you just take it....

In terms of your other questions...you dont need both an engine block heater and remote starter. If you are a work for a long time and parked outside you can program some starters to run every few hours on/off. If you have a newer vehicle and newer battery....you wont run into issues with cold weather unless your vehicle is parked for days on end outside.

And...the regular all season tires work just great. Many folks here have all wheel drive or 4x4 vehicle...not needed....but nice to have. I had a Saturn when I arrived here in 1998 and my issue was seeing around corners at intersections as the car sat too low to the ground. The extra height given by a SUV or truck helps in seeing over snow banks and also helps in clearance when going through snow drifts. But many many people do just fine in cars with regular all season tires.

Sounds like you are prepared....good for you. Really though winter snow is not great...nothing like New England...but here it is just cold so the snow doesnt ever melt...what is on the ground at Thanksgiving stays on the ground til March.

I work at the National Weather Service and here is a link to our site....www.crh.noaa.gov/fgf click on Grand Forks and you can get the 7 day forecast that way....


Dan

[DaninEGF]

Originally Posted by ONIE11817

Dan,

I cant thank you enough for the information. A lot of my co-workers are teasing me about the move. A lot of them, who lived in florida all their adult life, says I'm crazy but I know they're happy for me. These guys also gave a lot of advice which were highly appreciated but sometimes are very alarmist. I'm not saying its going to be an easy transition but we are going to look at this as an adventure, and being well informed and well prepared makes it fun.

My wife drives an odyssey FWD and I drive an element AWD. So thats great!

I am sure you get lots of teasing and are you out of your mind statements. Think of it as a new experience you can tell everyone about later. But whenever I say that too about our area it makes it sound like it is some terrible place. The town is nice....not surburbia type as there is the city of Grand Forks and East Grand Forks (where I live) and that's it no "surburbs". But you will have to get used to having a few less stores/restaurants you are used too around. Fargo is only 1 hour away and it double or triple in size and has all the places you are used too (except exclusively southern brands).

You will survive the winters....we all do. Your vehicles will be fine...my wife drives our FWD Odyssey all around town and no problems. The roads are plowed for travel...though local streets can be tough....but with our cold weather that persists there is little melting so I think a lot of people just get tired of seeing the snow on the ground for months on end and by March they are ansy to get outdoors. I know kids get ansy too... Daycare does let kids out to play when it is above 10 degrees....but we may have a couple of weeks where that is rare.... On our block of newer homes in my neighborhood we have folks from New York state and other places....and our neighbor and her husband are from Miami originally....they enjoy it up here to some degree.

Oh....the reason I sent this originally was to link a story I saw about AT&T acquiring many of Altell's tower's, etc and how they might use it to expand coverage where it is sparse in the rural Midwest. So you might be able to use AT&T afterall in a little while....

AT&T eyes divested Alltel assets | Wireless - CNET News

Any questions please check back... if I may ask what complex or part of town are you moving too?

Dan