Are there any 'bad' cities in North Dakota? (Fargo, Bismarck: low crime, home)

[John Daniels]

Hello. I'm a 45 year old male looking for a place to settle down and my wife suggested North Dakota to be a very nice place. Of course I believe that this is an excellent suggestion but I'm not familiar with many places in North Dakota so it would be great if someone could suggest to me the good, the bad, and the ugly. Thank you

[dirkmonson]

Depends what you are looking for and what you are used to.

Fargo is the state's largest city with around 200,000 people in the metro area. It has virtually everything you'd expect in any city of similar size elsewhere. It's by far the most culturally diverse city in the state and does have an active arts/entertainment scene. Contrary to popular belief, Fargo isn't always flooding. :-)

Bismarck is the capital city and is located smack dab in the middle of the state. It has about 100,000 people in its metro area. It's rolling hills and location on the Missouri River make it an absolutely beautiful place. If outdoor activities, such as boating, hunting, fishing, etc. are your thing, Bismarck is a great place.

Minot has around 50,000 people and is located just 100 miles north of Bismarck along the northern tier of cities in ND. It's mainly an air force town, but does have attractive scenery. It's located in the Souris River valley, so it does have a varied terrain. If you are looking for culture and things to do, keep looking, because Minot is lacking in that department.

Williston is located along the same northern tier as Minot, but is only 30 miles from Montana. The scenery is gorgeous, from the Missouri River, to the grasslands to the wide open plains. This is where "big sky" country starts. Life is a bit different out in the end. Things progress much slower, there's more of a focus on family and tradition and people are generally a little bit more weary of "newcomers". But, people generally do mind to themselves in that area. Activity-wise, if you can't entertain yourself, you'll be quickly bored in Williston.

Now, no matter where you live, North Dakota has 4 distinct seasons. The weather in the western-half is dryer (Bismarck, Minot, Williston) and slightly warmer than the eastern half (Fargo). The winters are not nearly as bad as the media portrays it to be, but you can expect a few weeks of absolute cold (below zero) nearly every January. On the flipside, you can almost always expect a few weeks of absolute hot (90-100) every August.

All cities in ND boast low crime, low cost of living and high health standards. You can't really go wrong with any of our cities, it just comes down to a matter of preference.

[DaninEGF]

I must add to the list of cities...

Grand Forks in the northeastern part of the state has a pop of 55,000 in the city but combined with some of the smaller towns nearby its MSA pop is a bit higher. It is home to the oldest university in the state (Univ of North Dakota) and is the hockey hotbed of the state. It is also the coldest of the larger cities in the state with Grand Forks having considerably colder winters and usually longer lasting snowcover than Bismarck and Dickinson. It is also very close to the Minnesota lake resort area to the east and a two hour drive or so to Lake of the Woods...Bemidji....and just over an hour to Devils Lake which boasts excellent fishing. The terrain like Fargo is flat as it is in the Red River valley. Grand Forks because of UND does boast a bit more things to do than similar towns it size and is also a bit more diverse because of it. It is a bit more blue collar (if you will) than Fargo and Bismarck. Home prices and general costs are a bit higher than Fargo and Bismarck (or they used to).

Overall the description of the other cities given by the previous poster were excellent. There are many smaller cities and towns to choose from too for a bit more rural experience. Jamestown is a nice smaller size city to check out. I have never been to Dickinson but it is in the drier and warmer western part of the state close to the badlands.

what is your meaning of a "bad" city. There arent any big enough to be overrun by crime, etc if that is what you mean.


Dan

[jmgg]

The most reoccuring crime in western North Dakota would have to be speeding. In that part of the state no one drives slow since there's so much distance between towns and there's hardly anybody to run into. Gang activity out there is when more than one car decides to race each other. Very dangerous people.

[ElkHunter]

I get a kick out of what people consider crime. You can read all the reports and such, you can watch the news, but it's more based on what you are considering crime.

Where I was born and raised we had a nasty problem. It was in all the papers. People were arrested every day. It was blowing up mail boxes on the county road. Never heard of drive by shooting, never heard of gun point robberies, nothing of the sort. But we had a real problem with teen agers figuring out how to blow up mail boxes with a 2 l bottle of soda and some pills.

Crime is everywhere. Just depends how it's reported and how you would conceive how bad it was going to bother you.

What do you consider "High Crime"?

[TravisW]

Speaking of crime, this is the most polite burglar that I've heard of: Car burglar leaves note complimenting owner on music taste | INFORUM | Fargo, ND

[3-Oaks]

If you're looking for something a little more laid back, check out Valley City, pop. 6800.

[Roloff1976]

I DON"T agree with the comment "people are generally a little bit more weary of "newcomers" in the Williston area. I do not live there, but travel there often. I also have many friends and relatives there. Williston has always been an oil town, so people from all over the US come and go there (or I should say people from other oil producing states). People do mind their own business there because 1/4 of the people living there have come from other states...the people in Williston are used to people from other states moving in and out..and this has been going on for decades. Even when I lived there as a child in the 60's...we had Texan's, Oklahoman, Wyoming, Lousiana, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Montana, people coming and going in our school. That still is happening today with the new oil boom going on up there. Lots of construction...lots of jobs. Every other plate you see in that town is from somewhere else. But I agree, you do have to be content with entertaining yourself, unless you like hunting, fishing and the outdoors...but it is getting better. A family friendly community probably best describes that town. No MALL, but they have a nice downtown with real stores (mostly womens clothing and gift shops)...but better than some of the bigger towns in North Dakota (I think).
But in the end...I would suggest BISMARCK as my choice. It is a wonderful small city for people wanting to retire. Excellant shopping, wonderful parks, walking and bike paths, Great little zoo...great variety of eating establishments. It is more family oriented than say Fargo...as Fargo tends to be maybe more fast paced and leans more to the college and young professional population. But, Fargo would be a great choice also.

[Christian Missouri boy]

I was born and spent most of my life in North Dakota, Bismarck to be exact. There isnt one neighborhood in Bismarck that I wouldnt walk down or go through. Sure some near downtown Bismarck look a little rough but they are all safe. As for the city itself, you will notice some AWESOME walking trails along the Missouri River. If your into fishing, it is in close proximity to many many lakes and damns such as Sweet Briar Dam, Crown Butte lake, Mcdowell Dam, New Johns lake, Fish Creek, Danzig Dam (Always was my hidden little gem), The list goes on and on and on literally. The city is metropolitan enough that it has all amneties you could ask for. I have not been there in 10 years so my post is based off what I remember of my old hometown.

[Chris19]

As with North Dakota cities, my only experience is with Fargo. I have been a mile or two into North Dakota three times. During the time that I was in Fargo, the people were friendly and the city was clean and easy to get around. If I have four days or so to spare, I would like to see more of North Dakota. Based on what I have read, I would pick either Bismarck of Fargo.

North Dakota, along with South Dakota, is one of the safest states in the great USA and very few bad areas if there are any.