Did anybody leave ND and not regret it? (Fargo: job market, to live)

[alaska315]

Guess I'll put my 2 cents worth in as well.I grew up in the midwest/east and spent 20 years in the Southeast and have traveled every state more than once.
I bought a house here in North central North Dakota after researching the area at length and finding most rural ND counties have lost 10% of their population over the past 10 years,and the state total is right at 650K which sure puts it at a low population.
I wanted an area free of crime and inexpensive to live,even with cold winters and heating costs,and close to shopping and healthcare which is 28 miles for me.
What I found was an older well kept small home that I could afford to pay cash for in a small and very friendly town.
My utilities are half what I paid even in the south,and while groceries and gas seem nearly the same,my property taxes are so cheap ( under 100.00 ) that I found a place I can live securely and happily and if I get abit sick of winter,I can afford to go south for a month with what I save every year here.
Granted,I don't live near the "big" cities of GF or Fargo or Bismarck,or even Minot,but I wouldn't trade North Dakota or it's people or even it's winters for anywhere I have ever been.Yep,I love it here

[RadioBroadcaster2008]

Very well put.

As ive stated before, I've lived in MS, AL, FL, SC, ND, NH and CT (Connecticut being my home state where I was born and raised for 19 years)..

Except for where I went to high school (Colchester, Connecticut)... I can HONESTLY, without a doubt, say Williston, North Dakota was the only other place I truly loved being in for many reasons.

I loved it so much that if I could move anywhere after winning the lottery or was well off and didn't need to work, Williston would be tops on my list.

[roundball]

Originally Posted by showmeguy

I grew up in a small town in ND. All in all I lived in the state 25 years. I left as eventually did all my family. I do not miss the winters. Does anyone remember the winter of 79-80 when it didn't get above 0 for weeks at a time? I do not miss the floods. The '80 flood in GF was bad enough, I'm glad I was gone before the '97 one hit. Tiny towns with crappy schools, no jobs and nothing to keep the kids from moving away. I read in the Fargo Forum last year that ND had somehting like a 5% annual population loss and quoted some official who sounded puzzled why anyone would leave the state. People, there are plenty of good safe places to raise your kids. You don't have to do it in ND.

Long story short: I grew up in Grand Forks, left for 4yrs while in the Marines and came back for school at UND. When my wife and I graduated we hit the road running. We now live in a Phoenix suburb. The school our kids now go to is better than mine was growing up and the zip code we live in is safer (my zip is about the same size as Grand Forks). We have beautiful views of the mountains and everyone is real friendly.

I think its a big fallacy that people like to tell themselves in North Dakota. North Dakota has a lot going for it. The schools as a whole are good and as a whole there isn't alot of violent crime. The people are nice and the ice fishing is good.

The main reason we left was wages. (and the cold) We make over twice as much here as we would there. We use that extra to live in a nice part of town. We also spent a few years in North Carolina and the area we lived in down there were just as nice.

True, if you drive 20miles south you can find some places that you don't want to be when the sun goes down. You can also drive 20min and have a lot of fun.

North Dakota kids aren't as wholesome as everyone likes to believe. They do the same messed up things that every other kid throughout the country does. Their parents just choose to believe their kids are angels because North Dakota is "wholesome"

[bismanpokerclub]

Originally Posted by roundball

North Dakota kids aren't as wholesome as everyone likes to believe. They do the same messed up things that every other kid throughout the country does. Their parents just choose to believe their kids are angels because North Dakota is "wholesome"

You show me 1/100 the gang and drug problems here as in bigger cities, I'll kiss your feet, sure you can find other small towns all over the country that don't have crime, I don't think anybody here has denied that. I also don't think anyone has stated there are zero drugs or zero problems with kids, even ND kids. There are no gangs in Bismarck, there might be some punk kids who will tell you they are in a gang, but they would be the 1st ones running to mommy if they ran into a real gangbanger. There are drugs here, and meth was/is a problem but it is on the way down, and it doesn't compare to the problems in big cities where there are drug dealers on every corner. So I think what it really comes down to is the cold, and maybe you having to lie to yourself about how "dangerous" ND is as compared to the furnace you have yourself parked in and I and many other ND'ers would never want to live in.

[roundball]

I never said North Dakota was dangerous. I even said that the "violent" crime rate is low. I'm only going to give you my personal experiences. In North Dakota 16-18 and 22-28 I had my car broken into 5 times that I can remember. My Apartment/House twice. I'n NC from 18-22 not once. In AZ 28-34 not once. I choose to live in a nice neighborhood so I don't have those problems. The apt. and house that was broken into were both in nice areas. The problem with Grand Forks in that the nice and not so nice areas are sometimes separated by 1 block. Here its miles. I wouldn't care to live a few miles south of where I do now. I would still consider it safe though.

I think you took way to much offense to my post. We also don't have drug dealers on every corner. I've never seen a drug dealer on a corner. and I won't drive 30 min to go find one in the crap part of town.

Cold was a factor. If I gave you 5 reason why I left and don't regret it. Cold would be at the bottom of the list. Ice fishing would be at the top.

I'll give you a pt. on the gangs but you owe me a kiss on a foot for the drugs part.

[Irish~Rose]

I am thinking of moving to ND, Have my eye on a gem of a place! I have also been looking into solar and wind power set ups for where ever I do end up moving.
Some states will pay to have it all set up for you and what ever power you do not use goes to the grid. I think this is wonderful! I have not however been able to find anything about it in ND. So I agree with you Plains10, It is something that needs to be looked at up there.

I have seen some people say that the people are rude in ND... I was planning on moving to the Appalachians in WV and let me tell you about rude. The reality agents seem dead bent to not sell property! If you have over there you will see big sections of towns that the buildings are rotting and falling down and areas that are like ghost towns. I could have paid cash out for the homes I was looking at and one I was for sure ready to do so. However every single realtor I tried to work through was like trying to get through to a brick wall! I got no where with them fast.
For most people moving to a new state the realtor is their first impression.
As far as ND they have been great! Over the top helpful!
The one I have decided to go with is from Fargo by the way and not in the lest bit snooty or pretentious.
There! I just had to get that out of my system! lol

[Irish~Rose]

Originally Posted by johnnyreb

If you're promoting wind energy - just come out and say it. Don't make baseless accusations about the coal industry in ND to justify it.

As for your claim that North Dakota isn't developing it's wind energy capabilities - just because you type something (like the ND air quality "problems"), it doesn't make it true. Do a little research before you throw accusations around. For example, a simple google search for "north Dakota wind power" results in this page: North Dakota Wind Energy Projects (broken link)

Nope - ND's not developing wind energy at all.

Thanks for the link. I have been looking for info on this for ND.

I do not understand however why every one is getting angry at plains10 for suggesting wind energy! Whats up with that? People can also google and get info on coal: pollution, environmental and economic impact and black lung. It really is far beyond time we start using clean power.

Thanks again for the link.
Rose

[Irish~Rose]

Originally Posted by alaska315

Guess I'll put my 2 cents worth in as well.I grew up in the midwest/east and spent 20 years in the Southeast and have traveled every state more than once.
I bought a house here in North central North Dakota after researching the area at length and finding most rural ND counties have lost 10% of their population over the past 10 years,and the state total is right at 650K which sure puts it at a low population.
I wanted an area free of crime and inexpensive to live,even with cold winters and heating costs,and close to shopping and healthcare which is 28 miles for me.
What I found was an older well kept small home that I could afford to pay cash for in a small and very friendly town.
My utilities are half what I paid even in the south,and while groceries and gas seem nearly the same,my property taxes are so cheap ( under 100.00 ) that I found a place I can live securely and happily and if I get abit sick of winter,I can afford to go south for a month with what I save every year here.
Granted,I don't live near the "big" cities of GF or Fargo or Bismarck,or even Minot,but I wouldn't trade North Dakota or it's people or even it's winters for anywhere I have ever been.Yep,I love it here

This is just what I am in hopes of finding! I hope it all comes together by summer so we will be settled in by winter!

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by Irish~Rose

Thanks for the link. I have been looking for info on this for ND.

I do not understand however why every one is getting angry at plains10 for suggesting wind energy! Whats up with that? People can also google and get info on coal: pollution, environmental and economic impact and black lung. It really is far beyond time we start using clean power.

Thanks again for the link.
Rose

North Dakota has always been a coal state. I think some people get defensive when you suggest that a greater amount of investing in renewables such as wind energy needs to be done. With the KWH rates being so cheap in most areas of ND many become complacent and disinterested in investing in alternatives compared with other states where the KWH rates are much higher like in CA.
However, coal states like WY, ND, MT tend to export electricity to those states that have more stringent regulations such as California. So it ends up being a complicated situation.

[American-Opinion]

Hey, I was BORN an American and I have never been treated as abominably as I have since moving to North Dakota!!!!!! This horrible treatment has never been as profoundly BAD as it has been by the people of Park River and Grafton North Dakota! I’ve lived in both of these cities over the past 10 years and let me tell you folks, if you don’t have Norwegian blood in you and weren’t born and raised in their corrupt little cites then you will be trampled upon!!!
What made it worse is they took it out on our kids! I’ve had enough! This area deserves nothing more than to be invaded by the Hells Angels or a multitude of other gangs to terminate their snobby attitudes! Hey maybe it would bring property value up too! Yes I’m angry, who wouldn’t be? This is a horrible place to live unless you are blessed with the bloodlines of those born and raised here……..We can’t get outa here fast enough and I’m sure they will all cheer at our leaving. Lest you think we are cowards….let me tell you folks we have given them pure HELL the past few years for treating us so badly, but unless there would be 100 more like us to give credence to our AMERICANNESS then this battle is not worth fighting!!!
Good riddance to Park River North Dakota ….. A hellish place to live! I came from the WEST and looking to head back, thank you very much….at least that part of the country is AMERICAN through and through!!