Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Most North Dakotans would give you the shirt of their back--they just want to know *who* they're giving it to. North Dakotans aren't flashy or aggressive, so people with that personality are going to have a tough time, especially in a small town.
For the travelers who encountered rudeness, I'm sorry you were made to feel unwelcome. Many North Dakotans are actually shy and sometimes that comes off as defensive or rude.
We moved to a small ND town several years ago and it's been wonderful. The people here value hard work and integrity, so don't expect to move to a small town and not have to prove yourself a bit. People are friendly, but you have to let things progress at their own pace. Let them talk about themselves more than you talk about yourself or where you're from (you're a brand new audience--they'll love you!). Make it a point to comment on the good things about the town and the people and the state, even if it's something like, "Wow! No termites in ND!" (And there aren't--it's too cold!)
I live in rural ND, about 30 miles north of Minot. Our town has less than 300 people in it. Most of the people are friendly for the most part, but only after WE make the effort to talk to them. Our town isn't like Hazelton, though. My husband is in the military, as is at least one person in probably close to half of the households here. A lot of the rest of them are retired military. So there aren't as many here with roots firmly planted the way it is in Hazelton I'm sure.
We've lived here almost 3 years now, and know just about everyone in town. We're involved in the community, too, though. My husband is a volunteer firefighter and just last week passed his test to become a volunteer EMT. When you know that your life could very well rest in someone's hands, that might make you nicer to him and his family.
yes it is i used to have neihbors who moved from chilli and they were there for only a few months and had problems with some one they trusted to baby sit and they said they already had enough of this place and all of a sudden said they were movn to minnisota and did withn that week. and they were good people. i was happy to have decent people as a neighbor. not verry many here. i live in north dakota and also the police, court, social services, anything like that too r backwards they go against what wat really is supposed to happen. they do wat they want to people and get away with it. its crazy im from new jersey and i lie it better that north dakota. one advice i can give u is once u moven in to north dakota its hard to get out.
yes it is i used to have neihbors who moved from chilli and they were there for only a few months and had problems with some one they trusted to baby sit and they said they already had enough of this place and all of a sudden said they were movn to minnisota and did withn that week. and they were good people. i was happy to have decent people as a neighbor. not verry many here. i live in north dakota and also the police, court, social services, anything like that too r backwards they go against what wat really is supposed to happen. they do wat they want to people and get away with it. its crazy im from new jersey and i lie it better that north dakota. one advice i can give u is once u moven in to north dakota its hard to get out.
Not to be a scold, but jeez, could you please use the English language when you write? I have a hard time following the grammar, mechanics, and logic of your posts. Were your neighbors from 'Chile,' the country in South America? Your sentences are contradictory. Are the people decent, or not? The middle of your post reads both ways.
What if someone looks ethnically Austrian, would they stand out in North Dakota ?
Nope! I know what you're getting at, though, and I totally agree with you (i.e., European nationalities aren't races/ethnicities). I just thought it was silly that the poster said he looked German and therefore stood out in ND.
yes it is i used to have neihbors who moved from chilli and they were there for only a few months and had problems with some one they trusted to baby sit and they said they already had enough of this place and all of a sudden said they were movn to minnisota and did withn that week. and they were good people. i was happy to have decent people as a neighbor. not verry many here. i live in north dakota and also the police, court, social services, anything like that too r backwards they go against what wat really is supposed to happen. they do wat they want to people and get away with it. its crazy im from new jersey and i lie it better that north dakota. one advice i can give u is once u moven in to north dakota its hard to get out.
Your note is totally confusing. Like someone else said, it can be read both ways as people being good or being bad. Can you please explain better?
And, I agree, proper punctuation, grammer & spelling would probably help a lot as far as the rest of us understanding what you're getting at. Many of us don't read/understand 'cellphone text' language.
I understood the hellian's post, despite the atrocious typing. I'll translate:
"I had neighbors that moved here from Chile. They were good people but had issues with their babysitter and the general area and moved to MN on very short notice. They were some of the only decent neighbors I've had while living here. While living in ND I've noticed that the state programs don't seem to care about helping their citizens and the state employees seem to suffer from cliquish superiority complexes. I lived in New Jersey before moving here and I prefer the former. Also, once you move to ND its very hard to gather enough funds to safely move elsewhere."
That's your freebie. Any more gibberish translating is gonna cost you (rep points? ) And you can thank my mum for teaching me grammar and spelling when she noticed that the school wasn't going to. hellian isn't doing txtspeak. txting is much more hideous, I kid you not.
Funny, one reason I'm jazzed about moving to ND is because they don't seem to have the welfare entitlement culture that has driven NY, NJ, and CA to near-bankruptcy....
Last edited by wondertrev; 04-07-2010 at 12:32 PM..
That's because people don't go to the state for money, they go to churches. And, because Christianity has instilled a feeling of guilt, most of the neighbors think they're obligated to help.
Funny, one reason I'm jazzed about moving to ND is because they don't seem to have the welfare entitlement culture that has driven NY, NJ, and CA to near-bankruptcy....
You're right about that, no question... but you also have to realize that ND as a whole is a welfare state... if NJ's taxes were reduced by half and ND's were doubled (NJ gets about 60 cents on the dollar for money paid to the US Gov't, ND gets over 2 dollars back for every dollar), would the cultures change? While I don't think they'd necessarily flip flop... it's a lot easier to be generous when money's available, a lot harder to complain when you aren't being squeezed for every penny.
Again though, I tend to agree, the midwest as a whole has far less of an entitlement attitude when compared to either coast... drives me bonkers here in NJ honestly.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I know what you're getting at, though, and I totally agree with you (i.e., European nationalities aren't races/ethnicities). I just thought it was silly that the poster said he looked German and therefore stood out in ND. 
) And you can thank my mum for teaching me grammar and spelling when she noticed that the school wasn't going to. hellian isn't doing txtspeak. txting is much more hideous, I kid you not.
