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If you've lived in warmer, humid climates, (the South, the Midwest) you'll find that the worst North Dakota can dish out as far as heat is concerned is laughable. I use my window unit for about a week in August. The native-borne, however, seem to think they're going to melt. Summers usually see highs in the 80s and lower 90s with cool nights. However, it's all relative to one's experience.
If you've lived in warmer, humid climates, (the South, the Midwest) you'll find that the worst North Dakota can dish out as far as heat is concerned is laughable. I use my window unit for about a week in August. The native-borne, however, seem to think they're going to melt. Summers usually see highs in the 80s and lower 90s with cool nights. However, it's all relative to one's experience.
I'll take even the bitter cold I've seen here this winter over the extreme summer heat/humidity and nights that don't get below 75 degrees in the south any day. I've lived in all weather extremes, and NoDak is much better suited to me and my life than any of them - though frostbite was an interesting thing to deal with.
It's not for everyone, but for those who thrive on cold versus hot - it's a great place. Can't wait for spring!
The only downside if you are use to living in a area that has more sunlight during the day is S.A.D.(Seasonal affective disorder) I have been out here for two winters now and still cannot shake this Seasonal affective disorder. Now I know why there is so many bars' out here. Maybe thats why there is a problem out here with drinking as well.
Old Surrender,
You were right to correct me about Summer being hot in ND.
That was a biased opinion by someone who dislikes any temperature above 80. Fall in ND is delightful to me.
I think I was pretty fair about the rest.
Thanks
I've lived here my entire life and my husband, children and I plan to make it our permanent home. We love Fargo but of course every place does have downsides.
The cold weather is not really the problem, it's the wind. Because it is so flat around here and we don't have the tall buildings that Chicago does we have high winds all winter long. Even when the temperature is okay the wind can make it miserable. If you are used to any kind of cold weather or snow you can probably handle it though.
And about the flatness, some people find the scenery boring because there aren't many hills or trees and no mountains. Personally, we love a relaxing drive through the prairie. The fields and their colors are beautiful and it is amazing to see the skyline and a prairie sunset.
Flooding is not really a problem for most of the city. There are almost always temporary dikes that have to be put up along the river during the melt as a precaution but if you don't live along the river you don't really have to worry. The big Grand Forks flood made news in '97 when their dikes failed... but that was poor city planning if you ask me. You can get flood insurance... don't know the cost... but most people don't have it unless they are near the river.
The biggest complaint from people who live here is that there's nothing to do. There's a lot less entertainment here than in larger cities. Most people here go out to eat, go shopping, and go to the movies for fun. You can also hit the bars/sports bars and we do have a few clubs. I guess it really depends on your idea of fun. You can find stuff to do if you look for it but we don't have a real vibrant night life.
Jobs will really depend on your field. Health care, social service, manual labor, and food service jobs are abundant here. I think there are probably a good number of tech/computer jobs here. The more liberal arts jobs are scarce since we don't have a lot of cultural attractions. Salaries are also not always competitive depending on your field.
What we like about Fargo - good population size, great safe place to raise a family, beautiful rural landscapes right outside town, reasonable cost of living, sensible ND government, honest friendly people... I say if you can find a good job and don't expect to be constantly entertained by your city then make the move!
Flooding is not really a problem for most of the city. There are almost always temporary dikes that have to be put up along the river during the melt as a precaution but if you don't live along the river you don't really have to worry. The big Grand Forks flood made news in '97 when their dikes failed... but that was poor city planning if you ask me. You can get flood insurance... don't know the cost... but most people don't have it unless they are near the river.
First off, let me state unequivocally that I hope and pray that Fargo survives a 41 foot flood unscathed. But that paragraph is so typical of some of the and self-righteous ignoramous talk out of Fargo, including the Mayor. In 1997, the National Weather Service predicted 48 feet for Grand Forks, and the eventual crest was over 54 feet. If 54 feet had been given originally, large parts of the city would have been sacrificed, as they have been now in order to make way for much higher dikes..
Compare that to Fargo, where the prediction was like 39 feet, and the river reached 39 feet. In order to even compare the two situations, Fargo would need to see a flooding levelof 45 feet, which would have been impossible to protect against in such short order (this week, Fargo is struggling to reach 42 feet, and now is facing 43 feet) and the result would have decimated practically the whole city.
The volume of water going through Grand Forks in 1997 was four times that Fargo endured. All the flooding tributaries, especially the Red Lake River, between the two cities contributed enormous simultaneous flows - it wasn't a comparable situation whatsoever.
This week, busloads of Grand Forks citizens have been making their way to help Fargo through the current crisis. And the thank you is a snarky comment like that?
I have lived in the Fargo area for quite some time. (Fargo from '96 to 98) (small farm from '98 to '05) (Fargo from '05 to '07) and (Moorhead from '07 to present)
If you think Chicago is cold (I've been there during the winter) you ain't seen nothing yet. Temperature is bad but wind chill kills as anyone who's been outside in a -60 degree situation knows. The winter lasts for at least four, sometimes 6 to 7 months. The sky is rarely blue, it's usually a pale shade of gray that blots out the sun and illuminates the world with a sickly shadowless ambient occluded light. Even this only lasts from about 8 or 9 in the morning to 5 at night. When I go to school, it's dark, when I get home, it's dark. This goes on for MONTHS. The sky and ground are indistinguishable, snow is everywhere. You can't see the horizon unless there are trees or buildings. If you can put up with THAT, it's a great place to live. In contrast the summers are lush and warm, the wind never goes away but it's much more bearable during the summer months. The sun shines from 5 in the morning to after 10 at night. Everything is green and it smells so good. That parks are gorgeous, (after the flood waters go down) You can go hang out all day at the island park pool, have some hot wings, swing by the DQ in Moorhead (best DQ in the world), go dancing, step out into the cool night air, (magic hour in Fargo Moorhead is more like magic two hours from 9 to 11. You just want to run flat out for miles. It's also hands down one of the best places to ride horses. There's a really good performing arts school for high schoolers here that goes during the summer and we just sit around singing and dancing in the sun all day long. I'll be leaving once I'm done with high school just because I can't stand the winter but I will cry whenever I think of the summer.
In short, summer is heaven, winter is hell. Nuff Said.
I live in Fargo, moved here from CA for the same reasons you did. I thought, wow this place sounds great! But the cold *hurts* You can't breathe when there is 40 mph wind going in your face, and the air outside is 35 below or worse. Your eyes tear up, you can't see through the blurriness, then your eyelashes freeze. Any snot inside your nose that you couldn't normally feel freezes, your lungs ache. You have to get up and start your car at least a half hour before you go *anywhere* in the winter (which is October to March, easily) Don't think that places close or anything just because of the cold. Even if it's 50 below here, they still have class at NDSU. People park in the visitor lot so they don't have to walk a half mile or more from their lot, and they leave their cars running the whole time their in class. No matter how well your windows seal in your house, the wind forces it's way in. You are pretty much stuck inside all winter, from your heated house, to your heated car, to the bar, or the store. Therefore, the alcoholism rate here is very high. There really isn't much to do here besides drink and go to bars. I am the only one I know here that has not had at least 1 DUI.
Everything you do will be in Fargo. You are very right when you say Fargo looks nice, it's a great town! They have everything you need here. You never have to leave, but sometimes it might be nice to, just for the change of scenery. There isn't anything worth driving to more than once except the cities, or up to Duluth (which is absolutely stunning in the fall). Duluth and the Superior National Forest are about 6 hours away, the cities are only 3 hours away.
The summers here are really nice. But they are very short! I am used to long summers, and the time that you can go lounge by the lake and go swimming here comfortably is only like 2 months.
Culturally speaking, there is a lot of Swedish and Norwegian background here which I was really interested in. There are some reservations around here but that's pretty much it. Not very much diversity, which some people like... the only downside to it is that it is impossible to get authentic ethnic or foreign food here. Being from Ca, I am used to having some kind of variety with the food, freshness and lots of cultural places to eat.
I would also say that compared to other places I've been, it seems hard to make genuine friends here. People here are polite and usually religious and conservative and that's great. They aren't usually open to "outsiders." They hang out with people they've known forever and sort of act like they have enough friends. I never have enough, I enjoy meeting people of all cultures and trying all kinds of new things, but people here are kind of the opposite. They like routine, they don't like to try new foods. They don't concern themselves with anything outside of the area, everything here is very localized. I totally agree with buying local produce and being involved in the community and all, but being educated about the world's economy and ecology isn't a bad thing either... I have felt a little shut off and sheltered here, and because of the unwelcoming nature of the people that I have met here, all of my friends are not from here. They're from Colorado, New York, Texas, etc.
Please don't be offended at my post, I am not trying to upset anyone, I am just being honest. I am not generalizing the population here, just speaking on all the people I have actually personally met here in the last 4 years.
We do have only a small percentage of people of color and international flavor. But, this is expanding, and there are plenty of cultural activities. Our Native American population is small. You will find most people of Scandinavian, and Germans from Russia descent as well as of the Catholic and Lutheran religions. But you can find every nationality and mixes, and every religion or non-religion.
This is a good point -- you don't need to have people of different colours to have ethnic diversity!
The more I'm researching Fargo, ND the more it looks like a fantastic place:
-Low enough population density -> low traffic, pollution
-Ridiculously low house prices and cost of living
-Slower, less crazy pace of life
-Big enough a city to have everything you need.
And at the same time job opportunities seem to be available even for folks like me, who can work computers but not farm machinery.
The only downsides I found are:
-Cold. Can't be THAT bad, unless you are from a place that doesn't ever see snow.
-Higher taxes. A non-zero state income tax and higher property taxes in Fargo are certainly a downside, but should be offset by much lower mortgage payments.
-Flooding. It seems to make a lot of headlines, but USGS doesn't seem to think most areas in Fargo are a huge flooding risk, so flood insurance isn't too expensive, right? How bad is it really?
-Not a huge city, so not many fancy things like clubs/pro sports teams/etc. Really don't care, personally.
And that's all I could find after weeks of looking.
I have to say it sounds far too good to be true, because if it were people would be flocking there from all the huge, overpriced, overcrowded mega-cities. So unless ND has a bif fence around it to keep people out, there's got to be a catch I'm not seeing. What is it?
It is very, very, very cold.
This may or may not be a bad thing to you. But Fargo felt like it had a very conservative, fundamentalist Christian vibe to me. I didn't like it.
Some people might consider it boring. Depending on what you're looking for.
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more of the same - cold!
