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I was recently offered a job in both Pembina, ND / Dunseith, ND / and International Falls, MN.
I'm from SoCal and a very outdoorsy person. I love to fish, hike, camp, canoe, rafting, ski, bowling, nature watching, and trips to the fair.
I will like to know what life is like in Pembina / Dunseith (and International Falls).
Is housing readily available?
Are there a lots of local outdoorsy activities?
Is this a Superwalmart or Supertarget town?
What is the weather like (do you get all 4 seasons)
Feel free to tell me any additional information so I can make my decision. Thanks
I think you would be in for quite a shock. First, these areas are extremely isolated. Of the 3 cities you mentioned, Int'l Falls is by far the biggest at around 6,000 people but it is nearly 150 miles from Duluth where you would have the super stores you are looking for along with most other amenities (although there does appear to be a Kmart and a Menards in Int'l Falls). Pembina and Dunseith are both less than 1000 people and are a good 70-80 miles from cities big enough for super stores.
All 3 cities are some of the coldest in the lower 48 states, with Int'l Falls holding several records for all time coldest temps. If you have never experienced a northern plains winter, you need to do a lot of soul searching to make sure you could tolerate it. It can be extremely miserable at times with days on end of below zero temps and lots of wind. This, coupled with the isolation, would make winters long and potentially unbearable. The seasons tend to be about 2 months of spring (with intermittent winter days mixed in), 3 months of summer, 2 months of fall (with intermittent winter days mixed in), and 5 months of winter.
On the flip side, you would enjoy the outdoor activities. Fishing and hunting is very good up there, and there are several lakes and streams in these areas.
I can't speak to housing, but I would think it would be readily available and cheap in these areas.
So my advice is to do a lot of research and make sure you are prepared for what you are getting into.
I assume this is a move within the border patrol. There is a large office in the area where I live/work -- Grand Forks ND.
Pembina is a small town, and housing can be a bit hard to come by. Most small towns are that way as not a lot of people move in or out so housing can be iffy. I do know that several border patrol (if that is what you are with) live in Grafton or Grand Forks and drive back and forth just due to better housing choices. For Pembina nearest shopping with Walmart and Target is Grand Forks about 70 miles south. Pembina is in the flat Red River valley and is subject to many ground blizzards and is quite cold. Days with highs and lows below zero do occur several times a winter....Though most days will see highs 5 to 15 and lows -15 to -25. Not much to do in Pembina...there is a gas/convenience store at the I-29 exit and a duty free shop.
Dunseith I have been through and is near or on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation. You do have the Turtle mountains to its northwest.... I have family in Bottineau ND about 30 min or so west and I would say live there as you are close to some hills, Lake Metagoshie, and Bottineau does have a small town Walmart. I wouldnt live in Dunseith or nearby as it is pretty much for natives.
Either way yes....the smalll town nature will be a shock but the weather more so. Expect snow on the ground from about Hallloween to early April... The first and last dates of snow on the ground is variable. If you like snowmobiling all three offer excellent choices. I Falls is more in the woods (less wind and blizzards) but in general a bit more snowfall. But much more trees/forests around and many more lakes. I have never been to I Falls.
I would say based on outdoors and combined with somewhat of a town with shopping like a Walmart and a few other places, and nearby ski hill and many snowmobile trails and excellent fishing and hunting (good hunting is everywhere) that Bottineau living would be my first choice to look at. You can drive to Dunseith area for job and its not that far.
Pembina would be very small town and would have to drive pretty far for most any shopping plus it is more prone to blizzards.
I Falls would be ok if you want lots of trees and many many lakes. There is a ski hill in Bemidji and one northeast of Duluth.
Bottiineau has a more prairie open country vibe while I Falls more woodsy feel.
Family I have in Bottineau do go to Minot for major shopping - about 1 hour away
Omg... I had the same questions as well. I recently applied for Northern Border jobs with Customs. Hey Moving, check out Delphi forums as it have great info in relation to the job at these locations (that's how I found this place).
From what I read, Pembina ND, Dunseith ND, Lynden WA, and Suma WA are the best locations job wise. Stay far, far, far away from Portal ND, Sweet Grass MT, Bufflo NY, Blaine WA and there were two other Northern Border locations to avoid. As those locations have high turnover rates for various reasons and you Will get stuck there for at least 6+ years. There wasn't any information on International Falls.
From the information so far these sound like little commuter cities where you have a commute to get somewhere. I think for the location the real question is whether the job is worth starting out in one of these locations for at least two to three maybe four years?
International Falls is the coldest, but doesn't get much wind because it's forested. There is also very good fishing there and the Canadian side offers alot too but further north is almost uninhabited.
At Pembina, consider living in Walhalla or Cavalier. Walhalla is in a true Valley with woods and there is a nearby reservoir and hills, and even a downhill ski place. The other thing to consider is that Winnipeg is not that far away, as it's closer than Grand Forks.
If Dunseith is your location definitely live in Bottineau, or St John or points in between like Lake Metigoshe. Real outdoorsy area in winter or summer.
Hello everyone,
Thank you all for the informative replies. As I was reading through the responses I started to miss home, despite being home. The replies that I have received from you all made me better aware of what I'm getting myself into. The job is with Customs (thought I mentioned it) so I will be working on the Northern Border. My preferred choice state is Washington but that option wasn't on the table with my announcement.
One of my major concerns from which you all pointed out is the commuting. Being from SoCal everything is relatively close and no snow. On an average day (including work) I don't think I drive over 15 miles to any one location. However, if I want to visit the local forest for a day of hiking, camping, or nature watching that's a 20 plus mile journy pending if I want to include skiing.
Speaking of snow, what is it like living with it (especially driving in it)?
So far based on the information I'm leaning towards Dunseith. Not much of a commuter.
Would any of you recommend I wait till a position open in Sumas or Lynden, WA?
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