Great place for a fresh start, but that's it
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9/3/2020
I've lived here for several years and have no regrets coming here, but this place isn't for everyone.
When I first moved to Fargo I was several thousand dollars in credit card debt with not much money to my name. Since then, four years down the line, I have enjoyed a massive growth in my bank account and all my debts are paid off, but socially speaking, I'm in almost exactly the same position as when I first got here.
The economy here is very, very strong. North Dakota relies a lot on agriculture and oil, which have been very stable industries. Everywhere is hiring, and the minimum wage most places offer here are more than enough to live off of with the low cost of living in this town. Additionally, crime barely exists here. If you keep out of trouble and aren't completely oblivious, you'll never be a victim of a crime. People complaining about crime have no idea how bad it is in the rest of the country.
All those pluses aside, socially speaking, it's dead here. People have made all the friends they'll ever make in high school. The college graduates at NDSU immediately leave town as soon as they graduate, or marry and start having kids very young.
If you try to invite other people out for things other than drinking or eating, good luck. Everyone here is a massive flake. On top of that, while people here are nice enough on the surface, like a lot of other Midwest states, it's the norm to be gossipy and extremely nosy about your neighbors and coworkers. Very cliquey. For single people, it's very challenging to network and really put down roots with your community, which is probably the main reason that I'm leaving.
Another reason I'm leaving is the weather and local geography. Not only does it get colder than Alaska at some points of the winter, but the summers are not much better, being extremely humid and temperamental with hot rain showers throughout the year. If you want any nice outdoors parks or scenery, like for hiking or camping, you're looking at about a two hour drive towards Minnesota before you hit some good nature. Otherwise, it's flat farmland and prairies everywhere around here, almost all owned by private individuals.
Overall, if you have a family and want a place to provide an affordable cost of living, stable job economy, and you don't mind long cold winters, Fargo might be for you. If you are a single person that already has a steady career going and enjoys being active, there's not much reason to come here. My wallet is very thankful for Fargo, but my heart yearns to be somewhere else.
goro | Fargo, ND