Possible move to Bismarck, I need help making a decision. (Minot: for sale, real estate)
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Hello, I am a student nurse and mother of 3 (with one on the way) my husband currently works frac in Williston and we see him very seldom and we are debating the possibility of moving to Bismarck after I graduate so we can see him more. I think this is a good idea, but my husband is convinced I would hate it there. So I am asking for some help from those of you familiar with the area if you would be so kind. Here are the list of questions I have (any additional info would be great) 1. Is there a nursing shortage in Bismarck, how hard is it to find a job in a hospital?? I know there are two large hospitals but how hard is it to get on with them? 2. I come from a small town, never really lived in a city, is there decent rural areas to live withing about 20 minutes of Bismarck? 3. How hard is it to find horse property under $250k? 4. What are the schools like? Are they pretty progressive or more conservative? Is the pledge still said? How many kids per class on average? Any idea on scores? 5. I noticed there are a couple colleges in the area, are they good schools and do they facilitate families or just cater to the young, singles only? 6. I have lived in the Rocky Mtns and high mountain desert of Oregon all my life and grew up with winters into the -20's, how bad are the winters really? Are they truly 6 months long? Are the winters 6 months of overcast grey skies and cold or is there still a lot of sun to be had along with all that cold? What are the average months with 40 degree or less weather? 7. How long is the drive from Williston to Bismarck? 8. Any suggestions on ways to convince my husband? lol
I know I am asking a lot, but any information would be great! Even if you can only answer 1 of my questions it would be very helpful! I noticed that Bismarck is very low in crime and considered a great place to live, I know it is cold, but I can deal with cold, what I want is a nice place to raise my family and to get as much time as possible with my husband. OH and 1 more question, I found one website that said the average temp in summer was 70 degrees, then someone on this forum said that the summers were 80-90s with some 100 degree weather, what are the summer like? Thanks a ton!
Rain
Here are some answers to your questions in short order:
1. You may want to check the local area/newspaper websites to see if there are any openings for nurses. If there are, it may be easy to get one if you have the background/skills.
2. There are some decent rural areas outside of Bismarck, and a lot of construction going on in Bismarck.
3. You may want to check real estate websites for horse property for sale under 250k.
4. Very good things have been said about the schools in Bismarck. You may be able to find statistics concerning test scores on the city website.
5. The colleges are said to be good, and generally cater to everyone.
6. The winters can be long and very cold, however some northern areas of the state can get much colder. There can be many sunny days in winter, and there can also be an abundance of snow. There could easily be 6 months of 40 degree weather.
7. It is roughly a 3 Hr. drive from Williston to Bismarck.
8. You'll probably have to do the convincing.
Nurses can find jobs in almost every city and town in North Dakota, regardless of it's size. Go visit your husband once you graduate and see if you can find a solution that is closer to where he works. Bismarck would be a really long drive to Williston on a regular basis, especially on bad winter roads.
Not really. It may depend on variables such as traffic and weather. The post said "roughly 3 hrs.", which means it may take longer for some.
Ok 3.5. Really. If you are an ND trucker you'd know that it takes closer to 3.5 than 3. There fore I'd say that's more likely to be 4 than 3. Roughly 3 hours makes it sound like you could do it 2 hrs 45 min to 3 hours 15 min. Both are unlikely.
Ok 3.5. Really. If you are an ND trucker you'd know that it takes closer to 3.5 than 3. There fore I'd say that's more likely to be 4 than 3. Roughly 3 hours makes it sound like you could do it 2 hrs 45 min to 3 hours 15 min. Both are unlikely.
Not really. It may depend on variables such as traffic and weather. The post said "roughly 3 hrs.", which means it may take longer for some. CASE CLOSED.
North Dakota winters, especially in western ND, have much more bright sunshine than high desert Oregon. If there is snow on the ground, the light can actually be extremely intense while the sun is out.
There are smaller towns north of Bismarck along the Missouri or near it, like Wilton, Washburn, Underwood, Stanton, Garrison, Hazen, Beulah that may offer acreage at rates much lower than the Bismarck area. They would be closer to your husband and there are a number of very small hospitals in that area as well as physician offices. Of course, a college wouldn't be available nearby, but housing may actually be more available and much cheaper, as the oil situation hasn't affected that area too much yet. Bismarck and Minot are both short of housing right now. Normally, Minot would be as much of an option as Bismarck, but a summer flood there took out a lot of housing.
Another option that you could look at is Billings, Montana. Billings would be drivable for your husbands'' breaks and offers a couple of colleges. Bismarck's public schools are probably better than Billings, though.
Well we just moved here (Bismarck) less than a year ago but I’ll take a stab at your questions:
1. Is there a nursing shortage in Bismarck, how hard is it to find a job in a hospital?? I know there are two large hospitals but how hard is it to get on with them?
No problem getting a job as a nurse. My wife came up as a graduate nurse right before the 1st of January and found a job immediately and was hired at one of the hospitals within 45 days of passing her boards. It does seem to take a while to get through the application process with the hospitals though, so might you might want to begin applying a couple months before you plan on moving here.
2. I come from a small town, never really lived in a city, is there decent rural areas to live within about 20 minutes of Bismarck?
We wanted to be in the country but prices and driving during last winter helped us on deciding to live in town (< 1 mile to work for both of us).
3. How hard is it to find horse property under $250k?
We found a great SMALL house for under $150k, but the selection in that price range is slim. <$250k will be easy.
4. What are the schools like? Are they pretty progressive or more conservative? Is the pledge still said? How many kids per class on average? Any idea on scores?
Heard they were good, conservative; no first hand knowledge. There are some private/religious schools here also.
5. I noticed there are a couple colleges in the area, are they good schools and do they facilitate families or just cater to the young, singles only?
You can continue your education at St. Mary's for a FNP online to fit your schedule.
6. I have lived in the Rocky Mtns and high mountain desert of Oregon all my life and grew up with winters into the -20's, how bad are the winters really? Are they truly 6 months long? Are the winters 6 months of overcast grey skies and cold or is there still a lot of sun to be had along with all that cold? What are the average months with 40 degree or less weather?
We moved up from El Paso, TX last October; the winter last year was long & cold. I’m originally from back east so I was looking forward to winter again, but even I was ready for it to be over last year. Not too many days in the -30’s but we had them. Winter really set in about mid November, and our last blizzard was April 29th. A couple nice days mixed in but pretty much all winter during that time.
7. How long is the drive from Williston to Bismarck?
Too long with too much traffic to have to do to often…
8. Any suggestions on ways to convince my husband?
I think Bismarck would be a wonderful place to raise a family; that is one of the reasons we moved here. PM me if you need more specific info. Good luck to you and your family!! We love it here!
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