Small towns in NW North Dakota (Fargo, Bismarck: real estate, brokers, house prices)

[dardekkis]

Can anyone give me more information on small towns in NW North Dakota such as Grenora, Wildrose, Crosby, etc.? What's life there like and how is winter driving in that area? Is broadband internet available there? I know that the area's a little remote but any information would be appreciated!

[ioneoskay]

Oh my God, I can't imagine anyone even knowing where they are at or why they would they want to know anything about them.
I was raised south of Wildrose, back in the 60's Wildrose was a fun place, fair amount of partying went on, but I like a lot of others took off for other parts of the world. Like Los Angeles.

Nowdays there isn't much going on, safe place to raise kids, except Crosby is the only one that has a school. Please do tell me why you are inquiring?

ioneoskay@kittymail.com

[dardekkis]

I'm just looking to get away from it all and move to a rural area. Real estate in the towns I mentioned is cheap enough but I have no idea what life is actually like there. I'd be working from home (which is why the broadband would be important) so I wouldn't have to commute across snowy roads in the winter but without knowing what life is like there it's not easy to make a decision one way or the other. The cold doesn't faze me at all but I'd need to have a better idea of life there before doing something as drastic as moving to one of those towns.

[Christine Joan]

Darkekkis,

I use the internet to perform my work too and am also considering a move to North Dakota. I have heard that Crosby has high-speed internet (DSL) from locals when I was considering buying a home there, but have not called the local telephone company to verify this. If you know that you will select Crosby as your next destination, you might want to call the local telephone company and check the city's government website too to find out what type of services they have available.

Also, although you will be able to work at home, at some point you will need to get groceries and other supplies during the winter. I have heard that some roads are better maintained than others during the winter, so you might want to take that into consideration too when you select your next home. Personally, I am taking the advice of the locals and looking for homes that are within about an hour drive of the major cities: Minot, Bismark, Grand Forks and Fargo.

Unfortunately, Crosby is a little too remote for me but it looks like you can probably reach Dickinson from there in about an hour as long as the roads are good. Another possibility might be to go into Canada and buy supplies there (but I think you now need a passport to get back into the US).

Another city in that general vicinity, but more toward the center of North Dakota, that I have heard has DSL service (but I have not verified this) and affordable homes too is Mohall. The advantage of Mohall is that it is only about 45 minutes away from Minot.

Sorry, I meant to write that Crosby appears to be about an hour drive from Williston, not Dickinson.

[dardekkis]

Christine Joan,

Thanks for your detailed response; would you recommend the area in general? From the photos I've seen there's not much there aside from lots of farmland and the occasional hills. And I don't know too much about the inhabitants there other than that there's a big Norwegian/German influence. What's unique about living there vs. other areas in the US?

[Christine Joan]

Dardekkis,

I highly recommend North Dakota. It has fresh air, affordable homes, wide open spaces, beautiful scenery, wildlife in its natural element, and in general, very nice and kind people. These are all the things I am looking for in my next home. If you want to SEE why I am so impressed with North Dakota and will eventually live there myself, take a look at some of the pictures for Bottineau, Lake Metigoshe state park, and Walhalla that are posted in this forum under the city's name and on the city website for Bottineau. Also, look at the websites for real estate brokers in those areas and compare the prices of the homes there to the prices of similar homes in California.

If you are asking if I recommend Crosby or Mohall, I am not qualified to answer that question since I have never visited or lived there, but each city seems like a nice town near the Canadian border. For my needs though, Crosby is more remote than I would like because I like being within about an hour drive of a major city that has a very good national airport so that I can visit my family. That is why I suggested Mohall over Crosby. If being close to a national airport and at least one mall isn't important to you, then Crosby would probably be fine.

If you haven't already done so, try to read some of the old posts from FourWinds and Dan in Grand Forks because they really provide a lot of useful information about cities within North Dakota.

[bluesrocker]

I'm originally from NW North Dakota. My wife and I just moved to Nashville, TN in April '06. We've been here a year, and are planning to move back to ND in about a month. Nashville is a cool place with lots to do and offer. I'm a musician, thus the reason for moving here. However, ever since we've moved here, we've missed the serenity and simplicity of life in North Dakota. We're also wanting to start a family, and there's no better place to do that than in ND.

I think for people not from ND, moving to the state, especially the smaller/rural areas, may be quite a culture shock. Things are definately alot slower there, but I mean that in a good way. After living in Nashville for a year, people here are moving so fast all the time, that they forget to just stop and "smell the roses", you know?

ND is peaceful, the cost of living is rock bottom, the air is clean, and there isn't a lot of people. However, ND is very much up on technology, and I feel that there isn't anything that the state can't offer anyone. I'm from a farm north of Flaxton, which is about 45 miles east of Crosby, so I'm from out in "no man's land". Even so, we have DSL internet access at our farm, so I guess you could say that we are connected to the rest of the world!

As for me and my wife, we're undecided as of yet, but when we do get back to ND a month from now, we'll probably be looking at the larger cities in ND to settle down in (Minot, Bismarck, Fargo, etc.), only because of better jobs and opportunities.

Good luck with your possible move to our state. It may lack some of the niceties of other areas of the country, but I guarantee, ND is unmatched when it comes to quality of living.

Forgot to mention.........if you're trying to pick between Crosby and Mohall, either one is a fine choice. I've lived within an hour of each my whole life and have visited each too many times to count. Crosby is still alive and well, but not booming by any means. It's just a nice quite town, and it's only about 45 minutes north of Williston, which offers really good shopping and dining options. Mohall would probably be my choice over the two, only because Minot is only 45 minutes south, and offers many excellent options when it comes to dining, shopping, education, etc. Also, have you considered Kenmare?? Another town that I've visited many times, as well as worked in for a year. Kenmare is just a bit bigger than both Crosby and Mohall, having a fantastic small town vibe, with a nice downtown. I believe there are something like 60 businesses in downtown Kenmare, which really is something when it comes to small towns in ND. Kenmare is also about 45 minutes northwest of Minot on Hwy 52. Great little town. Just a suggestion....

[dardekkis]

Christine Joan: Thank you for the tips; there's a lot of info to be had in those old posts!

bluesrocker: I'm considering moving to NW ND for the same reason you're considering returning to the state - I want to settle down and raise a family in a safe place that's not too hectic. Right now I'm saving up money so that I won't be pressed for it when I move and would try to do something workwise from home once I get there. I'm divided between trying to find work in one of the larger towns and working from home; the former would be more lucrative in the beginning but the latter would allow me to live in a smaller community. So all of these things go into consideration when I'm thinking of where I'd like to move to but your reply helped narrow some things down; I never looked into Mohall or Kenmare much but I'll definitely have to check those towns out.

[chester]

I think you should check out the Watford City area if you are looking for a samller town. They have the fiber internet you are looking for. They have a company based out of Minneapolis that opened up shop there. They have a beautiful water park for kids, a brand new movie theater-upscale bar-grill type establishment that was built into a newly constructed bank complex on main street. It is only 30 minutes south of Williston...and only 15 minutes to Theodore Roosevelt National Park (north unit). If you are in the area, check them out. (oil boom going on right now in Williston, so housing could be hard to find in the emmediate Williston outskirts)...but Watford is far enough away that they still have reasonable house prices.

[chester]

I can't remember the Minneapolis company name...but it is a programming company and has been operating in Watford City going on 6 years now.