Fargo, North Dakota

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Fargo is a United States city located in the state of North Dakota. It is the county seat of Cass County. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 90,599 which makes it the largest city in North Dakota. It has a twin city, Moorhead, Minnesota. The larger Fargo-Moorhead area also encompasses the communities of West Fargo, North Dakota and Dilworth, Minnesota.

The city of Fargo is the crossroads and economic center of a large portion of eastern North Dakota and western Minnesota. Fargo is a retail, manufacturing, healthcare, and educational hub for the region. Fargo is home to North Dakota State University (NDSU). The local newspaper is The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead.

Contents

Geography

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Fargo is located at 46°52'17" North, 96°48'31" West (46.871414, -96.808658)1.

Fargo sits on the western bank of the Red River of the North in a very flat region known as the Red River Valley. The Red River Valley was once a part of glacial Lake Agassiz, which drained away about 9,300 years ago. The lake sediments deposited from Lake Agassiz made the land around Fargo some of the richest in the world for agricultural uses. Early settlers sometimes called the Red River Valley a new "Garden of Eden"

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 98.3 km² (37.9 mi²). 98.3 km² (37.9 mi²) of it is land and none of the area is covered with water.

History

The area that is present day Fargo was an early stopping point for steamboats floating down the Red River during the 1870s and 1880s. The city of Fargo was originally named "Centralia." The city was then renamed to "Fargo". This was in honor of Northern Pacific Railway director and Wells Fargo Express Company founder William Fargo. The area started to flourish after the arrival of the railroad and the city became known as the "Gateway to the West".

During the 1880s, Fargo became the "divorce capital" of the Midwest due to very lenient divorce laws. A major fire struck the city on June 7, 1893. The proprietor of a grocery store accidentally started the blaze as she emptied ashes behind her store on a windy day. The fire destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses. However, Fargo was quickly rebuilt with new buildings made of brick, new streets, and a water system. North Dakota State University was founded in 1890 as North Dakota's land-grant university. It was first called the "North Dakota State College of Agriculture."

Fargo-Moorhead boomed after World War II and the city grew rapidly. The coming of the two Interstates (I-29 and I-94) revolutionized travel in the region and pushed growth of Fargo to the south and west of the city limits. In 1972, the West Acres Shopping Center was constructed near the intersection of the two Interstates. This mall would become the catalyst for retail growth in the area. It would also spell the beginning of a time of decline for the downtown area of Fargo.

In recent years, Fargo has seen dramatic growth both in population and economic activity. Several businesses now have major operations in the community including Microsoft. The city's major retail districts on the outskirts are booming, but so is the downtown area due, at least in part, to investments made by the city and private developers. From the late 1990s onward, Fargo has consistently had one of the lowest unemployment rates of any Metropolitan Statistical Area in the United States. This, coupled with Fargo's low crime rate and the plentiful supply of affordable housing in the community, has prompted Money magazine to rank the city near the top of its annual list of America's most livable cities throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Law and government

Fargo uses the city commission style of local government. Four commissioners and a mayor are elected at large. The current mayor of Fargo is Bruce Furness. The Fargo City Commission meets every two weeks in its chambers above the Fargo Civic Center. The meetings are broadcast on a local cable channel.

Economy

The economy of the Fargo area has historically been dependant on agriculture. That dominance has decreased substantially in recent decades. Now, the city of Fargo has a growing economy based on food processing, manufacturing, technology, retail trade, higher education, and healthcare. The largest non-governmental employers in the city include MeritCare Health System, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, US Bank, and Microsoft. North Dakota State University is the largest governmental employer in the city.

Education

The Fargo Public Schools system operates fifteen elementary schools, three middle schools, and two high schools. The system also offers an alternative high school. Fargo has two parochial schools: Oak Grove Lutheran High School and Shanley Catholic High School.

Higher education

Fargo is home to North Dakota State University (NDSU). NDSU has over 12,000 students and is the second largest school in the North Dakota University System (only the University of North Dakota (UND) in Grand Forks is larger). NDSU was founded in 1890 primarily as an agricultural school, but has since branched out to cover many other fields of study. NDSU is also a major research institute. Together, NDSU and UND make up the Red River Valley Research Corridor.

The athletic teams at NDSU are known as The Bison. The athletic teams at NDSU have recently gone a transition from NCAA Division II to NCAA Division I. The transition sparked much controversy and debate when proposed, in part because NDSU's historic rival, UND, has not made such a similar move. This has, at least temporarily, ended the athletic rivalry between the two schools.

Recreation

The Fargo Park District operates many neighborhood parks throughout the city. The Park District also has several golf courses including Edgewood (18-hole), Rose Creek (18-hole), El Zagal (9-hole), Prairiewood (9-hole), and the new Osgood course (9-hole).

Culture

Contrary to popular belief, Fargo offers a rather extensive lineup of cultural offerings. This is due, in part, to the presence of three universities in the metropolitan area.

The Plains Art Museum is the largest museum of art in the state. It is located in downtown Fargo and features regional and national exhibits. It also houses a large permanent collection of art. The Fargo Theatre is a restored 1937 Art Deco movie house that features first-run movies, film festivals, and other community events. The Fargodome routinely plays host to traveling companies of Broadway musicals.

Media

Print

The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead is the city's major newspaper. The High Plains Reader, an independent weekly publication, also operates in the community. The Spectrum is a publication made by students of North Dakota State University.

Television

Fargo is served by local affiliates for the four major networks: ABC (WDAY), CBS (KXJB), NBC (KVLY), and Fox (KVRR). Prairie Public Television is also based in Fargo where it can be seen locally on KFME.

Transportation

Fargo is a major transportation hub for the surrounding region. It sits at the crossroads of two major highways and is the home of the busiest airport in the state.

Airport

Fargo is served by Hector International Airport. Hector has the longest public runway in the state and has scheduled passenger flights to Minneapolis, Chicago, Denver, and Las Vegas. The "Happy Hooligans", an F-16 Air National Guard unit, is also located at Hector.

Highways

The city sits at the intersection of Interstate 29 and Interstate 94. U.S. Highway 81 and U.S. Highway 10 also run through the community.

Railroads

Several railways run through the metropolitan area and Amtrak service is provided via the Empire Builder passenger train.

Public transit

Inside the metropolitan area, a public bus service named Metro Area Transit (MAT) operates several routes. Greyhound Lines, Jefferson Lines and Rimrock Stages Trailways bus services also link Fargo to other communities.

Street system

The street system of Fargo is structured in the class grid pattern. Routes that run from north to south are called streets, and routes that run from east to west are called avenues.

Major routes

East-West routes (listed from north to south):

  • 19th Avenue North
  • 12th Avenue North
  • NP Avenue
  • Main Avenue
  • 13th Avenue South
  • Interstate 94
  • 32nd Avenue South
  • 52nd Avenue South

North-South routes (listed from east to west):

  • Elm Street
  • Broadway
  • 10th Street
  • University Drive
  • 25th Street
  • Interstate 29
  • 42nd Street
  • 45th Street

Sites of interest

Arenas and auditoriums

  • Fargodome - (1800 North University Drive) An indoor arena located on the NDSU campus. It plays host to all NDSU home football games and is also used for concerts and trade shows.
  • Reineke Fine Arts Center - (12th Avenue North and Bolley Drive) Located on the NDSU campus. The University uses the center for concerts, theatrical presentations, and other events.
  • Fargo Civic Center - (207 4th Street North) An indoor arena used to host trade shows, sporting events, meetings, community events, concerts, and disaster relief.
  • Coliseum - (807 17th Avenue North) A multi-purpose ice facility used for the Fargo high schools in addition to figure skating and hockey play.

Museums

  • Bonanzaville, USA - (1351 Main Avenue, West Fargo) A "village" made up of many historic buildings from the region. Includes a church, school building, and log cabins. It is named after the historic bonanza farms of the area. Open May-October.
  • The Children's Museum at Yunker Farm - (1201 28th Avenue North) Provides many exhibits and "hands-on" participation for children. Open year-round.
  • Fargo Air Museum - (1609 19th Avenue North) Features aircraft from World War II and beyond. Also hosts traveling exhibits.
  • Plains Art Museum - (704 1st Avenue North) A large art museum located in a historic downtown building. Features regional and national exhibits.

Theaters

  • Fargo-Moorhead Community Theatre - (333 4th Street South) FMCT presents comedies, dramas, youth shows, and musicals in a theatre located in Island Park south of downtown.
  • Fargo Theatre - (314 Broadway) A 1937 Art Deco movie theatre. Presents films (classic and current), live productions, and other events.

Misc. attractions

  • Newman Outdoor Field - (1515 15th Avenue North) Home of the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks (an independent professional baseball team that is part of the Northern League).
  • North Dakota Horse Park - (5100 19th Avenue North) Features live racing and betting.
  • Red River Zoo - (4220 21st Avenue Southwest) A 30-acre zoo that features 80 species of animals. Also includes a restored 1928 carousel.
  • Fargo Outdoor Skate Park - (4th Street) Outdoor skate park located at the Dike West.

Notable natives and associated people

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Demographics

As of the census2 of 2000, there are 90,599 people, 39,268 households, and 20,733 families residing in the city. The population density is 922.0/km² (2,388.2/mi²). There are 41,200 housing units at an average density of 419.3/km² (1,086.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 94.17% White, 1.02% African American, 1.24% Native American, 1.64% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.44% from other races, and 1.45% from two or more races. 1.29% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

The top 6 ancestry groups in the city are German (40.6%), Norwegian (35.9%), Irish (8.6%), Swedish (6.5%), English (5.2%), French (4.7%).

There are 39,268 households out of which 26.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.8% are married couples living together, 7.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 47.2% are non-families. 34.6% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.20 and the average family size is 2.91.

In the city the population is spread out with 21.1% under the age of 18, 19.2% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 30 years. For every 100 females there are 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 99.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $35,510, and the median income for a family is $50,486. Males have a median income of $31,968 versus $22,264 for females. The per capita income for the city is $21,101. 11.8% of the population and 6.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 10.8% of those under the age of 18 and 7.5% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

See also

External links


Regions of North Dakota Image:North Dakota state flag.png
Red River Valley | Missouri Escarpment | Badlands
Largest cities
Beulah-Hazen | Bismarck-Mandan | Devils Lake | Dickinson | Fargo-West Fargo | Grafton | Grand Forks | Jamestown | Minot | Rugby | Valley City | Wahpeton | Williston
Counties

Adams - Barnes - Benson - Billings - Bottineau - Bowman - Burke - Burleigh - Cass - Cavalier - Dickey - Divide - Dunn - Eddy - Emmons - Foster - Golden Valley - Grand Forks - Grant - Griggs - Hettinger - Kidder - La Moure - Logan - McHenry - McIntosh - McKenzie - McLean - Mercer - Morton - Mountrail - Nelson - Oliver - Pembina - Pierce - Ramsey - Ransom - Renville - Richland - Rolette - Sargent - Sheridan - Sioux - Slope - Stark - Steele - Stutsman - Towner - Traill - Walsh - Ward - Wells - Williams

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