Bismarck, North Dakota

Bismarck is a quiet, peaceful place with low crime rates and an extremely tight-knit, family-friendly community. People here are conservative by national standards and protect their own. There have been only a few murders through the years, and many here and throughout North Dakota leave their front doors open without much fear of being robbed. If you want to escape the noise and perhaps progressive policies of bigger cities, then Bismarck could be a good choice.

If you’re considering North Dakota, then you’re got to know about the bitter cold, right? So what’s the point of talking about it? Better to reinforce for those coming from a great distance, both geographically and perhaps politically, that a small town like Bismarck is very conservative and happy to be so. If you move in and try to disrupt or change the town, you will likely encounter a storm of unpleasantness. This isn’t Park City or Boulder or other mountain towns, with outdoor cultures, that are more welcoming to progressive Californians. If that’s your thing, then avoid this town. No judgment, but just know what you’re getting yourself into moving here.

As was noted, life in Bismarck is peaceful. It’s a family-focused city/town with a bar and restaurant scene in the downtown area that keeps locals fed and filled with beer as needed. The real benefit to living here is raising your children in a safe, nice, small town with good schools, great parks, plenty of walking trails, and friendly people who will support locals like their own families.

If you're interested in seeing what's going on in Bismark check out the calendar of events.

We highly recommend visiting Bismarck and staying in the community in a VRBO rather than a hotel to get a feel for living among the locals. You can also receive discounted travel fares via our partnership with Expedia.

If you’re conservative and need to flee a more progressive part of the world, ready to save some money, can work remotely and don’t mind brutal winters then Bismarck could be your spot. If any of those things sound wrong to you then do not move here.