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.

Here's a local's pov on what's nice about Bismark: *I love walking the bike/walking paths we have in Bismarck and Mandan. They are paved and you get an opportunity to see more of the city and the landscape. We have some great parks in town besides the one near the zoo and amusement park (tourist attractions). Cottonwood Park is especially nice for a walking path and scenery and you can also fish there. The lake is stocked in the spring. The playground is great and there are ball fields. If you like antique stores we have Antiques on main which is really fun.*

The Peace (and quiet)

The Best Thing About Bismark?

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. 

Here's a long-time local's pov on what's rough about Bismark: *A lot of snow and high winds. Coldest state in the country state side. Up to negative fifty degrees. Norwegians and Germans were the main immigrants the first 100 years of the state’s founding. Immigrants of other ethnicities (not including the Native Americans) began immigration around the year 2000 including from all United States, not including the surrounding 3 states and Canada. No one before that time really mass migrated to this state which makes it a state with little to no cultural diversity.*

The Calm Before The Storm

The Worst Thing About Bismarck?

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 family. 

If you're interested in seeing what's going on in Bismark check out the calendar of events: https://business.bismarckmandan.com/events



Lifestyle of Bismarck

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. 


You Need A Break 

Why You Should Move Here Now?

Bismarck, like a lot of the “oasis” cities and towns in mountain states like North Dakota, has worked hard to create an active downtown experience for the locals. Plenty of restaurants, pubs, microbreweries and coffee joints means there are plenty of places to spend your nights in revelry. There are also plenty of condo and apartment options downtown so you can expect to live cheaply and with great walkability to your nightlife if you’re young and single or a couple and looking to head out for the evening. 
 

Young Professionals

Downtown

Most people will describe Bismarck as a single community which can be crossed in 10 minutes so the particular area matters less here although of course even in a smaller community there are advantages to certain neighborhoods and blocks. NorthWest Bismark has a great reputation for beautiful hilly blocks with great homes and views of the Missouri River and the city.  That elevation doesn’t hurt if the Missouri floods. There is plenty of shopping in the Pinehearst Square retail area and tons of parks and walking-running-biking paths so the kiddos and grownups can play. You’re also close to two golf courses and you have your choice of solid public, Catholic and non-denominational Christian schools. 



Families

NorthWest 

Bismarck

**What is it like to live in Bismarck, ND?**

A lot of snow and high winds. Coldest state in the country state side. Up to negative fifty degrees. Norwegians and Germans were the main immigrants the first 100 years of the state’s founding. Immigrants of other ethnicities (not including the Native Americans) began immigration around the year 2000 including from all United States, not including the surrounding 3 states and Canada. No one before that time really mass migrated to this state which makes it a state with little to no cultural diversity. A majority of the people who live here are decedents of individuals who moved here during the beginning of WWI and WWII. The Supreme Court Chief Justice’s parents moved here from Belgium before Hitler was elected. Religious freedom is not a protected right because the German controlled house forces religious minorities to practice Roman Catholic Sabbath on Sundays, arrests religious minorities that don’t comply with commerce laws on German Sabbath, and expels the remaining that cannot economically survive the practice of two Sabbaths. The Right to Return, even if to the United States (not including the 3 surrounding states), is a capital crime. If you cannot prove that you have no intentions on ever leaving, the law will not favor to you. It’s only been recent that the mass expulsion of gays has ended. Cohabitation Laws made it illegal for gay individuals to live together unless married and it was illegal to be married; resulting in the refusal of housing to anyone known to be gay. Forced child marriage is normal but the state Legislature refuses emancipation to children of forced child marriage and annulment statute places the rights and responsibilities of consent WHILE married under parental rights and responsibilities with the implied assumption that parental rights are terminated and the parents are petitioning as property owners. You rape her you keep her is an old German value because sex or child birth before marriage is not moral. In the capital, the colored neighborhood is called the “Jungle” referring to people of color (which was historically to Native Americans and is now to all races of colored ethnicity) as porch monkeys and they are treated as if they swing from trees because the City Commissioners removed the right for people of color to ride the bus to the white side of town. The land of the Keystone Pipeline Protests; a German based government with a mixture of the strict Norwegian structure and an outcasted Native American population that are both disconnected from life in the rest of the country let alone the world because of the clear evidence the state itself is isolated from contact with neighboring states being both on the border and surrounded by badlands and open tundra across the entire state. There is a Norwegian accent in the East and rural areas that is extremely noticeable. Normally what happens is when you come to visit you end up in the capital or going to Williston and may find yourself asking the native population why they don’t have an accent. Well, this is very offensive to them because they are German so don’t be shocked if your curiosity sets off a German when you ask why they are not Norwegian. Before the Bakken, racism was open and you could first hand experience the old German culture and you would probably not know what to do with yourself if you had met one of the 75 year old Germans that had never been forced to integrate with another ethnicity their entire life. The economy is great. Rent is higher the more you get closer to oil fields. high enough living costs are too high if you don’t work in oil. A lot of jobs. The legal market is monopolized by the state. Attorneys do not take tort cases or any case that involves government officers or employees violating Constitutional or criminal laws because the judges will not allow the cases any standing in court and some attorneys will openly admit it if you can get close enough to them to ask. There’s no pollution. Crime is new, other than any organized crime by state.

Overall, what is it like to live in North Dakota? It is a supreme privilege if you are a native born German or Norwegian. If you are from the United States or any other country, you are going to ask yourself if you yourself are in another country because the Constitution does not exist here so don’t expect any civil rights unless you know attorneys willing to get licensed here just especially for you. The state is far away from civilization so no one from the real world outside of the bubble of racist supremacy is licensed to work here.

**What is it like to live in Bismarck, ND?**

Bismarck has a sort of Oasis amidst the prairie feel to it. Living in ND as a whole is very conservative and extremely cold during winter. You have a very close knit culture of family oriented close-minded christians that seldom venture out of thier comfort zones. Living here with similar conservative views is a pleasant experience as long as you mind your own business and are able to make small talk. No real depth to the culture, or any desire to support free thought flourishes in Bismarck. Racism is common, and vocalized by the white population regularly, it causes the native americans to also be similiarly hateful in response. No surprises there. Lots of rednecks, lots of farmers, lots of white trash. Police are hardly ever rude or violent but they are in abundance. Rent is cheap. Beer is too and plentiful. So is meth (remember the police). In the desert when you find an oasis it can be a refreshing place, Bismarck is quaint, quiet and calm, but if you try to mess up any of that system you are sure to be quickly eaten by the crocodiles just under the surface.

**What are some non touristy things to do in Bismarck?**

I love walking the bike/walking paths we have in Bismarck and Mandan. They are paved and you get an opportunity to see more of the city and the landscape. We have some great parks in town besides the one near the zoo and amusement park (tourist attractions). Cottonwood Park is especially nice for a walking path and scenery and you can also fish there. The lake is stocked in the spring. The playground is great and there are ball fields. If you like antique stores we have Antiques on main which is really fun. They have a lot of really neat things in there. Everything from furniture to little knicknacks and old toys. It is three floors in an old building on Main Street. It takes time to go thru and see everything. There are definitely more things but those are a few off the top of my head.

**Living in Bismarck?**

RWD is fine in the summer, if you can't afford a 4WD vehicle, a FrontWD vehicle is preferable in my experience. The roads flipflop throughout winter, its just the nature of the area. New Salem isn't bad,

In terms of the salary range you mentioned it is pretty average. Rent is at it highest it seems (it's rarely fair anywhere given the current economic state). Rent ranges for 1B1B $400-$1500 (w/o utilities).

Every place is looking for workers (I'm very unsure of oil related jobs) but most places are hesitant to hire because they're looking for specifics and trying to hire the best candidates.

When meeting new people, focus on your hobbies, go to games or hobby related shops. There's not much but that's where you can find stuff.

2

You're going to do fine with a 2WD vehicle, that's what I use to get around (although mine is front wheel drive) and the roads are usually plowed pretty promptly. There are hills in just a couple of areas that are steep enough to be a problem getting up if the roads are bad and you don't have enough momentum. I would think long and hard about living as far out as New Salem if you're going to be working in Bismarck though. That's a 40 minute commute twice a day, which could become pretty soul sucking. There are a lot of nice areas to live in town, and housing is quite affordable compared to bigger cities. With a $50k income you can get a nice rental in town with full amenities. As to the oil boom, Bismarck is too far from the oil patch to be directly affected by it, but the town has definitely benefitted from the influx of people and money that it has brought. If a bust were to happen it wouldn't hurt the local economy very much, it's pretty diversified.

Bismarck, North Dakota

The Spot

Looklyloo Score: 79

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