Fargo, North Dakota

SirGlass
1y ago
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Basically this for me too. I do not want to live in a big metro and deal with traffic and huge commutes and expensive housing

I also don't want to live in a small town where there is not much to do

Fargo is the sweet spot between big metro and small town. Still small enough you can drive anywhere in 15 min, traffic isn't usually an issue out side of the 10 min rush hour. Low crime, housing is still somewhat affordable .

However it is big enough there is still a lot of things to do, obviously not as much as a big city but more then enough to do so you do not get bored .

I would appreciate recommendations for neighborhood in Fargo, to live and raise family. I have 3 daughters (14, 8 and a newborn). So, public High School and Elementary need to be well considered. I would also appreciate recommendation for schools.

I would concur w/ the endorsements of the Clara Barton/Hawthone neighborhood and also w/ Lincoln. There are many very nice large, newer homes in the Centennial elementary neighborhood, but it is a very large (800+ kids) elementary. Bennett and Kennedy are quite new schools, so there isn't necessarily an established reputation for those. On the north side Longfellow has the reputation of being a very good school. There will be a big shift in the coming years--the Fargo Public Schools are building a 3rd high school--Judge Davies High School in far SW Fargo. Centennial, Bennett, and Kennedy will feed into Discovery Middle School which will feed Davies. Honestly, that does encompass many affluent areas of town. How all the attendance demographics are going to shake out through the coming years is unknown. Though many times, it's the staff that can make all the difference. How many and which teachers from South High will opt to transfer to Davies is also an unknown. Also there are many areas w/in the Fargo city limits which are part of the West Fargo school district. According to newspaper reports, there are morale/administrative issues within that district currently. That may or may not impact what happens in the classroom so that may or may not be an issue for you. Even though commutes are relatively short in comparison w/ major metropolitan areas, you may really want to look at where your job is and choose a neighborhood accordingly. Even though I've lived here 20 years now, in winter I much prefer my 5 minute commute rather than living in what could be a perfectly lovely neighborhood that is 25 minutes from my work (on a good day--not counting winter or our other season of the year--construction season).

TwoBeansShort
1y ago
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It's cheap. It has good amenities, good and available health care, good schools with a good student/teacher ratio. There are good after school opportunities and fun indoor gyms here. It's pretty. The parks district and city planning have redone a good portion of downtown and it's been changed into an outdoor gathering place with festivals regularly. Even winter ones, although infrequent. The lakes are 45 minutes away. There is salsa/swing/bachata/tango/ballroom/line dancing and a strong arts scene. The variety of restaurants keeps my palate entertained. There are regular performances from the symphony and concerts. And I guess some people really get into the Bisons football 🏈🤷 who knows about those people 😆

ElementalDud
1y ago
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Fargo is great for a medium size city. It's big enough to support a variety of things to do, public amenities, healthy local economy, and a somewhat urban feel downtown. Yet, it's also small enough that it avoids some of the pitfalls of big cities like high cost of living, endless traffic, (some) of the social issues that typically plague places like Minneapolis. Basically, Fargo is a nice middle ground, it does well at most things, but isn't the best at anything.

What it’s like living in Fargo, North Dakota | Update on our first year