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Fargo, North Dakota

Encyclopedia : F : FA : FAR : Fargo, North Dakota

Fargo is a city in Cass County, North Dakota in the United States. It is the county seat of Cass County. The population was 90,599 at the 2000 census (2006 estimate: 102,254), which makes it the largest city in North Dakota. Along with Moorhead, Minnesota, it forms the center of the Fargo-Moorhead Metropolitan Area. The metropolitan area has a population of nearly 180,000 and encompasses a huge physical area of Cass County in southeastern North Dakota and Clay County in northwestern Minnesota.

The city of Fargo is the crossroads and economic center of a large portion of eastern North Dakota and a small part of western Minnesota. Fargo is a retail, manufacturing, healthcare, and educational hub for the region. Fargo is home to North Dakota State University (NDSU) and Aakers Business College. The local newspaper is The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. The city motto is "Gateway to the West". Fargo was founded in 1871.

Contents

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," but was later renamed to "Fargo" in honor of Northern Pacific Railway director and Wells Fargo Express Company founder William Fargo. Fargo was founded in 1871. 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 when 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. The North Dakota State Agricultural College was founded in 1890 as North Dakota's land-grant university, becoming first accredited by the North Central Association in 1915. In 1960, NDAC became known as North Dakota State University.

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, Alien Technology and Navteq. 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. Since the late 1990s, the Fargo-Moorhead Metropolitan Statistical Area has consistently had one of the lowest unemployment rates among MSAs 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.

Geography

Fargo is located at [46°52′17″N, 96°48′31″W] (46.871414, -96.808658)[Geographic references#1GR1].

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), all land.

Demographics

As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 90,599 people, 39,268 households, and 20,733 families residing in the city. The population density was 922.0/km² (2,388.2/mi²). There were 41,200 housing units at an average density of 419.3/km² (1,086.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 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. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.29% of the population.

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

In the city the population was 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 were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,510, and the median income for a family was $50,486. Males had a median income of $31,968 versus $22,264 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,101. About 6.6% of families and 11.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.8% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.

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 Dennis Walaker, who was elected on June 13, 2006. 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 dependent 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, Alien Technology, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, US Bank, and Microsoft. North Dakota State University is the largest public sector employer in the city.

Notable local companies

Education

K-12

The Fargo Public Schools system operates fifteen elementary schools, three middle schools, two high schools (Fargo South High School and Fargo North High School), and an alternative high school (Woodrow Wilson). Fargo is also home to six parochial schools, including two private high schools (Oak Grove Lutheran School and Shanley 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.

Fargo is also home to Aakers Business College.

Culture

Fargo offers a wider variety of cultural opportunities than some other cities with 90,000 people, due to the presence of three universities in the metropolitan area. Most theatre and events are either promoted or produced by the universities.

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 host concerts, Broadway musicals, dance performances, sporting events, as well as fairs and other gatherings.

During the 2006 – 2007 season, the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra will celebrate its 75th year of existence. The Orchestra is made of local players with regional and national guests. Since 2002, Maestro Bernard Rubenstein has conducted the group. The Fargo-Moorhead Opera Company, founded in 1968, presents several productions each year. The Fargo-Moorhead Community Theatre (FMCT) also offers lively plays and musicals. Trollwood Performing Arts School Program, an award-winning youth arts program, offers a yearly summer musical, as well as other student-performed theatrical productions.

Recreation

The Fargo Park District operates many neighborhood parks throughout the city. The metropolitan area contains the following golf courses: Edgewood Golf Course (18-hole), Fargo Country Club (18-hole) Rose Creek Golf Course (18-hole), El Zagal (9-hole), Prairiewood Golf Course (9-hole), and the new Osgood Golf Course (9-hole).

Sites of interest

Arenas and auditoriums

Museums

Theaters

Misc. attractions

Media

Print

The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead is the city's major newspaper. The High Plains Reader, an independent weekly tabloid, also operates in the community. North Dakota State University's student paper, The Spectrum, is printed during the academic year. An entertainment leaflet, Tidbits, circulates at many local restaurants.

Television

Fargo is served by local affiliates for the four major networks: ABC (WDAY), CBS (KXJB), NBC (KVLY), and Fox (KVRR). UPN can be received on KVNJ-LP channel 2 which rebroadcasts KCPM of Grand Forks, which is also on cable channel 9. Prairie Public Television is also based in Fargo where it can be seen locally on KFME. The WB can be seen on cable channel WBFG channel 8. The local cable TV provider is CableOne.

Fargo TV stations:

Radio

Fargo radio stations:

FM radio:

AM radio:

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 of North Dakota.

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, Las Vegas and Salt Lake City. The "Happy Hooligans", an 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

The BNSF Railway runs through the metropolitan area as successor to the Great Northern and Northern Pacific railroads. 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.

Notable natives and associated people

See also

External links

 State of North Dakota
Capital: Bismarck | History | Governors | Geography
Regions:

Red River Valley | Missouri Plateau | Turtle Mountains | Badlands
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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