Fargo was founded in 1871 on theRed River of the North floodplain.[8] It is a cultural, retail, health care, educational, and industrial center for southeastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota.North Dakota State University is in the city.
Historically part ofSioux (Dakota) territory, the area that is present-day Fargo was an early stopping point forsteamboats traversing theRed River during the 1870s and 1880s. The city was originally named "Centralia", but was later renamed "Fargo" afterNorthern Pacific Railway director andWells Fargo Express Company founderWilliam Fargo (1818–1881).[9] During the initial settlement of Fargo, there developed two cities: one (unofficially) called "Fargo on the Prairie" and the other "Fargo in the Timber". "Fargo on the Prairie" was known for being well run by Northern Pacific engineers, while "Fargo in the Timber" remained mostly lawless and full of apparently "desperate and reckless characters", according toThe Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. Eventually, "Fargo in the Timber" would see its demise after a crackdown by federal authorities, and the modern Fargo would develop out of "Fargo on the Prairie".[10][11] The area started to flourish after the arrival of the Northern Pacific Railroad and the city became known as the "Gateway to the West."
During the 1880s, Fargo became the "divorce capital" of theMidwest because of lenient divorce laws.[12] A major fire struck the city on June 7, 1893, destroying 31 blocks of downtown Fargo, but the city was immediately rebuilt with new buildings made of brick, new streets, and a water system. More than 246 new buildings were built within one year. There were several rumors concerning the cause of the fire.[13]
Early in the century, the automobile industry flourished, and in 1905, Fargo became home to thePence Automobile Company, a company that at one time distributed 29% of allBuicks.[15] In addition, Fargo also hosted a regionalFord assembly plant, which by 1917 was assembling some 70 cars per day. The plant would remain in operation until 1956.[16][17]
On Labor Day in 1910,Theodore Roosevelt visited Fargo to lay the cornerstone of the college's new library.[18] To a crowd of 30,000, Roosevelt spoke about his first visit to Fargo 27 years earlier, and credited his experience homesteading in North Dakota for his eventual rise to the presidency.[18]
Fargo-Moorhead boomed afterWorld War II, and the city grew rapidly. In 1957, it experienced the1957 Fargo tornado that destroyed a large part of the north end of the city.[19]Ted Fujita, famous for hisFujita tornado scale, analyzed pictures of the Fargo tornado, helping him develop his ideas for "wall cloud" and "tail cloud." These were the first major scientific descriptive terms associated with tornadoes.[20][21] The construction of two interstates (I-29 andI-94) revolutionized travel in the region and pushed growth of Fargo to the south and west of the city limits. In 1972, theWest Acres Shopping Center, the largest shopping mall in North Dakota, was constructed near the intersection of the two Interstates. This mall became a catalyst for retail growth in the area.[22]
Fargo has continued to expand rapidly but steadily. Since the mid-1980s, the bulk of new residential growth has occurred in the south and southwest zones of the area (for example inWest Fargo) due to geographic constraints on the north side.[23] The city's major retail districts on the southwest side have likewise seen rapid development.
Downtown Fargo has beengentrified due in part to investments by the city and private developers in the Renaissance Zone.[24] Most older neighborhoods, such as Horace Mann, have either avoided decline or been revitalized through housing rehabilitation promoted by planning agencies to strengthen the city's core.
NDSU has grown rapidly into a major research university and forms a major component of the city's identity and economy.[25] Most students live off-campus in the surrounding Roosevelt neighborhood. The university has established a presence downtown through both academic buildings and apartment housing. In addition,NDSU Bison Football has gained a significant following among many area residents. In recent years, Fargo has also become a regional technology and healthcare hub, as a result ofMicrosoft andSanford Health both building regional campuses in the city center.[26]
Since the late 1990s, the Fargo-MoorheadMetropolitan Statistical Area has consistently had one of the lowest unemployment rates among MSAs in the United States.[27]
On July 14, 2023, 37-year-old Mohamad Barakatopened fire on a group of police officers in the city who were responding to an unrelated traffic accident. One officer was killed and two others were injured before Barakat was killed by one of the officers at the scene.[28]
Fargo sits on the western bank of theRed River of the North in a flat geographic region known as theRed River Valley. The Red River Valley resulted from the withdrawal ofglacialLake 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.[29][30]
Seasonal floods due to the rising water of the Red River, which flows from the United States intoLake Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada, have presented challenges. The Red flows northward, which means melting snow and river ice, as well as runoff from its tributaries, often create ice dams causing the river to overflow. Fargo's surrounding Red River Valley terrain is essentially flat, leading to overland flooding. Since the potentially devastating2009 Red River flood, both Fargo and Moorhead have taken great strides in flood protection; only a near-record flood would cause concern today. Work on theFM Diversion has begun and upon completion, it will permanently floodproof the metro for 500-year floods.
Its location makes the city vulnerable to flooding during seasons with above-average precipitation. The Red River's minor flood stage in Fargo begins at a level of 18 feet, with major flooding categorized at 30 feet and above. Many major downtown roadways and access to Moorhead are closed off at this level. Record snowfalls late in 1996 led to flooding in 1997, causing the Red to rise to a record crest of 39.5 feet, nearly overtaking city defenses. In 2008–2009, significant fall precipitation coupled with rapid snowmelt in March 2009 caused the Red to rise to a new record level of 40.84 feet, but again Fargo remained safe, in large part due to flood mitigation efforts instituted after the 1997 event and sandbagging efforts by the city residents. Further upgrades were made to city infrastructure and additional resources brought to bear following the 2009 flood, which caused no issues for the city in 2010 despite another rapid melt that caused the Red to rise to 37 feet (which ranks among the top-ten highest levels ever recorded). The estimated $1.5 billion FM diversion project is under construction and will channel the Red's water away from the city. As of 2012, Fargo has bought 700 houses in flood-prone areas.[31]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 50.835 square miles (131.66 km2), of which 50.834 square miles (131.66 km2) is land and 0.001 square miles (0.00 km2) is water.[1]
Because of its location in theGreat Plains and its distance from both mountains and oceans, Fargo has an extremehumid continental climate (KöppenDfb, bordering onDwb), featuring long, bitterly cold winters and warm to hot, humid summers. It lies in USDA Planthardiness zone 4a.[32] The city features winters among the coldest in the contiguous United States; the coldest month of January has a normal mean temperature of 9.2 °F (−12.7 °C). There is an annual average of 43 days with a minimum of 0 °F (−18 °C) or lower.[33] Snowfall averages 51.4 inches (131 cm) per season.[33] Spring and autumn are short and highly variable seasons. Summers have frequent thunderstorms, and the warmest month, July, has a normal mean temperature of 70.7 °F (21.5 °C); highs reach 90 °F (32 °C) on an average of 12.7 days each year.[33] Annual precipitation of 24.0 inches (610 mm) is concentrated in the warmer months. Record temperatures have ranged from −48 °F (−44 °C) on January 8, 1887, to 114 °F (46 °C) onJuly 6, 1936; the record coldest daily maximum is −29 °F (−34 °C) onJanuary 22, 1936, while, conversely, the record warmest daily minimum was 82 °F (28 °C), set four days after the all-time record high.[34] On average, the first and last dates to see a minimum at or below the freezing mark are September 30 and May 8, respectively, allowing a growing season of 144 days.[33]
In 2011, Fargo wonThe Weather Channel's "America's Toughest Weather City" poll. After almost 850,000 votes, blizzards, cold, and floods secured the title for the city.[35]
Climate data for Fargo, North Dakota (Hector Int'l), 1991–2020 normals,[a] extremes 1881–present[b]
As of the 2022American Community Survey, there are 56,890 estimated households in Fargo with an average of 2.14 persons per household. The city has a median household income of $64,432. Approximately 13.3% of the city's population lives at or below thepoverty line. Fargo has an estimated 74.5% employment rate, with 42.4% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 95.0% holding a high school diploma.[40]
The top nine reported ancestries (people were allowed to report up to two ancestries, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were German (33.2%), Norwegian (22.6%), Irish (8.5%), English (5.1%), Subsaharan African (5.1%), French (except Basque) (3.5%), Italian (1.9%), Polish (1.8%), and Scottish (0.9%).
Fargo, North Dakota – racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
As of the2020 census, there were 125,990 people, 56,116 households, and 27,239 families residing in the city.[44] Thepopulation density was 2,529.7 inhabitants per square mile (976.7/km2). There were 61,541 housing units at an average density of 1,235.7 per square mile (477.1/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 78.93%White, 8.76%African American, 1.60%Native American, 4.11%Asian, 0.07%Pacific Islander, 1.20% from some other races and 5.34% from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 3.71% of the population.[45] 19.4% of residents were under the age of 18, 5.9% were under 5 years of age, and 13.2% were 65 and older.
As of the2010 census, there were 105,549 people, 46,791 households, and 23,075 families living in the city. The population density was 2,162.0 inhabitants per square mile (834.8/km2). There were 49,956 housing units at an average density of 1,023.3 per square mile (395.1/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 90.20%White, 2.70%African American, 1.38%Native American, 2.97%Asian, 0.04%Pacific Islander, 0.62% from some other races and 2.09% from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.19% of the population.
There were 46,791 households, of which 24.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.8% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 50.7% were non-families. 36.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.87.
The median age in the city was 30.2 years. 19.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 19.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 29% were from 25 to 44; 21.7% were from 45 to 64, and 10.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.4% male and 49.6% female.
The median household income was $44,304, and the median income for a family was $69,401, with the mean family income being $89,110. The per capita income for Fargo was $29,187. About 16.0% of the population and 7.7% of families were below the poverty line.[46]
As of the2000 census, there were 90,599 people, 39,268 households, and 20,724 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,388.2 inhabitants per square mile (922.1/km2). There were 41,200 housing units at an average density of 1,086.0 inhabitants per square mile (419.3/km2). 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 some other races and 1.45% from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.29% of the population.
There were 39,268 households, of which 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 41.8% weremarried 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.
As of the 2000 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. Theper capita income for the city was $21,101. About 6.6% of families and 11.8% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 10.8% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.
The economy of the Fargo area has historically been dependent on agriculture. That dominance has decreased substantially in recent decades. Today the city of Fargo has a growing economy based on food processing, manufacturing, technology, retail trade, higher education, and healthcare.[citation needed]
The Winter Carnival in Fargo is a tradition that began in 1928. The annualDowntown Fargo Street Fair, a vibrant celebration that brings together an array of arts, crafts, and culinary experiences, contributes significantly to the city's cultural richness. This event is North Dakota's largest free outdoor gathering.
TheNorth Dakota Horse Park offers live horse racing and betting opportunities.[48] TheRed River Zoo, covering 30-acre (12 ha) houses 80 species of animals and also features a restored 1928 carousel.[49]West Acres Shopping Center is a large retail complex with over 120 stores, spanning approximately 950,000 square feet.
The Fargo area is home to a range of museums and theaters that reflect the region's history and cultural interests. TheFargo Air Museum showcases aircraft fromWorld War II and later periods, and it also hosts traveling exhibits.[50] ThePlains Art Museum, located in a historic downtown building, offers a variety of regional and national art exhibitions.[51]The Roger Maris Museum, situated within theWest Acres Shopping Center, is dedicated toRoger Maris, theNew York Yankees player who spent part of his life in Fargo. The museum features memorabilia related to Maris and includes a video presentation of his career.
The Children's Museum at Yunker Farm closed in 2021 after being open for 30 years, but the rest of the property is still open to the public and is in the process of being revitalized.[52][53]
The Fargo-Moorhead Community Theatre offers a variety of productions, including comedies, dramas, youth shows, and musicals, staged at a venue in Island Park, south of downtown Fargo. TheFargo Theatre is a restored 1926Art Deco movie house that features first-run movies, film festivals, and other community events. TheFargodome routinely hosts concerts,Broadway musicals, dance performances, sporting events, as well as fairs and other gatherings. The Fargo-Moorhead Opera presents two to three productions each year. Other music organizations in the area include theFargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra and the Fargo-Moorhead Youth Symphony. Fargo also has a dance company in the Fargo-Moorhead Ballet.
The Fargo Public Library was established in 1900 and for many years was housed in a Carnegie-funded building. In 1968, the library moved into a new facility as part of urban renewal efforts in the downtown area. The original 1968 building was demolished and replaced with a new library which opened in 2009. In addition, Fargo Public Library operates the Dr. James Carlson Library in south Fargo, and the Northport branch in north Fargo. In 2002 and 2006, the Southpointe and Northport Branches were opened serving the city's south and north sides. The Dr. James Carlson Library, which replaced the earlier Southpointe Branch, opened to the public on November 16, 2007. A new downtown Main Library opened April 25, 2009. The Fargo Public Library is headquartered in downtown Fargo.
In 2014, over 1 million items were checked out from Fargo Public Library. Books and magazines made up nearly half of the total and digital media and other non-print items made up more than a third. The rest were inter-library loans and renewals.[54]
RDO Building (height: 234 ft; built 2018–2020, 18 floors)[55][56][57][58]Formally known as the Block 9 Tower. As of 2019 it is the second tallest building in North Dakota.[59]
Radisson Hotel (height: 206 ft 8 in; 63 m, built 1985, 18 floors)
Sanford Medical Center (built 2012–2017, 11 floors)[60]
Bell Bank Tower (height: 122 ft, built 1973, 10 stories),[62] formerly the Bank of the West Tower, purchased by Bell Bank in 2021.
Black Building (height: 108 ft 0 in; built 1931)Tallest building in North Dakota from 1931 to 1934 when the new ND Capitol building was completed at 241 feet high, which as of April 2021, remains the tallest building in the state today.
Fargo is not particularly known for having large structures, primarily due to the rich but structurally-weak soil. This soil is the result of theRed River Valley being the home of glacialLake Agassiz.[63]
North Dakota State Bison, anNCAA Division I university with 14 varsity sports and club sports. North Dakota State's football team won five consecutive FCS National Championships between 2011 and 2015, and three more in 2017, 2018, and 2019 and hosted ESPN's College GameDay (in downtown Fargo) in 2013 and 2014. NDSU Bison play at theFargodome.
Fargo Moorhead Derby Girls (FMDG) women's roller derby league was founded in May 2009 and plays at the Skate City in South Fargo. Every game in their 2009–2010 season was sold out.
The Fargo Park District operates many neighborhood parks throughout the city. The Fargo 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). In the winter Edgewood serves as a warming house and also provides cross country skis. Rose Creek and Osgood golf courses offer golfing lessons in the summer months. Fargo also has a skate park near dike west and Island park. Fargo andsister city Moorhead also hold ferry rides during the summer, on the historic Red River, to promote education of the fertile soil of the Red River Valley.
TheFargodome is an indoor arena on theNorth Dakota State University campus. Owned by the city, it plays host to all NDSU homefootball games and is also used for concerts and trade shows. The facility also hosts the high school wrestling national freestyle and Greco-Roman championships take place every year.[64]Newman Outdoor Field hosts theFargo-Moorhead RedHawks and NDSU Bison baseball on the NDSU campus.[65][66] Reineke Fine Arts Center on the NDSU campus is used for concerts, theatrical presentations, and other events.
TheFargo Civic Center is an indoor arena used to host trade shows, sporting events, meetings, community events, concerts, and disaster relief.[67]
Fargo uses thecity commission style of local government. Four commissioners and a mayor are elected viaapproval voting. Fargo became the first city in the U.S. to use approval voting for elections in 2018.[72] The Fargo City Commission meets every two weeks in its chambers above theFargo Civic Center. The meetings are broadcast on aGovernment-access television (GATV) cable channel.
In 2017, there was an attempt torecall City Commissioner Dave Piepkorn by a group who argued his constant expressing of concern overrefugee resettlement in the city was a xenophobicdog-whistle meant to rile up anti-refugee sentiment in the community.[73] While the group says it did reach the required number of signatures, it ultimately chose not to submit them because they did not know how many signatures would be eliminated in the review process, and Commissioner Piepkorn threatened to obtain the list of signers viaFOIA request, which was interpreted as a political threat by the group.[74]
Fargo was historically a Republican-leaning area. As recently as the 2004 presidential election, George W. Bush carried Fargo as well as the rest of Cass County with nearly 60 percent of the vote in both areas. Fargo has become more politically diverse and competitive. Since 2008, no Republican presidential candidate has received over 50% of the vote in Cass County. In 2008, Democratic candidate Barack Obama won the majority of votes in Cass County,[75] with a voting percentage very close to the percentage Obama received in the entire nation, while John McCain won the majority of votes in North Dakota. Mitt Romney's winning margin in 2012 over Barack Obama in Cass County was 49.9% to 47%[76] while Donald Trump received 49.3% of votes in 2016 compared to 38.8% against Hillary Clinton and 11.9% for third-party candidates.[77] In 2018, Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp achieved a 14-point lead in Eastern North Dakota even though the state as a whole soundly elected RepublicanKevin Cramer.
TheWest Fargo Public Schools system serves the southwestern part of the city, in addition to West Fargo itself and the surrounding communities ofHorace andHarwood.
Fargo is home toNorth Dakota State University (NDSU), which has over 14,500 students. NDSU was founded in 1890 as the stateland grant university focusing on agriculture, engineering and science, but has since branched out to cover many other fields of study. NDSU, along withMinnesota State University Moorhead andConcordia College in Moorhead, form the Tri-College University system of Fargo-Moorhead. Students can take classes at any of the three institutions. These three colleges also form a vibrant student-youth community of over 25,000.NDSCS-Fargo is a campus ofNorth Dakota State College of Science. Located in the Skills and Technology Training Center on 19th Avenue North in Fargo, NDSCS-Fargo serves as the home to academic programming and non-credit training.
Fargo is also home to several private collegiate institutions, includingRasmussen University, a branch location of theUniversity of Mary, and Master's Baptist College operated by Fargo Baptist Church. TheUniversity of Jamestown's Doctor of Physical Therapy program is based in Fargo.
The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead is the city's major newspaper. TheHigh Plains Reader, an independent weekly newspaper, also operates in the community. North Dakota State University's student paper,The Spectrum, is printed twice weekly during the academic year. The city is also served by other publications such asArea Woman,From House To Home,Bison Illustrated,OPEN Magazine,Fargo Monthly,[78]Design & Living, andValley Faith.
KNDS 96.3 FM is an FCC approved radio station, owned with a license held by the independent Alliance for the Arts, operating on the 96.3 frequency in Fargo, North Dakota and the surrounding area. KNDS strives to provide the area with independent music not heard elsewhere in the FM radio community, while maintaining an emphasis on community/area partnership. North Dakota State University's ThunderRadio club operates the station[79]
KRFF-LP is a local, non-profit, listener-supported independent radio station serving the Fargo-Moorhead area. Radio Free Fargo previously worked to run KNDS.
Passengers pose for a photo before boarding theEmpire Builder in 1974. Amtrak trains traveling toward Chicago and Seattle stop daily between 1 and 4 am.[80] Photo byCharles O'Rear.
Fargo is a major transportation hub for the surrounding region. It sits at the crossroads of two major interstate highways, two transcontinental railroads and is the home of an airport.
The Fargo-Moorhead area is served by a bus service known asMATBUS. The bus service operates routes Monday-Saturday, many of which specifically cater to the area's college student population, who comprise half of its ridership.[81]Greyhound Lines,Jefferson Lines and Rimrock Stages Trailways bus services additionally link Fargo to other communities.
The street system of Fargo is structured in the classic grid pattern. Routes that run from north to south are calledstreets, and routes that run from east to west are calledavenues.
The major north–south roads (from west to east) include:
Fargo is anAcademy Award-winning 1996black comedy film directed by theCoen brothers, which takes place primarily throughout Minnesota.[82] Fargo is only seen briefly at the film's opening scene set in a bar and mentioned only twice in the film. None ofFargo was shot on location in or near Fargo.[83] Atelevision series based on the film debuted in 2014, and occasionally featured the city in episodes.[84][85]
Fargo was the setting of Season 1 Episode 1 ofProject Blue Book. The episode was based loosely on aUFO encounter called theGorman dogfight taking place over the area.[86]
^Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the highest and lowest temperature readings during an entire month or year) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.
^Official records for Fargo were kept at the Weather Bureau Office inMoorhead, Minnesota from January 1881 to January 1942, and at Hector Int'l since February 1942. For more information, seeThreadEx
^John Eligon (April 2, 2013)."Sandbag Season Has Fargo Thinking of a Better Way".The New York Times. RetrievedApril 3, 2013."When you have a 100-year flood four years out of five, that's a great challenge," Gov. Jack Dalrymple said.
.jpg)
.jpg)
