Fargo, North Dakota

Fargo is a United States city located in the state of North Dakota. It is the county seat of Cass County. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 90,599 which makes it the largest city in North Dakota. It has a twin city, Moorhead, Minnesota. The larger Fargo-Moorhead area also encompasses the communities of West Fargo, North Dakota and Dilworth, Minnesota.

General Information

The city of Fargo is the crossroads and economic center of a large portion of eastern North Dakota and western Minnesota. Fargo has the most active healthcare industry in the state and the city is a regional industrial and retail center. MeritCare Health System is a major employer in the area. Fargo is home to North Dakota State University (NDSU).

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. From the late 1990s onward, Fargo has consistently had one of the lowest unemployment rates of any Metropolitan Statistical Area 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" North, 96°48'31" West (46.871414, -96.808658)¹.

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 valley was once a part of glacial Lake Agassiz. This 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). 98.3 km² (37.9 mi²) of it is land and none of the area is covered with water.

Attractions

• The Fargodome is an indoor arena located on the NDSU campus. It plays host to all NDSU football games and is also used for concerts and trade shows.

• Fargo is the home of the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, a semi-professional baseball team. They are part of the Northern League and play their home games at Newman Outdoor Field.

Media

Print

The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead is the city's major newspaper. The High Plains Reader, an independent weekly publication, also operates in the community.

Television

Fargo is served by local affiliates for the four major networks: ABC (WDAY), CBS (KXJB), NBC (KVLY), and Fox (KVRR). Prairie Public Television is also based in Fargo where it can be seen locally on KFME.

Transportation

Fargo is a major transportation hub for the surrounding region. The city sits at the intersection of Interstate 29 and Interstate 94. Fargo is served by Hector International Airport. Several railways run through the metropolitan area and Amtrak service is provided via the Empire Builder passenger train. Greyhound Lines bus service also serves the community. Inside the metropolitan area, a public bus service operates several routes.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there are 90,599 people, 39,268 households, and 20,733 families residing in the city. The population density is 922.0/km² (2,388.2/mi²). There are 41,200 housing units at an average density of 419.3/km² (1,086.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 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. 1.29% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

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

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

The median income for a household in the city is $35,510, and the median income for a family is $50,486. Males have a median income of $31,968 versus $22,264 for females. The per capita income for the city is $21,101. 11.8% of the population and 6.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 10.8% of those under the age of 18 and 7.5% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Trivia

• The most famous Fargo resident was the former Yankee Roger Maris who, in 1961, broke Babe Ruth's homerun record.
• The Coen brothers film Fargo (1996) is named after Fargo even though the city is only mentioned briefly at the beginning, and the rest of the film mainly takes place in Minnesota.
• The United States Navy named the USS Fargo after the city.