I have 5 kids and for some reson my wife thinks she wants to live there, what advice can you offer me.  Is land cheap, what about employment. and schools.

Fargo is the fastest growing city in ND.  I think if you put Fargo, West Fargo and Moorhead together you would have a population of over 100,000.  I can't speak of the schools, but I'm sure they are good.  I have plenty of cousins and friends who love living in Fargo.  What is your career?  I'm sure Fargo has it.  North Dakota State U just went Divison 1-A in all sports.  NDSU Football is huge in Fargo.  Fargo has a minor league baseball team and the games are very entertaining.  What do you consider cheap land?  Probably less expensive than Indiana.  Its a good place to raise kids but I've been to Indiana (brother graduated from Purdue) and it sure seem like a good place.  Actually it probably won't be that much of a culture shock at all.  If you need a big city fix Minneapolis is about 3.5 hour drive away.  Really the only down side of living up north is weather in the winter, unless you are into ice fishing(I call it ice drinking) and snowmobiling.   hope this helps

My wife is snow hound and she loves the north, this is her idea.  Which I don't mind, but her folks live in Minniapolis adn they are getting older.  I'm a town of less then 2000 and I like that size maybe a little bigger 30,000 is more like it to me.  I do electronics work but I would like to get into welding or machining, I don't know because there is nothing I can't learn very quickly.  I used to have a construction company I owned but I got burned out on trying to compete with the guys that hire Mexican crews for wages I couldn't even come close too.  Sorry about my whinning.

I would think that a welding job wouldn't be hard to find.   There is a CASE tractor plant in Fargo.  ND is a very gun friendly state.

I will do more research on the FARGO area. Thanks for your input, what do you know of areas outside Fargo?

I live in Fargo right now, I am happy with it. I have lived in Valley City ND for 4 years (1 hour away) and I have lived in Wahpeton for 1 year(1 hour away).  The area around Fargo is very nice, lots of small towns, i am not to sure about the land prices though. You said that you are a welder, well I just got done with school for welding, and the jobs are around, I am pretty sure there is someone always hiring. For websites you might wanna try "123fargo.com" and "jobsnd.com" for some good info. Oh and by the way the tech school from Wahpeton is opening a Fargo site for welding in town.

I MIG and TIG weld I'm not certified but it is something I have wanted to get into.  I work on Electronics and such.  

Was in Fargo for 9 years (Two Bachelors and a Doctor of Pharmacy).  Nice town, but too small for me (grew up in Minneapolis).  Couldn't believe all the new developments that went up the last time I was up there.  AND a Gander Mtn.  Wish that was there when I was--grew to HATE Scheels.