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Shelby Rose's review of Bismarck North Dakota
Are you thinking of moving or relocating to Bismarck, North Dakota? Would you like to know what the quality of life is like living in Bismarck?
| Weather | | Safety | | Neighborhoods | | People | | Weather here is very unpredictable. With extremes on both ends, we regularly deal with harsh winds in the summer, temperatures up to 110 degrees F, rain and flash floods... Then on the other hand- we get to temperatures as low as -60 below 0 and don't forget to factor windchill, freezing rain, blizzarding conditions, ice, and accidents due to new inexperienced drivers all over ND thanks to the Air Base and Bakken Oil boom for bringing all kinds of 'out-of-towners'. My advice is to plan for your trip. Plenty of outdoor clothing stores in every town big or small. | | Crime has gone up in Bismarck in the past 10 years along with the population. Not as affected by the oil boom as much as a few others have, but we've definitely felt the change. A hike in housing and the basic cost of living. The economy is fantastic! Everywhere you go in North Dakota has jobs available if you know how to look. But along with the population increase- the crime gets worse every year. Definitely wise to lock doors, car doors, invest in a home alarm system. You can never be too safe. Anywhere you go! We've had increases in all aspects- robbery, breaking-and-entering, assault & battery, kidnapping, rape, homicide, assault with a weapon, murder, drugs & alcohol, and DUI related accidents. | | The best part of town is the main drag, state street, downtown , both malls, and the various shopping/food areas throughout town. Bismarck, an easy-to-navigate city in the heart if ND, has all the perks of a medium populated place and the homey feel of a mom-n-pop oriented town. As much as we'd like to believe it's just easy, refer to the crime rate description.
The malls are crowded with people of all sorts. High and low end stores. The downtown area is probably the best place to find your widest assortment of products and fun. | | Honestly, ND is a place of all kinds of people. The ND native population is mostly comprised of senior republicans, any of the various nationalities are mostly liberal middle-aged men. A lot a young adults and kids. Pretty big music scenes with quite a few venues downtown. Skate parks, water parks, shopping malls, restaurants, every type of family-friendly environment you can imagine. Also plenty of bars, clubs, dance halls, pool halls and plenty more. You can find any kind of people here if you just know what to search for on google. Anyone and everyone belongs because no one really does. North Dakota isn't the most 'happenin' place, were all just trying to make our time here a little bit better so it's not too difficult to make a friend or two. Search Craigslist for events happening around town and there you go. There are also events listed in the papers and classifieds. | | Downtown Area | | Restaurants | | Schools | | Single life | | It's wonderful! The best time to go is summer, fall, or early winter. Decked out in lights and Christmas decor as the snow is falling, during the summer there's music, community walks, kids activities, big deals/sales. It's definitely something to check out! | | Obviously you'll want to find our hometown places. We produce some of the best angus steaks you'll find anywhere! Otherwise we've got all the franchises you can imagine- red lobster, space aliens, hooters, up the creek, on and on.
| | Our school system has some of the highest scores in the nation. Thanks to the No Child Left Behind Act we have special funds set aside for all schools to employ extra help, fund groups and clubs, and basically go directly toward the well being if the student. Schools are becoming more over crowded. But the cities are working to build new schools and places for citizens to spread out. | | Absolutely. There's a pretty good sized populations here so many clubs, online sites, dating and singles seminars. You can find whatever your fancy here. There are both ones here looking to start a family and those looking for a good time. (Please note- be careful, a lot of the oil riggers are unfaithful and have families. I've heard countless stories of people being lied to and left) | | Noise | | Compared to other places | | Best hospital | | Tourist attractions | | The only extra outdoor noise is the city-wide alert system. If there is any cause for concern- they'll ring for everyone to hear. We've had some recent issues with flooding and tornados where they proved to be quite useful. (The dikes a been since built up to hold the water back in the the future, it was and extra ordinary situation) | | Bismarck vs. Minot
Much bigger, many more stores, more opportunity for activities, many more people. Minot is easier to navigate due to it's smaller size, but in Bismarck if you follow State St you can find just about anything. It also turns into the highway in case you're just traveling through. Also something I notice wherever I go- Bismarck has quite a few options for fast good joints open late and all night. Minot has two, and one is closed 50% of the time. McDonalds and Hardee's. Grocery stores are usually always open 24hrs 7 days though!
Bismarck vs. Grand Forks
Smaller than GF, a bit more complicated to nagivate than Bismarck. 30k or so more people so a little more crowded. Home a of large State College, UND, so there is a big load of student-age adults in some areas. Something to keep in mind if looking for an apartment or buying a house. A lot of 'country-oriented' people as well. We are in North Dakota still, haha! | | Go to St Alexius for anything and everything you need. They have all the equipment and doctors you can imagine, and whatever they can't handle- Mayo Clinic is the usual next step. Which they'll fly the patient and a family member to. | | The largest man-made lake, Lake Sacajawea, is the best place to spend those relaxing summer months. Especially on July 4th and other holidays, you're sure to find a friendly face everywhere. Complete with MANY docks and tack shacks with boats and gear for rent, food, beer, fishing licenses, and tack for that! | | General comments | | | | | | | It's got a nice medium-size town impression. Not too big not too small. Just the right amount of people. Not too overcrowded but the added pleasure of regular restaurant franchises and shopping stores. It seems like a good place to raise your kids and live quiet, but please remember again to check the crime description. This place is NOT as safe as it once was.
All kinds of mom-n-pop shops around town to choose from such as food, clothes, art supplies, bakeries, music, hobby stores, bars, anywhere really. There's always a good deal going in somewhere if you check bulletin boards and events postings. Special business promotions are a good place to get aquaiinted with the people and a friendly face. | | | | | | |
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