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Fargo is a city in Cass County, North Dakota in the United States. It is the county seat of Cass County, located in the Red River Valley region. The population was 90,599 at the 2000 census, which makes it the largest city in North Dakota. Along with West Fargo, North Dakota and Moorhead, Minnesota, it forms the center of the Fargo-Moorhead Metropolitan Area. The metropolitan area has a population of around 180,000 and encompasses a large 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. The local newspaper is The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. The city motto is "Gateway to the West". Fargo was founded in 1871.
Early 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. The 20th Century Fargo-Moorhead boomed after World War II and the city grew rapidly despite being hit by a violent tornado in 1957. The tornado destroyed a large portion of the north end of the city. 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. Recent history In recent years, Fargo has seen relatively strong growth both in population and economic activity. Several businesses now have major operations in the community including Microsoft, Alien Technology, Navteq and Pracs Institute. The city's major retail districts on the southwest side have seen rapid expansion, and so has the downtown area due, at least in part, to investments made by the city and private developers through the Renaissance District program. City leaders would like to see an addition of five-hundred new housing units in the downtown area within the next five years. Planning agencies have also been active in promoting housing rehabilitation in older sections of the city such as the Roosevelt neighborhood to stem blight and strengthen the core of the city. Indeed, during the 1990's most inner city neighborhoods such as Hawthorne, Jefferson, and Horace Mann actually lost population even as rapid growth occurred along the edges of the city in sprawling new developments. 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 decent 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. Nevertheless, Fargo in the early 21st century faces some challenges. Articles published in the summer of 2006 by The Forum, have noted that the supply of affordable housing in the city is shrinking due to wages and incomes not rising as fast as housing costs in the city. Moreover, research conducted by the North Dakota State Data Center and the U.S. Census Bureau document that the area's population growth may be stalling after decades of steady growth. In fact, 2005 census estimates showed a decrease in the population of Fargo proper, albeit an increase in the metro area as a whole. Richard Rathge, the state demographer, has warned that Fargo may very well be losing its primary pool of new migrants as outlying areas of North Dakota, traditionally the geographic area upon which Fargo draws for new migrants, has been rapidly declining in population for decades. In fact, Fargo, for the last two decades, has relied upon international migration for a very large proportion of its new in-migration. Fargo is now growing slowly but steadily in 2006. The population of Fargo is now around 97,000 people, up from 93,000 in 2004. Geography Fargo is located at (46.871414, -96.808658). 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 of 2000, there were 90,599 people (2006 estimate: 102,254), 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. Although diverse politically, Fargo is by and large a Republican-leaning area. Democrats tend to do well in state elections in the older and established areas of Fargo (Districts 11 and 21), but Republicans dominate throughout much of the newer areas of the city. George W. Bush carried Fargo as well as the rest Cass County in the 2004 presidential election, with nearly 60 percent of the vote in both areas. Although less Democratic-leaning than Grand Forks, Fargo is considerably more moderate/liberal than Bismarck where Democrats hold not a single seat in the state legislature. 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 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. 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 the University of North Dakota make up the Red River Valley Research Corridor. Fargo is also home to Aakers Business College. Culture Fargo offers a relatively wide variety of cultural opportunities for a city of its size. This is likely due, in part, to the presence of three universities in the metropolitan area. Most theatre and events are either promoted or produced by the universities, although there are a few private theatre companies in the city including Fargo-Moorhead Community Theatre (FMCT), Theatre 'B' in downtown Fargo, Ursa Major Theatre Company, and The Entertainment Company. Music organizations in the metropolitan area include the Fargo-Moorhead Opera, the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony, and the Fargo-Moorhead Youth Symphony. 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 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. There are several other museums in Fargo including The Children's Museum at Yunker Farm, The Fargo Air Museum, The Courthouse Museum, The Roger Maris Museum in West Acres Shopping Center, and the North Dakota State University Wall of Fame in the Scheels All Sports store. 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). Sister city Fargo has one sister city: Arenas and auditoriums Museums Theatres Misc. attractions 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). MyNetworkTV can be received on KVNJ-LP channel 33 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 CW can be seen on cable channel 8, and on WDAY's digital subchannel 6-2. 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 interstate highways and is the home of a major 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. An Air National Guard unit is also located at Hector. 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. 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. 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. 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 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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