Where?

In the early '70s, a jokester put a road sign up along one of the highways leading into Fargo that read "Fargo... 19 miles; end of the earth... 14 miles." That road sign sort of summarizes the impression that many people have of Fargo, North Dakota.

Fargo is actually a wonderful place to live and work. The population is about 90,000. The city is located in the middle of the Red River Valley of the North in eastern North Dakota. Since it is located on the prairie, it is relatively treeless and unbelievably flat.

It sounds kind of boring at first, but the open expanse of the prairie has its own unique beauty.

Almost everybody has heard that this region is generally considered to be the coldest area in the continental United States. How cold does it get? Most winters routinely see days where the temperature will average 10° above to 20° below zero for weeks on end. Then there's that really bad stretch every December or January for a week or two where the temperature never rises above zero.

The coldest actual temperature occurred in 1996 when it hit 61° below zero in January. Funny things happen when it gets that cold. A favorite trick of the locals is to take a cup of hot water and throw the water into the air. It instantly "vaporizes", and there's nothing left to fall to the ground. (Don't laugh, you have to do something to entertain yourself when it's that cold.) Locals simply adjust to the cold; and it is pretty much "life as usual" during even the most severe cold snaps. It is not at all unusual to see children outside in their snowsuits playing on the snow banks when it is that cold!