UPDATE: Check out our new 2023 Best Cities to Live in the U.S. list.
| liv score 701 How We Calculate Our Data |
|
|---|---|
| Civics | 57 |
| Demographics | 47 |
| Economy | 60 |
| Education | 64 |
| Health | 70 |
| Housing | 46 |
| Infrastructure | 51 |
#8. Fargo, ND
It’s no secret that Fargo is thriving. This tight-knit community in eastern North Dakota, often mentioned alongside its sister city, Moorhead, MN, has it all — an affordable cost of living, a vibrant economy and a family-friendly vibe running through everything in town. Unemployment is low and jobs are plentiful in fields like education, technology, manufacturing and healthcare. Plus, it never feels crowded in Fargo, thanks to an abundance of parks and green space.
Top Industries and Employers: Healthcare, education and manufacturing. Plus, agricultural and food processing facilities.
Best Coffee Shop: Young Blood Coffee
Best Local Beer/Brewery: Drekker Brewing Company, which is located inside a renovated railroad shop that dates back to 1883.
Must-Have Meal: Bison meatballs from Maxwell’s Restaurant & Bar
Best Co-Working Space: The Prairie Den, located inside a historic bank building in downtown Fargo.
Best Meetup Spot (When Meeting Up Is a Thing Again): Mezzaluna, an upscale restaurant inside a renovated 1917 warehouse where locals go for awesome happy hour deals.
Creative Hub: Fargo-Moorhead Community Theatre, a community hub for all things theatre, including talent shows, murder mystery dinner shows, fundraisers, classes and workshops.
Favorite Weekend Activity: If they’re not tailgating for North Dakota State University football games, Fargo residents are either bicycling the more than 200 miles of trails in the region or kayaking on the Red River.
Free Way to Have Fun: Stroll through the Red River Market before heading to the Plains Art Museum, which has impressive exhibits and collections to peruse.
Local Dream Job: It gets cold in Fargo. Really cold. So the folks here decided to start a festival called Frostival, which celebrates all things chilly, icy, snowy and frozen. Who wouldn’t want to be in charge of something so cool? (Pun intended!)
Read More:
Fargo is One of the Most Recession-Proof Cities in America
Can We Talk About How Cool Fargo Is?
Millennial Migration: How Fargo is Attracting Big Waves of Young People
– Sarah Kuta