Why I Love Living in Rural North Dakota
Find out why three locals can’t get enough of their communities.
While some people love the hustle and bustle of city life, others prefer the peace, beauty and calm that rural living provides. And if you zero in on what rural North Dakota has to offer, you’ll quickly understand why people uproot their lives to live in these quaint, pastoral communities and why others simply choose to never leave. Ahead, meet three residents who love living in rural North Dakota.
Lule Naas
Lule Naas of McVille, a city of less than 400 people, is the Destination Red River project manager and Nelson County Job Development Authority director for the Red River Regional Council, which helps build vibrant communities. She is married and has a 10-year-old daughter.
How did you end up in North Dakota?
I relocated to North Dakota the summer after my freshman year of high school. I was born up in Alaska. It was actually a wonderful change moving to North Dakota. It was very welcoming.
What do you love about living in a rural community in North Dakota?
I really love rural living. I had some misconceptions about living in rural communities … I feel it was a shift for me to really understand the value and the community and the environment that rural living offers.
What can newcomers do to get involved?
In my community, we have the McVille Country Club, Nelson County Health Services Foundation and McVille Volunteer Fire Department. There are different organizations you can get involved with depending on your interests. And those provide really great opportunities to meet new people.
If people are looking to move to a rural community and aren’t sure where to go or what to do, there are some resources out there like Find the Good Life in North Dakota that will help connect people to community champions.
What are some fun things to do around your community?
There is actually a lot to do here. And I think that [people saying there aren’t things to do] is a big misconception. You just have to know where to look to find it. There’s a snowmobile club. My family loves to ski. We love going skiing at Frost Fire ski resort, which is 90 minutes north of us.
Melinda Padilla-Lynch
Melinda Padilla-Lynch is the program manager of Arts Across the Prairie for the North Dakota Council on the Arts and runs a nonprofit called Law Enforcement Administrative Support. She lives in Bowman, a city of approximately 1,400 people, and is a mom of two boys.
How did you end up in North Dakota?
I moved to North Dakota 12 years ago from Kansas City.
My husband worked for a major homebuilder that did custom homes. During that time of 2008 and 2009 when the home industry collapsed, nobody was building custom homes. We realized if we were going to make a major change, we probably were going to have to move to a different state.
North Dakota’s economy was booming. We were just looking for the American Dream. We were hoping to come up, pay some debt, put some money away and leave. And if you would have told me that first year that we would have been here more than a year, I would have called you a liar.
What do you love about living in rural North Dakota?
It’s slower paced; it’s quieter. Crime is usually down, and you have a lot of people who take pride in their community. You can drive down the freeway and hardly see trash. I can let my kids ride their bikes down the street to the pool and nobody bats an eye.
What are some ways you are involved in your community?
I’m one of the biggest advocates for rural communities and a big advocate for transplants. I run a network for women who are new to North Dakota called Prairie Wanderlust: Virtual Women’s Network, and I also run a podcast called Prairie, Pies and Wanderlust that highlights women’s journeys to North Dakota.
Why would you encourage people to move here?
If you want to be super involved in your community, you can be, and if you want to be pretty isolated and just do your thing, you can. I tell people rural communities are kind of like the great equalizers. They slow everybody down and get you on the same page.
North Dakota is the land of opportunity. It is one of the last states where you can have a decent wage. You can buy a house here. You can watch your kids ride their bikes to school. If you have an idea and put some tenacity and work ethic behind it, you can be really successful here.
Jennifer Dusek
Jennifer Dusek lives in Grafton with her husband and is the city’s community developer director.
How did you end up in North Dakota?
I’m from the south central part of North Dakota, a very small rural community called Ashley. I made my way up to Fargo for college and was debating on moving out of state or staying in North Dakota. I ended up meeting a farmer [whom I married], and he showcased the northeast part of the state to me. That’s what caused me to want to stay in North Dakota.
What do you love about Grafton?
Grafton is really unique. We’re an hour’s drive from four state parks, an hour’s drive from a drive-in movie theater and two hours from Winnipeg. We can go to Devils Lake and go ice fishing.
How can people get involved in Grafton?
We have a yoga studio and a lot of different clubs. The curling club is pretty big in Grafton. We also have a pickleball club and cornhole club, so people are doing a lot more of just recreational sports together, especially adults.
What are some of the benefits of living in a smaller community?
One of the benefits of moving to a smaller community is slowing down to enjoy life. There’s something about the quality of life that’s increased when you’re close to the outdoors and open spaces.
This article was sponsored by the North Dakota Department of Commerce.