Posted on 10/20/2009 7:01:42 PM PDT by devane617
While surfing tonight I ran across this small city website in North Dakota. They are selling lots for homes for $200.00. If I were a hearty soul that wanted to get away, and did not mind the cold, this would be very interesting...
It’s not so much the cold in ND.....it’s the wind.
Yeah, just don’t expect to grow a lot of trees.......
-The purchaser will pay off all remaining specials.
Hmmmmm
Doesn't look like it to me:
The town doesn't even occupy a square mile. It's just barely 1 square kilometer.
Man, talk about getting lost...This is the place.
The only thing is you have two years to complete the house or lose the land.
But, if you were looking to settle down to retirement, or move the family to a quite place, that would be ok with me.
also, ya need a bridge? A nice, big bridge?
Probably a nice little town. Right up by the Canadian border. Mohall is the county seat and the county population is 2610. The high school (7-12th) has 119 students. A couple of conservatives moving onto those lots would turn it from a reddish purple to a red county in the next election.
I bet we have a few conservatives that live there already.
I read yesterday that 1 in 4 homes in FL was under foreclosure. In Miami/Dade it is probably over 50%.
Make sure you’ve got a big a** snow blower.
...by the way, the article showed a few nice homes in Homestead selling for 70k that sold for almost 300k a couple of years ago.
This Texan once had to live in Williston ND for 3 1/2 years. I loved it!
Yes, it’s cold—very cold—for a large portion of the year. (The opposite of that is that there can be some horribly hot days in the summer, but not enough to have air conditioning.) There is also a horrible mosquito problem up there that surprised me. Also, it’s the only place I’ve ever lived that when someone mentions the temperature, they always add “above” or “below” to the number—LOL!
The natives make up for any downside, though. They are the nicest, hardest working, folks I have ever known. Nearly 40 years after moving away, my ND friends and I stay in contact.
I say go for it, if you can!
If you mean losing your way, yes.
If you mean hiding away, no. In a small town like this, everyone knows everyone. Unless you have a sufficient "legend" to hide in plain sight, you'd be out'ed within a few months.
Me and snow don’t mix, but a nice small summer place to kick back would work just fine.
Well, I’m a Texan and you know the rest. I have wanted a small place down on the south TX coast for years, but have never been able to convince myself it is the right time. Rockport, or Port Aransas, both located around Corpus Christi, are very nice.
About 40 miles north of one of the biggest nuke targets in North America no?
Williston is near one of the great golf courses in America. The links at red mike resort is a great links course on the shores of lake Sacagawea. Worth going out of the way for.
I believe you are correct. At least the heat wave would not last long.
Isn’t this the Bakken formation area where they found a huge oil deposit?
That may be a good investment in the long run.
Yes, I think you are correct.
I spent a few days in Dickenson, ND on a project and I think I saw one tree between our site and Bismarck.
Coming from Oregon that was a shock to the system.
You can camp there for $50.00 a week including water and electricity. That’s cheaper than the taxes on my house in Western New York. This place is looking good.
I don’t think I’d want to live anywhere where the neighboring town is named “Antler.”
Yeah, if your motorhome has the Polar package.
"The 1916 Texas Hurricane practically wiped out Port Aransas except for a very few fortunate buildings. The docks, wharf and warehouses were now on the mainland, and the whole of the island was flooded and infested with rattlesnakes seeking some kind of high ground." - Wikipedia
Ive been looking for a place to raise a chicken
Exactly! OMG!
They made a huge mistake when they created two states out of the Dakota territory. They should just have made it one state, and it would now be the state with the sexiest name. As it is, both Dakotas just have over a million people despite the huge size/area of the combined states. Plus no one wants to visit North Dakota. Teddy Roosevelt national park is alright but not enought of a reason to visit by itself. South Dakota has the Black Hills and the Badlands. And Wall Drug. (smirk) Too bad, the state of Dakota would be one huge state with the hippest name.
The cold is not the humid cold folks from further south are used to, but dry because air that cold cannot support a lot of humidity. Snow tends to be fine powder, not wet and slushy.
If you build there, insulate well, 6" walls are not overdone. Most common heat is natural gas forced air. Utility bills have been running between $200-$250/month.
That said, check out taxes, state and local, and I think folks from many states in warmer climates will be pleasantly surprised.
North Dakota gun laws are firearm friendly, pheasant/deer hunting is usually good, and there are trees--you just have to know where to look.
The region is one of the few which has maintained relatively low unemployment, with the State running at about 4%. The state is running in the black, unlike most.
Minot, to the south, is undergoing a growth spurt tied to the energy industry (primarily related to oil activity in the Bakken/Three Forks), and because Minot has the best airport in the region, several energy/oilfield service companies have located their regional headquarters there.
If you have a class A CDL and are rated for tankers and hazmat, oilfield crude oil haulers are in demand, paying $18-24/hour.
You learn to dress for and operate in the cold, and after a few winters get more used to wearing the sort of clothes you need. I'd suggest at least one AWD/4WD vehicle with a little ground clearance for winter travel, but you can get by nicely with 2wd about as far off the ground as a stock 1/2 ton pickup, and if you have chains and are a reasonable driver you should be able to go most anywhere you need to without any problems. DO carry a winter survival kit in your vehicle, have appropriate dress for the weather, a sleeping bag, and a heat source, in case you have trouble. Cell phones have made it much easier to get help, but I would not stake my life on one.
The mosquito problem mentioned in the Williston area is generally around the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers, and in the Williston area, but not so bad elsewhere in the state with a few minor lcalized exceptions.
Lewis and Clark mentioned the mosquitoes in the Williston and Confluence areas as being 'particularly vicious' and they haven't changed in 200+ years.
The people here tend to be conservative, friendly, hard working, and decent folks, with the caveat that there are a few jerks everywhere.
Had I not already put my roots elsewhere in the state, I'd be looking very hard at this myself.
Smokin’ Joe, Thanks for the great details. I figured we had a few Freepers from the area. If I were a younger guy I would certainly give this serious thought. Looks like opportunities abound, and the prices are right.
Question: What can you do for three days in Mohall, North Dakota?
Answer: Watch your dog run away.
...or, there is a pretty girl behind every tree. ...or, you can stand and see 50 miles. You can stand on a tuna fish can and see 150 miles...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.