Fargo, North Dakota

Fargo is a United States city located in the state of North Dakota. It is the county seat of Cass County. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 90,599 which makes it the largest city in North Dakota. It has a twin city, Moorhead, Minnesota. The larger Fargo-Moorhead area also encompasses the communities of West Fargo, North Dakota and Dilworth, Minnesota.

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." The city was then renamed to "Fargo". This was in honor of Northern Pacific Railway director and Wells Fargo Express Company founder William Fargo. The area started to flourish after the arrival of the railroad and the city became known as the "Gateway to the West".

Related Topics:
Steamboat - Red River - 1870s - 1880s - Northern Pacific Railway - Wells Fargo - William Fargo

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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. 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. North Dakota State University was founded in 1890 as North Dakota's land-grant university. It was first called the "North Dakota State College of Agriculture."

Related Topics:
1880s - Midwest - Divorce - June 7 - 1893 - North Dakota State University - 1890 - North Dakota - Land-grant university - Agriculture

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Fargo-Moorhead boomed after World War II and the city grew rapidly. 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.

Related Topics:
Fargo-Moorhead - World War II - I-29 - I-94 - 1972

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In recent years, Fargo has seen dramatic growth both in population and economic activity. Several businesses now have major operations in the community including Microsoft. The city's major retail districts on the outskirts are booming, but so is the downtown area due, at least in part, to investments made by the city and private developers. From the late 1990s onward, Fargo has consistently had one of the lowest unemployment rates of any Metropolitan Statistical Area in the United States. This, coupled with Fargo's low crime rate and the plentiful 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.

Related Topics:
Microsoft - 1990s - Metropolitan Statistical Area - United States - Money - 2000s

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