North Dakota

Moving to North Dakota will put you at ease and bring you some peace - at least that is what officials of North Dakota, the Peace Garden State, are hoping.

North Dakota is the only state in the nation where you will find a peace garden. The International Peace Garden features a 120-foot peace tower, seven peace poles where "May Peace Prevail" is written in 28 different languages, and where steel girders from the New York World Trade Center lie at the 9-11 Memorial.

If hitting a club is your way to relax, North Dakota has more golf clubs per capita than any other state in the nation. Teddy Roosevelt National Park is also a hit with tourists and residents as is the Dakota Zoo, North Dakota's largest zoo, which houses more than 600 animals.

North Dakota Real Estate and Demographics

Real estate prices in North Dakota are affordable. In 2006, a family earning the median income could afford to buy a house priced three times higher than the median priced home in the state. The median home price in 2006 was $164,601.

This kind of affordable housing is what provides North Dakota's residents with a low cost of living.

Economists say North Dakota has benefited from the increase in energy prices in the last few years, which resulted in good job growth in the state. The unemployment rate, as a result, has been tracking 1.5 percent lower than the nation's average.

But what good is affordable housing and job growth if your residents are moving out of state? The Peace Garden State, more specifically its officials, is not at peace with the decrease in population across the state over the last two decades. Young people are leaving the state to pursue college diplomas and careers in other states. Farmers and ranchers are changing jobs.

With more than 90 percent of North Dakota's counties experiencing out-migration, state officials are doing what they can to put an end to its dwindling population of 635,867 in 2006, down from 642,200 in 2000. By 2030, North Dakota's population is expected to have dropped to 606,566.

Between 2005 and 2006, a total of 1,277 people left the state. North Dakota officials hope a state Homestead Act - mirroring the nation's Homestead Act of 1862, which provided incentives to people who were willing to move to and live in the nation's Heartland for at least five years - will halt the out-migration. Some of the incentives outlined in the proposed act include: repaying 50 percent of a college grad's loan up to $10,000 as long as they committed to live and work in the state for a minimum of five years; and providing a $5,000 tax break to those committed to purchasing a home in North Dakota and residing there for a minimum of five years. The current population is predominantly white, with a combined black and Hispanic population of just 3 percent.

North Dakota Geography and Climate

North Dakota is bordered by three states, South Dakota to its south, Minnesota to its west, and Montana to its east. Canada is Dakota's neighbor to the North. Split in three regions from east to west, North Dakota offers a variety of terrain. The Red River Valley, found in east North Dakota, is flat and offers some of the richest soil in the nation. A number of lakes, rivers and rolling hills can be found just to the west of the Red River Valley. Rugged valleys, hills and an area rich in minerals is the area known as the Great Plains. Nearly half of North Dakota is covered by the Great Plains. One of the most interesting types of geography in North Dakota is its badlands. No, this is not an area where the bad residents of the state live, it's a valley of clay that was carved out by wind and water. The natural winds and water produced different rock formations including cones, pyramids and hills with steep sides and flat tops (also known as buttes).

Ducks, white pelicans, sharp-tailed grouse are just some of the wildlife that can be found roaming North Dakota's terrain and traversing its skies. There are more wildlife refuges in North Dakota than any other state in the nation, primarily centered on wetlands and prairie potholes. In total there are 63 refuges covering nearly 300,000 acres.

If North Dakota was not on the list of states to visit or reside because it is too cold - reconsider it as an option. There are an average of 200 sunny days a year in North Dakota and some days in the middle of summer the sun rises before 6 a.m. and sets after 9 p.m. Monthly average temperatures range from 84 degrees to -5.1 degrees Fahrenheit. Sirens have been put into place in North Dakota to warn residents of impending tornadoes. Sirens will sound if a tornado is detected within 15 miles of your location.