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Saturday, December 10, 2011

North Dakota: God's Country -- Where Telephone Calls to Heaven Are "Local Calls"

Larry sent this to me; no source. If it is copyright of if the originator of the information does not want it posted, let me know and I will take it down.

This is why I love North Dakota, and why North Dakota is truly "God's country.
  • North Dakota has a budget surplus of some $800 million dollars in the bank.
  • Every time the price of gas goes up, my future property taxes are either going to drop or stay the same.
  • Every property owner in the state received a REDUCTION in the property taxes for the next 4 years, guaranteed. (The state spent some of our surplus $ on school districts - which allowed corresponding property taxes to drop).
  • The $800M surplus above is AFTER the property taxes were reduced.
  • College students that are ND residents or whose parents are, can borrow money from the state owned Bank of North Dakota can now borrow at a rate of 1.78%, variable rate, with a 10 year payback.
  • The homicide number in North Dakota for 2009 was 2 (yes, that's 2)
  • The town of Rugby is the geographical center of North America. A tall stone obelisk marks the location.
  • North Dakota was the first state to complete its interstate highway system.
  • The parking meter was invented in North Dakota
  • North Dakota is the only state in the nation to never have an earthquake.
  • Dakota Gasification Company in Beulah is the nation's only synthetic natural gas producer. (And Montana's governor bragged about it on national television!)
  • North Dakota has 60 wildlife refuges, more than any other state, and all are managed for waterfowl production.
  • North Dakota has more miles of road per capita than any other state - approximately 166 miles of road for every 1,000 people.
  • If North Dakota seceded from the Union, it would be the world's third strongest nuclear power.
  • North Dakota has the highest number of millionaires per capita than any other state.
  • Did you know that North Dakota leads the nation in the production of just about every crop is raises. The state is first in spring wheat, durum wheat, sunflowers, barley, a dry edible beans, pinto beans, canola, flaxseed, all dry edible peas, honey, lentils, and oats. [Some of these may drop off the list as farmers switch to corn for ethanol.]
  • Did you know that the highest temperature ever recorded in North Dakota was 121 degrees at Steele in July of 1936? Or that the lowest was -60 degrees at Parshall during the last ice age (kidding, but not about the temperature) in February 1936?
  • The fastest-growing city in the state is West Fargo, which has soared from 14,910 residents in 2000 to more than 21,000 last year.
  • What is the Sturnella neglecta? It's the scientific name of the state's bird. Can you name it? It's the western meadowlark, a songbird often found on fence posts or signs chirping away.
  • Fore! Did you know that North Dakota has more Golf Courses per capita than any other state?
  • Ranks #1 as the safest state to live in.
  • Is one of only eight states with a growing economy
  • Ranks 6th highest in state economic competitiveness. (Beacon Hill Institute, 12/05)
  • Had the second highest per capita income growth from 2000-2005. (Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2005)
  • Has more coastline than California due to Lake Sakakawea! (50states.com)
  • Fargo-Moorhead ranked as one of America's top "Business Opportunity Metros" for 2005.
  • Ranks #1 for rate of high school completion.
  • Was one of only two states to increase manufacturing jobs from 2000-2004.
  • I still leave my garage door unlocked when I am gone so that my neighbor can borrow something if he needs it, (and so does he).
  • North Dakota, despite over 50 % of the population owning guns, and despite being ranked #4 by the Brady gun-control people, is one of the safest states in which to live.

11 comments:

  1. Merry Christmas! I miss the wonderful people of North Dakota! Most of my elders are gone now. My sister wants to ride the train back there in the summer. I look forward to going down memory lane. I'm sure there will be a few tears for the two of us. My parents and grandparents were so full of generousity. I think some of it was the Christian loving background. love of God and love for their country. Have a joyful Christmas with your family! Thanks for all your hard work on this site. My husband and I enjoy reading what you have to say. Linnea:)

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  2. embraceyourinnerhillbillyDecember 10, 2011 at 6:41 PM

    Bruce,

    Merry Christmas. Thank you for re-opening the comments so I can say thank you again for this site and all your work in keeping us informed in all things Bakken.
    Have a safe and sane New Years, too.

    embraceyourinnerhillbilly

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  3. Thank you for your kind words.

    Make sure you have a place to stay before Amtrak-ing to Williston.

    I have Amtrak-ed to Williston several times, coming from Portland, Oregon; and, coming from Boston. It's an incredible trip.

    If you are an experienced Amtrak-er, it's a great, great trip. If it's your first Amtrak ride, remember that journey is the important thing, not arriving on time. You will not arrive on time. If you arrive within six hours of scheduled arrival, consider yourself "on time."

    Take lots of munchies (but Amtrak has great snacks on board as well as a great dining car). The food is "fully" priced but not inappropriately priced. I have nothing but good things to say about Amtrak, but it is a "journey."

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  4. Comments are out of order again.

    To "eyihb": thank you for your kind words.

    I always said 2012 would be a watershed year (the last watershed year for the Bakken was 2010 when the reservation was "opened up"). I assumed that the 2012 watershed would be the activity in the bull's eye of the Bakken, and I never thought the EPA acting this soon was a real concern.

    So, we will see how this works out.

    To you, too, have a great Christmas, and I hope we all have a great 2012 Bakken.

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  5. I am so glad you decided to continue with this site, I read it everyday faithfuly and I have learned a lot from it. Besides the learning, it is just a very interesting site and I like to hear your comments. I am very interested in the Bakken as I have 2 oil wells so far(decimal interest isn't that great) but I am not complaing. Keep on blogging please!!Ardis Till Jackson

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  6. Ardis, thank you for your kind comments.

    Turning off the comments for awhile really lifted a burden off my shoulders; I felt I could write what I wanted.

    But I felt I was doing my readers a disservice by not letting them easily comment. So, it was for them (folks like you) that I decided to turn the comments back on, and continue the blog.

    So, we will see how it goes.

    Something re-energized me; I have no idea what it was specifically, but I think I have some hunches. Maybe a stand-alone post on that some day.

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  7. Awesome pro North Dakota list. Sing it from the roof tops!

    One thing for sure outside sources who have negative views for what ever reason are signaling their envy and jealousy. Are they to be laughed at or in some cases should be viewed as a threat to the economic vitality the state enjoys? Probably both. Well worth keeping a eye on.

    They certainly give themselves away when they start their televised reports with twangy back country music. Should a report focus on a problem with rapid development it is too bad it isn't balanced also with the positive aspects. NPR is probably the worst with the negative reporting.

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  8. But NPR is also very, very subtle at being so negative in most cases. The astute listener sees through NPR immediately; the casual listener does not realize the hidden agenda being promulgated.

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  9. Elsewhere, someone referred to some blogs as echo chamber websites. I had never given that much thought, but yes, indeed, most blogs are echo chambers.

    What made me think of that just now was thinking of NPR. That is one huge echo chamber. Even Rush Limbaugh lets opposing views call in on a regular basis. Speaking of which, I haven't listened to Rush in months. I can't recall when I last heard him. Hmmm.

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  10. When I have a chance I like to listen to, on the internet, KTGO the "Bakken Beacon". They broadcast Rush daily and of course Scott Hennen.

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  11. When I was in the Bakken, I listened to an AM and an FM country station out of Williston; very good country stations. When not in the car, listened to CMT (country music) on internet -- you reminded me why I hadn't been listening to Rush or Scott -- I was listening to country.

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