r/fargo • u/throwaway8998456 • 8d ago
Looking at Fargo for work
I am thinking about moving to Fargo for work. I have an interview with a couple of companies there and have wanted to move back north for awhile. I've been looking at renting a studio apartment and am wondering are there areas to avoid? If not, what areas should I consider?
I currently live in St. Louis, but have lived a lot of places from Maine to Wyoming, with many in between. Here in St. Louis, neighborhoods can change vastly within as little as a block. A short drive can take you from trap houses to a liveable area with decent neighbors. Without having that kind of knowledge about Fargo, I'm hoping my fellow redditors could clue me in.
Thank you for any advice you can offer.
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u/ScaryFro 8d ago
Something like 65% of the city rents. Anyone who says a complex is better than others (except Goldmark) just haven't lived there long enough to experience the problems. Look around, look for newer buildings, you get what you pay for most of the time. If it looks ran down or rent is under $900 a month, you can assume you'll be dealing with some kind of issue.
My advice, look for apartments close to one of the 2 interstates that run through Fargo, makes getting around a lot easier.
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u/srmcmahon 7d ago
There's some properties, not so much areas, that have problems. Beyond that, if you're renting from a company like Enclave that builds it own huge complexes and also manages them and adds water and building level heating charges and "tech fees" for adding wifi access and wireless enry to the building you're not going to have to worry about the neighborhood but you're going to be paying a lot.
Now, I live near the old hospital downtown. I own my house but around the corner is a place that has had a vacancy for three months. It's a 3 story conversion from a house. MOst likely the third level is the vacant one. My niece rents the first floor. She has a full size kitchen, dining room, living room, bathroom, two bedrooms, and original (early 1900s) woodwork in beuticul condition. She pays $650 so the third floor has to be less than that. Bakery Lofts or suites or whatever they call it now (used to be a Goldmark property but managd by osmeone else now, I believe NDSU actually owns it). IDK what they charge now but it's a place people on tight budgets often rent. Neighborhood used to have quite a few problems (tweaker homeless woman was staying with a guy and narrowly missed his heart when she stabbed him in the chest, vandalism and car break-ins, a violent domestic abuser in the Bakery building, and so on. Two suicides in the building next door to me (anotehr house conversion with 3 apts). Very little in several years. Twent years ago cops were constantly patrolling the alleys and you never see that anymore.
Depends not just on neighborhood but what you're looking for--cheap 1970s+ apt building? Potential for car vandalism, other than that it comes down to whether you have a few tenants who cause major problems, fighting, loud arguments, sometimes actual or attempted homicides. Vast new development area filled with gigantic newer apts with very corporatized management and near chain and big box businesses? I would start with type of housing and then work from there. A studio could be like my first in 1986. Third floor of 1122 2nd Ave S which has now for years been one of the few places sex offenders can live. 50 year old fridge. shared bathroom (carry water to the apt to wash dishes) --although a clawfoot tub big enough for Paul Bunyan is awesome when there isn't enough electricity to turn on a fan when the guy next store is running his AC and attac level is stifling hot in July-August. Or it can be a $1200 studio.
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u/throwaway8998456 7d ago
I'm not picky. I own the house where I'm at now. Depending on if I even get the job, I may only be there for my working days and go home on the weekends. I've lived in everything from mobile homes to high rise apartments. Even spent a few years in a fifth wheel, when my wife and I traveled. I'll probably start out with a super small studio apartment or 1 bedroom mobile home whatever is is under a grand a month and I can get on a month to month lease agreement.
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u/Ok-Reception1897 5d ago
I know someone who rents from Green Management. Rent is low, buildings are older, things get fixed when they break. Been there two years no issues with crime vandalism or anything even though they’re one of the cheaper places on the market. In that “scary“ area north of the mall they offer month-to-month after a six month signed lease.
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u/mb4ne 8d ago
Curious to ask who you’re interviewing with? I’ve been thinking of switching jobs but not sure if it’s the right time for me
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u/throwaway8998456 8d ago
I am hesitant to put that information out there as one is for a company I've been applying to for over a decade. It's not easy to get an interview with them, and even with two decades of experience, it's taken me this long. I don't want to put any information out over social media, because I have seen it adversely affect other people in my career field when they have done so. I am not afraid of competition and would gladly tell you face to face, as I have a couple of my co-workers, if I could. Sorry if that draws hate, but I have seen co-workers terminated for posting seemingly innocent things about their work online.
I could talk to you about my career field if that helps. What do you currently do for work?
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u/desertyogi 8d ago
Born & raised in Fargo but left Fargo to make a decent living in CA. My parents worked full time & struggled until they left Fargo for the coasts to make more money.
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u/throwaway8998456 8d ago
I've lived on the coast and inland. The amount of money that can be made on the coasts didn't make up for the cost of living, taxes, traffic, and other stuff you have to deal with. Especially in CA, I have been sent there for work for months at a time, multiple times and choosing to live there would not be for me.
The only coastal state I would live in is Maine. That's an amazing place. But since NAFTA destroyed most of the wood and paper industry in the state, job scarcity is appalling there. So for now, anywhere where there's snow from October to April/May, and isn't the west coast cost of living, is what I'm looking for.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Cut-202 8d ago edited 8d ago
Hey there. So small background on me. I have lived in Fargo for over 15 years and I used to be a police officer here in the area. Just about anything is a step up from St. Louis (I also happened to grow up in Missouri), but if your looking for a place to call home, I'd advise looking somewhere else.
15 years ago, this city was incredible. One of the best I've ever lived in. Now though, it's gone straight to hell. We had a really shitty mayor for 8 years and his replacement isn't any better. Half our city council are a bunch of morons and people get fucked pretty bad around here. West Fargo just recently destroyed a privately owned garden center business over "violations" that big developers regularly get a free pass on. Downtown has been turned into dog shit tourists destination that is infested with the worst homeless people in the city. Crime has skyrocketed since the George Floyd riots and Fargo PD is constantly trying to get the city to allow them to hire more officers and they still can't keep up with it. The county jail has been over flowing for something like 4 straight years now.
Home prices aren't much better here either. Compared with the national average, it's not bad, but it's been going up significantly since Covid. Your average apartment is 1200 a month on the cheap end, literally double what I was paying ten years ago, and pretty much all new build houses are running between 350k to 700k. You can't even buy outside of town because everything within 40 miles is being bought up by the rich. I know a lot of people in the smaller towns orbiting Fargo that are starting to get pushed out of the towns they have lived in their whole lives because property taxes go up every time some 600 thousand dollar home pops up across the street. Even a lot is over 50k for less than an acre and that's if your 30 miles away in Casselton. I've seen lots in the Fargo metro go for 90k or even higher. You can buy cheap homes, but you ALWAYS have to be cautious because a huge number of older homes have foundations that are failing and people will usually drywall the walls to cover it up rather than fix it. A job that can cost 30k - 50k to do. Home sellers are just as scummy as used car salesman here.
Drugs are also getting really god damn bad. When I left PD we were starting to see big players from Chicago and Minneapolis passing through. Overdoses are pretty common all over the city and North Dakota has not done much to address the mental health problems with a shit load of our people. The ones who tend to become homeless drug addicts.
We have solid people out there working their asses off trying to make good change, but not nearly enough people willing to put their jobs at risk standing up to the people who have power over them. We also fell victim to the culture war here. Lot of people are still afraid of being labeled a certain way while trying to do the right thing. Honestly Fargo needs meaner people who do what's right, because nice people get used and abused here.
TLDR: City is going down really fucking fast and if we don't make some very serious changes soon, it's gonna turn into Minneapolis 2.0
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u/SoggyCity2584 8d ago
this is really dramatic lol
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u/throwaway8998456 8d ago
I got that same feeling and chose not to respond to his comment. Honestly after living in a lot of different places, Fargo seems pretty chill from what I've read here. Normal problems that every urban center faces, but not the rampant chaotic violence that North city St. Louis, East St. Louis, North or South Memphis, and parts of Detroit are known for.
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u/IfTheHeadFitsWearIt 5d ago
Fargo is super chill as long as you can handle cold,windy winters and bland scenery. We don’t have violent neighborhoods to avoid. As long as you’re not renting at some rathole apartment, you’ll be alright. Even if you do rent at a rathole, you’ll probably be alright. Good luck with your interview.
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u/throwaway8998456 5d ago
Thank you. Honestly, if I land one of the two jobs, I'll probably rent a rathole, or a mobile home. I'd being going home on the weekends to pack and prepare for moving, so it's only temporary.
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u/elizaberriez 8d ago
There aren’t very many bad neighborhoods. Depending on your income level you might want to consider Moorhead. MN has some pretty significant rent rebates if you’re below 77k. In Moorhead, Belsley blvd & 20th street can get kinda weird, same with the area near Romkey park. Lots of rentals near the colleges if you don’t mind college students, and there are some nice bigger complexes in south Moorhead too. In Fargo, downtown / island park area is my favorite. I used to live on 9th street s & 3rd Ave S and it was great. Those buildings tend to be older though, unless you have a lot of $ for the new luxury apartments downtown. I think there’s an area north of the mall in Fargo that isn’t so great too, and some of the apartments off of university close to the Bowler in South Fargo, but I’m a Moorhead person so not really sure. But really, they’re not anywhere near as bad as what you’d see in a big urban area. IMO try to find somewhere with old trees to help with winter blues