Fargo-Moorhead Articles & Rankings

The cities across America that are emerging from the recession as economic front-runners - recovery is always easiest with a diversified economic base, a trait that almost all of the top-ranked Leading Locations share.

Some publications, like University Business, have speculated that the meteoric rise of online degree programs eventually could bring an end to the college town as we know it. But for now, the American college town remains a central hub of learning where the school reigns as a driver of economic activity and cultural pursuits.

The study used data from more than 3 million people in the U.S. between the ages of 18 and 75 who had played several Lumosity brain-training games. These games measured performance across five cognitive areas: memory, processing speed, flexibility, attention, and problem solving. Then the scores were ranked by location.

Posted: Catherine McMullen teaches journalism at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota and is a winner of the North Dakota Mental Heath Association's Media Award for writing about mental health issues. Mullen also served on the board of the Family HeathCare Center, which provides primary care to low-income and uninsured people.

Starting Tuesday, the coastal crowd will get another opportunity to laugh at the zany practices of those living in the frozen reaches of the Great Plains. The new television series " Fargo," based on the 1996 Coen brothers movie, will no doubt be filled with fearsome violence mixed with the proper amount of Scandinavian reserve and wry humor - the very formula that made the original such as hit.

A memorable college experience involves more than merely what you learn in the classroom; it's also comprised of the people you meet, the places you hang out, and the memories you make in the city while seeking higher knowledge. Here are the top 15 college towns that provide excellent education and quality of living.

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Growing up in this starchy historic city in the 1990s, Jessica Duggan remembers field trips with her mother to the historic Battery neighborhood, watching tourists "doing the horse thing and the market thing." She dreamed of staying here as an adult, but had to admit: Her hometown was hopelessly uncool.

For people in their mid-20s to early 30s who have finished their education and are starting their careers, figuring out where to live can be difficult. With local economies varying from place to place and recent grads potentially looking for a partner to start a family, it's good to be around other people in your age range.

North Dakota was literally the last state in the union that I had reason to see. I had visited all 49 others. But the chance to cross off the 50th state before a milestone birthday had my always-game little sister and me pulling into Fargo's squat brick downtown on a spring Friday.

I recently spent three days in Fargo, North Dakota and I returned inspired to do more for my community in Kansas City. In my opinion, Fargo is home to some of the best community builders in the country who are actively demonstrating how a small group of dedicated community champions can dramatically shape the future of a city.

Growing up here, Greg Tehven heard all the jokes. "When I'd tell people I was from Fargo, I would get laughed at. It was almost as if other cities bullied us," said Tehven, 29, a self-appointed community booster and co-founder of Emerging Prairie, a network of local entrepreneurs and start-ups.

Affordable housing, great weather and a team worth rooting for - what more could you ask for in the ultimate college experience? How about a vibrant arts scene, a walker-friendly community and plenty of places to eat, drink and snag public Wi-Fi - and a latte? Suddenly, you're talking national-championship caliber experience.

Originally published June 23, 2014 at 7:48 PM | Page modified June 24, 2014 at 4:00 PM Jim Gehrz / Minneapolis Star Tribune Jim Gehrz / Minneapolis Star Tribune Jim Gehrz / Minneapolis Star Tribune FARGO, N.D. - Growing up here, Greg Tehven heard all the jokes.

Posted: You betcha. I'm not talking about tips you can take away from the Coen brothers' movie or TV adaptation. Sorry to disappoint, but I'm afraid that's an entirely different article (though I'd bet amidst the oblivious police force and self-invested criminals in the Fargo on screen, you could find some solid takeaways about the importance of cohesion and cooperation).

Fast times in Fargo-Moorhead As a historic gas-and-oil exploration boom plays out in western North Dakota, there's another kind of energy boom happening a few hundred miles to the east, along the Red River that separates the twin cities of Fargo, N.D., and Moorhead, Minn.

Fargo lands the top spot as best small place for business.

School unity is something that is often palpable, especially when it comes to sports. It is an energy that is hard to encapsulate into a single feeling.

Coverage of America's changing urban scene tends to focus heavily on large metropolitan areas and the " megaregions" now often said to dominate the economic future. Often missed has been a slow, but inexorable, shift of migration and economic growth to smaller cities, a geography usually ignored or dismissed, with the exception of college towns, as doomed to lag behind by urban boosters.

Fast fact: Named for founder of Wells Fargo. Pros: Low cost of living, median home price $158.000, above average air quality, high Milken Institute aging metrics, low crime rate, high volunteering level. Con: cold winters.

The 2013 Milken Institute Best-Performing Cities Index ranks U.S. metropolitan areas by how well they are creating and sustaining jobs and economic growth. The components include job, wage and salary, and technology growth. In most years, these give a good indication of the underlying structural performance of regional economics.

While the U.S. unemployment rate has improved markedly from the double digits during the recession, it was still stuck at 7.9% as of October. Some regions fare far better than rest of the country, despite the fact that more than 12 million people are still considered unemployed in the U.S.

People thought I was joking when I told them a little over a year ago that I'd be packing up my Brooklyn apartment and heading to a small town an hour and a half north of Fargo. "Is that in a Dakota?" friends would ask.

When picking a college, location can sometimes be just as important as academics. The American Institute of Economic Research has released its latest College Destination Index, which compared college towns across the country based on their academic environment, quality of life, and professional opportunity. The index separated the destinations by population size.