1. Great small Business environment.

North Dakota has a booming small business environment. Fargo, North Dakota is routinely voted as one of the best places to start a business by Forbes.com. While much of the economic success can be attributed to the Bakken shale formation in the western portion of the state, there are areas in North Dakota such as Fargo that are proving the state is more than just a frack zone. Businesses in the down town areas of the more populous cities of North Dakota including Bismarck, Fargo, Minot, and Grand Forks are all boasting great success as these areas are renovated and brought back to life. Fargo, thanks to companies like the Kilbourne Group, has undergone a major revitalization, and business in the downtown area has been booming.

The Fargo metro area has had solid job growth for the past 5 years at 1.8% annually, and unemployment was at only 3%.

In Bismarck, North Dakota, the member business of downtown routinely hold events such as street fairs. One event unique to the Bismarck area is the “Downtowners German Days” festival, where member businesses interact with the community, but with a German flare to it all. Other events in the Bismarck downtown include the Downtowners Art and Wine Walk, Small Business Saturday Neighborhood Event, and much more.

2. North Dakota has some of the most beautiful sunsets. While many may dislike the rather flat nature of the State (excluding the far western portion), North Dakotans know that because of the flat terrain, they are able to experience some of the best sunsets in the entire United States.

3. The Medora Musical. The Medora Musical as self-described, is the rootin’-tootinest, boot-scootinest show in all the west. The musical is set in the outdoor splendor of the North Dakota Badlands, and takes place not too far from the cattle ranch owned by the very person the musical is dedicated to, the 26th President of the United States, Teddy Roosevelt. Pricing is very modest, and kids and adults alike are sure to have a blast at the historical musical.

4. The booming energy sector.

One would be amiss to talk about North Dakota these days without making some mention to its booming energy sector, located in the Bakken shale play on the western side of the state. While this is certainly not the first oil boom to hit the state, city officials and businesses have been much more careful this time around to not over expand and fall victim to the boom and bust cycle. This careful planning is what has allowed people from all over the United States to choose North Dakota as the place to relocate their families, and enjoy the incredible wages provided by a fast-paced, energy driven economy. With U.S crude prices back up by nearly 20%, the area, as well as the wages, are picking back up.

5. North Dakota’s Rich history.

North Dakota has a very rich history. Pow Wows and other Native American events can still be found all over the state, hosted by a plethora of different tribes that inhabit the state.

The famous American explorers Lewis and Clark reportedly spent most of their time during their expedition in North Dakota. The famous Native American woman Sacagawea (Sakakawea) who assisted Lewis and Clark with their expedition was originally from the North Dakota area. Arguably, because of the coordination between Sacagawea and the members of the expedition, some of the most important intercultural advancements between the two groups of peoples were made. Sacagawea helped establish cultural contacts with Native American populations, and contributed immensely to natural history by helping the members of the expedition study plants and wildlife.

North Dakota also boasts a tremendously rich history of German and Scandinavian settlers. These settlers from Northern Europe arrived in the late 1800s and brought with them a demeanor nearly immune to hardships, and a hard work ethic. To this day, North Dakota residents celebrate that legacy of northern European settlers with heritage centers such as the Germans from Russia heritage Museum in Bismarck and its sister location at the college at North Dakota State University, and the Hjemkomst Scandinavian museum in the greater Fargo-Moorhead area. In addition to the many museums celebrating the history of the European settlers, the state hosts the biggest Scandinavian festival in the entire United States that attracts visitors from all over the world, the Hostfest in Minot, North Dakota.

From the Native Americans who still host a variety of events that celebrate their vibrant culture, to the European settlers who arrived to homestead in the late 19th century, there is truly some history here to interest everyone.

Bryce Boepple is a Finance student and fitness enthusiast living in Fargo, North Dakota

On the weekend of May 13th, 2017, I participated in my first ever obstacle course race, and more specifically, my first ever spartan race. The Spartan race that I attended took place in the beautiful Glacier Park in Montana. Spartan races are known for being tough, muddy, and uncomfortable ordeals. Joe De Sena characterizes the ideal Spartan obstacle course racer as someone who possesses grit, endurance, and is physically fit. De Sena defines grit as a sort of mental toughness one acquires by purposely placing oneself in uncomfortable situations, like a Spartan Race. De Sena can be quoted as saying, “No adversity has been confronted and handled because everything came fast and easy. When adversity does arrive, and it always does, someone who has never encountered it before will have no clue what to do in response.” De Sena argues that by placing oneself in uncomfortable, or tough situations like a Spartan race, that person will then be much more capable when dealing with other uncomfortable or difficult situations that may come down the line. After watching lots of videos of previous Spartan races, and then having attended one myself, that mindset, the Spartan mindset, is what describes the Race brand and all its followers to a tee, and that mindset is on display from the moment you arrive on race day.

When I arrived on race day, it was a brisk morning, and the slight anxiety I had been building up in anticipation was wanting to grow. The race was a Spartan beast, which was at the time the hardest category of Spartan races. After walking the festival grounds and seeing what the whole event had to offer, I proceeded to begin warming up, making sure my shoes were tied nice and tight, and ensuring my hydration pack was filled. Soon, it was race time. Myself, and the hundreds of other racers who were in my heat proceeded to the starting line, where we were greeted by a hype man of sorts, someone to get us all pumped up and excited for the mammoth task that lay before us. Finally, with a group chant identical to the scene in 300 where King Leonidas asks his Spartans for their profession, we chanted three “Aroo’s” and we were off!

The duration of the race provided an emotional roller coaster. One moment you think to yourself that you are doing well, keeping a good pace and that the race really isn’t all that difficult, at which point you arrive at mile marker number one and realize you still have thirteen more long miles full of obstacles and the harshest of terrain to go. At other moments, you stand upon a beautiful hillside and gaze out upon the beautiful scenery and realize that the view really was worth the climb. A certain human quality absent from our daily lives begins to come back out in people, a certain unexplainable characteristic that just emanates from people as they run side by side with you through that enormously difficult challenge. That shared struggle with one another just seems to bring out the best in everyone.

I believe I did well in the race, clocking in a finishing time of just over five hours for the 35 obstacles, 14-mile race. I ended up having to do 120 burpees in total. Burpees are the Spartan penalty for failing, or choosing not to do an obstacle. I was proud of my 120 burpees, both because I grit my teeth and did them when I failed, and because the fear of having to do more pushed me beyond my limits on obstacles such as the rope climb, where under normal circumstances, I think my brain would have told me to just “give up.”

It may sound cheesy, but I did in fact learn much about myself in the preparation for, and during the race. I learned that when I really want to do well at something, I become obsessed and very driven. I learned also that when your mind tries to tell you to give up, or that you’ve failed, go right back and give it another shot. The mind seems to want to always take the easy way out, and the value of events like Spartan races is that you re-wire that instinct to instead get up and try again, to grit your teeth and make it work. This is a powerful takeaway, that, like De Sena has said many times, will pay major dividends in the rest of your life.

Spartan races, and obstacle races in general, are truly a great way to not only get back or stay in shape, but to join a community of extremely talented and driven people, make business and personal connections, and to learn many things about yourself that you can only learn when you are waist deep in thick mud carrying an 80-pound bucket of rocks on your shoulder.

Bryce Boepple is a Finance student and fitness enthusiast living in Fargo, North Dakota