That’s Nodakian.
Nodak rhymes with Kodak.
Any reports on visitors to Lawrence whelk’s boyhood home? is it a good take in?
It’s apparently just a house.
Period.
However, I note that under “Nearby Attractions” they have listed:
Disputed Grave of Sitting Bull
Fort Yates, ND
(~22 mi. away)
Walleye Capital of the World
Mobridge, SD
- Location Approximate -
(~43 mi. away)
Disputed Grave of Sitting Bull
Mobridge, SD
(~45 mi. away)
World’s Largest Sandhill Crane
615 Mitchell Ave N
Steele, ND
(~51 mi. away)
North Dakota Hall of Fame
Bismarck, ND
- Location Approximate -
(~54 mi. away
Wowser! Make a day trip of it! Visit both disputed graves of Sitting Bull!
P.S. The “Hall of Fame” link above has even more oddball roadside attractions. I’d C & P them, too, but my head exploded about the time I got to the statue of Lewis and Clark’s dog.
The OP had talked about one being 100 miles away, that’s Biz one. I hadn’t realized Minot put one up yet.
I’ve went up to Strasburg with my grandpa a few years ago and saw the house, it’s pretty neat if you like that sort of thing. Of course you can still catch Lawrence on PBS, along with square dancing which is mind blowingly funny to watch.
Custer’s House and Fort Lincoln are must stops as well, especially the On-A-Slant village. The earth lodges are very cool to see.
I grew up in and around Minot North Dakota, graduated from High School there and moved away when I was about 26 or so. There isn’t much to do for more than a day at a time. The state fair and Norsk Hostfest can be entertaining. The music at the Hostfest is very country oriented and the State Fair entertainment usually consists of a few country stars and one rock band to satisfy everyone else. Many of the tourist attractions are hours away and if a big name band is coming through, you’ll probably have to drive to Fargo to see them. There are a couple of reservations nearby. My family hails from the Turtle Mountain Chippewa reservation and, though I’ve never lived there myself, they do have a couple of nearby attractions like Lake Metigoshe, International Peace Gardens as others have mentioned and a small ski resort in Bottineau as well as a Casino. Don’t let the name Turtle Mountains fool you because even though they can be pretty, they are really nothing more than big hills. The other nearby reservation, Fort Berthold which is Sioux, has a better Casino with more events but I know less about the area itself.
As far as the people not liking the Air Base, it’s really a matter of personal opinion. Some people don’t, some people do, some people don’t care. You hear talk about it for whatever various reasons some people have, but it’s not like there’s this big “us against them” mentality looming over the area.
The population is in fact mostly white but there is some diversity with a lot of Indians (or Native Americans if you prefer) and some black, Hispanic and Asian, though not as many. There is a bar for just about everyone from sleazy dive to dance club to sports bar or whatever along with one that has comedy club on weekends. There used to be a little bar that had a great Thursday night blues jam but that one is no more. I think for the most part, people are generally laid back with a few assholes here and there, but that’s pretty much anywhere.
Minot is surprisingly hilly as it rests on and around a valley. You will hear and see a lot of references to North Hill and South Hill but around the base is pretty flat. It has a few decent parks to walk through or hang out at but nothing spectacular. The mall is just like any other mall I’ve been to. I could probably drone on and on about minor details but I have a tendency to ramble so I’ll cut myself off.
If you have any questions, ask away. I am a native of the area (no pun intended) so I know it quite well from an inside view rather than just passing through or being stationed on the base.
I think they are missing a huge opportunity there. They could add additional disputed graves of Sitting Bull all over the place greatly increasing the number of area tourist attractions with ease. Put up an ice cream stand and tacky souvenir shop beside each one and make them fight brutally for preeminence. I can see a vibrant tourism industry developing around just those. They could even have clues brochures and allow voting to determine the real disputed grave of Sitting Bull.
That isn’t unprecedented. Visit Verona, Italy some time and you can tour Juliet’s house, her balcony, and her grave. They do a great tourist trade that based on that stuff. At least Sitting Bull was real.
Hills? Yay! I’m going to assume they’re little ones, but “not pancake flat” is encouraging.
Any friends or family in the area that are realtors? Or have a house to rent to clean, responsible adults?
Thanks for the replies everyone!
I don’t know any realtors personally but you may want to check some of the smaller towns nearby if you are having problems finding houses in Minot. Sawyer, Burlington and Surrey. Surrey is probably closest at 6 miles east of Minot while Sawyer is a bit further at 16 miles and Burlington is somewhere in between. We lived in 5 different houses in Sawyer (some better than others) when I was a kid, all rentals and all ok with pets, but that was a long time ago. Worth checking if you don’t hate the really small towns.
I’ll do that, or rather, I’ll have GFM do that, since I did taxes and ironed today. He owes me. 
“Home” (SW Montana) has about 300 people. I like itsy-bitsy towns. I just hate having no clue about housing, and figuring out which grocery store has the best produce. I’m organized enough to muddle through, but I don’t enjoy it.
On preview – he says Coldwell Banker has rentals listed in Burlington.
Shiny! Clivas, you’re todays hero!
(and, yes, I must visit both disputed graves.)
Possibly reviving a zombie. If a mod cares to close this, I totally understand.
We (Giantfreakinmarine and I) rented a little old farmhouse between Glenburn and Minot. Found a* Fabulous* realtor after going through three idiots (pm or email me for details), but decided to rent for a year instead of buying in a hurry.
The not-Walmart grocery stores are MiracleMart and Market Place (both of which sound like convenience stores), I haven’t found a butcher yet, the farmers market starts week after next, and non-military newbies should go to Bismarck for dental care.
Mentioned previously in this thread is the assertation that Minot hates the military. While I think “hate” and “the military” is overly broad, I have to admit that everyone I have talked to has asked if we have moved here because of the Air Force, and most (Not all. Most. Say, 75-ish percent) have visibly relaxed when I answered “No. He is an engineer on the NAWS project.” I don’t care to speculate on why. A few seem pissed that we aren’t here for the oil “boom” – see the comment above about realtors.
Decent small venue dirt-track racing on weekends, 2 nice golf courses, occasional big name Country music shows, cheap chickens, expensive cows, Direct TV gets flat nasty when they discover the zipcode, terrific Dish people, local Rural Communications Act comapny has surly and stupid customer service reps, short yellows on stop lights in town (seriously – wait a bit before you go), the tire place with the yellow logo guys are all very polite when in line at fast food lunch places, one itty-bitty tornado, boring-at-best restaurants, and a bazillion birds to watch.
All in all, I like my new home. It could use a mountain or two to break up the scenery 
but it’ll do.
Would that be SRT (aka. ‘Sucky Rural Telephone’)?
Oh, is the Blind Duck still there? That place happens to be a cultural Mecca for me and a few of my friends. :dubious:
Tripler
I shall say no more.
Yep, you really HAVE lived here! They make 3 Rivers (Montana – you’ve encountered them, I’m sure :rolleyes: ) seem cheerful and competent! As bad as Verizon can be, I have to DEEPLY appreciate my magic laptop internet v-card thingy.
Our single “out drinking” experience was a new bar (Boondocks? Bonanza? something with a B) kitty-corner across the parking lot from Michael’s restaurant, solely because the best waiter in Minot (Joe, at Up The Creek) told us he 'tends there part time. Nice enough, but a bit too young for us, plus we tend to do our drinking and dancing at home in our very own kitchen.
The Blind Duck is still here. Judging by the parking lot, they aren’t hurting for business. We’ll try it weekend after next.
Don’t go to too much trouble–the Duck was the place to go back in my tenure (many beers bought, many tears shed). If it’s still there, I’d recommend the Irish Pub downtown, IIRC, ‘Ebeneezers’. Eb’s is good for dinner too.
Tripler
Aaah, the memories are coming back now.
Okay, it has become obvious that you need to share details of those memories!
Ebeneezers isn’t bad for supper. Shitty parking, good food, wonderfully irritable weekday evening 'tender does a nice on tap Black and Tan. She’s funny when she realizes you’re good with irritable-but-competent. We went there a few days after graduation, so there were . . . uhm . . . staffing issues. I had been feeling like the only Mick in a sea of tall blonde herring-packers, so I I may have enjoyed it more than it deserved.
The worst part is that Broadway is under construction, so anything on the north-ish end of town,including the downtown area, is a PITA to get to. South is okay because of the bypass, but it’s wanna-be Yuppie-ville. When they get Broadway opened, we’ll hit Ebeneezers again for supper. It isn’t fabulous enough for detours, delays and shitty parking.
No trouble to try the Blind Duck. My B-day is end of this month, so someplace new will be appropriate.
Hey, you aren’t the “computer guru guy” who rented an old farmhouse from Larry, where you make a right exactly 6 miles from the turn toward the North Gate? If you are, thanks for the cables. The Dish guy loves you, and I deeply appreciate the grounded outlets you put in. That must have been a pain, rewireing the upstairs.
Nah, that is pushing serendipity just a bit too far. It’d be cool, though, if you were.
After consultation with an attorney, and several days of rummaging through historical documentation, I have agreed with my retained counsel that on grounds of my 5th Amendment rights and those of national security (such as naming participants who may/may not be actively engaged in government-sanctioned activities), I must remain silent on the matter.
Unfortunately no, I wasn’t. I’d been go Glenburn a few times (if you meant North), but I’d never been to Ruthville (if South).
Back in my day, there was a hole-in-the-wall bar in Velva (IIRC, the “Outdoorsman” or some such) that had the best prime rib I’d ever had–hands down. It even beat out the stuff in Montana.
Oh, and make it a point to head up to Canada. ‘The Peg’ is only 5 hours away, and Regina is four, maybe five.
Tripler
Heck, I still have family in Bismarck/Mandan, I ought to give them a call.
Wait – so it’s not pronounced “mee-NOH”?
Kidding…
Tom Tildrum Only when one is trying to piss off the locals.
Darn that pesky discretion of yours!
That would be worth almost any amount of trouble. Damn, I miss my butcher.