# North Dakota name change??? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 26, 2001, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253 "2001-06-26T23:57:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253/41 "2001-06-29T04:08:23Z")
Hmm. Out of curiosity, how large -are- the nukes lurking around the Dakotas? Y’see, I’m getting sort of nervous. I guess [mapping the fallout](http://pbs.vicinity.com/pbs/blast.hm?SEC=fallout&AD2=&AD3=Sioux+Falls%2C+SD&AD4=U.S.&x=0&y=0) of nuclear destruction of Sioux Falls should scare me… ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253/42 "2001-06-29T04:36:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Northern Piper \* > \*\*Or “Bob.” When Nunavut split from the Northwest Territories, there was some thought that the NWT should be re-named. They had a survey on the Internet. “Bob” (spelt and pronounced the same in both of Canada’s official languages) was a front-runner. > > They kept with the “Northwest Territories.” \*\* I have a “Bob, Canada” t-shirt. As do many of my friends, being as we were living there and in on the whole joke. ---
**Author:** ![screech-owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@screech-owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/screech-owl)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253/43 "2001-06-29T10:05:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by waxteeth \* > **What if they go the way of sports arenas and become Pepsi Dakota…** As part of the deal, they get the spokesbrat too. ---
**Author:** ![Mac\_Guffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2bfe46/32.png) [@Mac\_Guffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mac_Guffin)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253/44 "2001-06-29T14:38:28Z")
Look. As a native of the good state of North Dakota, I have remained silent as my state has received good-natured ribbing. I have agreed with a fewthings said. But this board is here to dispel ignorance, and that I shall attempt to do. First of all. Yes. It gets cold here in the winter. Very cold. -40[sup]O[/sup] and colder at times. It also gets HOT here. Last tuesday it was hotter here than in San Antonio. We have only a minor homeless problem. Second. Yes the land is flat. At least at THIS end of the state. It gets a little more bumpy out by where **Tripler** is, on the other side of the state. Not a lot to see on the ground. But Look UP. The sky here is Freekin HUGE. I spent two years in England in the Air Force, and when I came back here, I had forgotten how BIG the sky is here. (Yes **Tripler** I joined the Air Force and left this state. Ya wanna know how not to get assigned here? Ask to BE asigned here. I did. They sent me to frickin Loring AFB. Maine. THAT was the middle of nowhere.) Third. And this is very important. Listen carefuly. **WE DO NOT TALK LIKE THEY DO IN THE F\*CKING “FARGO” MOVIE! They were making fun of MINNESOTANS’ accents there!** (Well a few of us kinda sound like that, but they are lousy minnesota transplants.) Nothing pisses off a denizen of North Dakota, or even more so, Fargo, more than being asked why we don’t sound like that. F\*cking Coen Brothers can eat me. I hate their movies. Barton Fink made no sense at all. I think that pretty much covers it. I cannot beleve that **Tripler** and I are the only two posters from this state. Yeesh. This site puts it a bit better than I could ever try to… [http://www.forwardgarden.com/forward/14395](http://www.forwardgarden.com/forward/14395) Message ends. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253/45 "2001-06-29T16:01:18Z")
**particlewill** is right. I know a small _handfull_ of people that do the “Youbetcha!” and the “Oh yah!” stuff, but that’s all Minnesota. Them people are just plain wierd. And **particlewill** , honestly, it’s not too bad here. I have stuff to keep me occupied, and good friends to hang out with. It’s really just the damn cold I’m complaining about, and all the damn snow we get (although we got lucky this year). Sky is nice, but I need something to break it up. Throw a mountain in there or something. . . And **LNO** , don’t worry about the size. It’s the _quantity_ you need to keep in mind. . . Tripler I just can’t tell you how big they are. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253/46 "2001-06-29T17:18:54Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by particlewill \* > \*\*WE DO NOT TALK LIKE THEY DO IN THE F_CKING “FARGO” MOVIE! They were making fun of MINNESOTANS’ accents there!\*\*\*\* Well, now, mister, dere’s no call to get all flustered up like that, ya? Dey could have called it “Cloquet” or “New Ulm”, wouldn’t that have been somethin’? Ya? Yaaaaah. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2001, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253/47 "2001-06-30T05:02:30Z")
> [@](#): > > Sky is nice, but I need something to break it up. Throw a mountain in there or something. . . “Mountains are nice to look at, but they sure block the view.” (attributed to a Saskatchewan farmer who retired to Alberta) ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2001, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253/48 "2001-06-30T06:02:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by waxteeth \* > \*\*What if they go the way of sports arenas and become > Pepsi Dakota or better yet Microsoft Dakota? > \*\* Last year **Tennessee** wanted to enact an income tax. **FedEx** (which is based in Memphis) said that if there was an income tax they would move their base to **North Dakota**. If that would have happened **North Dakota** would have gotten so many new jobs that they would have gladly called it **FedEx Dakota.**. I can’t resist **Disney Florida** , **Coke Georgia** and **Winnebaggo Iowa**. ---
**Author:** ![Mac\_Guffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2bfe46/32.png) [@Mac\_Guffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mac_Guffin)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2001, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253/49 "2001-06-30T18:39:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kniz \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by waxteeth \* > > \*\*What if they go the way of sports arenas and become > > Pepsi Dakota or better yet Microsoft Dakota? > > \*\* > > Last year **Tennessee** wanted to enact an income tax. **FedEx** (which is based in Memphis) said that if there was an income tax they would move their base to **North Dakota**. If that would have happened **North Dakota** would have gotten so many new jobs that they would have gladly called it **FedEx Dakota.**. > > I can’t resist **Disney Florida** , **Coke Georgia** and **Winnebaggo Iowa**. \*\* The trouble with that is, while a FedEx base would bring jobs, WE DON"T NEED ANY JOBS. We don’t have enough people to fill the jobs we have now. The unemployment rate in Fargo is 1.5% right now, and the overall unemployment rate for North Dakota is 2%. ( At least those are the figures as of Friday, according to the Fargo Forum, our local paper.) That has been a major factor in a few large companies NOT coming here. So it gets a little cold here. Put on more clothes. Lemme tell ya something. No one gets mugged when it’s -10[sup]o[/sup]. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2001, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253/50 "2001-07-01T11:53:28Z")
Several years ago there was talk about South Dakota changing its name and some magazine (can’t remember which) ran a contest to pick a new name for it. The winning prize was a one-way bus ticket to Pierre or the cash equivalent. Among the suggestions I remember were Saskatchacold, Zipdecoatup and Land of the Frozen Dead. The winning entry, I believe, was Manitscolda. And rhe winner took the cash 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2001, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253/51 "2001-07-01T15:10:56Z")
soulds like the plan ya hear every decade or so about splitting up california which some people are for … but the state in scaramento dosent want to lose la/orange county since from what i gather thats somehting like 40 percent of the state tax budget by its self. note im using data from memory and it may be wrong althouhg i read that ca passed france in budget and economic size recently … ---
**Author:** ![Mac\_Guffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2bfe46/32.png) [@Mac\_Guffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mac_Guffin)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2001, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253/52 "2001-07-01T15:24:43Z")
> [@](#): > > This list of rules will be handed to each person as they enter the state. > > 1. That slope-shouldered farm boy did more work before breakfast than > you’ll do all week at the gym. He doesn’t need your respect, but he sure > as hell deserves it. > > 2. It’s called a ‘gravel road,’ No matter how slow you drive, you’re > going to get dust on your BMW. I have a four-wheel drive because I need > it. Drive it or get it out of the way. > > 3. We all started hunting and fishing when we were nine years old. Yeah, > we saw Bambi. We got over it. > > 4. Any references to “corn fed” when talking about our women will get > your butt kicked…by our women. > > 5. Go ahead and bring your $600 Orvis Fly Rod. Don’t cry to us if a > flathead breaks it off at the handle. We have a name for that little > 13-inch trout you fish for…bait. > > 6. Pull your pants up. You look like an idiot. > > 7. If that cell phone rings while a bunch of mallards are making their > final approach, we will shoot it. You might hope you don’t have it up to > your ear at the time. > > 8. That’s right. Whiskey is only two bucks. We can buy a fifth for what > you paid in the airport. > > 9. The Vikings and the Twins are as important here as the Lakers and the > Knicks…and a dang sight more fun to watch. > > 10. No, there’s no “Vegetarian Special” on the menu. Order steak. Order > it rare. Or, you can order the Chef’s Salad and pick off the two pounds of > ham and turkey. Yeah, we have sweet tea. It comes in a glass with two > packets of sugar and a long spoon. > > 11. You bring Coke into my house, it better be brown, wet, and served over > ice. > > 12. So you have a sixty-thousand dollar car. We’re real impressed. We > have quarter of a million dollar combine that we drive two weeks a year. > > 13. Let’s get this straight. We have one stoplight in town. We stop when > it’s red. We may even stop when it’s yellow. > > 14. Our women hunt, fish, and drive trucks–because they want to. So, > you’re a feminist. Isn’t that cute? > > 15. Yeah, we eat walleye–catfish, too–and turtle. You really want sushi > and caviar? It’s available at the bait shop. > > 16. They are pigs. That’s what they smell like. Get over it. Don’t like > it? Interstate 94 goes two ways-29 goes the other two. Pick one. > > 17. The “Opener” refers to the first day of pheasant season. It’s a > religious holiday held the third Saturday in October. You can get > breakfast at the church. > > 18. So every person in every pickup waves. It’s called being friendly. > Try to understand the concept. > > 19. Yeah, we have golf courses. Don’t hit in the water hazards. It > spooks the fish. > > 20. Yes, we shoot the doves. They’re songbirds. They taste delicious! > > Now, enjoy your visit and then go home. ---
**Author:** ![Mac\_Guffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2bfe46/32.png) [@Mac\_Guffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mac_Guffin)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2001, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253/53 "2001-07-01T15:27:55Z")
Although that last one has more to do with central and western North Dakota than the more urban eastern end I live in… ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2001, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253/54 "2001-07-01T19:09:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by particlewill \* > \*\*Although that last one has more to do with central and western North Dakota than the more urban eastern end I live in… \*\* I’ve got a bunch of 'em at work that a Minot native gave to me. I’ll dig 'em up when I get back. Tripler But I can agree with the cellphone one. . . ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2001, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253/55 "2001-07-01T19:25:38Z")
I lived in South Dakota for a long time—I never locked my car and didn’t even own a key to my house. If my car broke down at 3:00AM during a blizzard, friends would come looking for me, if a stranger didn’t bail me out first. There is no state income tax, a reasonable sales tax and housing is very affordable. Deer grazed in the city park across the street from my house, and I fed wild turkey in the back yard. If my ex-wife ever leaves the place, I would go back in a heartbeat. I just don’t want to be in the same state with that person ever again. South Dakota is the best kept secret in the whole damn country. ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2001, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253/56 "2001-07-14T12:07:59Z")
Interestingly, the recent talk about “Dakota” led a Raleigh, North Carolina newspaper columnist, Dennis Rogers, to speculate whether his state should change its name to just “Carolina”, to help disassociate itself from its inferior neighbor to the south. And for some reason, certain citizens of the latter state took the suggestion personally. Roger’s lastest _News and Observer_ column on this topic is [We’re only laughing at that ‘peach’](http://www.newsobserver.com/saturday/front/Story/800113p-800095c.html). (I have to admit, his idea of giving Charlotte to SC has often crossed my mind). ---
**Author:** ![sewalk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@sewalk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sewalk)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2001, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253/57 "2001-07-15T12:01:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by particlewill \* > **We have only a minor homeless problem.** Yeah, where to bury them when they freeze to death. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-dakota-name-change/70253.md?page=2)