Fargo, ND

Fargo sits at the eastern edge of North Dakota on the banks of the Red River, which marks the boundary between two states and drains one of the flattest, most fertile valleys on the continent. The city is the largest in North Dakota, and it carries that role with the particular confidence of a place that has always had to be enough on its own. The rhythm of the city follows the academic calendar more than any natural season. When NDSU is in session, Broadway is full and the coffee shops fill early. Football Saturdays belong to the Fargodome and the tens of thousands who pack the stands for Bison games. Between seasons, the city breathes differently. The Red River Greenway opens up and residents reclaim the paths along the water. The plains light is long and specific in summer, the kind of afternoon gold that makes even an ordinary street worth walking slowly. Fargo winters are what they are, and the city has learned to meet them head on. The locals do not talk about the cold the way visitors expect. They talk about the firelit bars, the food scene, and who won last weekend.