Fargo–Moorhead, also known as the FM area, is a common name given to the

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually ...

comprising

Fargo, North Dakota Fargo (Help:IPA/English, /ˈfɑɹɡoʊ/) is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, North Dakota, Cass County, North Dakota, United States. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 125,990, making it the ...

; Moorhead, Minnesota; and the surrounding communities. These two cities lie on the

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, ...

–

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over t ...

border, on opposite banks of the

Red River of the North The Red River (french: rivière Rouge or ) is a river in the north-central United States and central Canada. Originating at the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers between the U.S. states of Minnesota and North Dakota, it fl ...

. The region is the cultural, retail, health care, educational, and industrial center of southeastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota. The Fargo–Moorhead area is defined by the Census Bureau as comprising all of

Cass County, North Dakota Cass County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 184,525. Cass County is the most populous county in North Dakota, accounting for nearly 24% of the state's population. The coun ...

and

Clay County, Minnesota Clay County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 65,318. Its county seat is Moorhead. Clay County is part of the Fargo, ND-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The county was formed ...

, which includes the cities of

Dilworth, MN Dilworth is a city in Clay County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 4,612 at the time of the 2020 census. Dilworth is one of the core cities of the Fargo–Moorhead metro area; it is on the eastern border of Moorhead. Dilworth is h ...

West Fargo, ND West Fargo is a city in Cass County, North Dakota, United States. It is, as of the 2020 census, the fifth largest city in the state of North Dakota with a population of 38,626, and it is one of the state's fastest growing cities. West Fargo wa ...

, and numerous other towns and developments from which commuters travel daily for work, education, and regular activities. A July 1, 2015 census estimate placed the population at 233,836, an increase of 34% from the 2000 census.

Communities

Core cities

* Moorhead, Minnesota * West Fargo, North Dakota *

Dilworth, Minnesota Dilworth is a city in Clay County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 4,612 at the time of the 2020 census. Dilworth is one of the core cities of the Fargo–Moorhead metro area; it is on the eastern border of Moorhead. Dilworth is h ...

Suburbs/Adjacent towns

* Briarwood, North Dakota * Frontier, North Dakota * Harwood, North Dakota *

Horace, North Dakota Horace is a city in Cass County, North Dakota, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,085. The city is a suburb of the Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan area. It is the sixteenth-largest city in North Dakota. Horace was founded ...

* Mapleton, North Dakota *

North River, North Dakota North River is a city in Cass County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 55 at the 2020 census. North River was founded in 1973. It is a suburb/bedroom community A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residen ...

* Prairie Rose, North Dakota * Reile's Acres, North Dakota * Sabin, Minnesota Moorhead Concordia College IMG 0694

Bedroom communities

Barnesville, Minnesota Barnesville is a city and Fargo-Moorhead bedroom community in Clay County, Minnesota, United States. The population is 2,759 at the 2020 census. ''Barnesville Potato Days'' is held there annually in August. Interstate 94/ U.S. Highway 52, as ...

Casselton, North Dakota Casselton is a city in Cass County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 2,479 at the 2020 census. making it the 20th largest city in North Dakota. Casselton was founded in 1876. The city is named in honor of George Washington Cass ...

* Davenport, North Dakota *

Glyndon, Minnesota Glyndon is a city in Clay County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,306 as of the 2020 census. History Glyndon was platted in 1872 when the railroad was extended to that point. A post office has been in operation in Glyndon since ...

Hawley, Minnesota Hawley is a town in Clay County, Minnesota, Clay County, Minnesota, United States, along the Buffalo River (Minnesota), Buffalo River. The population was 2,219 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The town went through six quick name ...

* Hickson, North Dakota * Kindred, North Dakota *

Leonard, North Dakota Leonard is a city in Cass County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 248 at the 2020 census. Leonard was founded in 1881. History Leonard got its start in 1881 when the railroad was extended to that point. A post office has been i ...

Oxbow, North Dakota Oxbow is a city in Cass County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 381 at the 2020 census. It is an upscale bedroom community A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or indus ...

Walcott, North Dakota Walcott is a city in Richland County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 262 at the 2020 census. Walcott was founded in 1880. It is part of the Wahpeton, ND– MN Micropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Walcott is located a ...

Demographics

Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.8) id:sfondo value:rgb(1,1,1) id:barra value:rgb(0.55,0.0,0.0) id:darkblue value:rgb(0.0,0.0,0.8) ImageSize = width:700 height:400 PlotArea = left:50 bottom:50 top:30 right:30 DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:250000 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = late ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:25000 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:10000 start:0 BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo BarData= bar:1860 text:1860 bar:1870 text:1870 bar:1880 text:1880 bar:1890 text:1890 bar:1900 text:1900 bar:1910 text:1910 bar:1920 text:1920 bar:1930 text:1930 bar:1940 text:1940 bar:1950 text:1950 bar:1960 text:1960 bar:1970 text:1970 bar:1980 text:1980 bar:1990 text:1990 bar:2000 text:2000 bar:2010 text:2010 bar:2020 text:2020 PlotData= color:barra width:25 align:left bar:1860 from: 0 till:72 bar:1870 from: 0 till:92 bar:1880 from: 0 till:14885 bar:1890 from: 0 till:31130 bar:1900 from: 0 till:46567 bar:1910 from: 0 till:53575 bar:1920 from: 0 till:63257 bar:1930 from: 0 till:71885 bar:1940 from: 0 till:78186 bar:1950 from: 0 till:89240 bar:1960 from: 0 till:106027 bar:1970 from: 0 till:120238 bar:1980 from: 0 till:137574 bar:1990 from: 0 till:153296 bar:2000 from: 0 till:174367 bar:2010 from: 0 till:208777 bar:2020 from: 0 till:249843 PlotData= bar:1860 at:72 fontsize:M text: 72 shift:(-14,5) bar:1870 at:92 fontsize:M text: 92 shift:(-14,5) bar:1880 at:14885 fontsize:M text: 14,885 shift:(-18,5) bar:1890 at:31130 fontsize:M text: 31,130 shift:(-18,5) bar:1900 at:46567 fontsize:M text: 46,567 shift:(-18,5) bar:1910 at:53575 fontsize:M text: 53,575 shift:(-18,5) bar:1920 at:63257 fontsize:M text: 63,257 shift:(-18,5) bar:1930 at:71885 fontsize:M text: 71,885 shift:(-18,5) bar:1940 at:78186 fontsize:M text: 78,186 shift:(-18,5) bar:1950 at:89240 fontsize:M text: 89,240 shift:(-18,5) bar:1960 at:106027 fontsize:M text: 106,027 shift:(-25,5) bar:1970 at:120238 fontsize:M text: 120,238 shift:(-25,5) bar:1980 at:137574 fontsize:M text: 137,574 shift:(-25,5) bar:1990 at:153296 fontsize:M text: 153,296 shift:(-25,5) bar:2000 at:174367 fontsize:M text: 174,367 shift:(-25,5) bar:2010 at:208777 fontsize:M text: 208,777 shift:(-25,5) bar:2020 at:249843 fontsize:M text: 249,843 shift:(-25,5) TextData= fontsize:S pos:(20,20) text:Data from U.S. Census Bureau

Age

According to the

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is a demographics survey program conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the decennial census, such as ancestry, citizenship, educati ...

, the age distribution was as follows: * Under 5 years: 6.8% * 5–9 years: 6.1% * 10–14 years: 5.9% * 15–19 years: 8.0% * 20–24 years: 11.9% * 25–34 years: 16.0% * 35–44 years: 12.8% * 45–54 years: 13.2% * 55–59 years: 5.1% * 60–64 years: 3.7% * 65–74 years: 4.9% * 75–84 years: 3.7% * 85 years and over: 1.8% * Median age: 31.6 years

Race

According to the same survey, the racial composition was as follows: *

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

: 93.3% ( Non-Hispanic Whites: 92.0%) * Black or

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

: 1.6% * American Indian: 1.4% * Asian: 1.4% * Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: 0.1% * Some other race: 0.8% *

Two or more races 2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many cultur ...

: 1.4% * Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 2.5% There were 3,032 African Americans, who made up 1.6% of the population. The Asian American population is not dominated by a single ancestry group, and is fairly diverse. The largest Asian American group are those of Chinese descent, who number at 928 and make up 0.5% of the population. Other sizable groups include Indians, Vietnamese, and

Koreans Koreans ( South Korean: , , North Korean: , ; see names of Korea) are an East Asian ethnic group native to the Korean Peninsula. Koreans mainly live in the two Korean nation states: North Korea and South Korea (collectively and simply r ...

, who number at 393, 379, and 360 respectively; all three groups comprise roughly 0.2% of the population. There are 134

Filipinos Filipinos ( tl, Mga Pilipino) are the people who are citizens of or native to the Philippines. The majority of Filipinos today come from various Austronesian ethnolinguistic groups, all typically speaking either Filipino, English and/or other ...

, making up roughly 0.1% of the population. People of Japanese descent were very few, with only 40 people identifying themselves as Japanese; they make up a mere 0.02% of the population. Pacific Islander Americans numbered at 119, and made up approximately 0.06% of the population. Multiracial Americans make up 1.4% of the metro area's population. Those of white and Native American ancestry made up 0.5% of the population, and numbered at 938. People of white and Asian ancestry numbered at 557, and those of white and black ancestry numbered at 571. Both groupings made up roughly 0.3% of the population. Approximately 72 people identified themselves as black and Native American. Hispanics and Latinos are the largest minority group in Fargo–Moorhead. Hispanics and Latinos make up 2.5% of the population, of which 2.0% are of

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

descent. Of the 4,786 Hispanics, 3,846 are Mexican. There were 196

Puerto Ricans Puerto Ricans ( es, Puertorriqueños; or boricuas) are the people of Puerto Rico, the inhabitants, and citizens of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and their descendants. Overview The culture held in common by most Puerto Ricans is referred t ...

and 136

Cubans Cubans ( es, Cubanos) are people born in Cuba and people with Cuban citizenship. Cuba is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic, religious and national backgrounds. Racial and ethnic groups Census The population of Cuba ...

; both of these groups made up roughly 0.1% of the population. In addition, 608 individuals identified themselves with other Hispanic or Latino groups other than Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Cuban, making up 0.3% of the population. The Native American population is predominantly

Ojibwe The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...

, with a

Sioux The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin (; Dakota: /otʃʰeːtʰi ʃakoːwĩ/) are groups of Native American tribes and First Nations peoples in North America. The modern Sioux consist of two major divisions based on language divisions: the Dakota and ...

minority. Of the 2,679 Native Americans, 1,447 are of the Chippewa tribal grouping. The Chippewa alone make up 0.8% of the population. The 444 Sioux make up 0.2% of the population. In addition, 20 people identified themselves as a member of the

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, th ...

tribal grouping. NOTE: The source above contains all of the information on population, age, and race.

Ancestry

The

European American European Americans (also referred to as Euro-Americans) are Americans of European ancestry. This term includes people who are descended from the first European settlers in the United States as well as people who are descended from more recent Eu ...

population is overwhelmingly

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

and Scandinavian. Most of the Scandinavian population is of Norwegian descent. Smaller Euro-American groups include those of

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

, Irish, and

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

descent. As of the 2006–2008 American Community Survey, the top ten largest European ancestry groups were the following: *

: 42.9% (82,398) * Norwegian: 36.4% (69,964) * Irish: 8.6% (16,589) * Swedish: 6.6% (12,641) *

: 4.8% (9,286) *

: 4.3% (8,283) * Polish: 3.2% (6,180) * Russian: 2.0% (3,783) * Czech: 1.6% (3,047) * Scottish: 1.5% (2,871)

Language spoken at home

* Population 5 years and over: 179,175 *

only: 93.6% (167,729) * Language other than English: 6.4% (11,446) * Spanish: 2.1% (3,771) * Other

Indo-European languages The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the overwhelming majority of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and the northern Indian subcontinent. Some European languages of this family, English, French, Portuguese, Russian, D ...

: 2.5% (4,393) * Asian and Pacific Islander languages: 0.9% (1,659) * Other languages: 0.9% (1,623) NOTE: The source above contains all of the information on ancestry and language.

Politics

The Fargo–Moorhead area has generally leaned Republican, voting for that party's presidential candidate in every election between

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * J ...

and

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...

. While Clay County is a swing county which has voted for Democrats 9 times and Republicans 7 times since

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

, Cass County has only voted Democratic twice: for Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 and

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

. In recent years, however, Fargo–Moorhead has become very competitive. In 2008, it voted for Obama by a nearly-10-point margin, followed by just 0.2% in 2012. In 2016, it flipped Republican once again, voting for

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

by 8 points, and it voted for Trump again in 2020, albeit by a narrow margin of less than a percentage point.

Culture

Fargo/Wahpeton CSA

The Census Bureau also tracks a Fargo–Wahpeton

Combined Statistical Area Combined statistical area (CSA) is a United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) term for a combination of adjacent metropolitan statistical area, metropolitan (MSA) and micropolitan statistical areas (µSA) across the 50 US states and ...

, consisting of Cass and Clay counties, as well as the

Wahpeton micropolitan area The Wahpeton Micropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of two counties – one in southeast North Dakota and one in west central Minnesota, anchored by the city of Wahpeton, North Dakota. ...

Richland County, North Dakota Richland County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,529. Its county seat is Wahpeton. Richland County is part of the Wahpeton, ND– MN Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also i ...

and

Wilkin County, Minnesota Wilkin County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population of Wilkin County was 6,506. Its county seat is Breckenridge. The county is named for Colonel Alexander Wilkin, a lawyer who served as Minnesota' ...

. This area includes the twin cities of

Wahpeton, North Dakota Wahpeton ( ) is a city in Richland County, in southeast North Dakota along the Bois de Sioux River at its confluence with the Otter Tail River, which forms the Red River of the North. Wahpeton is the county seat of Richland County. The populati ...

and Breckenridge, Minnesota. The Fargo–Moorhead urban core is actually about forty-five minutes of highway travel from the Wahpeton–Breckenridge core. The main connection between these two pairs of cities is the

Red River Valley The Red River Valley is a region in central North America that is drained by the Red River of the North; it is part of both Canada and the United States. Forming the border between Minnesota and North Dakota when these territories were admitted ...

, the flat, fertile land that both depend upon for a major part of their economies. Potatoes and sugar beets are important crops in the region, in addition to most of the other crops produced elsewhere in Minnesota and North Dakota.

References

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