Fargo on the eastern border of North Dakota was renamed in honour of the colourful Wells Fargo Express Company founder, William Fargo, after it had originally been known as Centralia. The city sits on the west of the Red River, the State of Minnesota to the east, and is only 275 miles from the major conurbation of Minneapolis-St.Paul.



The largest city in North Dakota, Fargo is ideally located next to the rich agricultural belt of the Central Plains and is nicknamed the Gateway to the West because of its location at the crossroads of major railroads and the Red River. As the town developed in the 1870s and 1880s it was helped by being an early stopping off spot for the Steamboats. The mixture of trade arriving by river and railroad helped build the town's importance to the region.

The first setback for the town occurred when Fargo was almost entirely razed in June 1893 after a small ash fire behind a grocery store quickly spread and engulfed hundreds of the closely-built wooden buildings. But, out of that disaster sprung a better, sanitised version of what had gone before; brick buildings and a new water system helped the town to develop in a way that the old format could not have allowed. This new infrastructure formed the basis of a thriving community and expansion soon followed.

A was the first major building to be erected in the town. The Headquarters Hotel built in 1872, housed not only guests, but government and railroad offices. However, the original Headquarters survived for only two years before being destroyed by a fire started in the kitchen. But, in yet another example of the resilience and fortitude of the early settlers, it was completely rebuilt within 90 days.

The town continued to grow steadily until the Second World War. After the conflict ended Fargo entered a boom period and expanded rapidly. Even a violent tornado in 1957, which destroyed a large portion of northern Fargo, couldn't stop the town's expansion. In yet another example of the town's resilience, the affected areas were soon rebuilt and any signs of the devastation quickly removed.

Now Fargo is ranked by Money magazine as one of America's most liveable cities due to its low crime and unemployment rates, and its decent supply of affordable housing. As a result the town has attracted major employers in high-tech industry such as Microsoft, Navteq, Alien Technologies and PRACS institute.