City of Fargo

The City of Fargo is located in Cass County, North Dakota, along the Red River of the North which forms the border between Minnesota and North Dakota. An estimated 99,200 people live in Fargo. The city's average high temperature is 16 degrees in January and 82 degrees in July. Summers are comfortable, with low humidity, warm days, and cool nights. Winters are cold and dry, the temperatures remaining at zero or below approximately half of the time; snowfall is generally light. Fargo has two sister cities: Hamar, Norway and Vimmerby, Sweden.


Fargo's founding dates back to 1871, when the first settlers staked out homestead claims at the point where the Northern Pacific Railroad would cross the Red River. Railroads played a major role in the development of Fargo. In fact, the city was named for William G. Fargo, a director of the Northern Pacific Railroad, and co-founder of Wells Fargo Express Company. In the beginning, Fargo was a rough and rowdy frontier town, with its fair share of bordellos and saloons. In 1876, Fargo's population was only 600. But Fargo grew rapidly as more and more settlers arrived, drawn by the promise of cheap, fertile farmland in the Red River Valley. By 1892, Fargo had grown to a city of more than 8,000 inhabitants; the tents and shanties of earlier days had been replaced by mainly wood-frame buildings.


A visit to Fargo might begin with a stop at the Fargo-Moorhead Convention & Visitors Bureau's Visitors Center, where the Walk of Fame has been providing a little bit of Hollywood in the Midwest since 1989 with hand prints or footprints of more than 80 musicians, athletes, movie stars and dignitaries, including Neil Diamond, Bob Costas, Garth Brooks, President George W. Bush, and the Eagles. One of downtown Fargo's more recent attractions is the Plains Art Museum. Included in the museum's permanent collection are pieces by Mary Cassatt, Luis Jimenez, and William Wegman. Fargo hosts many festivals where you can enjoy your holiday. The Fargo Film Festival, in March, screens the best in independent filmmaking at the Fargo Theatre and other downtown locations. In July, the Downtown Street Fair features craft booths, food, and entertainment. The Fargo Blues Festival, in August, is a two-day event that features world class bands; more than 20 Grammy winners or nominees have performed at the event, which has been called one of "America's Best" by actor Dan Aykroyd. A Winter Blues Fest is held in February.