Fargo

Fargo is a city in southeastern North Dakota, positioned on the western bank of the Red River across from Moorhead, Minnesota. The city forms the largest urban center in the state with roughly one hundred twenty six thousand residents and extends across the flat prairie landscape.

The Northern Pacific Railway founded the settlement in 1871 as a crossing point on the Red River and named it after William George Fargo of Wells Fargo Company. In the following decades, the place developed into a trading hub for agricultural products from the surrounding prairie.

The Plains Art Museum displays regional artwork, including pieces by indigenous artists that visitors can view in the downtown area. The Fargo Theatre shows films and hosts concerts in a restored building where locals regularly gather and the theater organ still plays.

Hector International Airport connects the city to larger destinations in the region and makes arrival easier for visitors from other states. North Dakota State University in the southern part draws over thirteen thousand students and shapes the local cultural scene.

The city gained a reputation in the late nineteenth century as the divorce capital of the Midwest due to permissive divorce laws and short residency requirements. Many people traveled specifically to obtain a quick divorce, which gave the place a particular social role during that time.

Location: Cass County

Inception: 1871

Elevation above the sea: 274 m

Part of: Red River Valley

Shares border with: Moorhead

Website: http://ci.fargo.nd.us

GPS coordinates: 46.87722,-96.78944

Latest update: December 14, 2025 20:19