Since I've only met one Dakota person before and that was years ago, I have some questions maybe you can answer.
I notice N. Dakota sort of is lumped in often with Minnesota, as above. Why Minnesota and not South Dakota?
Are there climate differences between the two Dakotas?
Are there "personality" differences between the two states? One more conservative or one more friendly, etc?
Is there a rivalry between North and South Dakotans?
I ask because the two states are mysterious to me. I don't hear alot about them. Most of the time, if you hear anything about them they are mentioned as a pair, like there is no difference between them.
I will now list everything I know about North and South Dakota:
Two states.
Fargo is the capital of N. Dakota.
Tom Brokaw is from one of the states.
Mount Rushmore is in one of them.
The Sioux Indians were/are there.
The Fighting Sioux of UND or NDSU have a good college hockey team.
NDSU has recently begun competing in Div. I basketball.
Pierre is the capital of S. Dakota. Or is it Bismarck? Maybe Bismarck is North and Fargo is not a capital?
Black Hills. There are Black Hills there.
That's all I have. Teach at your leisure and forgive my woeful ignorance.
The North Dakota Primer!!
To answer your first and thrid question
North Dakota primarily belongs in the Great Plains region of hte US and and there has some different cultural attributes. They tend to be more conservative, distrusting of the government (more a love-hate relationship), but freindly especially if you make an effort to understand them. ND has a very small-town, rural mindset. The only exception is Eastern ND, especially that area closest to the Red River of the North ( Yes, it flows north) which is closer to the midwest mindset and language dialects. In eastern ND we lump ND with MN but further wset they lump it with SD.... People in easter ND tend to identify more with MN. It is a typical for people here for we are a colony so to speak to larger cities. IT is very common mindset in the Plains. People out here tend to be suspicious of outsiders.... until they get to know you...
The Great Plains is known as the empty quarter, a place to get across.
Our favorite state to pick on in ND is Montana.... Man do I have Montana jokes. ..I also have Iowa ones....
In in Eastern ND we look at SD with curiousity for they are very much a Great Plains culture. Cilla is from Iowa and would be considered from the Midwest. Also Eastern ND has a very strong Canadian influence for the Red River Valley was British territory until 1820. BTW, most history books doe not make reference to that. Also it is not unusual for some in northern ND and MN to have dual citizenship wiht Canada or Canadian relations. I, myself am more of a midwest mindset.
Both the Midwest and the Great plains have have political extremists such as Posse Comitatus and the NPL party.
North Dakota is the only State in the union with a state owned bank and elevator. The state operates and funds both entities. If you have ever seen Dakota Maid flour, that is from North dakota. American Crystal Sugar is another product that is raised here. I grew up on a farm that raised sugar beets and it would be literally your head if you brought cane sugar into the house.
#2.... The plains has a continental type of wether. The RRV tends to be colder because we are in a valley and cold air settles....
SD tends to be a bit warmer due to Chinooks coming off of the Black Hills (Paha Sapa in the Siouan language)
#4 see my answer to Francois
THe Dakotas have always been lumped togehter.. As much as they are similar by both being agrarian states they are also dissimilar.
SD tends to identify more with Nebraska and ND economically, especially eastern ND with Minneapolis-St. Paul....
IF you visit the humour page taht i posted earlier, that are links on my old website for ND links.
I will now list everything I know about North and South Dakota:
Two states.
Fargo is the capital of N. Dakota.
LOL Fargo Wishes!! The capitol is Bismarck BTW, the movie FArgo was filmed in Brainerd, MN
Tom Brokaw is from one of the states.
He is from Yankton, SDMount Rushmore is in one of them.
SDThe Sioux Indians were/are there.
Correction they are called Dakota and they are in both statesThe Fighting Sioux
UND have a good college hockey team.
NDSU has recently begun competing in Div. I basketball.
Yes and they beat Wisconsin!!Pierre is the capital of S. Dakota.
Black Hills. There are Black Hills there.
SD
