Famed for its extreme weather, North Dakota has thunderstorms and sweltering heat in summer and biting cold in winter – along with the odd blizzard. That didn’t deter its 19th-century settlers, who flooded in from Northern Europe to claim homesteads, forcing the Native American tribes into reservations.
In the north, the city of Minot plays host to both the North Dakota State Fair in July and the Norsk Hostfest in October, a lively celebration of the state’s Scandinavian immigrant heritage. Festival-goers munch on lefse and lutefisk as they listen to a somewhat less authentically Scandinavian musical line-up: this year’s acts range from the Beach Boys to Irish crooner Daniel O'Donnell.
Former frontier town Fargo, meanwhile, is best known for its cinematic links. Inextricably associated with the Coen brothers’ film Fargo (even though almost all of the action takes place in Minnesota), the city also holds an annual film festival in its lovely 1920s theatre.
North Dakota’s big tourist attraction, though, is Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Beloved of hikers, cyclists and horse riders, its panoply of wildlife includes elk, bison and wild horses.
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