In the north of the state´s central region, astride the Mouse River and with a population of some 48,000, Minot still carries the moniker “Magic City” because it sprang up practically overnight, as if by magic, when the Great Northern Railway laid down tracks hereabouts in 1886 (and it was even named after one of the railway´s major investors). These days it´s another classic ND mix of small-town charm and big-city amenities, with highlights including (naturally) a great little Railroad Museum, Dakota Air Territory Museum with 60 vintage aircraft; the Scandinavian Heritage Park (above; some 40 percent of the city´s residents are descended from Scandinavians), the nearby Pioneer Village Museum with 13 buildings from the frontier past; and the 20-acre, more-than-200-animal Roosevelt Park Zoo. Special events worth coming for are July´s North Dakota State Fair (talk about Americana!) and the four-day Norsk Høstfest (Norwegian Fall Festival) which despite its name covers all five Nordic cultures, in late September.
Read more in my post 8 of North Dakota´s Top Draws.
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