Fargo–Moorhead, also known as the FM area, is a common name given to the metropolitan area comprising Fargo, North Dakota;

Moorhead, Minnesota Moorhead () is a city in and county seat of Clay County, Minnesota, United States, on the banks of the Red River of the North. Located in the Red River Valley, an extremely fertile and active agricultural region, Moorhead is also home to several ...

; and the surrounding communities. These two cities lie on the

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, So ...

–

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

border, on opposite banks of the

Red River of the North The Red River (french: rivière Rouge or ) is a river in the north-central United States and central Canada. Originating at the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers between the U.S. states of Minnesota and North Dakota, it fl ...

. The region is the cultural, retail, health care, educational, and industrial center of southeastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota. The Fargo–Moorhead area is defined by the

Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal Statistical System of the United States, U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the Americans, Ame ...

as comprising all of

Cass County, North Dakota Cass County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 184,525. Cass County is the most populous county in North Dakota, accounting for nearly 24% of the state's population. The county ...

and

Clay County, Minnesota Clay County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 65,318. Its county seat is Moorhead. Clay County is part of the Fargo, ND-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The county was formed on ...

, which includes the cities of Dilworth, MN, West Fargo, ND, and numerous other towns and developments from which commuters travel daily for work, education, and regular activities. A July 1, 2015 census estimate placed the population at 233,836, an increase of 34% from the 2000 census.

Communities

Core cities

* Fargo, North Dakota *

West Fargo, North Dakota West Fargo is a city in Cass County, North Dakota, United States. It is, as of the 2020 census, the fifth largest city in the state of North Dakota with a population of 38,626, and it is one of the state's fastest growing cities. West Fargo wa ...

Dilworth, Minnesota Dilworth is a city in Clay County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 4,612 at the time of the 2020 census. Dilworth is one of the core cities of the Fargo–Moorhead metro area; it is on the eastern border of Moorhead. Dilworth is ho ...

Suburbs/Adjacent towns

* Briarwood, North Dakota * Frontier, North Dakota *

Harwood, North Dakota Harwood is a city in Cass County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 794 at the 2020 census. It has become a bedroom community of the nearby Fargo-Moorhead area. Harwood was founded in 1881. History Harwood was platted in 1881 whe ...

Horace, North Dakota Horace is a city in Cass County, North Dakota, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,085. The city is a suburb of the Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan area. It is the sixteenth-largest city in North Dakota. Horace was founded ...

Mapleton, North Dakota Mapleton is a city in Cass County, North Dakota, United States. It sits on the banks of the Maple River. The population was 1,320 at the 2020 census. Mapleton serves as a bedroom community of the Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan area. The core citi ...

* North River, North Dakota * Prairie Rose, North Dakota * Reile's Acres, North Dakota *

Sabin, Minnesota Sabin is a city in Clay County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 619 at the 2020 census. History A post office called Sabin has been in operation since 1881. The city was named for Dwight M. Sabin, a United States Senator from Minne ...

Bedroom communities

* Barnesville, Minnesota *

Casselton, North Dakota Casselton is a city in Cass County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 2,479 at the 2020 census. making it the 20th largest city in North Dakota. Casselton was founded in 1876. The city is named in honor of George Washington Cass, ...

* Davenport, North Dakota *

Glyndon, Minnesota Glyndon is a city in Clay County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,306 as of the 2020 census. History Glyndon was platted in 1872 when the railroad was extended to that point. A post office has been in operation in Glyndon since 1 ...

* Hawley, Minnesota *

Hickson, North Dakota Hickson is an unincorporated community in Cass County, in the U.S. state of North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of ...

Kindred, North Dakota Kindred is a city in Cass County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 889 at the time of the 2020 census. Kindred primarily serves as a bedroom community for Fargo, located about 25 miles to the southwest. History Kindred was platt ...

Leonard, North Dakota Leonard is a city in Cass County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 248 at the 2020 census. Leonard was founded in 1881. History Leonard got its start in 1881 when the railroad was extended to that point. A post office has been in ...

Oxbow, North Dakota Oxbow is a city in Cass County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 381 at the 2020 census. It is an upscale bedroom community located south of Fargo. It was incorporated as a city October 25, 1988. Geography According to the Un ...

Walcott, North Dakota Walcott is a city in Richland County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 262 at the 2020 census. Walcott was founded in 1880. It is part of the Wahpeton, ND– MN Micropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Walcott is located at ...

Demographics

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Age

According to the American Community Survey, the age distribution was as follows: * Under 5 years: 6.8% * 5–9 years: 6.1% * 10–14 years: 5.9% * 15–19 years: 8.0% * 20–24 years: 11.9% * 25–34 years: 16.0% * 35–44 years: 12.8% * 45–54 years: 13.2% * 55–59 years: 5.1% * 60–64 years: 3.7% * 65–74 years: 4.9% * 75–84 years: 3.7% * 85 years and over: 1.8% * Median age: 31.6 years

Race

According to the same survey, the racial composition was as follows: *

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

: 93.3% (

Non-Hispanic Whites Non-Hispanic whites or Non-Latino whites are Americans who are classified as "white", and are not of Hispanic (also known as "Latino") heritage. The United States Census Bureau defines ''white'' to include European Americans, Middle Eastern Ame ...

: 92.0%) * Black or

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

: 1.6% * American Indian: 1.4% *

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

: 1.4% * Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: 0.1% * Some other race: 0.8% *

Two or more races 2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many cultur ...

: 1.4% *

Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, for example, by the United States ...

(of any race): 2.5% There were 3,032 African Americans, who made up 1.6% of the population. The Asian American population is not dominated by a single ancestry group, and is fairly diverse. The largest Asian American group are those of

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

descent, who number at 928 and make up 0.5% of the population. Other sizable groups include Indians,

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia ** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam. * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overse ...

, and

Koreans Koreans ( South Korean: , , North Korean: , ; see names of Korea) are an East Asian ethnic group native to the Korean Peninsula. Koreans mainly live in the two Korean nation states: North Korea and South Korea (collectively and simply re ...

, who number at 393, 379, and 360 respectively; all three groups comprise roughly 0.2% of the population. There are 134

Filipinos Filipinos ( tl, Mga Pilipino) are the people who are citizens of or native to the Philippines. The majority of Filipinos today come from various Austronesian ethnolinguistic groups, all typically speaking either Filipino, English and/or othe ...

, making up roughly 0.1% of the population. People of

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

descent were very few, with only 40 people identifying themselves as Japanese; they make up a mere 0.02% of the population. Pacific Islander Americans numbered at 119, and made up approximately 0.06% of the population. Multiracial Americans make up 1.4% of the metro area's population. Those of white and Native American ancestry made up 0.5% of the population, and numbered at 938. People of white and Asian ancestry numbered at 557, and those of white and black ancestry numbered at 571. Both groupings made up roughly 0.3% of the population. Approximately 72 people identified themselves as black and Native American. Hispanics and Latinos are the largest minority group in Fargo–Moorhead. Hispanics and Latinos make up 2.5% of the population, of which 2.0% are of Mexican descent. Of the 4,786 Hispanics, 3,846 are Mexican. There were 196 Puerto Ricans and 136

Cubans Cubans ( es, Cubanos) are people born in Cuba and people with Cuban citizenship. Cuba is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic, religious and national backgrounds. Racial and ethnic groups Census The population of Cuba wa ...

; both of these groups made up roughly 0.1% of the population. In addition, 608 individuals identified themselves with other Hispanic or Latino groups other than Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Cuban, making up 0.3% of the population. The Native American population is predominantly

Ojibwe The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...

, with a Sioux minority. Of the 2,679 Native Americans, 1,447 are of the Chippewa tribal grouping. The Chippewa alone make up 0.8% of the population. The 444 Sioux make up 0.2% of the population. In addition, 20 people identified themselves as a member of the

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...

tribal grouping. NOTE: The source above contains all of the information on population, age, and race.

Ancestry

The European American population is overwhelmingly

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

and Scandinavian. Most of the Scandinavian population is of

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

descent. Smaller Euro-American groups include those of

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

, and French descent. As of the 2006–2008 American Community Survey, the top ten largest European ancestry groups were the following: *

: 42.9% (82,398) *

: 36.4% (69,964) *

: 8.6% (16,589) *

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

: 6.6% (12,641) *

: 4.8% (9,286) * French: 4.3% (8,283) *

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

: 3.2% (6,180) *

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

: 2.0% (3,783) *

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places * Czech, ...

: 1.6% (3,047) * Scottish: 1.5% (2,871)

Language spoken at home

* Population 5 years and over: 179,175 *

only: 93.6% (167,729) * Language other than English: 6.4% (11,446) *

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

: 2.1% (3,771) * Other

Indo-European languages The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the overwhelming majority of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and the northern Indian subcontinent. Some European languages of this family, English, French, Portuguese, Russian, Dutc ...

: 2.5% (4,393) *

and Pacific Islander languages: 0.9% (1,659) * Other languages: 0.9% (1,623) NOTE: The source above contains all of the information on ancestry and language.

Politics

The Fargo–Moorhead area has generally leaned

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, voting for that party's presidential candidate in every election between

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Janu ...

and 2004. While Clay County is a swing county which has voted for Democrats 9 times and Republicans 7 times since

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Jan ...

, Cass County has only voted Democratic twice: for

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...

and

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

. In recent years, however, Fargo–Moorhead has become very competitive. In 2008, it voted for Obama by a nearly-10-point margin, followed by just 0.2% in 2012. In 2016, it flipped Republican once again, voting for

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

by 8 points, and it voted for Trump again in 2020, albeit by a narrow margin of less than a percentage point.

Culture

Fargo/Wahpeton CSA

The Census Bureau also tracks a Fargo–Wahpeton

Combined Statistical Area Combined statistical area (CSA) is a United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) term for a combination of adjacent metropolitan (MSA) and micropolitan statistical areas (µSA) across the 50 US states and the territory of Puerto Ric ...

, consisting of Cass and Clay counties, as well as the

Wahpeton micropolitan area The Wahpeton Micropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of two counties – one in southeast North Dakota and one in west central Minnesota, anchored by the city of Wahpeton, North Dakota. ...

Richland County, North Dakota Richland County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,529. Its county seat is Wahpeton. Richland County is part of the Wahpeton, ND– MN Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also incl ...

and

Wilkin County, Minnesota Wilkin County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population of Wilkin County was 6,506. Its county seat is Breckenridge. The county is named for Colonel Alexander Wilkin, a lawyer who served as Minnesota's ...

. This area includes the twin cities of

Wahpeton, North Dakota Wahpeton ( ) is a city in Richland County, in southeast North Dakota along the Bois de Sioux River at its confluence with the Otter Tail River, which forms the Red River of the North. Wahpeton is the county seat of Richland County. The populati ...

and

Breckenridge, Minnesota Breckenridge is a city and county seat of Wilkin County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 3,430 at the 2020 census. Breckenridge's twin city is Wahpeton, North Dakota. It is part of the Wahpeton, ND—MN Micropolitan Statistical ...

. The Fargo–Moorhead urban core is actually about forty-five minutes of highway travel from the Wahpeton–Breckenridge core. The main connection between these two pairs of cities is the Red River Valley, the flat, fertile land that both depend upon for a major part of their economies. Potatoes and sugar beets are important crops in the region, in addition to most of the other crops produced elsewhere in Minnesota and North Dakota.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fargo-Moorhead