Most people moving here are coming for the base, the university, or a job they just accepted. They’ve read the same three articles about how cold it gets and they’re quietly wondering what they’ve signed up for.

I moved here when I was seven, left, and came back on purpose. This is the guide I wish somebody had handed me: what the neighborhoods are actually like, what things cost, and what nobody tells you about your first winter.

What’s inside:

• The neighborhoods, honestly, including which ones fit which kind of family
• What housing actually costs here compared to where you’re probably coming from
• Getting settled: schools, healthcare, groceries, the stuff you need in week one
• What winter is really like, and what you’ll need before November
• Grand Forks and East Grand Forks, and why the state line matters more than you’d think
• What people love about living here once they stop bracing for it