Fargo, North Dakota News & History

Top 10 Most Important Events for Fargo, North Dakota

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1871Railroad Town Founded: Northern Pacific Railway establishes town, named for Wells Fargo director William Fargo.

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1893NDSU Established: North Dakota Agricultural College grows into major research university.

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1957Fargo Tornado: F5 tornado kills 10 and destroys 1,300 homes.

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1996Coen Brothers' Fargo Film: Oscar-winning film puts Fargo on cultural map despite being set mostly in Minnesota.

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1997Red River Flood: Record flooding threatens to engulf city. Massive sandbagging effort saves Fargo.

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2009Another Record Flood: Red River crests at 40.8 feet; 100K sandbags placed.

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2015Tech Startup Growth: Fargo emerges as unexpected tech hub with Microsoft and startup ecosystem.

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2023Fastest Growing ND City: Metro approaches 270,000 with continued growth.

Complete Historical Timeline

1871 Transport

Railroad Town Founded

1893 Culture

NDSU Established

1957 Disaster

Fargo Tornado

1996 Culture

Coen Brothers' Fargo Film

1997 Disaster

Red River Flood

2009 Disaster

Another Record Flood

2015 Business

Tech Startup Growth

2023 Business

Fastest Growing ND City

Did You Know?

The movie Fargo was mostly filmed in Minnesota, not North Dakota.

Fargo has an emerging tech scene sometimes called 'Silicon Prairie.'.

The Red River flows north, which causes flooding when southern ice melts before northern ice.

Fargo is located in Cass County, North Dakota.

Fargo was founded in 1871.

Famous People from Fargo, North Dakota

Jake Hager

Mixed Martial Arts Fighter, Professional Wrestler · Born Mar 24, 1982 · Age 43

Bobby Vee

Actor, Singer · Born Apr 30, 1943 · Died Oct 24, 2016 (age 73)

William H. Gass

Writer, Military Officer · Born Jul 30, 1924 · Died Dec 6, 2017 (age 93)

CariDee English

Actor, Model · Born May 22, 1985 · Age 40

Dalton Knecht

Basketball Player · Born Apr 19, 2001 · Age 24