THE REAL FARGO

Along the Red River, North Dakota city is quirky, colorful and full of surprises

Forget “Fargo.” Don’t get me wrong — I loved the Coen brothers’ dark crime comedy. But 22 years later, if you’re still thinking only about the movie when you hear that word, it’s time to rewire your brain.

I’m here to tell you that this North Dakota city is not a godforsaken frozen wasteland of woodchippers. Fargo’s a slice of Oz on the eastern edge of the Great Plains — quirky, colorful and full of surprises: a Scandinavian-Jewish lunch counter; a gay men’s chorus; a thriving immigrant community; a winter Frostival with a mobile sauna; an artsy boutique hotel; Microsoft’s third-largest campus; and a championship football team.

More than that, it’s the people of Fargo and Moorhead, Minn., its sister city across the river, who have drawn me back multiple times.

Local residents are quick to credit their forebears — the Scandinavian settlers who depended on each other to raise barns, harvest crops and recover from floods. That same work ethic, dynamism and community support help a new generation of makers, entrepreneurs and artists who dream big and often succeed.

When I showed up in June, I ran into a friend before we’d even had a chance to make plans — downtown’s that small. That afternoon, I heard that drivers get a friendly written warning before their first parking ticket — people are that nice.

When you go, chat them up. See the woodchipper at the visitors center if you must. Then, get acquainted with the real Fargo.

JENN ACKERMAN/PHOTOS FOR THE WASHINGTON POST Bikers cross the Red River, which marks the border between Fargo and Moorhead. The waterway meanders 550 miles from Breckenridge, Minn., up to Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba.

Fargoans are serious about their North Dakota State Bison. And bison in general. In the city, the two often go together.