Minot

Understand

thumb|300px|City view The Souris River goes through the middle of town, carving a valley in the middle of flat prairie. The town arose in 1880s as a stop along the Great Northern railway. During Prohibition the city became a nexus for alcohol smuggling. After World War II the city settled down into quiet suburbanation. Today Minot is best known for the US Air Force base north of town. You can drive to Canada in just over an hour.

Minot is a rather unusual city, though possessing levels of services similar to much larger cities, it struggles between small-town and cosmopolitan attitudes. Civic growth is not greatly helped by the climate. T-shirts available at the airport have this motto: "Why not Minot? Freezin's the reason!"

Get around

Unless you've brought a bicycle and happen to be in good shape, you aren't getting anywhere in Minot without a car. Some public transit is available at certain times, but for visitors it's more trouble than it's worth.

See

thumb|Stave Church, the centerpiece of the Scandinavian Heritage Center thumb|The Taube Museum of Art

Buy

Shopping opportunities are ample in Minot. Downtown Minot, northeast of the intersection of Burdick Expressway and Broadway, has small shops and restaurants, particularly along Main Street and Central Avenue. Souvenirs are available at the airport.

Eat

thumb|St. Leo the Great Catholic Church Food is pretty cheap in Minot. You're looking at $10 tops per person in most cases, maybe $20 at some of the nicer sit-down restaurants. If you really want to pull out on the stops, it is theoretically possible to spend $50 a plate at a handful of places in town... if you care to.

You will not need a reservation for any restaurant in town. Some restaurants do have private rooms that can be reserved, which are generally for business or political meetings.

Sleep

thumb|A giant [[Dalarna|Dalecarlian Horse in the Scandinavian Heritage Park.]] Accommodations are easy to find in Minot -- except during the State Fair and Høstfest. Be sure to reserve your rooms well in advance if you're planning to stay during late July and early October.

Stay safe

There is little crime in Minot. Most residents do lock their doors, but in wintertime many people leave their cars running in parking lots as they run their errands.

Probably the most significant danger comes from city traffic. Pedestrians should yield to oncoming traffic -- most people will not stop to let you by, even at crosswalks. Also, drunk and exhibition driving is a risk late on weekends. Stay alert on the roads at those times.

Connect

The telephone area code for Minot is 701.

Minot has excellent telecommunications infrastructure; the telephone system is modern, internet access is ubiquitous, and cellular coverage within the city is excellent. Analog and digital PCS, CDMA and GSM networks are available. Coverage in the city and along the roads is excellent. Coverage gaps deep in rural territory are quickly being filled. Local telephone provider SRT is a partner with Sprint and Verizon Wireless, among others. Alltel Wireless also maintains infrastructure in the area; while its native service is based on CDMA technology, it offers a parallel GSM network that some carriers such as T-Mobile US use for roaming. AT&T Wireless now offers limited coverage in the city but not in the surrounding rural areas.

Minot has a web cafe, , on South Broadway. Public Internet access is also available at the (next to the Amtrak station) and (North Broadway). Free WiFi access is available in pockets downtown and around MSU.

Go next

Rugby (70 miles (110 km) E) is the geographical center of North America. From Minot, take US 2 east and drive for about one hour. The International Peace Garden (120 miles (190 km) NE) is on the Canadian border near Dunseith. From Minot, take US 2 to Rugby and turn north on ND 3, park is on left at border crossing. Lake Sakakawea (40 miles (64 km) S) provides ample water recreational opportunities. From Minot, take US 83 south and drive about half an hour, US 83 crosses the lake. The cities of Garrison and New Town have boater services. 4 Bears Casino near New Town (60 miles (97 km) SW) has a wide variety of entertainment. From Minot, take US 83 south about 15 minutes, then turn west at ND 23 and drive about 40 minutes.