On more than one occasion throughout this project, people have instinctively corrected Kendra and I when we refer to their “town” rather than their “community.” We interviewed a family in western ND whose ranch straddles an invisible line between Watford City and New Town. Another family chose to send their kids to school in Watford, even though it was a 45 minute drive. For them, community is a much more accurate word because it connotes a larger area. Few people actually live in town and those who live miles from a paved road are still considered residents. They aren’t off in no-man’s land.

Community is also more relational than geographic. When I think about where I live in Fargo, I know I would rarely refer to it as my community. This is the city in which I live. I may have a church home or a group of friends, but those are pockets of familiarity within the city and would never be as complete as community is in these towns. In those we have visited, community seems to mean waving at passing cars, pitching in to plant trees and shopping locally to keep the grocery store open. We have found community-owned movie theaters, cafes and daycares. When we ate dinner at a new restaurant in Watford City, which had the atmosphere of a Doolittle’s or Ruby Tuesdays, people walked around and greeted their friends at neighboring tables before they were seated. It felt like a small-town cafe. It blew my mind!

Fargo becomes a “community” when the Red River rises and everyone helps fill more than 1 million sandbags in two or three days. But on a daily basis, we choose Wal-Mart over local markets and I’ve never heard of a community-owned anything. Except maybe a park. I don’t think one way is better than the other, but as a city person, it was charming.

Essence, North Dakota, Small towns, Watford City North Dakota Project, Personal