Editing Fargo, North Dakota (section)

==History==
{{see also|Timeline of Fargo, North Dakota}}

===Early history===
Historically part of [[Sioux]] ([[Dakota people|Dakota]]) territory, the area that is present-day Fargo was an early stopping point for [[steamboat]]s traversing the [[Red River of the North|Red River]] during the 1870s and 1880s. The city was originally named "Centralia", but was later renamed "Fargo" after [[Northern Pacific Railway]] director and [[Wells Fargo Express Company]] founder [[William Fargo]] (1818–1881).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fargo is Founded {{!}} Fargo History |url=https://library.ndsu.edu/fargo-history/?q=content/fargo-founded |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221112200153/https://library.ndsu.edu/fargo-history/?q=content/fargo-founded |archive-date=November 12, 2022 |access-date=August 11, 2023 |website=library.ndsu.edu}}</ref> During the initial settlement of Fargo, there developed two cities: one (unofficially) called "Fargo on the Prairie" and the other "Fargo in the Timber". "Fargo on the Prairie" was known for being well run by Northern Pacific engineers, while "Fargo in the Timber" remained mostly lawless and full of apparently "desperate and reckless characters", according to [[The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead]]. Eventually, "Fargo in the Timber" would see its demise after a crackdown by federal authorities, and the modern Fargo would develop out of "Fargo on the Prairie".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Crossing the Red River: Fargo Begins {{!}} Fargo History |url=https://library.ndsu.edu/fargo-history/?q=content/crossing-red-river-fargo-begins |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629020520/https://library.ndsu.edu/fargo-history/?q=content/crossing-red-river-fargo-begins |archive-date=June 29, 2023 |access-date=August 11, 2023 |website=library.ndsu.edu |publisher=[[North Dakota State University]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kerzman |first=Kristopher |date=January 7, 2016 |title=Throwback Thursday: Fargo in the Timber home to the 'reckless,' 'lawless' |url=https://www.inforum.com/newsmd/throwback-thursday-fargo-in-the-timber-home-to-the-reckless-lawless |access-date=August 11, 2023 |website=InForum |publisher=[[The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead]] |language=en}}</ref> The area started to flourish after the arrival of the Northern Pacific Railroad and the city became known as the "Gateway to the West."

During the 1880s, Fargo became the "divorce capital" of the [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]] because of lenient divorce laws.<ref>Riley, G (1991). Divorce: An American Tradition. Oxford University Press</ref> A major fire struck the city on June 7, 1893, destroying 31 blocks of downtown Fargo, but the city was immediately rebuilt with new buildings made of brick, new streets, and a water system. More than 246 new buildings were built within one year. There were several rumors concerning the cause of the fire.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://library.ndsu.edu/fargo-history/?q=content/fire-1893|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150705072024/http://library.ndsu.edu/fargo-history/?q=content%2Ffire-1893|title=Fire of 1893 &#124; Fargo History|archive-date=July 5, 2015|website=library.ndsu.edu}}</ref>

The North Dakota Agricultural College was founded in 1890 as [[North Dakota]]'s [[land-grant university]], becoming first accredited by the [[North Central Association]] in 1915. In 1960, NDAC became known as [[North Dakota State University]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=History and Traditions {{!}} North Dakota State University |url=https://www.ndsu.edu/history_traditions |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220320041104/https://www.ndsu.edu/history_traditions |archive-date=March 20, 2022 |access-date=August 11, 2023 |website=www.ndsu.edu}}</ref>

===20th century===
[[File:1957 Fargo tornado.jpg|thumb|left|F5 tornado as it approaches [[Hector International Airport]], 1957]]

Early in the century, the automobile industry flourished, and in 1905, Fargo became home to the [[Pence Automobile Company Warehouse|Pence Automobile Company]], a company that at one time distributed 29% of all [[Buick]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Halgrimson |first=Andrea |date=September 12, 2010 |title=Halgrimson: Pence building in Fargo has had many tenants |url=https://www.inforum.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/halgrimson-pence-building-in-fargo-has-had-many-tenants |access-date=August 13, 2023 |website=InForum |publisher=[[The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead]] |language=en}}</ref> In addition, Fargo also hosted a regional [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] assembly plant, which by 1917 was assembling some 70 cars per day. The plant would remain in operation until 1956.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Section 2: Manufacturers {{!}} 8th Grade North Dakota Studies |url=https://www.ndstudies.gov/gr8/content/unit-iii-waves-development-1861-1920/lesson-2-making-living/topic-11-age-automobiles/section-2-manufacturers |access-date=August 13, 2023 |website=North Dakota Studies |publisher=State Historical Society of North Dakota |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Ford Building {{!}} Fargo History |url=https://library.ndsu.edu/fargo-history/?q=content/ford-building |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230403210056/https://library.ndsu.edu/fargo-history/?q=content/ford-building |archive-date=April 3, 2023 |access-date=August 13, 2023 |website=library.ndsu.edu |publisher=[[North Dakota State University|NDSU]]}}</ref>

On Labor Day in 1910, [[Theodore Roosevelt]] visited Fargo to lay the cornerstone of the college's new library.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Almanac of North Dakota mysteries & oddities, 2009–2010|last=Jackson|first=William|date=2008|publisher=Valley Star Books|isbn=978-0967734989|pages=14|oclc=259419005}}</ref>  To a crowd of 30,000, Roosevelt spoke about his first visit to Fargo 27 years earlier, and credited his experience homesteading in North Dakota for his eventual rise to the presidency.<ref name=":0" />

[[Fargo-Moorhead]] boomed after [[World War II]], and the city grew rapidly. In 1957, it experienced the [[1957 Fargo tornado]] that destroyed a large part of the north end of the city.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jackson |first=William |title=North Dakota Tornadoes Twisters & Cyclones |publisher=Valley Star Publications |year=2024 |isbn=979-8-89480-378-4 |location=Dickinson, ND |pages=46 |language=English}}</ref> [[Ted Fujita]], famous for his [[Fujita scale|Fujita tornado scale]], analyzed pictures of the Fargo tornado, helping him develop his ideas for "wall cloud" and "tail cloud." These were the first major scientific descriptive terms associated with tornadoes.<ref>{{Cite web |last=US Department of Commerce |first=NOAA |title=Fargo 1957 F5 Tornado |url=https://www.weather.gov/fgf/fargo57tornado |access-date=August 13, 2023 |website=www.weather.gov |language=EN-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Fujita |first=Tetsuya Theodore |date=1959 |title="Detailed Analysis of the Fargo Tornadoes of June 20, 1957," by Fujita, Tetsuya, University of Chicago, Department of Meteorology, Severe Local Storms Project, Technical Report Number 5 to U.S. Weather Bureau, 1959. |url=https://swco-ir.tdl.org/handle/10605/262088 |access-date=August 13, 2023 |website=swco-ir.tdl.org |publisher=Texas Tech University Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library |language=en-US}}</ref> The construction of two interstates ([[Interstate 29 in North Dakota|I-29]] and [[Interstate 94 in North Dakota|I-94]]) revolutionized travel in the region and pushed growth of Fargo to the south and west of the city limits. In 1972, the [[West Acres Shopping Center]], the largest shopping mall in North Dakota, was constructed near the intersection of the two Interstates. This mall became a catalyst for retail growth in the area.<ref>{{Cite web |title=West Acres {{!}} Fargo History |url=https://library.ndsu.edu/fargo-history/?q=content/west-acres |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230601025036/https://library.ndsu.edu/fargo-history/?q=content/west-acres |archive-date=June 1, 2023 |access-date=August 13, 2023 |website=library.ndsu.edu |publisher=[[North Dakota State University|NDSU]]}}</ref>

===Recent history===

Fargo has continued to expand rapidly but steadily. Since the mid-1980s, the bulk of new residential growth has occurred in the south and southwest zones of the area (for example in [[West Fargo, North Dakota|West Fargo]])  due to geographic constraints on the north side.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The City of Fargo - Find Your Neighborhood |url=https://fargond.gov/live/know-your-neighborhood/find-your-neighborhood |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202021553/https://www.fargond.gov/live/know-your-neighborhood/find-your-neighborhood |archive-date=February 2, 2023 |access-date=August 13, 2023 |website=fargond.gov}}</ref> The city's major retail districts on the southwest side have likewise seen rapid development.

Downtown Fargo has been [[Gentrification|gentrified]] due in part to investments by the city and private developers in the Renaissance Zone.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Downtown gentrification: the good, the bad, and the unaffordable |url=https://hpr1.com/index.php/arts-entertainment/arts/downtown-gentrification-the-good-the-bad-and-the-unaffordable |access-date=August 11, 2023 |website=High Plains Reader, Fargo ND |language=en}}</ref> Most older neighborhoods, such as Horace Mann, have either avoided decline or been revitalized through housing rehabilitation promoted by planning agencies to strengthen the city's core.

[[North Dakota State University|NDSU]] has grown rapidly into a major research university and forms a major component of the city's identity and economy.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Study: NDSU has major impact on region's economy {{!}} North Dakota State University |url=https://www.ndsu.edu/news/view/detail/29367 |access-date=August 13, 2023 |website=www.ndsu.edu}}</ref> Most students live off-campus in the surrounding Roosevelt neighborhood. The university has established a presence downtown through both academic buildings and apartment housing. In addition, [[North Dakota State Bison football|NDSU Bison Football]] has gained a significant following among many area residents. In recent years, Fargo has also become a regional technology and healthcare hub, as a result of [[Microsoft]] and [[Sanford Health]] both building regional campuses in the city center.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 9, 2019 |title=What's behind Fargo-Moorhead's boom? |url=https://www.minnpost.com/economy/2019/07/whats-behind-fargo-moorheads-boom/ |access-date=August 13, 2023 |publisher=[[MinnPost]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

Since the late 1990s, the Fargo-Moorhead [[United States metropolitan area|Metropolitan Statistical Area]] has consistently had one of the lowest unemployment rates among MSAs in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fargo, ND-MN Economy at a Glance |url=https://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.nd_fargo_msa.htm |access-date=August 19, 2023 |website=[[Bureau of Labor Statistics]] |language=en}}</ref>

On July 14, 2023, 37-year-old Mohamad Barakat [[2023 shooting of Fargo police officers|opened fire on a group of police officers]] in the city who were responding to an unrelated traffic accident. One officer was killed and two others were injured before Barakat was killed by one of the officers at the scene.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Dramatic video footage shows shooting ambush in Fargo that killed an officer last month |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/officials-discuss-video-evidence-fargo-shooting-ambush-102342098 |access-date=August 26, 2023 |website=ABC News |language=en}}</ref>