Talk:North Dakota

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the North Dakota article.
This is not a forum for general discussion about the article's subject.
Article policies
This article is within the scope of WikiProject North Dakota,
a WikiProject related to the U.S. state of North Dakota.
Portal:United States
 United States Portal
This article is within the scope of the United States WikiProject. This project provides a central approach to United States-related subjects on Wikipedia. Please participate by editing the article, and help us assess and improve articles to good and 1.0 standards.
B This article has been rated as B-Class on the Project's quality scale.
(If you rated the article please give a short summary at comments to explain the ratings and/or to identify the strengths and weaknesses.)

Contents

[edit] WikiProject U.S. States

Wondering how to edit this State Entry?
The WikiProject U.S. States standards might help. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Maveric149 (talk • contribs).

[edit] Badlands

This page states that the Badlands lie in North Dakota, which doesn't seem right. Because they aren't mentioned on South Dakota I think that the two got mixed up. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 194.109.186.206 (talk • contribs).

The badlands are in both states. They run from the South Dakota-Nebraska border at least half way up North Dakota. South Dakota (and Wall Drugs) have done a better PR job. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Richj (talk • contribs).

[edit] Borders

"Bordered on the north by Canada..."

Wouldn't it be better to state which specific Canadian province(s) it borders? - Lee M 00:13, 30 Sep 2003 (UTC)

Done it. - Lee M 00:23, 30 Sep 2003 (UTC)

[edit] Vérendrye

The French-Canadian trader La Vérendrye was the first documented explorer of the area, leading a party to the Mandan villages about 1738.

This has me confused. If La Vérendrye was the first explorer of the area, who built the villages? Ben Arnold 00:48, 23 Apr 2005 (UTC)
First explorer that wrote stuff down. Is it really necessary to spell it out and qualify the man as a European? It can't be that confusing. --Alexwcovington (talk) 07:24, 23 Apr 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Outmigration

Editor;

Since the above was spun a bit I will provide a different context. Out migration does not exist. Macro changes in number of births and deaths are causing many regions and areas to "loose" population. However, society has shifted to a completely different model based on new efficiencies in the workforce that require humans to be in close contact with other humans - knowledge centers - also known as cities. Jobs now are continuing to become more and more based on information and knowledge than on resources of the land. The resources of the future are in our minds, to tap those resources we need to be close to the source - other humans - cities. Rural areas in any developed country of the world or emerging countries like India and China are experiencing the same thing. Society is changing, the way we work is changing and it requires us to be near the resources we need to tap. Just as the gold rush to California, or the homestead rush to the great plains, those settlers were rushing to the resources...its no different today.

Thanks for contributing your opinion. First of all, let me say that that sort of thing is supposed to be here and not in the article.

If this was a simple issue of people moving from rural areas to cities, North Dakota would be doing just fine. North Dakota has cities. You might not call them cities, but they're there. And they're connected just the same as anywhere else.

In the modern age of information technology, there is little distinction between Mumbai, Arviat, or Minot as far as trading knowledge goes. But North Dakota has just as many telemarketing centers as anywhere else.

Looking at the demographics, we see across-the-board declines in population in rural areas, and in the cities, a major drop in under 18s, very slight boost in the 18-to-25 demographic, a slight drop in 25-to-65s, and a large boost in the 65+ demographic.

What can be gathered from this is that the birthrate is dropping, the adult population is dwindling, and the farm kids are getting to college and getting the hell out of Dodge.

The real issues are highly complex, with heavy social and economic factors. Do North Dakota's children appreciate the almost chokingly conservative political atmosphere? The lack of meaningful employment in virtually any skilled field? "No" has been the overwhelming response.

You may call that societal restructuring but it's plain to see for anyone that cares that something needs fixing in North Dakota. --Alexwcovington (talk) 19:22, 27 Apr 2005 (UTC)

[edit] WikiProject North Dakota

I have made an initial proposal for a Wikiproject on North Dakota. I would invite everyone to comment on it. --Alexwcovington (talk) 02:48, 12 May 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Constitution trivia

Demi added:

  • A conflict exists between the state consitution and the U.S. Constitution. The North Dakota Constitution specifies only that members of the legislative and judicial branches swear an oath of office, while the U.S. Constitution specifies that members of all three branches must.

Can you provide

  1. references to article and section of each
  2. some reason why this is of encyclopedic interest?

Gene Nygaard 06:54, 15 May 2005 (UTC)

In accession to the United States, North Dakota concedes the supremacy of the federal constitution, thus no conflict exists. The situation could be best described as a legal (not not practical) technicality, as all state officers swear an oath to the constitutions of North Dakota and the United States. --Alexwcovington (talk) 08:17, 15 May 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Religious data

Can anyone tell me where this religious data is coming from? The US Census Bureau conducts no such survey. --AlexWCovington (talk) 12:08, 12 August 2005 (UTC)

The religious data needs to be editted. It doesn't quite make much sense. 24.111.40.84 7:43, April 23, 2006
The data that's there now is decently formatted and comes from a verifiable source. What's the problem? --AlexWCovington (talk) 01:03, 24 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Attractions

Good wikipedia articles do not contain excessive lists. Could the list of attractions be turned into prose? Also, I'm concerned that this list is going to quickly get out of hand as users seem to be adding anything they can think of to this list. --MatthewUND(talk) 23:36, 9 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Existance

One thing that I've been wondering is if North Dakota actually exists. I don't know of anything famous there, and I don't know any people from there, or even anyone that KNOWS anywone from there. Is this a joke article or something? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 207.68.85.11 (talk • contribs).

Yes, people do live in North Dakota. I understand you are trying to be funny. It is not working. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 24.117.140.103 (talk • contribs).

[edit] State motto

The state motto section was added to all states, not just North Dakota to go along with nicknames. Lots of info included in infoboxes are also in the articles, the infoboxes just give a quick fact list for the various states. If you still object, maybe it can be discussed somewhere else so we can figure out if it should be in infoboxes for all of the states or none of the states, either way, consistency is the key. youngamerican (ahoy-hoy) 18:51, 21 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Problems

Something very odd has been going on with this article since early this morning. I was editing the intro and geography sections and the project database seemed to be having some problems. It was soon locked because of some server problem and my revisions (which I had saved) vanished - but one still shows up in the history of the article. However, if you look at what should be that revision of mine, it turns out to be someone else's changes to some Pokemon article. Just wanted you to know about this bizarre turn of events. --MatthewUND(talk) 20:39, 21 July 2006 (UTC)

OK, now I reverted the article to the pre-Pokemon problem and now the Pokemon revision has vanished so you're all gonna think I'm nuts. Oh well. Hopefully things will be fine now. Not sure If I would bet on it, though. --MatthewUND(talk) 20:47, 21 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] HI!

im in need of some help here - whats the legal age for alcohol consumption in ND??—The preceding unsigned comment was added by SniperSarge (talk • contribs).

21 years, per North Dakota Century Code 5-01-08. --AlexWCovington (talk) 21:48, 28 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Population

Hardly anyone lives in this state. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.33.175.160 (talk • contribs).

Actually, over 600,000 people live in North Dakota... —The preceding unsigned comment was added by R9tgokunks (talk • contribs).

[edit] who iz the author

who is the author of north dakota —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 70.152.126.145 (talk • contribs).

[edit] who iz tha author ov diz acticle!!??

i juzz wont 2 kno who it iz ppl!!!!!!!!!!!! —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 70.152.126.145 (talk • contribs).

[edit] Suggestions For "Tweaking"

These are all suggestions that I could do for the page, if you want....

  • under "climate": would it be worthwhile to reference the US weather service info for the average and extreme temps by the month?
  • under "emigration/outmigration": what about referencing the term "brain-drain" that is often used?...
  • under "culture": adding something about knoepfla (spelling may be incorrect...)?
  • under "important cities and towns": including the census population of the cities also?
  • when discussing the flickertail, what about referencing the term "dak-rat" that is often used?
  • is there any plan to include the term "nodak" as a slang reference to a North Dakotan?

Just some ideas....

NDCompuGeek 22:45, 13 November 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for the thoughts.
  • We could easily do a chart similar to Climate of Bismarck, North Dakota for the whole state -- though picking a particular location to use as the data point may be tricky.
  • "Brain drain" may be a bit cliché... but I think if the section on outmigration was expanded there would be room for it.
  • Knoephla is referenced on Cuisine of North Dakota; both articles could use expansion if you'd like to help.
  • Important cities and towns have census data in the relevant city and list articles; though I suppose it's not unreasonable to put it on the main North Dakota page, it does pose a bit of an issue with the combined urban centers. I'm sure it can be discussed.
  • Dakrat? Perhaps an article on North Dakota slang would be in order.

--AlexWCovington (talk) 17:14, 16 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] New Sports section added to updated Wikipedia:WikiProject U.S. states format

The Wikipedia:WikiProject U.S. states format has been updated to included a new Sports section, that covers collegiate sports, amateur sports, and non-team sports (such as hunting and fishing). Please feel free to add this new heading, and supply information about sports in North Dakota. NorCalHistory 12:49, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Please see South_carolina#Sports_in_South_Carolina as an example. NorCalHistory 13:16, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] List of notable North Dakotans

I just reverted the list of notable North Dakotans to the previous shorter list. The recent additions basically amounted to a copying of each and every entry from the Fargo, North Dakota list to this state list. It is my belief that this state list should be kept short and reserved for only people who have lived in North Dakota and have gone on to become truly notable for an extended period of time throughout the nation. Other less notable North Dakotans belong in the longer, more comprehensive list that is clearly linked to at the beginning of this shorter list. I just don't think that the recent winner of America's Next Top Model and the other recent additions are worthy of being included in a short list of notable North Dakotans. They are fine in the individual Fargo article or in the comprehensive list, but in the short statewide list? No. --MatthewUND(talk) 23:51, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

  • Matt, I am trying to remain civil with you but people like J. Lang and James F. Buchli ARE notable for extended periods of time. I don't know that many people from North Dakota that have become a Space Shuttle Pilot, nor many that have become very well known and respected musicians. Also Ed Schultz, like him or not, IS a nationally syndicated radio talk-show host...on the same level as Shaun Hannity and Rush Limbaugh. If you want to get into a revert war over this, so be it, but calling people such as these three 'less notable' than a bush pilot is fairly insulting. I can understand limiting the list but let us not be silly about it. --Brian (How am I doing?) 14:25, 18 December 2006 (UTC)
Brian, your earlier additions to the list were essentially a copy and paste from the Fargo list. You copied every person listed in that article and pasted them into this list. That's what I had a problem with. Just because someone is notable enough to be listed in a city article, doesn't make them necessarily worthy of being on the short list for the state. Buchli, Lang, Schultz, and Vee are ok additions to this short list, but people like Caridee English do not belong on this list. This list should be kept short and reserved for truly notable North Dakotans. If you had just added Buchli, Lang, Schultz, and Vee in the first place, I never would have had a problem with it. --MatthewUND(talk) 21:25, 18 December 2006 (UTC)
Matt, then I offer my apology. After looking over the article, you are correct. Only the truly notable should be on this list. People like Cari and Miss North Dakota (which changes yearly) should not. Rough day at work...sorry for snapping at you --Brian (How am I doing?) 21:39, 18 December 2006 (UTC)
No problem, Brian! If there is anybody else who you think is really worthy of being on the state's short list, go ahead and add them. I just think it is a good idea to keep this list quite short. Otherwise, it's kinda pointless to have this list and the List of people from North Dakota. I encourage everybody to keep adding to that last list. It's already pretty long and I'm sure there are more people out there that we have overlooked. --MatthewUND(talk) 22:19, 18 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Temperature charts

Since ND's average temperatures vary from northeast (coldest) to southwest (warmest), I figured it would be easier and more accurate to just have two separate temp. charts instead of one. Feel free to add/modify these charts when necessary. --Distortionmaster20 22:45, 5 January 2007 (UTC)

Great idea! Thanks for taking the time to put those in there. --MatthewUND(talk) 00:23, 6 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] North Dakota Pictures

Apparently the scenic pictures that I submitted for the article were "questionable". So, does anyone know where I can find some NON-questionable pictures for North Dakota? --Distortionmaster20 23:24, 7 January 2007 (UTC)

I think I gave you that link discussing what kinds of pictures can and cannot be used in Wikipedia articles. Anything in the public domain is fair game as is anything that you produce yourself and essentially release into the public domain. In most cases, the best way to get pictures for Wikipedia articles is to take the picture yourself and upload it to Wikipedia. There really aren't that many useful pictures out there in the public domain...at least not many that are easy to find. It is not acceptable to take non-public domain images from random websites and use them in Wikipedia articles. --MatthewUND(talk) 03:23, 8 January 2007 (UTC)
I see. Ok cool, on my next trip to North Dakota I'll see if I can take a few of my own pictures. In the mean time, I'll try to search for pictures in the public domain.

--Distortionmaster20 14:14, 8 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] The Largest and Oldest Reference

Hello,

I am wondering why we need: "The largest and oldest among them is the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks." This does not seem very relevant and seems to be more like gloating... additionally after checking other states this reference seems unique. --Ndstate 06:40, 23 March 2007 (UTC)

I agree with you that this particular statement doesn't fit here very well. Still, since both UND and NDSU are the largest institutions of their kind in the state, I think we should mention that fact in some manner. I'm going to rewrite that section a little...tell me what you think. --MatthewUND(talk) 07:41, 23 March 2007 (UTC)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../n/o/r/Talk%7ENorth_Dakota_d310.html"