experiencing it first hand...

I was not surprised when I read the following article in the Bismarck Tribune today.  Patrick and I are both from the outside and experience this cliquish nature even in the larger middle city.  I sympathize with this family.  It takes a lot of emotional fortitude to live here.  You are always an outsider in the community or at work.  For the ND small towns to survive, or North Dakota in its entirety, things need to change beyond free land, affordable housing, and low crime.  If things continue the way they are..can anyone say Buffalo Commons?

Florida family gives up on small-town North Dakota

By JAMES MacPHERSON Associated Press Writer | Posted: Monday, February 15, 2010 5:02 pm
HAZELTON, N.D. (AP) — A town's promise of cash and free land lured only one family from out of state. Now, Michael and Jeanette Tristani and their 12-year-old twins are trying to move from the town without a traffic light back to Miami.
Tired of crime, traffic, hurricanes and the high cost of living in Florida, the Tristanis moved four years ago to Hazelton, a dwindling town of about 240 that has attempted to attract young families to stay on the map.
Michael Tristani, 42, said at the time the 1,800-mile move was "an answer to our prayers.''
"We don't have to look over our shoulder to see who's going to rob us, or jump out of the bushes to attack us,'' Tristani said.
"Taxes are low, the cost of living is low and the kids enjoy school.''
But the family also found a cliquey community that treated them like outsiders. "For my wife, it's been a culture shock,'' he said.
Rural communities across the Great Plains, fighting a decades-long population decline, are trying a variety of ways to attract outsiders. But the Tristanis show how the efforts can fail even at a time when many people are desperate.
"It's been quite an experience, 50-50 at best,'' Tristani said. "It hasn't been easy. No one really wants new people here.''   ........