I grew up in North Dakota. Yes, it really is THAT cold there....ask any military person from Dover who might have had the pleasure of  visiting the lovely Air Force Base in Minot, ND.

40 below does indeed, keep the riff raff out...
If "vacation" to you means going shopping forthe weekend in Grand
Forks, Fargo, Minot or Bismarck (while the kids swim at the Comfort
Inn), You might live in North Dakota.

If parking your car for the night involves an extension cord You might
live in North Dakota

If you consider it a sport to gather your food by drilling through 8
inches of ice and sitting there all day hoping that the food will swim
by, You might live in North Dakota.

If you're proud that your state makes the national news primarily
because it houses the coldest spot in the nation, You might live in
North Dakota.

If you have ever refused to buy something because it's "too spendy",
You might live in North Dakota

If your local Dairy Queen is closed from November through March, You
might live in North Dakota.

If someone in a store offers you assistance, and they don't work
there, You might live in North Dakota.

If your dad's suntan stops at a line curving around the middle of his
forehead, You might live in North Dakota.

If you have worn shorts and a parka at the same time, You might live
in North Dakota.

If your town has an equal number of bars and churches, You might live
in North Dakota.

If you know how to correctly pronounce Medina, Cando, and Hebron, You
might live in North Dakota.

If you think that ketchup is a little too spicy, You might live in
North Dakota.

If you measure distance in hours,
You might live in North Dakota.

If your family vehicle is a crew cab pickup, You might live in North
Dakota.

If you know several people who have hit deer more than once, You might
live in North Dakota.

If you often switch from "heat" to "A/C"in the same day and back
again, You might live in North Dakota.

If you can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging
blizzard, without flinching, You might live in North Dakota.

If you see people wearing hunting clothes at social events, You might
live in North Dakota.

If you've installed security lights on your house and garage and leave
both unlocked, You might live in North Dakota.

If the largest traffic jam in your town centers around a high school
basketball game, You might live in North Dakota.

If you carry jumper cables in your car and your girlfriend knows how to use them, You might live in North Dakota.

If there are 7 empty cars running in the parking lot at Wal-Mart at
any given time, You might live in North Dakota.

If there are more people at work on Christmas Eve Day than on Deer gun
Opener, You might live in North Dakota.

If you design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit, You
might live in North Dakota.

If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled
with snow, You might live in North Dakota.

If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and
road construction, You might live in North Dakota.

If you can identify a southern or eastern accent, You might live in
North Dakota.

If you consider Fargo exotic,
You might live in North Dakota.

If your idea of creative landscaping is a statue of a deer next to
your cottonwood, You might live in North Dakota.

If the sunbelt to you means Bismarck,
You might live in North Dakota.

If a brat is something you eat,
You might live in North Dakota.

If finding your misplaced car keys involves looking in the ignition,
You might live in North Dakota.

If you go out to a fish fry every Friday, You might live in North
Dakota.

If you find 0 degrees a little chilly, You might live in North Dakota.




I drove dump truck for the ND State Highway Dept. for a while, graduated from college and was in a theater company for 2 seasons before starting in radio at a jazz station.I was a radio gypsy for years but have come to settle here in the North East.
 
I can't imagine life without 4 seasons, dogs, fabulous food and wine, AND the Goodwill Thrift Stores!