You might think that the whole hippie movement has faded away, but the truth is, there are plenty of hippies out there in North Dakota.
While they aren’t necessarily in your face all the time with war protests and the next Woodstock isn’t being planned any time soon, we thought it would be fun to look at which cities in the Peace Garden State where the most hippies would live.
And, after crunching the data, you know what? It was pretty spot on, we have to say.
How do you decide where the most hippies live? By the number of yoga studios, organic markets, and most importantly, where the liberals live in droves.
Using that criteria, it’s not hard to scrape the internet, run some scientific data on where hippies might live in North Dakota, and then put out a list.
So, put on your tie dye shirt and your sandals as you go through this list with us.
After analyzing all cities with a decent amount of people in them, we came up with this list of the 10 best cities for hippies in North Dakota:
- West Fargo (Photos)
- Jamestown (Photos)
- Grand Forks (Photos)
- Fargo (Photos)
- Mandan (Photos)
- Wahpeton (Photos)
- Devils Lake (Photos)
- Dickinson
- Jamestown (Photos)
- Bismarck (Photos)
Read on below to see where your town ranked, young flower child.
And if you already knew these places were hippie heavens, check out the best places to live in North Dakota or the safest places to live in North Dakota.
How do you determine the most beatnik city in North Dakota?
In order to rank the best cities for hippies in North Dakota, we had to determine what criteria defines a hippie.
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using the Google Places API, the Census’s 2010-2014 American Community Survey, and Voter Registration data, this is the criteria we used:
- Number of yoga studios per capita
- Number of organic markets per capita
- Number of pet adoption centers per capita
- Number of vegan restaurants per capita
- Number of thrift stores per capita
- Each city’s liberal voting population
Note: For the sake of getting reliable numbers, we counted places within a ~4.5 mile radius of a city’s center. The average city in America is about 18 square miles.
All of these results are listed in a per capita basis, meaning number of stores per person in a city. Additionally, we limited the analysis to non-CDPs that have over 5,000 people.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 14 in each category, where 1 was the most hippie.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a hippie index.
And finally, we crowned the city with the highest hippie index the ‘Best City for Hippies In North Dakota.’ We’re lookin’ at you, West Fargo.
Read on below to learn more about what it’s like to live in hippie central. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the places in the state from hippiest to most square.
1. West Fargo
Yoga Studios Per 1,000 People: 0.18
Organic Markets Per 1,000 People: 0.07
Pet Adoption Centers Per 1,000 People: 0.28
Vegan Restaurants Per 1,000 People: 0.42
Thrift Stores Per 1,000 People: 0.53
West Fargo is a city in Cass County, North Dakota, United States. It is, as of the 2016 Census Estimates, the fifth largest city in the state of North Dakota with a population estimated at 34,858, and it is one of the state’s fastest growing cities. West Fargo was founded in 1926. The city is part of the Fargo-Moorhead, ND-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area.
2. Jamestown
Yoga Studios Per 1,000 People: 0.19
Organic Markets Per 1,000 People: 0.06
Pet Adoption Centers Per 1,000 People: 0.19
Vegan Restaurants Per 1,000 People: 0.19
Thrift Stores Per 1,000 People: 0.97
Jamestown is a city in Stutsman County, North Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Stutsman County. The population was 15,427 at the 2010 census, making it the ninth largest city in North Dakota. Jamestown was founded in 1872.
3. Grand Forks
Yoga Studios Per 1,000 People: 0.11
Organic Markets Per 1,000 People: 0.06
Pet Adoption Centers Per 1,000 People: 0.06
Vegan Restaurants Per 1,000 People: 0.15
Thrift Stores Per 1,000 People: 0.28
Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the State of North Dakota (after Fargo and Bismarck) and is the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2010 census, the city’s population was 52,838, while the total of the city and surrounding metropolitan area was 98,461. Grand Forks, along with its twin city of East Grand Forks, Minnesota, forms the center of the Grand Forks, ND-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is often called Greater Grand Forks or The Grand Cities.
4. Fargo
Yoga Studios Per 1,000 People: 0.13
Organic Markets Per 1,000 People: 0.03
Pet Adoption Centers Per 1,000 People: 0.09
Vegan Restaurants Per 1,000 People: 0.14
Thrift Stores Per 1,000 People: 0.25
Fargo is the most populous city in the state of North Dakota, accounting for nearly 16% of the state population. Fargo is also the county seat of Cass County. According to the 2016 United States Census estimates, its population was 120,762, making it the 229th-most populous city in the United States. Fargo, along with its twin city of Moorhead, Minnesota, as well as the adjacent cities of West Fargo, North Dakota and Dilworth, Minnesota, form the core of the Fargo-Moorhead, ND-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in 2016 contained a population of 238,124. In 2014, Forbes magazine ranked Fargo as the fourth fastest-growing small city in the United States.
5. Mandan
Yoga Studios Per 1,000 People: 0.0
Organic Markets Per 1,000 People: 0.15
Pet Adoption Centers Per 1,000 People: 0.1
Vegan Restaurants Per 1,000 People: 0.1
Thrift Stores Per 1,000 People: 0.31
6. Wahpeton
Yoga Studios Per 1,000 People: 0.0
Organic Markets Per 1,000 People: 0.13
Pet Adoption Centers Per 1,000 People: 0.13
Vegan Restaurants Per 1,000 People: 0.0
Thrift Stores Per 1,000 People: 0.26
Wahpeton (/wptn/ WAH-pit-n) is a city in Richland County, in southeastern North Dakota, United States. It is located along the Bois de Sioux River at its confluence with the Otter Tail River, forming the Red River of the North. Wahpeton is the county seat of Richland County. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city’s 2015 population was 7,899.
7. Devils Lake
Yoga Studios Per 1,000 People: 0.0
Organic Markets Per 1,000 People: 0.0
Pet Adoption Centers Per 1,000 People: 0.28
Vegan Restaurants Per 1,000 People: 0.0
Thrift Stores Per 1,000 People: 0.42
Devils Lake is a city in Ramsey County, North Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Ramsey County. The population was 7,141 at the 2010 census. It is named after the nearby body of water, Devils Lake. The first house in Devils Lake was built in 1882. It was surveyed in 1883 and named Creelsburg and later Creel City, after the surveyor, Heber M. Creel. In 1884 it was renamed Devils Lake.
8. Dickinson
Yoga Studios Per 1,000 People: 0.1
Organic Markets Per 1,000 People: 0.05
Pet Adoption Centers Per 1,000 People: 0.1
Vegan Restaurants Per 1,000 People: 0.1
Thrift Stores Per 1,000 People: 0.25
Dickinson is a city in Stark County, North Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Stark County. The population was 17,787 at the 2010 census. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated 2015 population is 23,765.
9. Jamestown
Yoga Studios Per 1,000 People: 0.0
Organic Markets Per 1,000 People: 0.06
Pet Adoption Centers Per 1,000 People: 0.0
Vegan Restaurants Per 1,000 People: 0.06
Thrift Stores Per 1,000 People: 0.32
Jamestown is a city in Stutsman County, North Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Stutsman County. The population was 15,427 at the 2010 census, making it the ninth largest city in North Dakota. Jamestown was founded in 1872.
10. Bismarck
Yoga Studios Per 1,000 People: 0.06
Organic Markets Per 1,000 People: 0.03
Pet Adoption Centers Per 1,000 People: 0.03
Vegan Restaurants Per 1,000 People: 0.15
Thrift Stores Per 1,000 People: 0.23
Bismarck (/bzmrk/) is the capital of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Burleigh County. It is the second-most populous city in North Dakota after Fargo. The city’s population was estimated in 2016 at 72,417, while its metropolitan population was 131,635. In 2015, Forbes magazine ranked Bismarck as the seventh fastest-growing small city in the United States.
There You Have It — The Hippies Of North Dakota
If you’re measuring the locations in North Dakota where there are lots of liberals, and there are many options for vegan food, yoga and thrift stores, this is an accurate list.
If you’re curious, here are the most square places in North Dakota:
- Jamestown
- Jamestown
- Minot
For more North Dakota reading , check out:
- These Are The 10 Safest Places In North Dakota
- These Are The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In North Dakota
- These Are The 10 Worst Places To Live In North Dakota
Detailed List Of The Hippiest Cities In North Dakota
| City | Rank |
|---|---|
| West Fargo | 1 |
| Jamestown | 2 |
| Grand Forks | 3 |
| Fargo | 4 |
| Mandan | 5 |
| Wahpeton | 6 |
| Devils Lake | 7 |
| Dickinson | 8 |
| Jamestown | 9 |
| Bismarck | 10 |
| Williston | 11 |
| Minot | 12 |
| Jamestown | 13 |
| Jamestown | 14 |
