As someone who classifies themselves as a fake midwesterner, I stay true to my home state of New Hampshire. I moved to North Dakota in the Fall of 2018 and until then I considered myself a trooper when it came to the winter. However, I was in for a shock when I realized the winter in North Dakota is on a completely different level.

Growing up in New Hampshire I was used to the snow. I hated it, but I had seen it and dealt with inches on feet of snow. The winter also dragged on for months and the snow was finally gone by May. However, the temperatures never dropped as low as it does out here. New Hampshire doesn’t have the wind chill which is something I took for granted when I lived there. I thought I was prepared, but nothing in this world will ever prepare you for a North Dakota winter. 

The North Dakota winter is practically unbearable. I’m not going to lie, I struggled last winter with the cold and then my car engine broke which left me walking to class for two weeks during the time of the coldest temps of the year. Yes, I am talking about the week when we had days off because it was too cold. There were days when I thought I was getting frostbite and others when I thought I was going to freeze to death. I am not trying to be dramatic, but freezing to death is actually an issue out here in North Dakota.

I definitely took New Hampshire for granted when I lived there. I thought that the winters were terrible and were too long until I moved out here. North Dakota winter is on a completely different level when it comes to the harshness of the winter.

Many of my friends know my stance on my love for New Hampshire and how I will defend it as being one of the best, if not the best state ever. With the large variety of landscape and even some coastal mileage, it is one of the prettiest states I’ve visited. There is nothing like heading up north and going for a hike and then driving two hours to the ocean afterwards. This is something that cannot be said about North Dakota.

Although I have yet to travel to the western part of North Dakota where there are mountains and trees, I consider the landscape of North Dakota boring. I remember driving out here for the first time and everything surrounding Grand Forks is flat and you can see for miles. This was a complete change of scenery which I think contributes to the terrible winter weather.

There is no escaping the cold temperatures of the midwest and I am proud to say the winter in North Dakota has made me stronger. I no longer complain when it is 40 degrees outside, instead I walk outside without a jacket and brag about how warm it is. I can’t say that two years ago I would have reacted like this but I adapted.

Although North Dakota will always hold a special place in my heart, New Hampshire will always be my first love. Although New Hampshire gets more snow, the winter in general is more mild and somewhat enjoyable compared to the winter in North Dakota. When I am home I don’t have to worry about walking outside and getting frostbite or the sheet of ice that lies under the ice mounds of  “snow” during the month of February. I am thankful to have endured the harsh winter of the midwest but I will forever defend New Hampshire because it is overall just a better place to be.