Niwot approaching Minot, North Dakota, regarding possible "Sibling Community" relationship - Why Not?"

The similarity between Niwot and Minot's unusual and often-mispronounced names piqued Left Hand Valley Courier reporters' interest in the city which none of them had heard of. What began as curiosity led to a serious interest in approaching Minot for getting-to-know-you discussions.

As reporters learned about the city, they began referring to Minot as "Northern North Dakota's best kept secret."

Minot's metropolitan area population is almost 20 times that of Niwot and it is the fourth largest city in North Dakota. Minot Air Force Base alone has more residents than all of Niwot. The Minot Daily News does, indeed, publish editions daily, in both print and online formats.

The "Nimot Committee," made up of representatives from each community, was formed to discuss areas of common interest. Committee chair, Angel Hugger, said they discovered that, in addition to having similar names, both communities use nearly identical publicity slogans. "Why Not Minot?" appears frequently in Minot promotions. A catchy new publicity video has recently been posted by Visit Minot (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MFsteixxaA).

Hugger said she was convinced about the partnership when she learned Minot, like Niwot, stands by the adage, "When people ask why, we say, 'Why Not?'"

Over the past several weeks, the word about Minot has spread. A growing number of Niwot residents have joined the Committee and 47 intrigued but skeptical Niwotians quietly flew to Minot on April 1 on nonstop commuter flights to check out the city.

They said that the beautiful Scandinavian Heritage Park alone was well worth the visit. The low cost of restaurant meals, due primarily to North Dakota's rock-bottom minimum wage, stunned more than one visitor. "It was amazing," one Niwot visitor said. "The high school students at the restaurant were just happy to have a job." They returned convinced that a partnership between the two communities had appeal.

What does the future hold? At this early point, areas of interest are coalescing around cultural exchanges and economic development.

Niwot resident Rodney Archer is a homeowners association president and leader of the Niwot Community Connection book discussion group. Archer is a proud Norwegian-American, as are 31% of North Dakotans. He grows wheat and pinto beans on his family's property near Aneta, North Dakota (pop. <300).

Archer is keenly interested in the idea of leading a cultural excursion to Minot for its annual Norsk Hostfest Scandinavian Festival (https://hostfest.com/). The event, to be held on Sept. 24-27, attracts tens of thousands of attendees. Among the highlights are the lutefisk (LOOT-fisk) eating competitions and the nightly appearance of the Norwegian Bachelor Farmers. The latter attraction takes place over the course of all four nights, and rumor has it that it is a reality dating show, similar to "Farmer Wants a Wife."

Archer, however, is also focused on another aspect of the festival. It attracts visitors from Minot's Sister City, Skien (SHAY-in), Norway. The two cities have hosted hundreds of visitors, including high school and college students, from the time the relationship was established in 1981. Learning more about Minot's existing partnership will provide direction for Niwot and Minot.

Joint economic development opportunities abound. The most obvious is capitalizing on the difference between minimum wage rates. North Dakota's $7.25 per hour is the lowest in the nation. Niwot's current minimum wage is $16.57, with mandated increases leading to $25.00 in 2030.

A quick win-win would be boosting the earnings of Minot's workers with offers of remote positions at small Niwot businesses. The workers would likely be offered a somewhat higher hourly rate than they earn now and vulnerable Niwot businesses could be saved.

The speed and ease with which the sisterhood is progressing are testimony to the benefits of living in an unincorporated community, unfettered by municipal red tape and second-guessing. Both communities echo, "We don't wait for it to happen, we make it happen."

Note to readers: Before the initiative takes off, it will be important to address the issue of terminology. Clearly "Sister City" is offensive to some, especially those who do not identify as sisters. In addition, the term "city" is misleading, given Niwot's unincorporated status. "Sibling Community" is the term which has been proposed.