The boys from North Dakota drink whiskey for their fun

A couple of years after it published the memorable Vanishing Point series on the depopulation of the rural Great Plains, the Times comes through with a Sunday magazine piece about northwestern North Dakota.

This time, the tale takes an unusual twist: In a place so depopulated that banks would rather give away land than repossess it, homesteading has returned to the local economy. (Yes, this is occurring in the same country as the unprecedented real estate boom.) If you're willing to live on a piece of land in northwest North Dakota for five years, it's yours.

I'd like to know whether the same conditions exist just over the border in Canada, or whether the economy thrives a little more there because, well, going south means leaving the country. I'd like to know how much corporate vs. family farming has to do with this depopulation, too.

Regardless, they've got to try something to attract people there. The average age of a Crosby, N.D., resident is over 50; check out these demographics too. Even rural Nevada is doing better than that.

I mentioned going rural in this space a couple of weeks ago. No way could I go this rural.

[Separately: The Chron begins its quake anniversary special. The Simon Winchester book is worthwhile further reading, though the author is sometimes prone bizarre overstatement and draws a few highly suspect conclusions.]


FMFM: Wayne Shorter's Adam's Apple, featuring the classic "Footprints" and several other pieces that aren't far behind.