NBC News Transcripts July 13 2004

NBC News Transcripts July 13, 2004 Tuesday

SHOW: TODAY
HEADLINE: Fargo, North Dakota

ANCHORS: LESTER HOLT
REPORTERS: KEVIN TIBBLES

BODY:

LESTER HOLT, co-host:

Fargo gained widescreen appeal when the Coen brothers made a movie about folks who live there. Well, now the folks who really do live in North Dakota's largest city are hoping to attract an audience interested in sticking around. NBC's Kevin Tibbles has more.

KEVIN TIBBLES reporting:

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TIBBLES: But hang on a minute, this isn't New York or LA, this is Fargo, North Dakota. Almost everywhere you look, Fargo is transforming itself into a newer, trendier version of itself. The brunt of jokes for its middle-of-nowhere spot on the map, harsh winters, and stoic people with, well, unique accents...(clip of "Fargo")...Fargo has been quietly but successfully encouraging people to give it a second look.

Dave Anderson, otherwise known as Downtown Dave, is Fargo's leading man, encouraging people to invest in a 35-block area known as the Renaissance Zone, dangling huge incentives to those who give Fargo a try.

Mr. DAVE ANDERSON: Those folks won't pay property taxes on those improvements for five years. They won't pay North Dakota income tax for five years. So if they move into our Renaissance Zone, they're basically tax-free as an organization for five years.

TIBBLES: More than 75 projects already under way, representing about $35 million in new investment.

Real estate developer, John Dayland, has already sold 90 percent of these condos ranging in price from a quarter to half a million dollars. New owners will enjoy a five-year break on state income tax.

Mr. JOHN DAYLAND: I think it's a win-win situation all way around.

TIBBLES: It hasn't always been this rosy. Although North Dakota has the lowest unemployment of any US state, it still ranks near the bottom in average wages and continues to lose population. It was the dire economy that motivated government leaders to do whatever they could to keep their highly-educated work force, they send more students to college than any other state, from leaving. Some college kids, like Randi Olsen, still plan to move.

Ms. RANDI OLSEN: I kind of have location ADD. So I wanted to get out and explore and see what else is out there.

TIBBLES: But with a trendy downtown and new employment opportunities, the state says many others are staying put.

Governor JOHN HOEVEN (Republican, North Dakota): Historically, we've had a migration. We're really turning that around now, and, as a matter of fact, this year, we're projected to grow.

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