What’s That Smell? North Dakota’s Stinkiest City!
Have you been to the smelliest town in North Dakota before?
I have, I grew up in it, and let me tell you it can be a "stinker" for many months each year, and there are multiple reasons why. More on that in just a moment.
I know where I work at our studios over in Mandan just off the strip can get a little "ripe" at times. Why? You guessed it, we get a whiff of KIST livestock every time there is a southwest wind blowing. Thankfully, it seems like we don't see that wind direction a lot.
Pig farms are notorious for emitting terrible odors. There's one located just west of Larimore, North Dakota right off of state Highway 2, and if you're heading west and a northwest wind is blowing you are going to have that scent in your nose for as long as a Catholic wedding service.
I know I've seen some complaining on social media from the residents of Lincoln, North Dakota about the fragrance of the sewer lagoons. Apparently, there's been some issues over the years.
Have you ever been lucky enough to smell a sugar beet lagoon before?
If you've ever been to Fargo, North Dakota before you've probably caught wind of what sugar beet lagoons can smell like. Believe me, it's not like roses. More like somebody ate Mexican food continuously for a week and then hit the bathroom.
There are sugar beet lagoons in Moorehead, Minnesota, so every time the wind is from the east or northeast, the city of Fargo gets hit with that stench. Sugar beet plants are a problem for Hillsboro and Drayton, North Dakota too.
So, what city in North Dakota is the most rancid of them all?
As I mentioned earlier, I was born and raised in it. Good ol' Grand Forks, ND.
It is a cornucopia of foul odors. There are several reasons for this and here's why. Not only does Grand Forks have to deal with a smelly sugar beet plant and lagoons over in nearby East Grand Forks, Minnesota.
It also has stinky sewer lagoons west of the city, and the Simplot potato/french fry factory right off Gateway Drive, also on the west side of the city. What does the Simplot factory smell like? Not like fresh french fries that's for sure. More like a smelly hockey bag or a gym bag, with unwashed clothes for a week.
Yep, it's a triple threat of stink in Grand Forks. Certain times of the year are worse than others. Summer is especially bad, but even in the winter, you get a whiff every now and then. The only wind direction in which you catch a break is if there is a south or north wind. Anything else and you're likely to want to keep your windows closed.
The Top 5 Smelliest Cities in North Dakota according to my listeners/readers and social media followers?
5. Devils Lake, ND
Devils Lake can be a bit on the smelly side, especially late in the summer when the green algae starts to appear.
4. Hillsboro, ND
Another home to a stinky sugarbeet plant.
3. Drayton, ND
You guessed it, home to a sugarbeet plant.
2. Fargo, ND
A combination of the sugarbeet plant in Moorhead, Minnesota, and the sewer lagoons makes Fargo smell like an armpit at times.
1. Grand Forks, ND
The sugarbeet plant in East Grand Forks, a rancid sewer lagoon, and the JR Simplot Plant all add to the fragrance of Grand Forks, North Dakota.
(Not so honorable mentions? Mandan, ND, Lincoln, ND)
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Gallery Credit: Rob Carroll
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