North Dakota, while not being far from the national average when it comes to costs, is more expensive to live in than South Dakota. That's largely because far more people live here, paying around $17,000 per year in housing and food to do so. Despite being rich in oil, it's still agriculture that rules the day here in terms of governing people's income. Almost 25% of the state's entire population work within that industry.
Large parts of North Dakota are barren, but if you drive along the lonely highways, it's increasingly likely that you'll spot modern art installations dotted along the way. 'The Enchanted Highway' was the idea of a retired schoolteacher in 1991, who decided that giving drivers something to look at would improve their mood as they traveled. The 75-tonne' geese in flight' sculpture is the largest such construction rendered in metal anywhere in the world.