Movie road trip: A cinematic site per state for all 50 states

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North Dakota: Fargo

One movie comes to mind when thinking about North Dakota. The movie is Fargo. The only problem is the scenes representing Fargo weren’t shot in North Dakota. But the city of Fargo and North Dakota claim the movie for their own.

One scene was shot in North Dakota (although the scene was supposedly Minneapolis). Still, other movies that were shot in North Dakota aren’t well known and Fargo, the movie, is quite popular.

Fargo is a story about a police chief who investigates several murders. Two criminals were hired by a car salesman to kidnap his wife. The whole plot is met with chaos, unexpected twists, and unlikely outcomes. The film is and was critically acclaimed.

Fans often associate Fargo with two things: the colloquial phrases and a wood chipper. The phrase “Yah, you betcha” gets stuck in your head. The specific accent isn’t a total fabrication. Many people in Fargo and the surrounding areas have this particular accent.

Even though one of the most famous scenes wasn’t shot in Fargo, the city of Fargo is quite proud of the movie. At the Fargo-Moorhead Visitors Center fans of the movie can get their picture taken with the actual wood chipper from the movie. Yeah, don’t you know, that wood chipper. When taking a picture you can even put a fake leg into the chipper and put on a signature hat. Some people might find this photo op funny and others might be less amused. But the picture is definitely unique.