Bottineau County, North Dakota
“I do not want to not want to live here; I want to want to live here.”
“Even though I was not born here, I have always been from here.”
Those of us that are fortunate enough to live in Bottineau County North Dakota count it a privilege to be here and we have a sense that we want to pay it forward.
Many of us live on the same land that our forefathers farmed—land that was homesteaded. We cherish the very first and only deed on our land, signed by none other than President Teddy Roosevelt himself.
We know that we are entering a new era, a time where we need to manage our growth and maintain the place we have called home. While our generation and the previous two have watched as our children have left the county, we know now that times have changed. Being on the east edge of the Bakken Boom has changed our direction. We are the place that will not only embrace this change, but we will work collaboratively to shape it so Bottineau County’s best days are ahead. We know they are.
We came together for three powerful days in October of 2012. In an era where people would rather stay home and watch TV, nearly 100 of our citizens showed up at public meetings for one solitary purpose: to commit to work together for our collective future. This plan is our road map, and we are the drivers.
Our goal is to not sacrifice our quality of life for the prosperity that awaits our people. We know that we can shape these economic forces for good, and lead in this time of investment to create a place that our kid’s kids will proudly call home.
Bottineau County has been a destination for North Dakotans and Canadians for decades. Our lakes, Turtle Mountains, and the Bottineau Winter Park are special places—and we are happy to continue to welcome people to our special landscape.
Perhaps what followed shortly after September 11, 2001 says it best. Many New Yorkers, matching our sense of gratitude for others, were seeking a way to pay the generosity of Americans forward in the months that followed the greatest disaster ever on American soil. These people, seeking to pay their debt of gratitude, chose the Bottineau Winter Park as their focus in honor of the solitary North Dakotan that lost her life on that horrible day.
Indeed, gratefulness defines our character—and we have a lot to be grateful for. In appreciation for all that we have, we now dedicate ourselves to the implementation of this plan that preserves and enhances this wonderful place we call home.
©2017 Building Communities, Inc.
