• Jaymes O'Pheron is an entrepreneur who has lived all over the world.
• He and his wife moved from Washington state to Fargo, North Dakota, in 2021.
• O'Pheron said the Midwest locale is his favorite because of its strong community.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jaymes O'Pheron, a 34-year-old entrepreneur who moved from Aberdeen, Washington, to Fargo, North Dakota, in 2021.

The Fargo-Moorhead area, home to about 261,000 people, has seen a significant population uptick in recent years and is expected to reach almost 340,000 people by 2045, a 35% growth rate, according to the Fargo-Moorhead Economic Development Corp.

My family is a bit odd. I'm the oldest of eight and grew up in a very sheltered, religiously-minded family. I spent most of my childhood in Washington state, outside Vancouver and across the river from Portland. When I was 17, my dad got a job in Texas, so we moved South.

After that, we deliberately decided as a family to leave America. We picked Ireland because, at the time, it was the last English-speaking nation that did not allow abortion. We wanted to support that.

I absolutely loved Ireland. The weather, the people, the history, the language, the food, the music, the pace of life, the cities, the way it's designed — it's very communal.

After four years in Ireland, though, some personal issues led me to move back to Washington in 2012. I met my wife in Aberdeen, and we got married in 2018.

But we knew we weren't going to stick around Washington forever. We had been experiencing some health issues that we eventually traced back to mold allergies. We realized we were biologically incompatible with mold and how damp and moldy the Northwest is. We couldn't live there.

We wanted to find a permanent home, so we started researching potential places to move in 2019.

We tried to be intentional about where we ended up. We narrowed it down to a few places with favorable economic and regulatory aspects and a positive culture.

Then, we visited Fargo, and we knew this was the place. We officially moved in May 2021.

Fargo is very friendly to startups

I'm a serial entrepreneur. I can't stop starting things, both nonprofit and for-profit. Right now, I'm primarily focusing on my nonprofit, which is focused on empowering people to be change-makers in their communities.

I'm also a freelance coach for career performance, communication, networking, and burnout prevention.

The community support here in Fargo is incredible. That was hugely important as I was trying to build up my coaching business. I needed a larger metro center to network, but I also needed a regulatory environment conducive to small business startups.

Fargo is a great place for small business startups, a huge part of which is due to the community. The people recognize that we need to support one another. Being an entrepreneur is emotionally difficult and risky. Having people around you cheering you on and having your back is incredibly valuable.

That community support is unique from all the other places I've lived. You can walk out onto the street and make friends with anyone.

We are definitely putting down roots here. We want our great-grandchildren to live here, so we started looking for a place to buy.

We found a beautiful home. I'm on the HOA board. There are a lot of benefits and assistance in North Dakota for people who are first-time home buyers.

In Washington, I was living in a studio apartment. We paid about the same rate here in Fargo for our two-bedroom apartment, which was twice the square footage, just outside downtown.

It's one of the best places in the country as far as the ratio between low cost of living and high-paying jobs goes. The quality of living is high. There are a lot of job opportunities here.

Fargo is my favorite place I've lived

I just love Fargo. It's my favorite of all the places I've lived because I have all my favorite people here. I have better friends here than I've had in my entire life. My favorite part is the community.

When we first drove to Fargo, it felt like we were driving home. There's something about the scale of the city that is very approachable. It is a downtown area with robust activity, but it also has that small-town feel. It feels very safe and welcoming.

We had new friends from church help us move into an apartment immediately. We had met the pastor when we first got to Fargo, and he put out a call to the parish, and they all showed up to help us.

Because it's a college town, there's a lot of youthful energy and idealism. It's also on the border of Minnesota, a blue state. So, Fargo is a true purple city. There's a lot of diversity of thought and opinions. People actually have conversations, which is cool.

The one thing we were anticipating having to adjust to was the weather. We made sure we did all the preparation. We changed our car battery and got the right kinds of tires.

We had a really hard winter our first year there. But it was fun. I shoveled snow from our patio into the bathtub and took an ice bath. The cold weather actually leads to the quality of the community here. People help one another because we're all in it together.

Fargo is growing quickly. One of the issues we're dealing with is where to put all the people. We don't want to create sky-high prices or spread out too far so people can't commute. The city is trying to strike that balance of small-town heart and big-town body that we love so much.

As a burnout coach, I know that the silver bullet is community. We need to be able to connect with people around us authentically. Loneliness is killing us. So, it's a luxury to have people here at Fargo whom I can rely on.

I think others who value community should look at Fargo. It's an amazing place to be.

In 2025, the Trump administration and Congress are poised to represent a significant realignment of political power, moving its focus from the East and West coasts to the heartland after decades of coastal dominance.

Republicans chose Sen. John Thune of South Dakota as majority leader of the upper legislative chamber.

President-elect Trump nominated South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to lead Homeland Security and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum as secretary of the interior. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., figures to hold a top cybersecurity subcommittee post.

In that regard, Dakota State University President José-Marie Griffiths, who has advised Noem, Burgum and other regional figures, particularly on cybersecurity issues, said it's about time the region received attention.

TIK TOK'S BIPARTISAN BACKLASH A ‘WONDERFUL SIGN’: NOEM

"These people all have a worldview that's much larger than just the middle of the country, obviously. But it's nice to know that the voices of the people in this part of the country will be heard and presumably considered and taken into account on a larger scale," she said.

During Bill Clinton’s first run for president, his top strategist James Carville called Pennsylvania "Philadelphia and Pittsburgh with Alabama in the middle," which led to "Pennsyltucky" becoming part of the national lexicon as a punchline.

Recent legislative leaders also hailed largely from California and New York with Kentucky’s Mitch McConnell being an exception.

In her interview with Fox News Digital, Griffiths added that the idea of bringing more prominence both institutionally and occupationally to the heartland does have a few proponents on the coasts.

NOEM BLASTS FAUCI, CONTRASTS WITH SD COVID MEASURES

She noted Rep. Ro Khanna’s past comments about expanding his district’s "Silicon Valley" economy to other underserved parts of the country. The Democrat visited rural Kentucky and West Virginia to support emerging tech programs and to study how the private sector and federal funds can enhance such efforts.

"No person should be forced to leave their hometown to get a new economy job," Khanna previously said.

On Friday, Griffiths added that in the 7,000-person town of Madison, South Dakota, where she lives and works, people are happy with their environs and don’t wish to relocate to Khanna’s California or commercial hubs like New York with its population of 8.3 million.

"We have a tremendous number of really good young people in this part of the world," she said. "They want to [stay] here, and we want to make sure that there's opportunity for them to do the kinds of work that they're well qualified for."

Griffiths isn’t the only South Dakotan anxious to see what the new year brings for her region.

Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., who represents the entire state in Congress, spoke briefly on the matter after a meeting with DOGE figureheads Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy Thursday.

One proposal from DOGE proponents is to shift bureaucratic power outside of Washington, D.C., to areas where its work is relevant and people can interact better with agencies.

"The U.S. Forest Service should be moved to Rapid City, South Dakota," Johnson said.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

"The Black Hills of South Dakota offer an incredible natural resource, and it is a forest that has faced all of the major challenges facing our forests across this country. I would tell you the people in the Black Hills love that forest, and they want to make sure that it exists for generations."

Johnson said it would be easier to move the agency, founded by former Pennsylvania Republican Gov. Gifford Pinchot and long anchored in Washington, closer to the areas it affects.

Meanwhile, Griffiths said that with Noem potentially succeeding Alejandro Mayorkas, a South Dakotan will be primed to shift more attention to the issue of cybersecurity in the regionally relevant agriculture sector.

"Not only does she have the borders to protect, but there's a strong cybersecurity component to her mandate there. And then Doug being in Interior and chairing that Energy Council energy consortium will be very, very interesting because that also goes to support the efforts in terms of having the United States retain its lead role in new and emerging technologies," Griffiths said, noting DSU is a STEM university.

To the north, Mark Jorritsma of the North Dakota Family Alliance, which works to "strengthen faith, family and freedom" and works closely with state leaders, said he is also encouraged by the federal leadership shift.

"We are excited that the Dakotas will have an even more significant influence on the path our country takes," Jorritsma said Friday.

"President-elect Trump continues to show his support for things that have made our country great — an abundance of resources and energy, the importance of the agricultural sector and an emphasis on faith, family and freedom.

"We look forward to strong leadership by these individuals, representing not only the Midwest, but advancing the values that have been foundational to the success of our entire nation."

Fox News Digital reached out to Burgum, Noem, Rounds and Thune, but did not receive responses by press time. 

Theodore Roosevelt is best known as the 26th President of the United States and the legendary "rough-rider" of the Spanish-American War. But much less is known about his deep connection and love for North Dakota, a state that was instrumental in shaping his larger-than-life persona, adventuring spirit and immense love for the outdoors.

Now, nearly 106 years after his death, the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation plans to celebrate and honor that connection between the man and the land that shaped him by opening a massive state-of-the-art presidential library built on over 90 acres in the North Dakota Badlands.

"IN THE ARENA" BOOK BY PETE HEGSETH USES THE TIMELESS TRUTHS OF TEDDY ROOSEVELT'S ICONIC ‘MAN IN THE ARENA’ SPEECH

The project is founded on the three Roosevelt values of citizenship, leadership and conservation. The library, built on the edge of Medora, North Dakota, will overlook Theodore Roosevelt National Park, which is the only national park named after a person.

In the spirit of Roosevelt, the foundation behind the project is not building just any ordinary library. The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library will harness the power of both technology and nature to give visitors a highly immersive experience that rather than shutting one in, inspires and pushes you to experience the joy of the outdoors as Roosevelt did.

The library will not just seek to educate people about Roosevelt. Instead, it will use immersive storytelling methods, the latest technology, including augmented reality, and the surrounding nature in Medora, North Dakota, to show people of all ages what they can learn from the life and experiences of the man and president.

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, OCTOBER 14, 1912, TEDDY ROOSEVELT SHOT IN CHEST, MAKES CAMPAIGN STOP MINUTES LATER

In a message announcing the project, Edward O’Keefe, CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation, said, "TR famously balked at the critic, and encouraged everyone to ‘get in the arena’ of life."

O’Keefe, a North Dakota native, explained that the vision for the library is to serve as a hub for civic engagement, learning, and research. The library will include a large auditorium which the foundation envisions as a space that could host future presidential debates.

Above all, O’Keefe said that the library will seek to connect people with what Roosevelt used to describe as the "strenuous life" of the North Dakota wilderness.  

"North Dakota is the fulcrum of the hero’s journey in TR’s almost unbelievable life story," said O’Keefe.

"[Roosevelt] wrote that if all his memories were to be taken from him, and he was forced only one memory from his incredible life he would choose to remember ‘my life on the ranch with its experiences close to nature and among the men who lived nearest her,’" he explained. "He did not choose the memory of the Roughriders or the charge up Kettle Hill; he would not recall McKinley’s assassination and his rise from the vice presidency to the Oval Office … TR chose to remember North Dakota, and so North Dakota chooses to remember TR."

Roosevelt, who served two transformative presidential terms from 1901 to 1909, moved to the North Dakota Badlands in 1884 in his early twenties. He was suffering from a broken heart after both his wife and mother died on the same fateful day. It was in North Dakota that the broken man found comfort in the solitude and beauty of the wilderness.

He later wrote that he "would not have been president had it not been for my experience in North Dakota."

With this in mind, O’Keefe said that the library "will not be a box in the Badlands with artifacts under glass," but "like TR’s life, will be an experience."

"We want every visitor to the TR presidential library and museum to walk out understanding the role of nature as a restorative force in TR’s life, and that each of us can be the change we want to see in the world," said O’Keefe. "This museum can be a platform for embracing civic dialogue, thoughtful debate, and inspiration around the globe."

After receiving the approval of Congress and then-President Donald Trump, the foundation completed its purchase of the land for the library from the U.S. Forest Service in 2022. The land is situated close to Theodore Roosevelt National Park and Roosevelt’s famous Elkhorn Ranch.

The building is designed to be able to live off the land, just as Roosevelt did.

The project website states that just as "through his action, passion, and foresight, Roosevelt ushered in a new era of conservation and stewardship of the American natural landscape," the library’s design "will reflect and expand upon those values, setting an ambitious new standard for environmental conservation and sustainability leadership."

The foundation is utilizing local contractors and constructing the library with materials that will allow the building to minimize waste and emissions as well as water and energy usage.

MEET THE AMERICAN WHO WAS THE ‘WORKING MAN’ FOUNDING FATHER, IRISH IRONSMITH GEORGE TAYLOR

Instead of disrupting the sloping, grassy North Dakota "burning hills," the library’s design team from the U.S.-Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta envisioned a building that blended in naturally with the landscape. The building has an earthen roof that curves with the nearby butte. The grounds and roof will be made up of native plants and grasses so as to help restore the biodiversity of the region which has been degraded over time.

Pictures shared exclusively with Fox News Digital by the foundation show that the library interior is already taking shape. Natural light flows down from glass ceiling panels, coloring a set of already completed massive, rammed-earth walls, composed of a mixture of gravel, sand, silt and clay.

Right in front of the library will be a large circular hiking trail surrounding the butte with several unique viewpoints along the way that encourage visitors to explore and reflect.

The library is expected to open on July 4, 2026, the 250th anniversary of America and the Declaration of Independence.

Theodore Roosevelt V, a great-great-grandson of the 26th president and ally of the project, has said through the library "North Dakotans have ensured a legacy not just for their state but also for our nation and the world."  

But beyond North Dakota, Roosevelt said that all Americans can be inspired by the continuing legacy of his great-great-grandfather.

"My great great grandfather’s legacy of citizenship, leadership, and conservation are as relevant today as they were during the height of his presidency," he said in a statement on the library website. "When you focus on people interested in solutions rather than divisive rhetoric, it becomes clear that there is much more that unites us than divides us – just as there was at the turn of the 20th century."

"Like Theodore Roosevelt, a man of paradoxes – Republican and progressive, crusader against monopolies and capitalist, hunter and conservationist, partisan and rogue independent – our country is many different things. Finding the commonality among them may just be the key to America’s future."