Understand
The Souris River goes through the middle of town, carving a valley in the middle of flat prairie. The town arose in 1880s as a stop along the Great Northern railway. During Prohibition the city became a nexus for alcohol smuggling. After World War II the city settled down into quiet suburbanation. There's a US Air Force base north of town. You can drive to Canada in just over an hour.
Minot is a rather unusual city, though possessing levels of services similar to much larger cities, it struggles between small-town and cosmopolitan attitudes. Civic growth is not greatly helped by the climate. T-shirts available at the airport have this motto: "Why not Minot? Freezin's the reason!" However, it should be noted that while North Dakota is typically associated with a cold climate, the weather actually has its extremes, and Minot reaches temperatures of 90s sometimes even 100s in the summer months.
Minot Convention & Visitors Bureau
1020 South Broadway Located in the Scandinavian Heritage Visitors Center (http://www.visitminot.org/)Minot Air Force Base
"Only the Best Come North" (http://www.minot.af.mil/)Minot Area Development Corporation
(http://www.minotusa.com/)