Tonight I came across a post that cited an article indicating that people in certain areas of the United States (North Dakota included) live longer than they do in other parts of the nation.  I, of course, had to put my two cents in and responded that people live longer up here because we take life easier.  Our lives are less stressful because we choose to live that way.

A little while later I came across this article (Would You Believe, from this past February) describing how North Dakotans deal with blizzards.  The quiet strength and amiable independance described here is typical of the North Dakota people I know. 

So I have to ask myself again why people in North Dakota live such long lives.  I’m listing my top six answers here:

1.  In North Dakota, people watch out for each other.  From the Would You Believe article:

The truck drivers pulled people out of snow banks and didn’t ask for a 
penny.  Local restaurants made food, and the police and fire departments 
delivered it to the snow bound families.  Families took in the stranded people - total strangers. 

2.  In North Dakota, people use their brains to find creative solutions to everyday problems.  As I’ve said before, here and here.

3.  In North Dakota, people take care of themselves.  No whining here.  Again from the Would You Believe article:

We did not wait for some affirmative action government to get us out of 
a mess created by being immobilized by a welfare program that trades 
votes for ’sittin at home’ checks. 
 
Even though a Category “5″ blizzard of this scale has never fallen this 
early, we know it can happen and how to deal with it ourselves. 

4.  North Dakota people have hobbies…an indicator of the ability to deal well with stress (scroll down).  See here, here and here for a few samples.  What it boils down to:  people in North Dakota know how to make their own fun.

5.  North Dakota people choose to live where they live because of the slower pace of life and because of the quality of life here.  See here for more about quality of life in North Dakota.

That’s not to say that North Dakotans don’t have their share of illness.  They just have great big spirits and jolly outlooks on life, and somehow those qualities pull them through their difficulties year after year.