About a month ago, I wrote an editorial on why I'd never move to North Dakota.

In a nutshell, I argued that no matter how many "Best XYZ" lists the state landed on, North Dakota's limited industries (oil), lack of diversity and smalltown vibe wasn't for me.

It might have been my blunt honesty that startled readers, but the post whipped up such a firestorm in the state that bloggers and newspapers published impassioned rebuttals and my inbox was flooded with hate mail.

How could I, they asked, possibly discount a place I had never visited?

That all changed last weekend, when I accepted an invitation from Fargo's Convention & Visitors Bureau to check out the city for myself.