Alsen, ND

united states

Alsen is a tiny farming community of 39 people in northern North Dakota, 15 miles from Canada. Take US Highway 81 north from Grand Forks for the most direct 90-mile route, or connect via Interstate 29 from Fargo. The town sits in Cavalier County's wheat country along the Pembina River valley, where winter temperatures drop well below zero and summers warm the endless grain fields. Its small cemetery preserves the Norwegian and German heritage of the immigrant families who first settled this remote prairie corner.