North Dakota Has The Most Bars Per Capita In United States
North Dakota has the highest amount of bars per capita in the United States because there is one bar for every 1,620 North Dakotans.
This survey was compiled according to The Forum’s analysis of US Census Bureau business patterns data from 2011. This was the most recent year that the information was available from.
North Dakota beat out its neighboring state Montana and Minnesota, whilst it also posses the sixth largest amount of liquor stores in the country too, which is one per 1,937 residents.
Pam Sagness, who is the prevention administrator for the Mental Health and Substance Abuse division of the state health department, remarked that she wasn’t surprised by the status of the state as it has a long track record of problems with alcohol abuse.
Sagness stated that North Dakotan’s have an attitude of “work hard, play hard,” which has steadily driven up the ratio of bars to residents, whilst a 2010 study also proved that its inhabitants binge drink more often, and in larger quantities, than other Americans. Sagness confirmed that it didn’t get to this state “overnight.”
Laura Mio, who grew up in the northwest but is the general manger at JL Beers in Fargo, wasn’t surprised with the news, stating, “The joke was, you have to have as many bars as churches, if not more.”
Inforum states that the Fargo-Moorhead region was the worst area for alcohol hotspots, stating that there is one bar or liquor store for every 2,060 people.
Sagness’ reason for why this problem hasn’t been combatted is that there is no statewide agency that is regulating alcohol, and it is left to local governments to hand out liquor licenses.
Do you think that the North Dakotans are the heaviest drinkers in the United States of America? Have you ever partied in the state?
