The story wasn't about the "positives". It merely documented a sad chapter in the biography of the state. Frankly, I think more readers of NG would have more curiosity about NoDak after reading about a town of six people than a story about Fargo or Bismarck. As a practical matter, I think the national press, like NG and the NY Times, has a bit of a soft spot for my old state because it is different from the rest of the nation on a number of levels and it does have a unique story. Unfortunately, most NoDaks seem to have such an inferiority complex when the national press covers the state, they automatically get defensive and want coverage to include Fargo, Microsoft (nee: Great Plains), the oil biz, etc. and it makes them look rather silly.