West Fargo Neighborhood Guide
Riverside, West Fargo ND
A quiet bend in the Sheyenne River. Ranch homes and split-levels with boats sitting in the backyard. Mature trees that have been shading these streets since the 1970s. The Hulbert Aquatic Center steps away for lap swimmers and families. Riverside is the most authentically old-school neighborhood in the West Fargo guide series, and also the most affordable. For buyers who want the river, the trees, and West Fargo schools at the lowest possible entry point in the guide, Riverside is where the search ends.
Late 1970s-1980s
Primary build era, with boats in backyards and mature trees on every block.
Most Affordable
Lowest average home value of any neighborhood in the West Fargo guide series.
Sheyenne River
Wraps the eastern edge of the neighborhood, with boats in backyards and Armour Park access.
Water Access: Two Ways
Riverside's defining amenities are both water-related, the Sheyenne River wrapping the neighborhood's edge, and the Hulbert Aquatic Center steps away. No other West Fargo neighborhood in this guide series offers both.
Eastern Boundary
The Sheyenne River
The Sheyenne River bends around Riverside's eastern edge, and residents who back directly up to it have a natural waterfront that is simply not available at this price point anywhere else in the metro. Boats sit in backyards waiting to be used, a feature that tells you more about the lifestyle this neighborhood supports than any spec sheet can.
Armour Park provides direct public river access for residents who do not have a riverfront lot, a designated green space where the neighborhood meets the water. The mature tree canopy along the river bank adds privacy, shade, and the kind of natural setting that buyers from larger metro areas consistently find surprising in a west Fargo neighborhood at this price range.
Year-Round Recreation
Hulbert Aquatic Center
The Hulbert Aquatic Center is one of West Fargo's primary indoor aquatic facilities, with lap pools, diving boards, and year-round programming for all ages and skill levels. For a neighborhood this size and at this price point, proximity to a full-service indoor aquatic center is an uncommon amenity that families with young swimmers, competitive athletes, and fitness-oriented residents all benefit from.
In a climate where outdoor water access is limited to roughly five months of the year, having indoor aquatic access within the neighborhood's immediate orbit changes what water-adjacent living actually looks like in practice.
Riverside is what buyers who have been touring newer west Fargo neighborhoods sometimes stumble onto and immediately recalibrate their search around. Sheyenne River access, mature trees, boats in backyards, and West Fargo schools at the lowest average price in the guide series. It is not a secret once you have seen it.
Around Riverside
A small neighborhood with strong anchors in multiple directions.
Armour Park
Public river access and green space at the neighborhood's eastern edge.
Hulbert Aquatic Center
Lap pools, diving boards, and year-round programming, steps from the neighborhood.
Sandy's Donuts
Fargo-Moorhead's iconic locally-owned donut institution, nearby.
13th Ave Corridor
West Fargo's north shopping and dining strip, minutes away for everyday errands.
All four sit within a few minutes of most Riverside addresses, giving residents genuine daily access to green space, water, food, and everyday shopping without leaving the immediate area.
What Makes Riverside Different
An older west Fargo neighborhood that has stayed exactly what it was always meant to be, quiet, affordable, tree-lined, and river-adjacent.
The Classic Quiet Suburb
While much of West Fargo has transformed dramatically over the past two decades, Riverside has remained what it was built to be, a classic, low-traffic residential neighborhood where families walk safely and the pace of life stays deliberately slow. Residential streets keep outside traffic minimal, and the small number of blocks in the neighborhood means it genuinely functions as a close-knit community rather than a subdivision.
Mature Trees & Spacious Yards
Homes in Riverside typically have ample lawns and the established tree cover that comes with a neighborhood built in the 1970s and 1980s. Ranch homes sit behind mature trees on block after block, giving the streetscape a shaded, settled quality that buyers coming from West Fargo's newer subdivisions find immediately different. Some properties have enough backyard space for a pool, a playset, and the boat waiting for its next river trip.
Lower Property Taxes
As an older, established neighborhood with a lower average assessment value, Riverside carries lower property taxes than most of its West Fargo neighbors. For buyers who are calculating total cost of ownership rather than just purchase price, this distinction becomes meaningful, particularly in a metro where newer construction in active development zones can carry elevated tax assessments.
Sandy's Donuts Nearby
Sandy's Donuts, one of Fargo-Moorhead's most iconic locally-owned institutions with a following that extends across North Dakota and Minnesota, is accessible from Riverside. For a neighborhood without a significant commercial footprint of its own, Sandy's proximity provides the kind of neighborhood-adjacent local character that residents in any Fargo community appreciate as part of their daily routine.
West Fargo's Agricultural Heritage
Riverside sits alongside the remnants of West Fargo's original industrial and agricultural identity, including trucking buildings and agricultural supply structures that speak to the city's history as a processing hub before the residential expansion of the last three decades. The heritage of the surrounding area gives Riverside a grounded, working-city character that feels distinctly different from the planned suburban developments to the south.
West Fargo Schools at the Lowest Price
Riverside carries the lowest average home value of any neighborhood in the WSRT West Fargo guide series while still accessing the West Fargo Public School District. For first-time buyers, value-oriented buyers, or buyers who have been priced out of the district's newer neighborhoods, Riverside provides a genuine entry point into one of North Dakota's top-rated school districts without compromise on the educational pathway.
Homes & Pricing
What You'll Find Here
A compact selection of 1970s and 1980s vintage homes, ramblers, split-levels, and townhomes, with meaningful value in the riverfront tier.
Entry
Townhomes & Smaller Ramblers
The most accessible ownership entry point in the West Fargo guide series. Townhomes and smaller ranch-style homes provide a genuine west Fargo address with school access at a price point that puts first-time buyers and value-oriented buyers squarely in range.
Mid-Range
Split-Levels & Traditional Ramblers
The core of the Riverside market, vintage ranch-style and split-level homes with ample yards, mature trees, and the individual character that accumulates over decades. This is where the neighborhood's accessible character shows most clearly, with prices well below the district median.
Premium
Riverfront & Larger Homes
Homes that back directly up to the Sheyenne River represent the most distinctive and most tightly held properties in the neighborhood. Boat access, river views, and the kind of natural backyard setting that simply does not exist at this price anywhere else in the metro.
Riverside delivers more interior space per dollar than most West Fargo neighborhoods at comparable price points, with Sheyenne River access built in.
Schools
Schools Serving Riverside
Riverside is served by the West Fargo Public School District, consistently one of North Dakota's top-rated districts, providing access to strong schools at every level at one of the most accessible price points in the district's coverage area.
West Fargo Elementary
West Fargo Middle School
West Fargo High School
Always verify current enrollment zones with the school district before purchasing, as boundaries can change.
Is It a Fit?
Who Riverside Is a Great Fit For
Riverside draws a specific buyer, one who values affordability, river access, and authentic neighborhood character over new construction. Here is who tends to love it most, and what to know before committing.
Strong Fit
- First-time buyers who want West Fargo school access at the lowest price point in the district's guide series
- Anglers and boaters who want to keep their boat in the backyard and launch from Armour Park, no trailhead required
- Families who want the Hulbert Aquatic Center within walking distance for year-round swimming access
- Value-oriented buyers who recognize that Sheyenne River access, mature trees, and West Fargo schools at the most accessible price point in the guide is genuinely rare
- Buyers who want the classic quiet-suburb feel that saturated new construction elsewhere in West Fargo has made increasingly hard to find
- Buyers focused on total cost of ownership who factor lower property taxes into the comparison against higher-assessed newer neighborhoods
Worth Knowing Before You Commit
- Homes built in the late 1970s and 1980s carry aging infrastructure across mechanicals, roofing, electrical panels, and windows are all on their own update timelines. A thorough inspection is essential regardless of purchase price.
- Industrial and trucking buildings sit adjacent to parts of the neighborhood, a holdover from West Fargo's agricultural processing history. The residential streets are quiet, but the industrial neighbors are visible from some edges. A site visit is worth the time to determine whether this matters for a specific address.
- Riverfront lots carry the neighborhood's highest prices and move fastest. Pre-approval and a WSRT connection before searching is essential if a riverfront property is the target.
- Riverside is a small neighborhood with historically very thin inventory. Buyers need patience and an early connection with WSRT to be positioned when something comes available.
- Some homes near the Sheyenne River may carry flood insurance requirements. The FM Diversion Project's completion will reclassify most affected properties; confirm current requirements with your lender before purchasing.
Ready to Explore Riverside?
Riverside's combination of river access, mature trees, West Fargo schools, and the lowest average value in the West Fargo guide series makes it one of the most underappreciated addresses in the metro. WSRT watches this neighborhood closely. Let us connect you before the right home appears and disappears.
Let's Talk
Buying, selling, or just exploring the Fargo-Moorhead market, start with a real conversation.
No pressure, no scripts. Reach out and we'll tell you plainly what we see and what we'd do next.