It is located in southeastern North Dakota and the seat of Cass County. Fargo is situated in the Red River of the North. The city has been founded by the Northern Pacific Railway on the river's crossing point, and it has served then as the early settlers' outfitting post along with its steamboat and rail facilities. Home to the North Dakota State University, Fargo is a center of cultural, retail, health care, industrial, and educational for the eastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota region. The city's role in the transportation, marketing, and distribution center, along with its naturally fertile soil, captured the attention of the Norwegian immigrants.