It's been several years since we lived up that way, but we really liked the Bismarck/Mandan area. If you enjoy the outdoors, it's puts you close to several national parks, and some great rivers for kayaking and fishing. If there in the summer, drive out to Medora- It's a lot of fun. We enjoyed going to the Dakota zoo- cheap and decent. There are also a lot of cool pubs and breweries.
No idea on best places to live.