Google's Sketchup will allow you to import images of your surroundings. Then you can "see" out the windows of your Sketchup 3-d house. You can also read the classic book "A Pattern Language" which has some good info about comfort, much as Virgil Carter above. It may be in your local library, or https://www.amazon.com/Pattern-Language-Buildings-Construction-Environmental/dp/0195019199

You appear to have a nice E-SE option for the rear of the house. You probably wouldn't want private rooms facing the street. Think about the kind of light you want in various rooms in the morning, evening, etc. I'd put the garage N or NW, where it can block the cold and wind.

Everyone coming into my MIL's apartment commented on her lovely view, but she said she'd stopped noticing it. She reminded people that she lived *inside*, and she didn't like her tiny kitchen.

Aaah, North Dakota. Is the telephone pole still the State Tree?

(I use to go to family reunions there as a child; Bismarck & Garrison Dam area)

Thanks for the responses. It is 2.2 ac. so we have options, but whatever it will be, will end up a compromise of something. The seasonal extremes we see make things interesting that's for sure.

Our current home has a backyard facing NW, so we are aware of what comes with that, but even our side yard that faces directly south is very unpleasant in the summer

Mark - Lucky you, those are two of the best areas in the state!

We're on a farm in Alberta with a similar climate and winds. We oriented our new house so that the front of the house faces north and the kitchen, dining room, and living room face south. About 15 years ago we planted several rows of shelterbelt trees, evergreen and deciduous, around the field in which we built the house, so we have some shade from the trees this summer and when the leaves drop in the fall we'll get more sun and (relative lol) warmth.

Even though Alberta is sunnier than a lot of places in Canada in the winter, we can't rely much on the sun to melt snow and ice in front of the house, so that wasn't at all a consideration.

As well as orientation, also consider the cost of a driveway and bringing services (water, electricity, etc.) to your home. Setting your home well back can quickly add surprising amounts to these necessities. Do your homework on these as well and don't forget to factor in their cost to your overall building budget.

I agree completely with the recomendation for a south orientation. I grew up in a house where the largest windows face south, including a very big picture window in the living room. My parents still live there. It's in the Niagara area.

In the winter, the sun penetrates deep into the house, providing heat and welcome light during the short days. In the summer, the sun is high and doesn't heat up the house since there are no east or west windows. It's wonderful, and I envy them since my own home has an east-west orientation. We've planted trees to mitigate the west sun, but it's not the same. In the winter, we barely see the sun in my house.

OP: I had/have the same question regarding my lot and got some responses that might be helpful to you as well:

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/orientation-of-house-on-lot-dsvw-vd~5320758

Take a very good architect, A North Dakota architect...........to the SITE. You will shorten the pondering by months. Wind, hot/cold extremes, flooding. and what not. North Dakota comes with bonuses. You need a plan. You won't get it here : )

Jan is right. Let me fix her wording. "You need a plan. You won't get it here from me." She's right about that. But she's also correct about bringing a world renowned architect and possibly an award winning landscape architect to the site will likely get you a very good plan. Worldwide competition with a big prize could help you identify those worthies. Or you could submit the info to a ND University Architectural School class as an exercise for some forward looking plans. Maybe wind power and lithium batteries.. Many more options. Maybe a Kickstarter or Facebook fund raising site idea.

The more on site info you can supply the better the responses you'll get from people on this forum. So keep moving ahead step by step. Orienting to the south with driveway and garage to the north is a beginning. You drive by the house to enter the drive. The walkout being on the west which is the same side as the road is the challenge. That suggests no traditional front elevation. That opens the design potential.