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Grand Forks is a city located on the west bank of the Red River of the North. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 49,321. It is the county seat of Grand Forks County6 and the third largest city in North Dakota. It has a twin city, East Grand Forks, Minnesota.
Grand Forks is home to the University of North Dakota (UND) and the Grand Forks Air Force Base. The local paper is the Grand Forks Herald.
Geography
Grand Forks is located at 47°54'44" North, 97°3'17" West (47.912326, -97.054860)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 49.9 km² (19.2 mi²). 49.8 km² (19.2 mi²) of it is land and none of the area is covered with water.
The landscape is very flat. Being in one of the flattest parts of the world, the city has very few differences in elevation. However, the city has several attractive areas. The English Coulee and Belmont Coulee run through sections of Grand Forks and provide some break in the otherwise level plain which the city is built upon. Also, Grand Forks has a large "urban forest" of old trees lining the streets in the historic neighborhoods and university campus.
Transportation
Airport
Grand Forks International Airport (also known as Mark Andrews International Airport) (GFK, KGFK) is served by Northwest Airlines with several daily roundtrips to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
Highways
Three federal highways pass through Grand Forks: US 2, I-29, and US 81.
US 2 runs East-West through the north part of town and is a four lane highway. In the city limits, the highway is called Gateway Drive. Its business route, Demers Avenue, runs through the city centers of both Grand Forks and East Grand Forks.
I-29 runs North-South along the western edge of the city, officially muliplexed with US 81 in the Grand Forks area. The US 81 business route, Washington Street, runs through many of the city's major commerical districts.
Mass Transit
The city maintains a bus system called Cities Area Transit (or CAT). The system has operated since 1926 when it was introduced to replace an earlier trolley system. There are currently eleven bus routes including night service and service in the community of East Grand Forks. The Metro Area Transit Center is located downtown on Kittson Avenue. It is essentially the "depot" and main connecting point of the system. Recently, the city purchased a bus that looks much like the trolleys that used to operate in the city.
Railroads
The Burlington Northern Santa Fe railway runs track in several directions in and around the city. Amtrak passenger service on the Empire Builder line heads westbound daily at 5:00 am and eastbound daily at midnight.
Street System
The older sections of Grand Forks are structured in the classic grid street system. North-South routes are called streets, and East-West routes are called avenues. Streets are numbered in blocks west of the river. Avenues are numbered in blocks north or south of Demers Avenue (the city's historic divisionary route abutting the railyards).
Major east-west routes (listed from north to south):
Gateway Drive (Highway 2)
Sixth Avenue North
University Avenue
DeMers Avenue
13th Avenue South
17th Avenue South
24th Avenue South
32nd Avenue South
47th Avenue South
Major north-south routes (listed from east to west):
Belmont Road
Cherry Street
Washington Street
20th Street
Columbia Road
34th Street
42nd Street
Government
The office of mayor is a four year term. It is a part-time position paying $24,000 a year. The current mayor of Grand Forks is obstetrician Dr. Michael Brown. He was first elected in 2000 and re-elected in 2004. The mayor is primarily responsible for overseeing the daily administration of city government. This involves working directly with departments and department heads to ensure the proper provision of services to the residents of Grand Forks.
Grand Forks uses a city council system. The city is divided into seven wards with each ward electing their own city council representative. Currently, the council consists of six men and one woman. The council meets every week and its meetings are broadcast on a local cable channel.
1997 Flood
The city was struck by a severe flood in 1997, causing extensive damage. A major fire also destroyed eleven buildings in the city's downtown area during the height of the flooding. National media attention, including a large donation from McDonald's restaurant heiress Joan Kroc, helped speed recovery. Several neighborhoods had to be demolished to make way for a massive new dike system which will protect the community from future flooding.
Since the flood, new development has taken place throughout the city, including the Alerus Events Center, the $100+ million dollar Ralph Engelstad Arena (home of the UND Fighting Sioux hockey team) on the UND campus, and a number of new retail projects on the outskirts of town.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 49,321 people, 19,677 households, and 11,058 families residing in the city. The population density is 989.8/km² (2,563.0/mi²). There are 20,838 housing units at an average density of 418.2/km² (1,082.8/mi²).
The racial makeup of the city is 93.35% White, 0.86% African American, 2.75% Native American, 0.96% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.58% from other races, and 1.44% from two or more races. 1.87% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. The top 6 ancestry groups in the city are Norwegian (36.4%), German (34.7%), Irish (10.6%), French (6.5%),Polish (6.2%), English (6.1%).
There are 19,677 households out of which 28.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.2% are married couples living together, 10.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 43.8% are non-families. 31.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.31 and the average family size is 2.96.
In the city the population is spread out with 21.4% under the age of 18, 22.9% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 28 years. For every 100 females there are 102.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 100.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $34,194, and the median income for a family is $47,491. Males have a median income of $30,703 versus $21,573 for females. The per capita income for the city is $18,395. 14.6% of the population and 9.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 14.6% of those under the age of 18 and 7.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
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