Portal:North Dakota/City/2007September

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Grand Forks is a city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Grand Forks County. Grand Forks is North Dakota's third largest city after Fargo and Bismarck. As of 2005, the city has an estimated population of 53,230 and an estimated metropolitan population of 96,523 as of 2006. The city is populated primarily by people of European descent; 93.35% of residents are white and the top ancestry groups are Norwegian (36.4%) and German (34.7%). Grand Forks, along with its twin city of East Grand Forks, Minnesota, forms the center of the Grand Forks, ND-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is often called Greater Grand Forks or The Grand Cities.

Grand Forks sits on the western banks of the Red River in an extremely flat region known as the Red River Valley. The forking of the Red River with the Red Lake River at Grand Forks is the origin of the city's name. Originally called Les Grandes Fourches by French fur traders, Grand Forks was founded in 1870 by steamboat captain Alexander Griggs and officially incorporated on February 22, 1881. Grand Forks became known for its battle with the flooding Red River during April of 1997 in what is referred to as The Flood of 1997. Today, Grand Forks has mostly recovered from the flooding.

Historically dependent on local agriculture, the city's economy now also encompasses higher education, defense, health care, manufacturing, food processing, the retail and service sector, and some scientific research. The city is located at the junction of Interstate 29 and U.S. Route 2. Commercial air service is provided by Grand Forks International Airport while the U.S. Air Force operates Grand Forks Air Force Base just west of the city.

The University of North Dakota, the largest and oldest university in the state, is located in Grand Forks. The city has several theaters and museums, including the North Dakota Museum of Art. The Chester Fritz Auditorium hosts concerts and other cultural events and the Alerus Center and Ralph Engelstad Arena also host concerts as well as athletic events. The city has a system of parks including a large park area called the Greater Grand Forks Greenway which borders the Red River.