| East Grand Forks, Minnesota | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| Nickname(s): The Grand Cities | |
| Location of East Grand Forks in Polk County, Minnesota | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Minnesota |
| County | Polk |
| Metro | Greater Grand Forks |
| Founded | 1887 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Lynn Stauss |
| Area | |
| • City | 5.0 sq mi (12.9 km2) |
| • Land | 5.0 sq mi (12.9 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 833 ft (254 m) |
| Population (2010)[1] | |
| • City | 8,601 |
| • Density | 1,562.4/sq mi (605.6/km2) |
| • Metro | 98,461 |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 56721 |
| Area code(s) | 218 |
| FIPS code | 27-17612[2] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0643079[3] |
| Website | www.ci.east-grand-forks.mn.us |
East Grand Forks is a city in Polk County, Minnesota in the United States. The population was 8,601 at the 2010 Census, making it the largest community in Polk County.[1]
It is located in the Red River Valley region along the eastern bank of the Red River of the North, directly across from the larger city of Grand Forks, North Dakota. The twin cities of Grand Forks and East Grand Forks form the center of the Grand Forks, ND-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is often called Greater Grand Forks. The metropolitan area had an estimated population of 98,461 on April 1, 2010.[4]
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East Grand Forks, along with Grand Forks, was heavily damaged by a major flood in 1997. The entire city was under a mandatory evacuation and almost no homes were spared damage. After the flood, several neighborhoods had to be demolished. The city has rebuilt itself and the once inundated downtown area now contains a number of new businesses including a Cabela's sporting goods store. A new system of dikes has been constructed to protect the city from future flooding. The land bordering the Red and Red Lake rivers has been cleared of developments and is now a large park known as the Greater Grand Forks Greenway.
East Grand Forks is located in the flat, fertile Red River Valley which once was a part of historical glacial Lake Agassiz.
The Red Lake River divides East Grand Forks into two main sections. The main part of town, located north of the river, is the home of the downtown area as well as several residential neighborhoods. The area south of the river is known as "The Point" where the land narrows almost to a peninsula and where the Red and Red Lake rivers meet. "The Point" contains more residential development.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.0 square miles (13 km2), all of it land.
Four-lane U.S. Highway 2; U.S. Highway 2 Business Route; and Minnesota Highway 220 are three of the main routes in the city. Other nearby routes in the Grand Forks-East Grand Forks area include Interstate Highway 29 and U.S. Highway 81.
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 7,501 people, 2,929 households, and 1,933 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,501.5 people per square mile (579.2/km²). There were 3,108 housing units at an average density of 622.1 per square mile (240.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.97% White, 0.52% African American, 1.68% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 4.47% from other races, and 2.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.53% of the population.
There were 2,929 households out of which 36.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.3% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.8% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 98.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,866, and the median income for a family was $47,846. Males had a median income of $33,134 versus $22,094 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,599. About 8.2% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.7% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1890 | 795 |
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| 1900 | 2,077 | 161.3% | |
| 1910 | 2,533 | 22.0% | |
| 1920 | 2,490 | −1.7% | |
| 1930 | 2,922 | 17.3% | |
| 1940 | 3,511 | 20.2% | |
| 1950 | 5,049 | 43.8% | |
| 1960 | 6,998 | 38.6% | |
| 1970 | 7,607 | 8.7% | |
| 1980 | 8,537 | 12.2% | |
| 1990 | 8,658 | 1.4% | |
| 2000 | 7,501 | −13.4% | |
| 2010 | 8,601 | 14.7% | |
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The East Grand Forks School District enrolls over 1,000 students and operates two elementary schools (South Point Elementary and New Heights Elementary), Central Middle School, and East Grand Forks Senior High School. There are also two private Christian schools. Sacred Heart School is a Roman Catholic elementary, middle, and high school. Riverside Christian School is a nondeominational Christian elementary and middle school.
The only higher educational institution in East Grand Forks is Northland Community & Technical College or "NCTC" for short, which also has a campus 50 miles northeast in Thief River Falls. It began in 1993 as Northwest Technical College, which has campus in other Minnesota towns, but eventually was bought by NCTC. The 2-year school has seen steady growth in enrollment in the past 5 years. Across the Red River in Grand Forks is the University of North Dakota.
Most of the tourist activities can be found in neighboring Grand Forks, though EGF has a downtown shopping district that includes a small shopping center, a 15-screen movie theater, and a Cabela's sporting goods store. After the Flood of 1997, where the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) placed the area in the floodplain, is now a state campground. Because of Minnesota's state budget, it plans to give the campground to the city. The campground is a part of the Greater Grand Forks Greenway. On the northern part of town is a private golf course, Valley Country Club.
East Grand Forks has several annual local community events such as the Catfish Days and the Frosty Bobber fishing tournaments, Heritage Days, and arts and crafts shows. EGF also has other events shared with Grand Forks which the Potato Bowl parade and the First Night, a New Years celebration that's alcohol free. Catfish Days, a cat-fishing tournament in the summer, attracts people all over the United States and Canada, and is one of the largest fishing tournaments in the region.
Each June, the Grand Cities Art Fest takes place in downtown Grand Forks and East Grand Forks.
for a list of newspapers, TV, and radio stations
East Grand Forks has a local weekly newspaper, The Exponent. The regional daily newspaper is the Grand Forks Herald, printed in Grand Forks. The TV stations are either from Grand Forks or Fargo, while most of the radio stations are from Grand Forks or Thief River Falls. WDAZ is the only TV station in the area that produces local newcasts. Though KXJB, KVLY-TV, and KBRR broadcast out of Fargo, North Dakota, they have some local-based content in their local newscasts. KBRR is based in Grand Forks and Thief River Falls, but rebroadcasts KVRR of Fargo. KXJB and KVLY are also based in Fargo, but have studios in Grand Forks. KCPM is also based in Grand Forks, but does not carry local newscasts. KGFE is part of the Prairie Public Television and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Public television and also doesn't carry newscasts. The local Cable TV carrier is Midcontinent Communications.
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