Greater Grand Forks

Greater Grand Forks
The Grand Cities
The Forks
Greater Grand Forks
Map of Greater Grand ForksThe Grand CitiesThe Forks
Coordinates: 47°55′37″N 97°01′42″W / 47.9269°N 97.0283°W
Country United States
State(s) North Dakota, Minnesota
Largest city Grand Forks, ND
Other cities East Grand Forks, MN
Crookston, MN
Area
 • Total 3,408 sq mi (8,830 km2)
Highest elevation 840 feet at Airport ft (256 meters m)
Lowest elevation 779 feet at Red River of the North ft (237 meters m)
Population
 • Total 98,888[1]
 • Rank 352th in the U.S.
 • Density 28/sq mi (11/km2)
The Sorlie bridge carries DeMers Avenue between Grand Forks and East Grand Forks.

"Greater Grand Forks" (officially the Grand Forks, ND-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area) is the name used by some people to designate the twin cities of Grand Forks, North Dakota and East Grand Forks, Minnesota as well as the surrounding area. The two cities lie directly across from each other on both sides of the Red River of the North. Two counties make up the metropolitan area – Grand Forks County in North Dakota and Polk County in Minnesota. As of the 2010 census, the MSA had a population of 98,461, and in 2013 estimates placed the population at 100,748.[1]

The metropolitan area is also sometimes called "The Forks." An effort was made several years ago to "brand" the metropolitan area as "The Grand Cities." This name has not found widespread use in the area, although several buildings and organizations in town now bear the "Grand Cities" title. Occasionally, the city of Grand Forks uses the nickname "The Sunflake City".

Communities

Places with more than 50,000 inhabitants

Places with 5,000 to 10,000 inhabitants

Places with 1,000 to 5,000 inhabitants

Places with less than 1,000 inhabitants

Unincorporated places

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
188017,681—
189048,549174.6%
190059,88823.4%
191063,8896.7%
192065,8853.1%
193067,9753.2%
194072,2526.3%
195075,3484.3%
196084,85912.6%
197095,53712.6%
1980100,9445.7%
1990103,1812.2%
200097,478−5.5%
201098,4611.0%
Est. 2013100,7482.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[2]
2012 Estimate[1]

According to the 2006–2008 American Community Survey, the population of the Greater Grand Forks metro area was 97,260, of which 50.9% were male and 49.1% were female.

Age

Race

According to the same survey, the racial composition was as follows:

Ancestry

According to the 2006–2008 American Community Survey, the top ten European ancestry groups were the following:

Language spoken at home

Education

K-12

Public schools

The Grand Forks Public Schools system serves Grand Forks and Grand Forks Air Force Base. The district consists of 12 elementary schools, four middle schools, two high schools, an alternative high school, an adult learning center, and a Head Start program.

The East Grand Forks School District serves East Grand Forks and the surrounding rural areas. The district consists of two elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school.

Private schools

In Grand Forks, St. Michael's Catholic Church and Holy Family Catholic Church both have Catholic elementary schools. There are no Catholic middle or high schools in Grand Forks, but East Grand Forks is home to Sacred Heart Catholic Church's school, which educates from kindergarten through the 12th grade. East Grand Forks is also home to Riverside Christian School, a nondenominational elementary school.

Higher education

*also has a campus in Thief River Falls, Minnesota

Media

See Media in Grand Forks, North Dakota for a list of newspapers, television stations, and radio stations

Print

The major daily newspaper is the Grand Forks Herald. The only other daily newspaper in the area is the Crookston Daily Times of Crookston. The Exponent of East Grand Forks is a weekly newspaper. The Dakota Student is a campus newspaper published twice a week (during the school year) by students of the University of North Dakota. There are also several other weekly newspapers in the area including the Hillsboro Banner.

Television

The metropolitan area receives all major broadcast networks over the air, along with cable, and satellite television. The major cable television company is Midcontinent Communications.

The only broadcast stations based in the metro area are WDAZ-TV 8 (ABC) and KCPM 27 (MNTV). KVLY-TV and KRDK-TV both have news bureaus in Grand Forks, though the stations are based in Fargo.

Local TV stations include:

Radio

See Media in Grand Forks, North Dakota for a list of all radio stations

There are several radio stations available in the area. All of the commercial radio stations in Grand Forks are owned by either Clear Channel Communications or Leighton Broadcasting. The area is also served by stations of North Dakota Public Radio (KUND 89.3 FM and KFJM 90.7 FM) and Minnesota Public Radio (KQMN 91.5 FM classical music and KNTN 102.7 FM news/talk). Several religious organizations have Christian radio stations throughout the area.

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Table 1. Annual Estimates of the Population of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012 (CBSA-EST2012-01)" (CSV). 2012 Population Estimates. United States Census Bureau, Population Division. 2013-05-19. Retrieved 2013-05-19.
  2. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". Census.gov. Retrieved May 19, 2013.

Coordinates: 47°55′37″N 97°01′42″W / 47.92694°N 97.02833°Wz