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Grand Forks is a city in northeast North Dakota, a state in the United States of America. With a population of about 52,838 people in 2010 census, it's the third largest urban area in the state. There are another 8,601 people in East Grand Forks on the other side of the Red River in Minnesota. Grand Forks is best known for the disastrous flood of 1997 and the productive nearby farms which grow mostly wheat and sugar beets. Grand Forks sits at the center of the former Lake Agassiz which is why this area is so incredibly flat.

Get in

By plane

1 Grand Forks International Airport (GFK  IATA) is served by Delta Air Lines via Delta Connection flights operated by Pinnacle Airlines and Mesaba Airlines, both on routes to Delta's hub at Minneapolis/Saint Paul, Minnesota. Also, Allegiant Air provides nonstop service from Grand Forks to Las Vegas, Phoenix/Mesa, and Orlando. Alternatively, you can fly out of the larger airports in Fargo or Winnipeg, Manitoba.

By bus

Greyhound and Jefferson Lines serve Grand Forks. 450 Kittson Avenue 775-4781.

By car

US Highway 2 runs east-west, and Interstate 29 and US 81 run north-south. Fargo is about an hour south, Winnipeg is two hours north, and Minot is three hours west.

By train

  • 2 Amtrak, 5555 DeMers Ave (The train station is located on the edge of town), ☏ +1 701 775-0484. Station hours 10:30PM-6AM daily. Amtrak's Empire Builder serves Grand Forks once daily in each direction. Eastbound trains arrive at 12:57AM, Westbound trains arrive at 4:52AM. The only 24 hour taxi service is Grand Forks Taxi. 

Get around

By bus

Grand Forks has the best bus system in North Dakota, and it is adequate for most daytime excursions.

By taxi

  • Red White & Blue Taxi/Shuttle, 2212 Library Circle, ☏ +1 701 746-5008. 

See

  • Ralph Engelstad Arena, 801 North Columbia Rd. This has been selected as one of the top 10 sports arenas in the world. It is the home of the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux hockey teams (men and women). Attached to it is the Betty Engelstad Arena, home of UND's men basketball and women's basketball and volleyball. 

Do

  • Sports. High school and college sports abound. 
  • Theater. Numerous theaters featuring a wide variety of plays and productions. Lots of entertainment comes to town to play at the Alerus, the Ralph Engelstad Arena and the Chester Fritz. Catch a play at the Firehall theatre (a cute, old renovated fire station) or a musical at the Empire. 
  • Hunting. 
  • Fishing. In the summer, fish in lakes and rivers. In the winter, try ice fishing. 

Buy

  • Columbia Mall (Columbia Road and 32nd Ave South). Rather small traditional mall given the size of the city. 
  • Grand Cities Mall, South Washington. Rather large strip mall. 
  • Grand Forks Marketplace, 32nd Ave S (between 34th Street and I-29). A large collection of strip malls and "big box" stores. 

Eat

A good place to start looking for restaurants is Downtown — the 100 block of North 3rd Street. There are various coffee shops, pizza places, and other locally owned restaurants in this area. A short walk over the bridge to East Grand Forks is a good followup.

  • Sanders 1907 Restaurant, 22 South 3rd St, ☏ +1 701 746-8970. 17:00-late, closed Sunday and Monday. Wonderful food, great wine list, excellent service. Live music often on weekends. Call for reservations. Main dishes $20-30. 
  • China Garden Restaurant, 2550 32nd Avenue S, ☏ +1 701 772-0660. Sit-down Chinese restaurant. $7-15. 
  • 1 Amazing Grains, 214 Demers Ave (Downtown by the Sorlie Memorial Bridge.), ☏ +1 701 775-4542. M-F 9AM-8PM, Sa 9AM-6PM, Su noon-6PM. This natural foods grocery store has a large selection of organic and locally grown food. It also has a bakery and small deli, which sells sandwiches, soup, and smoothies for lunch. 
  • 'l Bistro, 1000 S 42nd St (Part of the CanadInn/Alerus Center complex. phone=). Selection of Mediterranean, Italian, and American foods. Live jazz/blues on Thursday nights with 2 for 1 martini and 1/2 price pizza specials. 

Drink

In its early years, Grand Forks was a dry town, and East Grand Forks was more than happy to pick up the slack. Yet currently, the best drinking establishments in town can be located in the heart of the Downtown district.

Sleep

  • CanadInn, 1000 S 42nd St (Connected to the Alerus Center), ☏ +1 701 772-8404. CanadInn Grand Forks is home to numerous bars/restaurants, an arcade, and the Splasher's of the South Seas water park. 

Go next

  • Winnipeg is two hours north via Interstate 29, and Fargo is about an hour south.
  • Turtle River State Park is 20 minutes to the west on US Highway 2. Year-round recreational activities, including camping, picnicking, fishing and trails for hiking, mountain biking and cross country skiing. Rustic group cabins can also be rented.
  • Ronald Reagan Minuteman Missile State Historic Site near Cooperstown, 1.5 hour drive to the southwest. Preserved deactivated Minuteman II ICBM launch facility (topside only) and guided tours of preserved deactivated "Oscar Zero" Launch Control Center that was part of nuclear deterrent attached to Grand Forks AFB during the Cold War.
Routes through Grand Forks
Minot ← Devils Lake ←  W  E  → Fargo → St. Paul
Winnipeg ← Drayton Template:Lfarrow Jct W ←  N  S  → Hillsboro → Fargo
Minot ← Arvilla ←  W  E  → East Grand Forks → Bemidji
Winnipeg ← Grafton ←  N  S  → Hillsboro → Fargo



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