Greater Grand Forks


"Greater Grand Forks" is the name used by some people to designate the twin cities of Grand Forks, North Dakota and East Grand Forks, Minnesota, together with their surrounding areas. The two cities lie directly across from each other on both sides of the Red River of the North, but Grand Forks, with a population of 52,838, is more than five times larger than East Grand Forks, with a population of 8,601. The metropolitan area includes all of the related two counties in the two states: 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 2018 estimates placed the total population at 102,299.
The metropolitan area is also sometimes called "The Forks." Several years ago local promoters attempted to "brand" the metropolitan area as "The Grand Cities." This name has not found widespread use in the area, although several buildings and organizations 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

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

According to the same survey, the racial composition was as follows:
According to the 2006–2008 American Community Survey, the top ten European ancestry groups were the following:

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 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 and KCPM 27. KVLY-TV and KRDK-TV both have news bureaus in Grand Forks, though the stations are based in Fargo.
Local TV stations include:
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 and Minnesota Public Radio. Several religious organizations have Christian radio stations throughout the area.