Grand Forks County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, its population was 73,170, making it the third most populous county in North Dakota. Its county seat and largest community is Grand Forks.
Grand Forks is the 3rd most populous city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2020 census, the city's population was 59,166. 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.
Ralph Louis Engelstad was an American businessman who owned the Imperial Palace casino-hotels in Las Vegas and in Biloxi, Mississippi. He also owned the Kona Kai motel in Las Vegas, which later became the Klondike Hotel and Casino. He was also the donor for the construction of the $104 million Ralph Engelstad Arena for his alma mater, the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, North Dakota, and another arena bearing his name in Thief River Falls, Minnesota. Engelstad was also a co-developer of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Engelstad was one of the very few independent casino-hotel owners in Las Vegas.
North Dakota State University is a public land-grant research university in Fargo, North Dakota. It was founded as North Dakota Agricultural College in 1890 as the state's land-grant university. As of 2021, NDSU offers 94 undergraduate majors, 146 undergraduate degree programs, 5 undergraduate certificate programs, 84 undergraduate minors, 87 master's degree programs, 51 doctoral degree programs of study, and 210 graduate certificate programs. It is classified among "R1-Doctoral Universities – Very High Research Activity".
The University of North Dakota is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of North Dakota.
The Chester Fritz Library is the largest library at the University of North Dakota (UND) in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It is the largest library in the state of North Dakota and houses over two million print and non-print items. It is a designated U.S. Patent and Trademark depository of federal and state documents. The library also houses a Special Collections Department preserving unique publications, manuscripts, historical records, and genealogical resources, including a large collection of Norwegian bygdebøker.
Valley City State University (VCSU) is a public university in Valley City, North Dakota. It is part of the North Dakota University System. Founded in 1890 as Valley City State Normal School, a two-year teachers' college, it was authorized to confer bachelor's degrees in 1921 and changed its name to Valley City State Teachers College. With an expansion in programs outside teacher education after World War II, it became Valley City State College in 1963. In 1986, it was renamed State University of North Dakota-Valley City and a year later received its current name.
Grand Forks International Airport is a public airport five miles (8 km) northwest of Grand Forks, in Grand Forks County, North Dakota, United States. GFK has no scheduled passenger flights out of the country but has an "international" title because it has customs service for arrivals from Canada and other countries.
Ralph Engelstad Arena (REA), commonly called the Ralph, is an indoor arena located on the campus of the University of North Dakota (UND) in Grand Forks, North Dakota and serves as the home of UND men's ice hockey. The arena was built by controversial UND alumnus Ralph Engelstad. The North Dakota Fighting Hawks men's hockey team is the tenant. The arena formerly hosted the defunct North Dakota women's hockey team.
The Alerus Center is an indoor arena and convention center in the north central United States, located in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The facility is owned and operated by the city of Grand Forks and opened on February 10, 2001.
KKXL is an AM radio station broadcasting a sports format serving Grand Forks, North Dakota. The station is currently owned by iHeartMedia, Inc.
Arthur Gustave Sorlie was an American businessman and politician who served as the 14th Governor of North Dakota from 1925 until his death in 1928 at the age of 54.
The University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences is located in Grand Forks, North Dakota at the University of North Dakota (UND) and is the only school of medicine in the state of North Dakota.
The John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences is a multidisciplinary college within the University of North Dakota (UND) in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The school was formed in 1968. The majority of the school's fleet of over 120 aircraft is based at nearby Grand Forks International Airport and is the largest fleet of civilian flight training aircraft in North America. UND Aerospace also operates a flight training center at Phoenix–Mesa Gateway Airport in Mesa, Arizona. Today, the school has many aerospace-related programs including commercial aviation, Unmanned aircraft systems operations, air traffic control, airport management, Space Studies, Computer Science, Atmospheric Sciences, and Earth System Science & Policy. Currently, the school has over 500 faculty and 2,000 students making it the second largest of UND's degree-granting colleges. The present dean of the school is Robert Kraus.
The Nickel Trophy is presented to the winner of the currently annual football game between the rival University of North Dakota (UND) Fighting Hawks and the North Dakota State University (NDSU) Bison. The two universities are approximately 76 miles apart on the eastern border of North Dakota. The two schools suspended play in 2003 and resumed play in 2015. In the entire history of the rivalry, the game has never been contested anywhere beside Grand Forks or Fargo.
The Summer Performing Arts Company (SPA) is a summerstock educational theatre program in Grand Forks, North Dakota that is part of the Grand Forks Public Schools. Started in 1987 as a voice lesson and performance program for high school students, SPA now has over 1000 students ranging from elementary to high school, and produces one to three mainstage productions each summer at the Red River High School Performance Hall and Central High School Auditorium. Other venues have included the Chester Fritz Auditorium at the University of North Dakota and the Empire Arts Center in Downtown Grand Forks. In addition to the mainstage productions, accredited classes for high school students are offered. A middle school/junior high program and elementary school program are also offered. In addition, the Grand Cities Children's Choir operates as a division of SPA. "GCCC" features several separate choirs that have regular concerts and special tours.
The building at 312 Kittson Ave, Grand Forks, North Dakota is a two-story brick commercial vernacular style building with classical details built by Swedish-American builder Sander Johnson in 1907. It is part of the Downtown Grand Forks Historic District.
Theodore B. Wells (1889-1976) was an American architect. He was born in North Dakota. He studied at L'ecole des Beaux Arts. Back in North Dakota, he designed many public and commercial buildings.
Gordon L. Iseminger is an American author and historian. A professor of history at the University of North Dakota, he is the university's longest-serving faculty member, having joined the faculty in 1962. His work has appeared in the North Dakota Quarterly, Minnesota History, Agricultural History, Pennsylvania History, The Journal of American History, and the Middle East Journal, as well as the Encyclopedia of the Great Plains.
The North Dakota Fighting Sioux controversy refers to the controversy surrounding the now retired nickname and logo of the North Dakota Fighting Hawks a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the athletic teams that represented the University of North Dakota (UND) based in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
