Grand Forks, North Dakota

Life in Grand Forks, North Dakota, explained by people who’ve lived in Grand Forks:

*Click here to share your experience living in Grand Forks*

*Response format = Answer (Your name, How long you’ve lived in Grand Forks)

Grand Forks Favorites

What’s your favorite thing about living in Grand Forks?

Und Sports. (Chris, 1 year)
Lots to do, shopping, restaurants, etc. (Emily, 3 years)
The events. (Jeyden, 3 years)
Proximity to needs (used to live in the country). (Lance, 3 years)
College town. (Amanda, 4 years)
Family. (Mandy, 4 years)
Still a small town feel. Hunting and fishing.(Spencer, 5 years)
Not too big. (Marisa, 7 years)
How safe it is to raise a family here, the gold mines of clearance merchandise in various stores / warehouse exclusive only to Grand forks, little to no crime. (Amanda, 10 years)
Fighting Sioux hockey. (Tim, 14 years)
Close to an assortment of eateries. (Jeana, 15 years)
UND, close to family. (Andie, 18 years)
Education (UND). (Lori, 18.5 years)
Grand Forks Central, UND, how it is family centered. (Anonymous, 20 years)
Small town. (Patricia, 22 years)
Starting to build it up for the younger generations. (Kayla, 25 years)
Small town living. (Doug, 28 years)
It is home. (Pete, 29 years)
Friendly people. (Kip, 32 years)
Size. (Shanlynell, 32 years)
The size – it’s convenient. (Katie, 36 years)
Quick and easy to get places. (Susan, 50 years)
Convenience. (Dan, 67 years)
Sioux hockey. (Jerry, 68 years)

Grand Forks Least Favorites

What’s your least favorite thing about living in Grand Forks?

Cost of living. (Chris, 1 year)
Bad roads. (Emily, 3 years)
Cold. (Jeyden, 3 years)
Potholes, honestly. And blue laws. (Lance, 3 years)
Not much to do. (Amanda, 4 years)
Idiot Drivers. (Mandy, 4 years)
Wind, potholes. (Spencer, 5 years)
Not much to do. (Marisa, 7 years)
People are fake and very racist. A lot of gossips that live here. Schools are under staffed. If you don’t like college towns, don’t move here. (Amanda, 10 years)
Beet plant smell. (Tim, 14 years)
Increased drug related crimes especially car thefts. (Jeana, 15 years)
Potholes, drama. (Andie, 18 years)
High cost of living.(Lori, 18.5 years)
Red River high school, the cold/snow, simplot, sugar beats, sometimes frustrated by the organization/management of the city and how things are done or handled. (Anonymous, 20 years)
Curfew. (Patricia, 22 years)
Rent prices are RIDICULOUSLY WAY TO HIGH. (Kayla, 25 years)
Winter. (Doug, 28 years)
Smell. (Pete, 29 years)
Not much to do. (Kip, 32 years)
Lack of things to do. (Shanlynell, 32 years)
Winter, when it gets below zero. Also, I’m a graphic designer and there are not many job opportunities for me. (Katie, 36 years)
Right now, potholes! (Susan, 50 years)
Winter. (Dan, 67 years)
Crime. (Jerry, 68 years)

Grand Forks Things To Do

What are fun things to do in Grand Forks?

UND SPORTS. (Chris, 1 year)
Northern Air, Downtown, community events. (Emily, 3 years)
Sioux hockey games, eating. (Jeyden, 3 years)
Beats me, but i suspect thats my fault, not the city’s. (Lance, 3 years)
Watch hockey, drink. (Amanda, 4 years)
Northern Air, Splashers! (Mandy, 4 years)
Greenway in the summer, downtown area. (Spencer, 5 years)
Movies, restaurants, greenway, northern air. (Marisa, 7 years)
Snow boarding, skiing, sledding. (Amanda, 10 years)
Sioux games, theater in egf and walk on greenway. (Tim, 14 years)
Art & Wine Walk, Kids shooting gallery at Scheel’s, Sporting Events (if you’re into that sort of thing). (Jeana, 15 years)
Not much. (Andie, 18 years)
Farmer’s Market in the summer, volunteering at the library and other youth events. (Lori, 18.5 years)
UND sporting events, sledding, movies, parks, greenway. (Anonymous, 20 years)
Tobogan slide-ice skating in the parks-dances at Y during lunch time. (Patricia, 22 years)
Walk the Greenway, go to library, follow and find painted rocks. (Kayla, 25 years)
Sioux hockey races county fair. (Pete, 29 years)
Going to great restaurants like Sky’s and Toasted Frog. (Kip, 32 years)
Parks. (Shanlynell, 32 years)
Theater Shows, Movies, Concerts, Festivals, Shopping, Eating, and Drinking. (Katie, 36 years)
Parks, museum, great variety of restaurants. (Susan, 50 years)
Sports, work and generally friendly environment. (Dan, 67 years)
Golf. (Jerry, 68 years)

Grand Forks’s Reputation

What’s Grand Forks known for?

Sioux Hockey. (Chris, 1 year)
Fighting Sioux and terrible roads. (Emily, 3 years)
Food. (Jeyden, 3 years)
UND, coldest city in the contiguous United States, politeness. (Lance, 3 years)
Hockey. (Amanda, 4 years)
Go Sioux!!! (Mandy, 4 years)
Hockey. (Spencer, 5 years)
Hockey. (Marisa, 7 years)
Its a college town. (Amanda, 10 years)
The pepper and Sioux. (Tim, 14 years)
The River, The ’97 Flood, Bars. (Jeana, 15 years)
Binge drinking and UND hockey. (Andie, 18 years)
Hockey. (Lori, 18.5 years)
Red pepper or hockey. (Anonymous, 20 years)
Family. (Patricia, 22 years)
Red pepper grinder. (Kayla, 25 years)
Hockey. (Doug, 28 years)
Sioux hockey. (Pete, 29 years)
Sioux Hockey. (Kip, 32 years)
Drinking. (Shanlynell, 32 years)
UND Aerospace, UND Hockey, and unfortunately, alcohol consumption.(Katie, 36 years)
Winter weather. (Susan, 50 years)
Floods, UND, REA, and medical, education and arts. (Dan, 67 years)
Hockey. (Jerry, 68 years)

Grand Forks Crime

What’s the crime like in Grand Forks? (hot spot areas, etc.)

Low crime. (Chris, 1 year)
Doesn’t seem too bad. (Emily, 3 years)
Not too horrible but could be better. (Jeyden, 3 years)
Urgghhh…. not as safe as the rest of the state, certainly. (Lance, 3 years)
Low crime rates, random areas of crime. (Amanda, 4 years)
Lots of college students wrecking things around the university area and downtown. (Spencer, 5 years)
A lot of drugs. (Marisa, 7 years)
Extremely low crime. (Amanda, 10 years)
Pretty much non existent except for bar hours. (Tim, 14 years)
Worse than people think, street drug deals in Kmart area & downtown, different groups systematically checking car doors & stealing things from cars, garages, yards, etc. Total disregard (mostly by youth) for liter & cleaning up after pets. (Jeana, 15 years)
North end of town- drugs. Mostly marijuana. (Andie, 18 years)
Not bad, but it seems the area east of Washington and south of DeMers seems bad now. (Lori, 18.5 years)
Drugs on the north end side. (Anonymous, 20 years)
Non existent. (Patricia, 22 years)
Hot spot. (Kayla, 25 years)
Low. (Doug, 28 years)
Not bad. (Pete, 29 years)
Getting worse. (Shanlynell, 32 years)
I get harassed in the summer on the greenway sometimes when I got out for a walk, it makes me not want to go by myself. Other than that I don’t have an issue with crime in GF. (Katie, 36 years)
Worse than years ago; I blame drugs for most crimes. (Susan, 50 years)
Low. (Dan, 67 years)
Getting worse. (Jerry, 68 years)

Grand Forks Advice

Any advice for people moving to Grand Forks?

You better have a good paying job. (Chris, 1 year)
Lots of warm clothing. (Jeyden, 3 years)
Dress warmly! (Lance, 3 years)
Make friends who like to do stuff outdoors when nice. (Amanda, 4 years)
Run away and never return! (Mandy, 4 years)
Live on the southern end of town. (Spencer, 5 years)
It is cold and windy. (Marisa, 7 years)
Pick an elevated property. (Tim, 14 years)
Don’t. (Jeana, 15 years)
Live in a nice neighborhood. (Andie, 18 years)
Don’t think you are going to be able to find nice, affordable housing. (Lori, 18.5 years)
If your not white, better not move here, people here are very racist. If you do move here, watch how much personal information you tell people, it gets around very quickly. If you rent, plan on being exiled. (Amanda, 10 years)
Even though the North side of GF has a bad rep, it still is a great place to live (the north side). (Anonymous, 20 years)
Enjoy. (Patricia, 22 years)
Don’t it’s not worth the cost to live here. (Kayla, 25 years)
Get a remote starter for your car. (Doug, 28 years)
Bring long underwear. (Pete, 29 years)
Wear lots of layers of clothing in the winter. (Kip, 32 years)
No, not specifically… I guess I could recommend a realtor! (Katie, 36 years)
Meet people by joining churches, organizations, clubs. We are not aloof, but don’t want to impose on folks. You may have to make the first step.(Susan, 50 years)
Bring suntan lotion and winter clothing. (Dan, 67 years)
Very nice, if you can handle winter. (Jerry, 68 years)

Grand Forks Stories

Share an experience you’ve had in Grand Forks (fun, crazy, dangerous, etc.).

Good people. (Chris, 1 year)
Color Run 2015 was a blast and something new in the community. (Emily, 3 years)
The races. (Jeyden, 3 years)
Sunday nights cruising in my 57 chevy with my friends. (Lance, 3 years)
Playing hockey at U park is always fun. (Amanda, 4 years)
When UND won the championship 2 years ago! Had friends over and had a great time. (Spencer, 5 years)
Hockey games. (Marisa, 7 years)
Not much to brag about. (Amanda, 10 years)
Flood 97. (Tim, 14 years)
Rent rates are outrageous, everyone seems open & friendly at first. (Jeana, 15 years)
Grand forks fair- the races. (Andie, 18 years)
Dancing-pot-luck:-) friends. (Patricia, 22 years)
Just great place to grow up. (Pete, 29 years)
Sneaking out of the house in the middle of the night during the summer as a teenager, to skinny dip in backyard pools. (Kip, 32 years)
Normally relaxed. (Shanlynell, 32 years)
Most recently, I just want to “Spamalot” a performance put on by Central High School students and it was really good and a lot of fun. I also really enjoyed the Greenway festival last summer. (Katie, 36 years)
During my 30 year high school reunion, two friends and I went to our old family homes and were graciously invited in to get tours of the homes. (Susan, 50 years)
Meeting many city leaders and people from all walks of life. (Dan, 67 years)

Grand Forks’s Future

How do you think Grand Forks will change over the next 10 years?

Grow hopefully/Good Jobs. (Chris, 1 year)
More places to live. (Jeyden, 3 years)
Population growth and developments south of 32nd, certainly. More cultural diversity perhaps. (Lance, 3 years)
Expand, more businesses. (Amanda, 4 years)
Residentially it seems to be expanding very quickly on the south end. (Spencer, 5 years)
More housing and restaurants. (Marisa, 7 years)
Hopefully get more things to do. (Tim, 14 years)
Fewer people will own homes, violent crimes will increase, overpopulation & too much competition will systematically start closing down peoples’ favorite smaller businesses.(Jeana, 15 years)
I think it will grow in population but the mall will continue to suffer. (Andie, 18 years)
Roads will deteriorate, money will be dumped into Downtown, housing will continue to grow and be over-priced. (Lori, 18.5 years)
Grow southward. (Anonymous, 20 years)
Moved away. (Patricia, 22 years)
It won’t. (Kayla, 25 years)
Continue to grow. (Doug, 28 years)
Crime will get worse, still nothing to do other then drink. (Shanlynell, 32 years)
I’m excited about the prospect of putting in another bridge, I think the South end of town will expand even more with residential and commercial properties. I hope we get some more interesting businesses downtown too.

(Katie, 36 years)
Expand slower than Fargo. (Dan, 67 years)
Population increase. (Jerry, 68 years)

Grand Forks Facts

Any other interesting facts about Grand Forks?

Conservative. (Chris, 1 year)
No hills. (Jeyden, 3 years)
Happy Harry’s on gateway is one of the top sellers of Busch light in the country. (Amanda, 4 years)
Hockey town, good fishing in the red river, lots of college students. (Spencer, 5 years)
Just a lot of SNOW SNOW SNOW. (Amanda, 10 years)
Beets & potatoes, entertaining radio personalities. (Jeana, 15 years)
Flood of 97’. (Andie, 18 years)
Before the flood, there was good, affordable housing in all parts of town. Housing went up after the number of homes was decreased, and never recovered – people are out to get as much as they can for houses – even poor quality housing – and because there is nothing else, people buy them. (Lori, 18.5 years)
I still go back. (Patricia, 22 years)
Not that I can think of…(Katie, 36 years)
The history. (Dan, 67 years)