Grand Forks County, North Dakota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Grand Forks County
U.S. county
Grand Forks County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of North Dakota
North Dakota's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	North Dakota
Founded	January 4, 1873 (created) March 2, 1875 (organized)
Seat	Grand Forks
Largest city	Grand Forks
Area
• Total	1,440 sq mi (3,700 km2)
• Land	1,436 sq mi (3,720 km2)
• Water	3.1 sq mi (8 km2)  0.2%
Population  (2020)
• Total	73,170
• Estimate  (2023)	72,708
• Density	50.81/sq mi (19.62/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	At-large

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.

History

Using territory annexed from Pembina County, the Dakota Territory legislature created Grand Forks County on January 4, 1873. Its governing structure was not established at that time, nor was the territory attached to another county for administrative and judicial purposes. The government was organized on March 2, 1875.

The county's boundaries were altered in 1875, 1881, and 1883. It has retained its present boundary since 1883.

Grand Forks County is included in the Grand Forks, ND-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

Grand Forks County lies on the east side of North Dakota. Its eastern boundary line abuts the west boundary line of the state of Minnesota (across the Red River). The Red River flows northward along the county's east border, on its way to Lake Winnipeg and Hudson Bay. The Forest River flows eastward and northward across the upper western part of the county.

The terrain of Grand Forks County consists of low rolling hills, devoted to agriculture except around urban areas. The terrain slopes to the north and east; its highest point is a hill at its southwestern corner, at 1,450 ft (440 m) ASL. The county has a total area of 1,440 square miles (3,700 km²), of which 1,436 square miles (3,720 km²) is land and 3.1 square miles (8.0 km²) (0.2%) is water.

The University of North Dakota has established a Field Biology Station on Forest River, at the county's northern border. In 2013 it partnered with ND Game & Fish Department to establish a 160-acre (0.65 km²) wildlife management area at the station, to monitor whitetail deer activity in the forest. The field station is tasked with identifying plants native and endemic to the area. A total of 498 plants have been collected at the Forest River Biology Station and Wildlife Management Area.

Major highways

Transit

• Amtrak Empire Builder (Grand Forks station)
• Cities Area Transit
• Jefferson Lines

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

Source:

Lakes

Source:

• Fordville Dam
• Larimore Dam
• Smith Lakes

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 73,170 people, 30,658 households, and 16,186 families in the county. The population density was 50.9 inhabitants per square mile (19.7/km²) There were 33,428 housing units.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 66,861 people, 27,417 households, and 15,215 families in the county. The population density was 46.5 inhabitants per square mile (18.0/km²). There were 29,344 housing units at an average density of 20.4 units per square mile (7.9/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 90.3% white, 2.5% American Indian, 2.0% black or African American, 1.9% Asian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 0.8% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 34.1% were German, 33.8% were Norwegian, 9.5% were Irish, 5.8% were Polish, 5.3% were English, and 2.9% were American.

Of the 27,417 households, 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 44.5% were non-families, and 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.91. The median age was 29.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $44,242 and the median income for a family was $65,804. Males had a median income of $40,622 versus $31,633 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,276. About 8.2% of families and 17.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.6% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.

Population by decade

Communities

The new Grand Forks County Office Building in Grand Forks, near historic Grand Forks County Courthouse

Cities

Census-designated places

• Grand Forks AFB

Other communities

Source:

Townships

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Grand Forks para niños