Crookston is partially a commuter town to the larger city of Grand Forks, North Dakota.

The Crookston area was virtually unoccupied until European contact and remained little more than a hunting ground associated with the Pembina settlements until the 1860s.

[9] The land in Crookston's immediate vicinity is not connected with any verifiable Native American or European historic events or circumstances until transfer in the Treaties of Old Crossing in 1863–64.

[9] The Crookston area was traversed by trappers and traders, including Ojibwa and Lakota, Métis, and European settlers, between 1790 and 1870.

A branch of the Red River Trails passed nearby; it was used by fur traders between the 1840s and 1870s.

[12] By the end of that year, the town had a jail, graded streets, and a few plank sidewalks.

Another group picked the name Crookston to honor Colonel William Crooks,[12][11] a soldier and railroad builder.

At one point, eight different railroad lines reached the town, and it became a center of commerce and manufacturing.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.115 square miles (13.25 km2), all land.

[2] Crookston sits in the fertile Red River Valley, once a part of glacial Lake Agassiz.

Grains such as wheat and other crops, including sugar beets and potatoes, grow well in the area around Crookston.

The Red Lake River flows through the city and makes several twists and turns (oxbows).

Students from the neighboring towns of Euclid, Gentilly, and Mentor attend Crookston High.

It began as an agricultural high school before becoming a two-year college and then a four-year university.

PBS member station KCGE (channel 16) is licensed to Crookston, serving Grand Forks.

KROX 1260 AM (also broadcast locally on translator K289CE 105.7 FM) specifically covers the community.

Radio stations from Grand Forks, Thief River Falls, and KRJB 106.5 FM broadcasting from Ada can also be easily received.

Built in 1910, it served as an opera house until 1917, when it began to primarily show movies.

It played host to entertainers including early film actress Mary Pickford.