The towns of St. Vincent, Minnesota, and Pembina, North Dakota, are just a few kilometres south of the border in the United States.

As part of this project, Emerson's access to Highway 75 was moved 1.2 kilometres (0.7 miles) north of the former junction (removed in 2019).

Dwindling use of the Emerson East port of entry prompted the Canadian government to close the border station in June 2003.

With the passage of Donald Trump's Executive Order 13769 in 2017, Emerson has seen a large influx of immigrants walking across the border to apply for asylum.

[7] In 2018, Member of Parliament for the Liberal Party of Canada Pablo Rodriguez began a series of visits to immigrant communities, warning potential border crossers that those who do not qualify for refugee status could be returned to their countries of origin rather than the United States.

[8][needs update]A migrant family of four Indian nationals was found frozen to death in January 2022 on the northern side of the US-Canada border.

[9] In 1873, American businessmen Thomas Carney and William Fairbanks, following advice from railroad entrepreneur James J. Hill, received a grant from the province of Manitoba for 640 acres along the east side of the Red River near the Canada–United States border.

With the emergence of railroads during this time, the addition of their own railway would bring great economic prosperity.

With the promise that Emerson could be the new "gateway to the west", the settlement grew quickly and, by 1876, a church and a school were built.

A court house, town hall, and other large, elaborate structures were erected as businesses thrived, thanks to immigrants and travelers from the east stopping in Emerson before embarking west.

Many of the abandoned buildings were eventually destroyed by Red River floods, while others were removed to make way for the dike that was constructed around the community.

In 1956, the town made arrangements to obtain its electrical needs from Manitoba Hydro and the cross-border distribution line was removed.

There are still some landmarks remaining from Emerson's "golden age", such as the courthouse, jail, and home of William Fairbanks, as well as the West Lynne post office and original customs house.

The original customs house and post office at West Lynne still stand about 200 meters from the modern facility used by the Canada Border Services Agency.

[17][18] Fort Dufferin is best known as the starting point for the North-West Mounted Police's infamous March West in 1874.

[19] Emerson is located at the far southwest corner of the federal riding of Provencher, which is represented by Ted Falk.

[20] Along with St. Albans, Emerson holds the record for Manitoba's highest temperature of 44.4 °C (112 °F) on 12 July 1936, during the 1936 North American heat wave.