[10] Originally called Les Grandes Fourches by French fur traders from Canada, who had long worked and lived in the region, steamboat captain Alexander Griggs platted a community after being forced to winter there.

[18] Griggs' steamboat froze in the Red River on a voyage in late 1870, forcing the captain and his crew to spend the winter camping at Grand Forks.

[14] Grand Forks was the site of one of the deadliest tornadoes in North Dakota's history, then called an "inland hurricane," in 1887.

With construction of federal highways, during the postwar years residential and business development became suburbanized, spreading to new areas as land was available.

[9] There are no lakes within the city limits of Grand Forks, but the meandering Red River and the English Coulee flow through the community and provide some break in the terrain.

A farmer's market takes place every Saturday from mid-June to mid-September in the Town Square at the corner of 3rd Street S. and DeMers Avenue.

[34][36] The centerpiece of the Village is the Ralph Engelstad Arena, used by the university's North Dakota men's ice hockey team.

[37] Due to its location in the Great Plains and its distance from both mountains and oceans, Grand Forks has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfb),[38] USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 4a.

Due to the extended warm period of daily means above 50 °F (10 °C) from May to September, the city's climate is still classified within the warm-summer humid continental temperature range.

[13] Grand Forks Air Force Base, just west of the city, employs a large number of civilian workers in addition to its military personnel.

[34] The oldest, Grand Cities Mall, is on South Washington Street and contains small, locally owned stores and two churches.

[61] Companies can request low-interest loans or grants from this fund provided they meet certain criteria, such as paying a relatively high wage and doing most of their business outside the city's trade region.

The city also contributes to the Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corporation (EDC), a public-private organization that receives funding from banks and other major businesses.

[62] The EDC plays a consulting role for businesses, such as identifying suitable sites for expansion or assembling public funding packages.

[14] Another potential economic opportunity for the city is the addition of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) mission to Grand Forks Air Force Base.

[63] Due at least in part to the presence of the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks offers a variety of arts and cultural events.

[64][65][66] The North Dakota Museum of Art, on the UND campus, brings many nationally touring exhibits to Grand Forks as well as the work of regional artists.

The North Dakota Ballet Company is headquartered in Grand Forks and often performs at the Chester Fritz Auditorium.

Other buildings on the Myra Museum grounds include the original 1868 Grand Forks Post Office, a 1917 one room school, and the historic Campbell House.

[15] The Alerus Center is home to the University of North Dakota football team and also plays host to a variety of other events including major concerts.

[85] Including the Greenway, the Andrew Hampsten Bikeway System in Grand Forks is over 43 miles (69 km) long.

The mayor, who is elected every four years, oversees the administration of city government and works directly with department heads to ensure the proper provision of services.

Of these, the violent crimes consisted of 0 murders, 37 forcible rapes, 13 robberies and 107 aggravated assaults, while 297 burglaries, 1,225 larceny-thefts, 84 motor vehicle thefts and 3 acts of arson defined the property offenses.

UND is known for its John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences, which includes an Air Traffic Control Training program that in October 2009 the FAA ranked No.1 in the nation for the second consecutive year.

[14] Northland Community and Technical College, a two-year school, is across the Red River in East Grand Forks.

[109][110] Grand Forks is part of the Fargo television market, covering eastern North Dakota and western Minnesota.

[113] Grand Forks International Airport (GFK, KGFK) is served by Delta Air Lines with several daily round trips to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and by Allegiant Air, which operates flights a few times a week to Mesa, Arizona (Phoenix-Gateway), Sanford, Florida (Orlando-Sanford), and Las Vegas, Nevada.

The airport is one of the busiest in the country, due in large measure to the presence of UND's John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences.

Interstate 29 runs north to south along the western part of the city, officially multiplexed with U.S. Highway 81 in the Grand Forks area.

[122] Grand Forks Mayor Michael Brown said he thought having friends in western North Dakota, which typically has diverging interests from eastern cities, could help at the state legislature.