Named "Les Grandes Fourches" by the French explorers meaning The Grand Forks for the forks at the Red and Red Lake Rivers, the city is the oldest in the Dakotas. The town was initially a rendezvous for the fur trade between the French and the Indigenous people. A permanent post was established at Les Grandes Fouche in 1800 by Alexander Henry, an agent for the Northwest Company of Montreal. By 1820, operations at the Hudson Bay Company and John Jacob Astor's American Fur Company at the post brought further expansion to the site. The name of Les Grandes Fouche became its present-day English version of Grand Forks with the opening of the first post office on June 15, 1870. The city made its way onto the map because of its value as a steamboat port, unlike other towns in North Dakota, and their connection to the railway. Alexander Griggs is responsible for laying the foundations of present-day downtown Grand Forks. Griggs, captain of a steamboat frozen in the Red River in the winter of 1970, was forced to winter in the area and claimed a nine-acre piece of land to start the townsite. By 1875 a small community had developed, with a pontoon toll bridge connecting Grand Forks and East Grand Forks in 1879. Grand Forks officially became incorporated as a city on February 22, 1881. Over the next several decades, Grand Forks, originally a farming-based community, experienced more growth and expansion through the presence of merchants and professional people from neighboring cities making their home there. During this time, brick buildings arose, such as the Hotel Dacotah and St. John's Block bringing change to the town. By the early 20th century, Grand Forks had become a thriving city with a substantial commercial, education, transportation, health care, and entertainment-based economy. Grand Forks experienced a destructive flood and a fire in 1997, causing damage to the city; however, since then, through the efforts and donations made to the town, it has recovered. Presently the city of Grand Forks is seeing many houses, townhouses, and condo complexes under construction, catering to the steady population growth of this thriving city.

Grand Forks has you covered whether you are a shopaholic, an adventure sports enthusiast, an art lover, or simply out for a good time. The city has far more excitement and entertainment than you can imagine.

We know it is hard to choose, so here are a few places that you just simply need to try first.

The Toasted Frog: A unique restaurant with an equally impressive name. This funky restaurant in downtown Grand Forks offers you scrumptious American food with a little bit of a global quirk.

Badman Design: Located in the historic downtown area of Grand Forks, Badman Design is a 5,000-square-foot showroom and design space for David Badman's bespoke creations. The exquisite artworks for sale include jewelry, sculptures, mirrors, wine racks, tables, benches, etc.

Fire Hall Theatre: This is a non-profit community theatre that provides entertainment and joy for performance art in Grand Forks. The actors and crew are all volunteers and, together with a fantastic production team, host three major productions per year.