The oldest and second-largest community in North Dakota, and frequently rated one of the “Top 10 Most Livable Places” in the country, Grand Forks (pop. 49,321) gained a place in the national headlines during the terrible floods that devastated the city in April 1997. Following one of the worst winters on record, during which blizzard after blizzard dumped over eight feet of snow and ice on the surrounding plains, Grand Forks prepared for the worst floods the Northern Plains had ever seen. The Red River of the North, which forms the state border between North Dakota and Minnesota, was expected to crest at more than twice its usual peak. In the aftermath of a hurricane-force rain- and snowstorm, the river rose an inch every hour, two feet a day, day after day, while volunteers and relief workers struggled to protect the town.
Under the watchful eyes of the national news media, the river continued to rise, finally breaching its sand-bagged banks and inundating the town. The entire population was evacuated, and over 75 percent of the homes and buildings were flooded; many were partially submerged for more than a month until the waters finally receded and cleanup could begin. The worst destruction occurred in the downtown core, where electrical short-circuits set off fires that raged for days and turned historic landmarks into scorched, empty shells. Total damage reached over $1 billion, but, miraculously, not a single death was attributed to the floods. Signs of flood and fire are still visible everywhere in Grand Forks, but what is most remarkable is how quickly and energetically the community set about rebuilding itself. A lone obelisk along the riverside shows the high-water mark.
Many century-old downtown buildings have been renovated, including the landmark Empire Theater (701/746-5500), now an arts center at 416 DeMers Avenue; but one of Grand Forks’ liveliest institutions is the 11,000-student University of North Dakota, whose pretty brick campus spreads north of DeMers Avenue (old US-2). A former campus gym is now home to the North Dakota Museum of Art (daily; donations; 701/777-4159), which survived the flood unscathed and houses the state’s only contemporary art collection. Also on campus you’ll find the acoustically exquisite (Tony Bennett has raved about it) Chester Fritz Auditorium, the local venue for touring national and international acts, as well as the aeronautically-minded Center for Aerospace Studies.
