Grand Forks is a city in Grand Forks County, North Dakota in the United States. It is the county seat of Grand Forks CountyGR6 and the third largest city in North Dakota. The population was 49,321 at the 2000 census (2006 estimate: 53,000). Grand Forks was founded in 1870 and incorporated in 1881.
Named after the forking of the Red River of the North with the Red Lake River near the downtown area, the city lies on the western bank of the Red River in the Red River Valley. It has a twin city, East Grand Forks, Minnesota, which lies on the east side of the Red River. The two communities make up the core urban area of the "Grand Forks, North Dakota, ND-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area". The metropolitan area is often called "Greater Grand Forks" or "The Grand Cities" (although that nickname is newer and not as generally accepted). The city of Grand Forks occasionally uses the nickname "The Sunflake City".