Grafton is a city and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Walsh County,

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

, United States. The population was 4,170 at the 2020 census. making Grafton the 17th largest city in North Dakota. Grafton was founded in 1881 and

US Highway 81 U.S. Route 81 or U.S. Highway 81 (US 81) is a major north–south U.S. highway that extends for in the central United States and is one of the original United States Numbered Highways established in 1926 by the American Association of Sta ...

and North Dakota Highway 17 are the 2 major highways that run through the city.

History

The Grafton area was homesteaded by Nils Monson. Nils Monson was a 29-year-old bachelor who walked to the area from Winnipeg in the fall of 1878 to homestead. He was the first to deed his 160-acre homestead to the town. The Grafton area was later settled by Thomas E Cooper in early 1879. He became postmaster later that year when a post office was constructed as part of expansions in service for the

Northern Pacific Railway The Northern Pacific Railway was an important American transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the Western United States, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest between 1864 and 1970. It was approved and chartered b ...

and the Great Northern Railway. Grafton was founded in 1881. It was incorporated as a village in 1881 and then became a city in 1903. In 1881, Walsh County was established and Grafton was subsequently designated the county seat. The city was named for

Grafton County, New Hampshire Grafton County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 91,118. Its county seat is the town of Haverhill, New Hampshire, Haverhill. In 1972, the ...

, the native home of a large share of its early settlers. The Grafton State School, a home for the developmentally disabled, is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Government

The city employs a mayor-council government where the mayor is elected for a four-year term and eight city council members are elected to staggered four-year terms. There are four at-large members of the city council while the remaining four members are elected from the four wards of the city. Currently, Chris West is serving as mayor while the city council members are as follows: David Fellman (1st Ward), Greg Young (2nd Ward), Philip Ray (3rd Ward), Don Hutson (4th Ward), Brad Burianek (At-large), Donavon McMillian (At-large), Brian Sieben (At-large), and Loree Osowski (At-large).

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 4,170 people, 1,738 households, 986 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 1,966 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 77.9%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.2%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 1.8% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.0%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 6.7% from some other races and 11.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 21.9% of the population.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 4,284 people, 1,776 households, and 1,073 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,990 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 89.2%

, 0.4%

, 2.8% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.1%

, 5.4% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.1% of the population. There were 1,776 households, of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.6% were non-families. 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age in the city was 42.5 years. 23.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.5% were from 25 to 44; 27.7% were from 45 to 64; and 19.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.4% male and 51.6% female.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 4,516 people, 1,804 households, and 1,143 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 2,005 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.67%

, 0.58%

, 1.35% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 4.69% from other races, and 1.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.57% of the population. The top 6 ancestry groups in the city are Norwegian (39.4%),

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

(19.8%), French (8.9%), Polish (8.7%),

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

(8.3%), Irish (7.4%). There were 1,804 households, out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% were

living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.6% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.98. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.2% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.1 males.

Education

The city of Grafton is served by the Grafton Public Schools system. The system includes Century Primary Elementary School (grades Pre-K–2), Century Intermediate Elementary School grades (3–6) Grafton Junior High School (grades 7–8), and Grafton High School (grades 9–12). North Valley Career and Technology Center is a multi-district regional technology education center, serving students grades 9–12 from across the region.

Library

Grafton's Carnegie Regional Library opened in 1897 and is North Dakota's first public library. Carnegie's collection contains 49,005 volumes and circulates 33,620 items per year. The library, including its 3 branches, serves a population of over 27,000 residents.

Media

Local print and online news

* '' Walsh County Record'' * Walsh County Daily News

Local radio

AM radio

FM radio

Sites of interest

* Walsh County Courthouse – The Walsh County Courthouse has been listed on the

since 1985. * Centennial Center * Elmwood historic home
* Fair Oaks Golf Club – a nine-hole

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, tee box, a #Fairway and rough, fairway, the #Fairway and rough, rough and other hazard (golf), hazards, and ...

located in Grafton * Grafton Winter Sports Arena – site of the former Winter Sports Arena, the first indoor hockey arena in North Dakota. * Chandler Field – named after Albert "Happy" Chandler * Leistikow Park

Notable people

* Karen Anderson, state legislator * Albert "Happy" Chandler, 44th and 49th

governor of Kentucky The governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Kentucky. Sixty-two men and one woman have served as governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; sinc ...

; US senator;

commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to incl ...

of Major League Baseball * Pablo Garza, mixed martial arts featherweight fighter with the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

* William E. Gorder, teacher, farmer, and North Dakota state representative * Les Lear, offensive tackle in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

and

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

* Raymond W. Lessard, bishop of Savannah (1973–1995) * Clint Ritchie, actor (Clint Buchanan on ''

One Life to Live ''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as ...

'') * Barry Tallackson, forward for the

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

Notes

External links

City of Grafton – Official Website
{{Authority control * Cities in North Dakota Cities in Walsh County, North Dakota County seats in North Dakota Populated places established in 1881 1881 establishments in Dakota Territory