Grand Forks is the closest major city to the base (about 18 miles), and Emerado is the nearest town, right next to the base. Grand Forks has about 53,000 people, and is in Grand Forks County, which has a population of about 67,000 people. There are a few nearby small communities, including Emerado (about 400 people). Grand Forks, North Dakota is the principal city of the Greater Grand Forks area, which includes East Grand Forks, Minnesota, with a total of about 99,000 people.

It is about 18 miles from downtown Grand Forks to Grand Forks AFB; this takes about 29 minutes to commute in good weather, but travel times can vary significantly in poor weather. Emerado shares a border with the base and commuting from here would take only a few minutes.

Local Housing Rental Prices: The average apartment rent in the Greater Grand Forks area ranges from $550 to $650 per month.

Local Housing Purchase Prices: The average price for a house in Grand Forks city is about $184,000, compared to $137,000 for North Dakota.

Short Description of the Area: Grand Forks is the third largest city in North Dakota, with a metro population of about 100,000. The city is on the far eastern border of the state, next to Minnesota, about midway along the north-south line, on the fork of the Red River. This is generally a flat area with some rolling plains and prairie. This area has suffered some serious flooding in the last couple of decades, leading to recent flood control improvements.

Climate and Weather: The area has dry winters and wet, humid summers; winter temperatures of the mid-10s to slightly below zero, and summer temperatures of the high 80s to mid-50s. The area has winter snow, spring showers, spring and summer thunderstorms and tornadoes (sometimes severe), and rapidly cooling falls. Overall the area swings radically from cold to hot and back over the year.