Chicago Tribune article
I came across a great Chicago Tribune article from Sunday which detailed our city's recovery from the Flood of 1997. It's great to see the "Rebuilt, Renewed, Reborn" Grand Forks get such positive publicity. In my opinion, some pretty amazing things have happened and are continuing to happen in this city and it's fabulous to read glowing pieces like this.
Some excerpts:
"By virtually every barometer, this northern outpost that gave the world Cream of Wheat and a perennial college hockey powerhouse is on a run that makes real estate agents and urban planners salivate."
"In the last decade, the region added almost 12 percent more jobs. All the public schools are nearly new or rehabbed. A new river greenway twice the size of New York City's Central Park is a short walk from sold-out condos being built downtown. And, on Sunday afternoon, the city is hosting a free rib dinner in its stunning, multiuse arena."You can't buy publicity like that.
"Everyone concedes it has been a rocky trek to urban renewal, and scars remain. But Grand Forks perseveres."
"Different people point to different events as turning points in the recovery. Some cite a change in mayors, from Owens, who generated an outpouring of sympathy and support, to Dr. Mike Brown, perceived as energetic and visionary."
"Brown, an obstetrician/gynecologist, concedes that Owens made some visionary decisions, including moving ahead with plans for the $80 million, city-owned Alerus Center and supporting the clearing of hundreds of houses for the greenway."
"Nearly everyone agrees that the cornerstone of the turnaround is the 2,200-acre Grand Forks Greenway, a $409 million system of dikes and flood walls that runs for 8 miles on either side of the Red River and is designed to handle a crest about 13 feet above the 1997 level. Largely disguised as wooded, open space with golf courses for duffers and Frisbee throwers, the Greenway also includes a 20-mile trail, picnic shelters, campgrounds and a long sledding hill along one of the levees."
"Observers say all this helped create and maintain a buzz in Grand Forks that generated commercial investment and growth unlike anything the city had seen since perhaps the boom years of the 1890s, when local miller Frank Amidon invented Cream of Wheat. About 60 stores, including Lowe's, Best Buy, Kohl's and Old Navy, have arrived in a shopping district on the south end of town."
"Grand Forks' sales tax collections hit an all-time high last year and the population is about 2,000 more than in 1996."
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22 comments:
"You can't buy publicity like that".
You're absolutely right GFG...I just wish it was true.
Well im sure that those Chicagoins dont give a crap about us GF citizens! Yhet r so stuck up and just wanted to have that article so it would make the seem like they were concerned, when in reality we all know that they(like everybody else in America)thinks we're a bunch of hicks with no cable or cars etc. Well I think "DOWN WITH CHICAGO" WOULD BE A FINE NEW SLOGAN FOR US!!!
"down with chicago" i totally agree, maybe we should have our fine national guard units go and kick some chiCOCKgo butt!!!
Im right with u buddy. Chicago totally sucks. They dont care about us, let's just take our air force over there and show 'em whose boss, then they'll really learn when to keep their big mouths shut!
I totally agree with that statement. Us north Dakotans got to stand up for what we believe. If Chicago wants war. LET IT BE! they may have 3 or 4 times our population just in one city but we got something they dont. Potatoes. Without potatoes they would starve and they wouldnt not have a very good food source. I only hope god forgives them for what they are trying to do to americas economy. I really recomened we move in quickly with guerrilla warfare and show them chi"COCK"goans whatsup.
hand over mcneil
ARE CHICAGO PEOPLE STRONG?
EDGAR ALLAN POE SAYS NO!
We could have ran, We could have fled, but no, we chose to stand our ground and fight! Now the bloodshed is in their hands! And I say DOWN WITH CHICAGO!!!
What I find extraordinarily disheartening, still ten years later, is the lack of attention that has been given to the tax issue. Taxes in Grand Forks have consistently rose since the flood. Sure, the town needed to be rebuilt and it had to be paid for, but all the subsidies and tax breaks for businesses have just about crippled the middle class family trying to live in such a wonderful town.
Things are not all rosy. There is a serious tax problem in GF and it has to be dealt with. All the niceties that have come out of the flood may have come with too great a cost. But that is just my opinion, I could be wrong (to steal Dennis Miller's line).
what an idiot...no - not 9 idiots..just one
u know what ben u suck and ur not a tru north dakotan if u can,t stand up 4 what u believe in and take pride in being a resident of grand forks
pardon? I take extreme pride in being from GF...read the thread, and you will find that most of the comments were stupid slams against Chicago (with a couple of exceptions)
Yes, it appears I should have read all of the posts more carefully, but most of them were written to be obnoxious, not true comments.
hmmmm, it appears siouxroc has returned to the G.F.-based boards.
well I guess
I too take pride in being from GF, but not to the point where I can dismiss its flaws.
One, it's a small town shrouded as a bigger city. If you like small town living with amenities similar to a bigger city (primarily shopping and parks), then Grand Forks is probably appealing to you.
Two, the culture there is diverse enough to appreciate. I miss the multi-cultural dinner nights at the International Center. They make up for a lack of choice in ethnic restaurants in GF, and anyone willing to open their minds to new things can find out about this without having yet another restaurant open and be celebrated for a few months until their business drops like a brick and they are forced to close.
Three, the people from GF are by far some of the nicest people I've ever met, anywhere in the US. I've always seen hospitality and genuine compassion as a strong point GF has in general.
Of course, there are issues that people still don't want to address. Their is an income gap that is really stratified...I read in a previous comment on this site that someone was looking at an apartment and the landlord told them the northend was too dangerous. WTF? I grew up on the northside, and never had a problem, ever, ever growing up there. We all knew each other, so it was never an issue.
Also, all of the work done for flood protection and revitalization in the downtown area is in place and ready to give Grand Forks a possible boom in growth in the coming years. It's up to the city to promote itself as a destination for tourism and travel within the state. Hopefully, they can use all the amenities to promote themselves in a way that's positive not only for tourist $$, but to attract new families to the area.
And yes, you can't buy publicity like this...especially an article in a newspaper in a city as huge as Chicago.
There's bound to be someone in that city that is fed up with big city living and looking for something new. Fargo has been stealing these types of people for years...maybe it's time for GF to do some of the same.
What the hell do you people have against Chicago? Yes, it has it's positives and negatives, but that is no reason to go bashin' the city. Chicago has two things that Grand Forks will never compete with - and that's major league baseball and culture. There's nothing like catching a game in historic Wrigley Field. The Ralph is a masterpiece in it's own right, but it still has nothing on Wrigley! And Chicago is full of theatres where you can see off-broadway plays and shows. You let me know the next time Riverdance or Lord of the Dance is in Grand Forks, and just maybe I'll put my foot in my mouth. While I lived in Valparaiso, IN - I traveled to Chicago almost every weekend... The only thing I ever had a problem with Chi-town was it's traffic... I've only been a GF resident for 2.5 years, but I can still say with some confidence that those of you here bashin' on Chicago probably have never been there, and are likely just jealous at what Chicago has to offer, as opposed to here...
Jeez, guys, this thread has been so obviously flooded with troll posts. All those "anons" bashing Chicago are the work of one person getting his kicks by trying to get a rise out of us.
The other objective could be to add so much spam to the content of this board that real conversation dives into non-existence. Either way, I'm curious if anything can be done about it if it continues. If you can't tell, I hate trolls/flooders/spammers.
WMZ spends years of his life defending life in Grand Forks, like it's some undiscovered utopia that he'll never leave. Now...he doesn't live here. Does anyone else see a problem with this?
Grand Forks is what it is. A utpoia? No.
Okay, go ahead, play your trump card WMZ. You know the one....
"I want to live in G.F., it is a utopia, I just HAD to move because of wages".
Damnit, I suppose I'll make an account.
I was the guy that said his girlfriend got a call from Ben Franklin. I don't know if it's up for debate or even if it was interesting enough to be up for debate, but it's true.
At least this is going to encourage some of you anonymous posters to actually get accounts. Maybe it doesn't make much sense, but most people (including me) do put more faith in what someone is saying if they are using a name other than just "anonymous." It gets confusing when there a dozen "anonymouses" on the same thread.
Thomson Amidon, not Frank.
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