Grafton, North Dakota

Grafton is a city in Walsh County, North Dakota in the United States. It is the county seat of Walsh County. The population was 4,516 at the 2000 census. Grafton was founded in 1881.

Geography

Grafton is located at (48.416082, -97.410633).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.9 km² (3.4 mi²), all land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,516 people, 1,804 households, and 1,143 families residing in the city. The population density was 506.9/km² (1,312.2/mi²). There were 2,005 housing units at an average density of 225.0/km² (582.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.67% White, 0.58% African American, 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 (19.8%), French (8.9%), Polish (8.7%), Czech (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 married couples 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.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,231, and the median income for a family was $41,747. Males had a median income of $28,321 versus $20,433 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,644. About 8.3% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.7% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Grafton is served by Century Elementary School (grades K-4), Central Middle School (grades 5-8), and Grafton High School (grades 9-12).

Sports

Grafton High is memorable for its unusual mascot, the Spoilers. Since 1982, Grafton has played host to a hockey co-op with Park River. Since then, athletes representing Minto, Drayton, Cavalier, and Langdon have played as part of the Grafton - Park River co-op. Grafton is also host school in wrestling (St. Thomas and Minto) and cross country Midway High School.