Location
Crookston, the county seat of Polk County, is located in Northwestern Minnesota, in the "central part of western Polk County". The city is about 290 miles northwest of Minneapolis-St. Paul; 240 miles west-northwest of Duluth-Superior; 165 miles south of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; 70 miles north of Fargo, North Dakota, and 25 miles southeast of Grand Forks, North Dakota. Crookston lies in the heart of the fertile plains of the Red River Valley of the North.
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History
Before there were trains in the Crookston area, even before Crookston was Crookston, Joe Rolette started what is now known as the Pembina Trail.
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Elevation and Topography
The elevation of Crookston is 880 feet above sea level and the topography is level to gently sloping. Most of the Crookston area lies within the Red River Valley, a highly productive broad plain, which was once the bed of prehistoric glacial Lake Agassiz. The Red Lake River, which flows through the city, cuts a deep channel through the shorelines of ancient Lake Agassiz and provides Crookston with near-ideal drainage.

Climate
The coldest month is December with the average temperature 6 degrees. The average low is -9 degrees. Average annual snowfall is 35 inches. The hottest month is July with the average temperature 84 degrees. The average low is 62 degrees. Average annual precipitation is 23 inches.
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Agriculture
Agricultural production and related agribusiness are the dominant factors in the economy of the Crookston area. The agriculture here is diversified and the farmers in the area are best described as being progressive. Polk County ranks number one in the state of production of all wheat, barley, sugar beets and potatoes. In addition, area farmers grow substantial acreages of sunflowers, dry edible beans, rye and flax. Corn and soybeans round out the
crops in the Crookston area.

Agricultural Processing
The location of four agricultural processing plants in Crookston again underlines and the fact that this community is in the center of a highly productive farming area. All of these plants are locally managed, a fact which indicates that the Crookston area has produced aggressive entrepreneurs to match the areas forward-looking farms. Four of the five processors have nationwide markets and two processors export to world markets. The American Crystal Sugar Company annually produces an average of 350 million pounds of sugar at its Crookston plant. Dahlgren & Company, Inc. processes sunflower seed for human consumption and bird feed as well as breeding, developing and processing sunflower and hybrid corn for planning purposes.

Other Major Industries
Phoenix Industries is a fiberglass fabricator that also makes reaction injection molding. Dee, Inc. is a manufacturer of aluminum castings, and New Flyer of America is a bus manufacturer.

Government
Crookston is classified as a city with a mayor-council form of government. Municipal elections are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November each odd-numbered year. The council meets the second and fourth Tuesday of each month. Municipal officials are Mayor, 8 councilmen, Administrative Assistant, Building Inspector, City Clerk-Treasurer, and City Attorney.

Police Department
The Crookston Police Department is comprised of 16 full time officers. All policemen are uniformed and trained. The Department has 8 police vehicles, fully equipped, and a full complement of police equipment including a two-way radio system. The city police provides patrols and protection to all existing industries.

Fire Department
Crookston and the surrounding area receives fire protection from a 32 man department, including seven full-time personnel and 25 paid-on-call. The community maintains 400 fire hydrants and has a Fire Insurance Classification of 3. The Crookston Fire Fighters Association contracts with 13 outlying townships on a contract basis.

Crookston Schools

Public Schools
Crookston Public Schools serves students in Grades K-12. The physical plant of the school system consists of the following:

Two elementary schools: Washington Elementary serve students grades K-2. Highland Elementary School serves students in grades 3-7.

Crookston High School, a new state-of-the-art school recently completed, serves grades 8-12.

The district enrolls approximately 1,600 students and serves the City of Crookston as well as a large area surrounding the city. A complete bus system transports the students to and from school. In 1979 the district opened a new pool which serves the total community as well as the student body. It contains an large pool along with a diving tank with a one and three meter board.

The Crookston Public Schools provide a wide range of services for students with special needs. Those services include, but are not limited to: speech therapy, occupational therapy, psychological services, educable/trainable mentally handicapped, visually handicapped, hearing impaired, learning disabilities and early childhood special education. Special education services are provided for all children ages birth through 22.

New Paths Area Learning Center is a volunteer education program for individuals who wish to complete high school in a non-traditional setting with transitional and support services designed to meet the individual needs of learners.

Vocational training programs are available and include the following: business management and technology, construction trades, metal working occupations, and professional foods.

Adult training programs are available through Community Education, Adult Basic Education or the University of Minnesota, Crookston.

The District 593 Education Foundation is a non-profit, community-based organization established to help improve the quality of education by raising and allocating money for worthwhile projects in the Crookston Public Schools. The Foundation’s objectives include improving student achievement, motivating students to learn and improving instructional techniques.

Parochial Schools
Cathedral Grade School offers grades K-6 with an enrollment of 106. Our Savior’s Day School, a Nationally Accredited school for grades Preschool - 6th, with an enrollment of 73.

University of Minnesota, Crookston
University of Minnesota, Crookston (UMC) borders on the northern edge of Crookston, in the Red River Valley of the North. The picturesque campus consists of 29 buildings on 237 acres of land. The College Campus is an applied technical four-year college focusing on a positive, personal community; an interactive learning environment; a modern campus setting where all students have personal notebook computers; applied, technical bachelor and associate degree programs; and outreach programming which serves citizens with workshops and information referral.

The Northwest Research and Outreach Center does research in agronomy, soils, plant pathology, sugar beets, horticulture, water quality, pesticide management, dairy, beef, and natural resources.

The U of M Extension Service is the major educational outreach area of the University of Minnesota, which offices in every county of the state. Campus based extension specialists work with county-based extension educators to deliver educational programs through meetings, demonstrations, workshops, publication and electronic delivery.

The Agricultural Utilization Research Institute fosters long-term economic benefits and increases business and employment opportunities for rural Minnesota.

Businesses/Services
Please visit our Chamber Directory for a listing of businesses and services in Crookston.

Medical Facilities
Riverview Health is a 49 bed modern hospital accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and is a member of the American Hospital Association and Minnesota Blue Cross.

Clinic - Altru Clinic-Crookston is served by a fully staffed modern medical clinic with satellite facilities in three surrounding communities and is part of a much larger healthcare organization that covers all of the major specialty areas.

Nursing Homes - The Riverview Nursing Home is a skilled and ICU 100 bed unit attached to Riverview Health. Villa St. Vincent has 80 skilled beds for nursing care, 24 bed special care units (for Alzheimer), a 35 bed board and care unit, and 27 assisted-living apartments. Both nursing homes are fully accredited and licensed.

Mental Health - Crookston is the site of the Northwestern Mental Health Center with a professional staff of 42, which provides comprehensive mental health services for the northwest counties of Minnesota.

Chemical Dependency - The Glenmore Recovery Center provides comprehensive chemical abuse, chemical dependency, and family services to Northwest Minnesota and Northeast North Dakota. It has a professional staff of 34 people and operates satellite clinics in Roseau, Thief River Falls, and Detroit Lakes, Minnesota.

Transportation
Crookston is linked directly to the Great Lakes port of Duluth-Superior and the St. Lawrence Seaway by US Highway #2 and to Winnipeg, Manitoba, and the Gulf of Mexico by US Highway #75.

Within Crookston, you are invited to use Tri-Valley Heartland Express (T.H.E. Bus). This bus service provides transportation services to the general public. There are no age limits and no income requirements to ride the buses. Curb to curb service is available for the disabled with advance notification. TDD, Telephone for the Deaf and Disabled, service is provided for the hearing impaired. One day advance reservations are suggested. Transportation service is used for a variety of reasons which include medical, nutritional, social, recreational and personal activities. In town rides are $1.50 per ride. T.H.E. Bus is located at 1345 Fairfax Ave., Crookston - 218-281-0700.

Bus Service is available from Jefferson Lines. Jefferson Lines runs daily scheduled bus service throughout the country's Heartland, including the Twin Cities. Passenger pick up is at Tesoro (SuperPumper) at 12:30 pm daily.

The Crookston Municipal Airport is located two miles north of the city and has landing facilities capable of handling light twin-engine planes.

Commercial airline service is provided at Grand Forks, North Dakota, 30 miles west of Crookston.

AMTRAK, is also located 30 miles away at Grand Forks, ND. Please visit their website for more information.