Grand Forks - some 'real' information

I am hoping to travel from Australia to visit a friend working near Grand Forks. I hope to be there for about a month (September or November) but cannot find any %26#39;real%26#39; information about the area.

Can anyone fill me on on the following:

Weather (please be honest)!!!!

Public transport within 20km radius outside Grand Forks

Nightlife

Attractions

Possibility of part time employment

Living in a small community (when not a local)

What locals generally do on a weekend

Thanks in anticipation or your help!!

Grand Forks - some 'real' information

I lived in GF for a few years while attending grad school, so here%26#39;s my two cents:

Weather -

*** Sept will be great, temperate fall days with cool nights...one of the best months for weather

*** Nov will be cold, likely with snow/wind/etc...might be fun for you to experience a North Dakota winter?!

Nightlife -

since GF is a college town, there are lots of bars %26amp; clubs

Non-local in a small town -

North Dakotans are very polite and friendly, although somewhat reserved at first...most people are very accomodating to visitors and will love to hear about where you are from

Locals on weekends -

*** high school/college football season, basketball season, hockey season - local sports are a big deal up there, games are often on fri night or sat

*** head to the lake - there are a couple of nice lakes within a few hours driving distance (devil%26#39;s lake, ND %26amp; lake of the woods, MN)

*** fish on the red river - you can catch some BIG catfish, walleye, pike, etc

*** hiking/biking

check out the Grand Forks Convention %26amp; Visitor%26#39;s Bureau website for more info on attractions (www.visitgrandforks.com). they could probably also advise you on public transportation in the area

Grand Forks - some 'real' information

Hello! I just had to add my two cents about Grand Forks if it%26#39;s not too late. a two hour drive to the north, in Canada, you will find Winnipeg. This is a city of 650,000 with a vibrant arts scene, culture galore, as well as lots of night life and beautiful nature and beaches. However, on any given weekend, Winnipeggers flock to Grand Forks like lemmings. (myself included!) After 2 days , however, I would go insane there. Other than shopping, which is what we all come for, there is not much to do. It%26#39;s a small town, in a small, all but forgotten State.

There is not much in the way of charming locales, it seems to me that whole place is either really old and industrial looking, or filled with ';Big-Box'; shopping centres. I doubt there is any public transport within 20 km radius out of town. The weather in September is very nice but summer pretty much ends in August. You would not be able to go swimming outdoors in September, for example. November will be very cold and there may be lots of snow, but it%26#39;s not a given.

I guess if the University scene is your cup of tea, there may be a whole other side to GF, but I wouldn%26#39;t know about that. One the plus side, it seems like a clean and safe town. The locals do not seem overly friendly to me, but I am often hard pressed to even find a local, it%26#39;s all just Canadians!