Green Flags for an Age-friendly Grand Cities

One green flag for a strong neighborhood is when a community’s leadership, popular activities, and the literal spaces that make it, are age-friendly. Living in Grand Forks over just the last five years, I’ve been able to make unique friends across every age group because the Grand Cities region is one where people of all ages are both welcoming and welcomed in so many ways.

A strong community is what happens when you see people of every age both considered and prioritized in policy and design decisions around town and within organizations. This means clubs thinking actively about how to incorporate age-friendly activities that appeal to and connect people of different generations together. It also means investing not only in new attractions for families and youth (like the exciting and soon-to-be-built Grand Forks Children’s Museum) but also investing in repairs to historic neighborhoods and other spaces, making them accessible to people of all ages for a long time to come.

So many organizations do a lot to make Grand Forks one of those healthy communities where it isn’t a surprise to see our youngest and our oldest neighbors sharing space, stories, and time. What are some of the best age-friendly things to do around the Grand Cities? Here are my field notes on what generations you can spy at which happening places and organizations throughout town:

Sightings: Boomer, Gen X, Millennial, Gen Z, Gen Alpha

At the airport earlier this year, I bumped into my intern from last summer. Then, in Grand Forks fashion, we also bumped into a former boss from another job and her spouse. I was not surprised that her husband and my former intern are both passionate about pickleball now. It’s a popular age-friendly activity in the Grand Cities. More outdoor courts are being converted all of the time, and the club recently took over management of PlayIT! where indoor year-round courts are available. I’m not a pickleball regular myself, but I can attest to the age-friendly status of this club because I know people of every age group who participate in it. If you’re interested in learning to play, you can borrow equipment from the club, and there are also regular Learn to Play events where you can get a free introduction to the sport. Last summer, I heard about a doubles team that has an impressive 75-year age gap! So many green flags!

Sightings: The Silent Generation, Boomer, Gen X, Millennial, Gen Z, Gen Alpha, Gen Beta

How many executive directors juggle projects with dozens and dozens of community members? How many of those projects involve painting a public mural with ages 3-92? Commitment to people (veterans, military-affiliated individuals, and non-veterans) of every age is one of the things this organization, and its leaders, are best known for.

Classes and activities include Wellbriety gatherings, stained glass, a songwriters’ group, acrylics, healthy cooking, Native American beading art, and more. 

The stained glass instructor also teaches gentle Tai Chi at the Grand Forks Senior Center and, in summers, at parks throughout town, so please consider Arts for Vets a gateway to other important age-friendly sites. 

Sightings: The Silent Generation, Boomer, Gen X, Millennial, Gen Z, Gen Alpha, Gen Beta

Have you ever been to the Birthday Club at the Grand Forks YMCA? You know a club is age-friendly when the only qualification is having a birthday, and that’s exactly what the YMCA Birthday Club is about. Anyone who has a birthday, no matter their age, is welcome and is celebrated. Healthy Living Director Adam will cook up something great, and the whole club will share a meal. 

The YMCA offers Health Trip once per year (a 60-day incentive program to help people get acquainted with the Y), and other trial programs throughout the year. Classes at the Y include Yoga, Tai Chi, Swimming, Cardio, Family Rec, Pilates, Boxing, Silver Sneakers (both a circuit class and an aquatics class, which are specifically designed for older adults), cooking, and more. There’s also a daycare, various youth summer camps, and a variety of opportunities for financial assistance.

Sightings: The Silent Generation, Boomer, Gen X, Millennial, Gen Z

Another way people in Grand Forks form strong bonds with one another is through service. There are tons of service clubs in Grand Forks, including: Rotary AM, Rotary PM, Lion’s, Sertoma, Optimist Club, Downtown Rotary, and more. 

Each has their own passions, projects, and rich history. This is precisely what makes them age-friendly: there’s no need to play the same sport, live in the same part of town, have the same background, or know the same things, because service clubs come together around shared things they care about. Check out some of the ones above, see what causes you think you want to spend more time on (and get to know people of all ages who feel the same way). I’ve been to meetings of many of the groups above, and I know that many are open to new members joining now. Service clubs are strongest when they can draw on membership across all generations.

Age-friendly living in Grand Forks is possible because there are dozens of art organizations, social and service clubs, rec sports, and community ed opportunities that not only welcome everyone of all ages but also prioritize programs that fit every generation.

Five AARP grants have been awarded in the Grand Cities from 2018-2025 to organizations like the City of Grand Forks, University Park Neighborhoods, the Near North Neighborhood Association, the Downtown Development Association, and the Grand Forks Public Library. These five organizations are working hard to incorporate more age-friendly programs throughout town, and they’re not the only ones: the city engineering department recently put together an ADA Transition Plan to make sure that public spaces throughout town are accessible, our MPO just passed a new Safe Streets for All Safety Action Plan, and the Grand Forks Historic Preservation Commission is very active right now compiling and sharing histories in our town to better connect people across all generations and cultures. Plus, dozens of other organizations work together all of the time to design spaces that make the Grand Cities an age-friendly community.

Every generation has something to offer the community, and in Grand Forks I’ve seen great programs welcome all kinds of people, which is what makes our community so strong.

Three years ago, my partner and I went to a board game night hosted by a neighborhood organization, where I saw two retired UND faculty I know from walks on the Greenway. We taught them to play mancala. While we were there, a former student from one of my college English classes showed up. It turns out she volunteers through a non-profit program called Bringing Generations and Cultures Together to help the family around the house, awaiting them in aging in place home alterations in exchange for tutoring help. When she graduated recently, she invited her family from Ghana to the ceremony, and they all visited the couple’s home for a dinner party