Moorhead
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Moorhead

Moorhead

Minnesota college town across the Red River from Fargo, with oxcart history and a recreated Viking ship.

Moorhead sits on the Minnesota side of the Red River of the North, directly across from Fargo, North Dakota. Together the two cities form the Fargo-Moorhead metro area, home to about 140,000 people in the flat, open country of the northern Great Plains.

The town was settled in the 1870s as a crossing point on the Red River, serving as a transfer hub between oxcart trails from Minneapolis and riverboats heading north to Winnipeg. Named for a director of the Northern Pacific Railway, Moorhead earned a reputation as "Sin City" in the 1880s when it boasted more than 100 bars — neighbouring Fargo had banned the sale of alcohol.

Today Moorhead is a college town (Concordia College and Minnesota State University Moorhead are both here) with a quiet, pleasant downtown. The Hjemkomst Center houses a full-scale replica of a Viking ship that actually sailed to Norway in 1982, along with exhibits on Scandinavian heritage — a reminder of who settled this part of the country. The Rourke Art Museum and the Victorian Comstock House round out the cultural options.

Guide

Getting There

Hector International Airport in Fargo, North Dakota serves the Fargo-Moorhead metro area with direct flights to Minneapolis, Denver, Chicago, and several other hubs. Moorhead is about 15 minutes from the airport. Amtrak's Empire Builder — running between Chicago and Seattle/Portland — stops at Fargo, a short walk or drive across the river.

By road, Moorhead is on Interstate 94 between Minneapolis (240 miles east) and Bismarck, North Dakota (180 miles west). US-10 also passes through town. From Minneapolis, the drive takes about 3.5 hours on flat, open freeway.

Guide

Things to Do

Moorhead's main attraction is the Hjemkomst Center, a heritage museum housing a full-size Viking longship that was actually sailed across the Atlantic in 1982. It is one of the more improbable and compelling stories in the region, and the ship itself is extraordinary. The Rourke Art Museum holds a good collection of Native American art, pre-Columbian pieces, and regional work. The Comstock House, an 1882 Victorian mansion, is the best-preserved historic home in town.

For most visitors, Moorhead is explored as part of the larger Fargo-Moorhead metro area — the Red River is the state line and the two downtown cores are effectively one continuous city. The amenities and arts scene of Fargo are easily walkable or a short drive across the bridge.