Manvel, ND

Manvel is a Grand Forks County city on the Turtle River, within the Greater Grand Forks area. The first settlement grew beside a stagecoach route in the 1860s; the town was laid out in 1881 when the railroad reached the site, and it was named for Great Northern passenger agent Allen A. Manvel. A post office followed in 1882. That sequence gives Manvel a compact origin story: river, overland route, rail line, and mail service all fixed the place on the northern county map.

Today the city has a one-school public district at 801 Oldham Avenue, serving prekindergarten through eighth grade; the 2025-26 district profile lists 201 students. The city's civic footprint includes City Hall, a community shelter, fire and rescue, a post office, Manvel Oil Coop, and a senior shelter. The Manvel Community Center and park have hosted Manvel Days events such as a picnic, parade, vendors, school reunion, softball, and a street dance. The Turtle River remains the geographic thread through a city whose civic life is organized within a few blocks.