University Village is a neighborhood in Grand Forks, North Dakota

Grand Forks, North Dakota

Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 52,838, while that of the city and surrounding metropolitan area was 98,461...

. It is a part of the University of North Dakota

University of North Dakota

The University of North Dakota is a public university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA. Established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of North Dakota, UND is the oldest and largest university in the state and enrolls over 14,000 students. ...

 (UND) campus and is located directly north of UND's central campus area. The property comprises 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) located on the banks of the meandering English Coulee directly off U.S. Highway 2

U.S. Route 2

U.S. Route 2 is an east–west U.S. Highway spanning across the northern continental United States. US 2 consists of two segments connected by various roadways in southern Canada...

. University Village has been developed as a commercial and residential neighborhood with the Ralph Engelstad Arena

Ralph Engelstad Arena

For the arena with the same name in Thief River Falls, Minnesota see Ralph Engelstad Arena .For the pre-2001 arena in Grand Forks, North Dakota see Ralph Engelstad Arena ....

 as the major anchor and has been called "the most valuable piece of real estate in North Dakota

North Dakota

North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....

."

History

Formerly known as the Bronson Property, the land was donated to UND by local attorney and judge Harrison A. Bronson

Harrison A. Bronson

Harrison A. Bronson was an American legislator and attorney who served as a Justice of the Supreme Court of North Dakota from 1918 to 1924. He died at the age of 73 in 1947.-External links:*...

 who, in 1895, became the recipient of the first master's degree awarded by UND. For decades, the area contained no structures and was used only for intramural fields and community garden space. After the devastating Red River Flood of 1997, plans were drawn up to develop the property. The plan called for UND, commercial, and residential uses.

In 2000, the first building constructed at University Village — a new Barnes & Noble College Booksellers

Barnes & Noble College Booksellers

Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, Inc. operates bookstores at more than 600 U.S. colleges and universities. Barnes & Noble College Booksellers is a subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, Inc., which acquired it in 2009. It was formerly a separate company, and Barnes & Noble chairman Leonard S. Riggio...

 store — opened its doors. The store has since changed suppliers and is now run by Follett Book Company. At that time, construction was well underway on a large ice arena which would be the centerpiece of the new neighborhood. In 2001, the $100+ million dollar Ralph Engelstad Arena

Ralph Engelstad Arena

For the arena with the same name in Thief River Falls, Minnesota see Ralph Engelstad Arena .For the pre-2001 arena in Grand Forks, North Dakota see Ralph Engelstad Arena ....

 opened. The ice arena is home to the UND Fighting Sioux ice hockey

North Dakota Fighting Sioux hockey

The North Dakota Fighting Sioux men's ice hockey team is the college ice hockey team at the Grand Forks campus of the University of North Dakota. They are members of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association and compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I ice hockey...

 program. Former hockey star Wayne Gretzky

Wayne Gretzky

Wayne Douglas Gretzky, CC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. Nicknamed "The Great One", he is generally regarded as the best player in the history of the National Hockey League , and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters,...

 has called the arena "one of the most beautiful buildings we have in North America." In 2004, a $7 million addition, known as the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center

Betty Engelstad Sioux Center

The Betty Engelstad Sioux Center is an indoor arena located in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It is adjacent to the larger $100 million Ralph Engelstad Arena in the University Village development. The facility sits on the campus of the University of North Dakota and is used for the University's...

, was constructed adjacent to the Ralph Engelstad Arena and is home to the Fighting Sioux basketball

North Dakota Fighting Sioux basketball

The North Dakota Fighting Sioux basketball teams are parth of the athletic program at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, North Dakota. They are members of the NCAA Division I Great West Conference since the 2008-2009 season. Previously they played in Division II's North Central...

 and Fighting Sioux volleyball

North Dakota Fighting Sioux volleyball

The North Dakota Fighting Sioux volleyball team is a part of the athletic program at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA. They are members of the NCAA Division I Great West Conference. The team has won 2 consecutive Great West Conference regular and post-season titles ....

 programs. In 2006, the $20 million UND Student Wellness Center opened doors in University Village. Other buildings which have been constructed on the property include a family practice clinic, two strip mall

Strip mall

A strip mall is an open-area shopping center where the stores are arranged in a row, with a sidewalk in front. Strip malls are typically developed as a unit and have large parking lots in front...

s, two banks, a bar and grill (which went out of business in 2008), new university run student apartments, and a gas station. A large townhouse development has also been built on the west side of the property. Future plans for University Village call for an expansion of the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences

University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences

The University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences is the only school of medicine in the state of North Dakota.The school has trained roughly half of the physicians currently practicing in the state. Roughly 20 percent of the American Indian doctors in the United States were...

, a hotel, and more commercial developments.