For students attending the University of North Dakota, finding housing is an inevitable obstacle. While Grand Forks is not considered a big town by any means, there are still a multitude of housing options that might leave students unsure of what their best options are. Most students will find apartment living is their most accessible option if they want to live off campus. A few common apartment complexes that students often resort to for housing are the Boden, the Verge, and McEnroe Apartments. Here are some opinions from UND students about their experiences living at these complexes.
Sophomore Madi Steele has been living at the Boden with three roommates since the start of the year. When asked about what she likes about living at the Boden, she said, “it’s fully furnished so I don’t have to bring any furniture or a bed. I like how they have different rooms in the building, for example, a movie room, workout area, and game room.”
“There’s a couple study rooms on each floor,” she says. “I like how close it is to campus, so I can just walk across the bridge.” The Boden has a bridge that leads from one of the apartment complexes directly to Columbia Road, making campus easily accessible for those who reside at the complex.
However, living at the Boden sometimes has its cons. When asked what things she does not like about being living at the Boden, Steele said, “I don’t like how expensive rent is. There’s also a ton of noise that you can hear at night. I heard sirens and the plows at night, and sometimes I can hear the train.” Being located right off DeMers, the apartment complex is apt to face a lot of commotion.
The Boden is a safe bet for many students, especially students who are far from home. Being fully furnished and extremely close to campus, many students may find that this is their best option if they do not have a car or adults nearby to help with the moving process.
McEnroe Apartments is another location that many students will choose for college housing. Made up of several different buildings with several different layouts, this complex has a lot of space to be housing college students who are looking for a place to live.
Junior Susan Knutson has been living at McEnroe this past year with three other roommates, and she has a couple of pros and cons to share about the experience as well. “Living at McEnroe Apartments is great because it is close to campus, affordable, and has in-unit laundry along with many other amenities offered,” Knutson says. “The management is very nice and easy to talk to, and they help solve any problem that you may have.”
When reflecting upon some of the downsides of living at McEnroe, Knutson says, “one of the fastest ways to get to the university campus is a route that goes over the train tracks, which often have trains stopped on them, forcing students to take the longer way to campus.” McEnroe Apartments are also right off DeMers and 42nd Street, though they are pushed back into a bit of a more secluded area than the Boden. However, there are railroad tracks that become a hinderance to anyone who is trying to reach University Avenue from the apartments. While Boden residents can quickly take Columbia to reach campus if they are driving, McEnroe tenants are often taking a longer route to campus thanks to those tracks. While plans are underway for reconstructing the road to avoid traffic caused by the train tracks, it is likely that Grand Forks drivers will continue to struggle with this inconvenience for a while longer.
However, Knutson can confirm that the pros of living at McEnroe outweigh the cons. McEnroe is a great option for many, as long as students who choose to reside there have a stable form of transportation to reach campus, since the apartments are not in close walking distance. McEnroe Apartments are also known for being widely spacious, which proves to be a great living situation for larger groups.
The Verge has been a long-beloved apartment complex for university students. The Verge compares to the Boden with its furnished rooms and amenities. The Verge has a fitness room, basketball court, pool, and shared areas for studying and hosting. Verge Resident Kayla Stine says, “I really like the Verge for the fact that it is fully furnished. It is also a great option for students who do not have roommates set up, as they can match you up with roommates. Each bedroom has a key for privacy for that reason as well.” Both the Boden and the Verge have roommate matching systems, though the Verge’s locked bedrooms give an added sense of security.
Being right next to the Alerus Center, the Verge is a great option for students who like to spend their weekends tailgating and watching the football games. Of course, this also comes with the downside of also being planted right next to the DeMers train tracks, so Verge residents will also face the same obstacle that McEnroe tenants deal with when making their way to campus.
Stine says when mentioning the downsides of Verge living, “another difficult thing is that the stairs are outside. This makes things difficult in the winter, since walking upstairs that are exposed to the snow and ice is not the safest thing.” However, some of the concerns regarding the moving process with outdoor stairs and no elevator are alleviated, thanks to the furnishings provided.
While there are many other available apartment complexes in the Grand Forks region for students, these three locations are some of the most popular among students. While there are many different pros and cons to each spot, the truth is that no matter where you might find yourself, any of these three options will provide for a satisfactory living situation.
Ava Stockstad is a Dakota Student General Reporter. She can be reached at [email protected].
