Grafton is a city and the county seat of Walsh County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 4,170 at the 2020 census, and was estimated at 4,027 in 2024, Grafton was founded in 1881. It was incorporated as a village in 1881 and then became a city in 1903. In 1881, Walsh County was established and Grafton was subsequently designated the county seat. The city was named for Grafton County, New Hampshire, the native home of a large share of its early settlers.
The Grafton State School, a home for the developmentally disabled, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Government
The city employs a mayor-council government where the mayor is elected for a four-year term and eight city council members are elected to staggered four-year terms. There are four at-large members of the city council while the remaining four members are elected from the four wards of the city. Currently, Chris West is serving as mayor while the city council members are as follows: David Fellman (1st Ward), Greg Young (2nd Ward), Philip Ray (3rd Ward), Don Hutson (4th Ward), Brad Burianek (At-large), Donavon McMillian (At-large), Brian Sieben (At-large), and Loree Osowski (At-large).
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (7.38%) is water.