The Moorhead school district broke ground in June for the new Moorhead High School, a project funded by voters who passed a $110 million bond issue in November 2019. The new high school — built to accommodate 2,100 students — will include a 3,000-seat gym, a 1,000-seat theater and a swimming pool with room for 300 spectators. The academic portion is expected to open in 2023-24, with the entire facility available for the 2024-2025 school year.

It’s been a year of challenges for Moorhead residents, businesses and leaders, as the pandemic has thrown up barriers that seemed to threaten the city’s good fortunes. But Moorhead has kept on moving forward. The latest census reports population growth of 16% in the past 10 years, bringing the city to 44,198 residents. Construction is booming, with projects underway to build hundreds of new apartments, public works projects and mixed developments. Voters’ approval of more than $100 million in secondary education facilities is bearing fruit, as the outlines of the new high school push up from the prairie. Membership in the Moorhead Business Association is at an all-time high, and both the arts and sports teams are turning out winners.