Emerson, Manitoba, an unincorporated community recognized as a local urban district, is nestled in south central Manitoba, Canada, within the Municipality of Emerson – Franklin. As of the 2016 Canada census, it boasts a population of 678.
Named after the renowned writer Ralph Waldo Emerson, this community is situated 96 kilometers south of Winnipeg along the Red River, just north of the United States border. It is at the junction where the province of Manitoba and the states of Minnesota and North Dakota converge. Emerson is bordered by the Rural Municipality of Montcalm in Manitoba, Pembina County in North Dakota, and Kittson County in Minnesota. The towns of St. Vincent, Minnesota, and Pembina, North Dakota are located just a few kilometers south of the border in the United States. The unincorporated community of Noyes, Minnesota lies immediately across the border from Emerson.
The principal roads serving Emerson are Highway 75 and Provincial Road 200, which run north to Winnipeg along either side of the Red River. Highway 75 at Emerson is currently being redeveloped to accommodate the expansion of the Emerson port of entry.
The border crossing at Emerson, Manitoba, and Pembina, North Dakota is the fifth-busiest along the Canada–United States border, and the second-busiest west of the Great Lakes. It is part of a large trade corridor that links the Canadian prairies with the United States and Mexico. The ports of entry on both sides are open 24 hours and offer full border services. An estimated one million people pass through the border crossing each year.
In 1873, American businessmen Thomas Carney and William Fairbanks, following advice from railroad entrepreneur James J. Hill, received a grant from the Province of Manitoba for 640 acres along the east side of the Red River near the Canada–United States border. The settlement of Emerson was formed in 1874 and quickly grew, with a church and a school built by 1876. Emerson was originally incorporated as a town in 1879. Over the next four years, the community experienced a boom, with its population swelling to over 10,000.
West Lynne was established in the early 1870s by the Hudson's Bay Company, next to their North Pembina post. After the railway to Emerson was completed in 1878, the importance of West Lynne diminished. In 1883, West Lynne and Emerson were amalgamated into one municipality, retaining the name Emerson.
Fort Dufferin, located on the west side of the Red River, approximately two kilometers north of West Lynne, was established by the Government of Canada in 1872. Today, the Fort Dufferin site is owned by the Province of Manitoba. A cairn and plaque mark the historic site, which is open to the public during the summer.
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Emerson had a population of 660 living in 294 of its 321 total private dwellings, a change of -2.7% from its 2016 population of 678.
Emerson's education needs are served by Emerson Elementary School (Kindergarten to Grade 8) and Roseau Valley School (Grades 9–12) in nearby Dominion City. Recreational facilities include an indoor skating rink, curling rink, public golf course, swimming pool, and park. Emerson is also served by a local RCMP detachment and volunteer fire department.
Emerson experiences a humid continental climate (Dfb), and a Plant Hardiness of zone 3b. Along with St. Albans, Emerson holds the record for Manitoba's highest temperature of 44.4 °C (112 °F) on 12 July 1936, during the 1936 North American heat wave. The coldest temperature ever recorded was −46.7 °C (−52 °F) on 9 February 1899.
