Moorhead is a city in Clay County, Minnesota, United States, and the largest city in northwest Minnesota. The population was 42,005 according to the 2015 United States Census estimates. It is the county seat of Clay County.Moorhead was platted in 1871. The city was named for William Garroway Moorhead, an official of the Northern Pacific railroad. Moorhead is bordered on the west by the Red River of the North and the city of Fargo, North Dakota. On the east, Moorhead is bordered by Dilworth, Minnesota. Moorhead, along with its twin city of Fargo, North Dakota, as well as adjacent West Fargo, form the core of the Fargo?Moorhead metropolitan area, which has a 2010 population of around 208,777 residents.