Grand Island, Nebraska

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Coordinates: 40°55′20″N 98°21′29″W / 40.92222, -98.35806
Grand Island, Nebraska
Location of Grand Island, Nebraska
Country	United States
State	Nebraska
County	Hall
Government
- Mayor	Margaret Hornady
Area
- Total	21.6 sq mi (55.9 km²)
- Land	21.5 sq mi (55.6 km²)
- Water	0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
Elevation	1,860 ft (567 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	42,940
- Density	2,000.2/sq mi (772.3/km²)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes	68801-68803
Area code(s)	308
FIPS code	31-19595^[1]
GNIS feature ID	0829622^[2]

Grand Island is a city in Hall County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 42,940 in the 2000 census and had grown to 44,632 by 2006. It is the county seat of Hall County^[3]. Grand Island is home to the Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Center (NLETC) which is the sole agency responsible for training law enforcement officers throughout the state, as well as the Southern Power District serving southern Nebraska.

Grand Island is the principal city of the Grand Island Micropolitan Statistical Area, which consists of Hall, Merrick, and Howard counties.

1 Geography and Climate
2 History
- 2.1 1980 tornadoes
3 Demographics
4 Special Events
5 Grand Island in the news
6 Religion
7 Attractions
8 School districts
9 High schools
10 Persons born in Grand Island
11 References
12 External links

[edit] Geography and Climate

Grand Island is located at 40°55′20″N, 98°21′29″W (40.922316, -98.357996)^[4].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 21.6 square miles (55.9 km²), of which, 21.5 square miles (55.6 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (0.60%) is water.

A famous location among locals is Tornado Hill. It is a popular place during the winter after a fresh layer of snow is on it. It is a strange feature to people passing by the city since Grand Island is relatively flat. It is, in fact, burnt debris from the 1980 tornados (see below). The city dug into the earth and piled the ashes and whatever was left from the burnt debris in the hole. The dirt from the hole was then spread over the top of the pile. A myth about the hill is that pieces of debris (i.e. car bumpers) could be sticking out but this is impossible since all the debris was burnt and all the metals were recycled.

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures
Rec High °F	76	80	90	96	101	107	109	110	104	96	82	76
Norm High °F	32.6	38.6	49.5	61.9	71.9	83	87.1	84.8	76.9	64.6	46.8	35.3
Norm Low °F	12.2	17.7	27	37.8	49.3	59.1	64.4	62.3	51.8	39.3	25.9	15.9
Rec Low °F	-28	-19	-21	7	23	38	42	40	23	9	-11	-26
Precip (in)	0.54	0.68	2.04	2.61	4.07	3.72	3.14	3.08	2.43	1.51	1.41	0.66
Source: USTravelWeather.com [1]

[edit] History

This article or section is missing citations or needs footnotes.
Using inline citations helps guard against copyright violations and factual inaccuracies. (September 2007)

In 1857, thirty-five German settlers left Davenport, Iowa, and headed west to Nebraska to start a new settlement in an area of land known by French traders as La Grande Isle.^{[citation needed]} It was called this because there was a large island in the Platte River near the settlement.^[5] Part of the reason for this expedition was because the Railroad had to have stops every 150 miles so that railroad engines could refuel. On July 4, 1857 they reached their destination and had built more permanent housing by September using local timber.

Over the next 9 years, the settlers had to battle many hardships including blizzards and conflicts with the local Native American populations. A fire set by a prospector who hated Germans destroyed the first settlement in 1859.^[5] When the Union Pacific Railroad was built through the area, the population moved the settlement north of the Platte River, which is the present location of the town today.^[5] While no longer an island, they kept the name.

Grand Island was once known for being a center of prostitution due to the volume of railroad traffic which went through it.^{[citation needed]}

In 1886, the railroad did come to town and its population and industry began to grow. As a result prostitution^{[citation needed]} and liquor sales flourished. In fact, it was often said that a bar could be found at the corner of every street.^{[citation needed]}

In 1872 the city was incorporated, and in 1887 an intercity railway was established. In about 1890, sugar beets were introduced as a crop in Nebraska, and a sugar beet processing factory was built in the southwest part of Grand Island. This was the first sugar beet factory built and operated in the United States.^[6]

[edit] 1980 tornadoes

Main article: 1980 Grand Island tornado outbreak

On June 3, 1980, Grand Island was hit by a massive supercell storm. Through the course of the evening, the city was ravaged by seven tornadoes. The hardest hit area of town was the South Locust business district. There were five deaths as a result of the damage caused by the tornadoes, the worst of which was rated F4 on the Fujita Scale.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 42,940 people, 16,426 households, and 11,038 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,000.2 people per square mile (772.2/km²). There were 17,421 housing units at an average density of 811.5/sq mi (313.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 86.72% White, 0.42% African American, 0.33% Native American, 1.31% Asian, 0.17% Pacific Islander, 9.64% from other races, and 1.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.94% of the population.

There were 16,426 households out of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.0% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $36,044, and the median income for a family was $43,197. Males had a median income of $28,925 versus $20,521 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,071. About 9.9% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.7% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over. The most populated area of the city is central-east, or the downtown area where population is dense.

[edit] Special Events

Started in 1941, and planned for the first Saturday of each October is the Harvest of Harmony parade. School bands from all over Nebraska come to play in this parade. In the afternoons they have band competitions at the local high schools. Floats also go along the parade routes. Also, Andy Mcvicker, performs the following Sunday.

Every mid-September is the Husker Harvest Days. This is a show of the latest farm techniques and equipment. According to superstition it will always rain during Husker Harvest Days.

Grand Island recently acquired the rights to host the State Fair. The state fair will still be in Lincoln until 2009. In 2010 Grand Island will begin hosting the State Fair

[edit] Grand Island in the news

On December 12, 2006 the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E) staged a coordinated predawn raid at the Swift and Co. meat packing plant in Grand Island and at 5 other Swift plants in western states, interviewing workers and hauling hundreds off in buses.^[7]^[8]

A February 16, 1952 issue of Look Magazine listed Grand Island as one of 26 cities that tolerated sinful behavior.^[9] After this issue, Grand Island took measures to clean up its image.

[edit] Religion

Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Island
First Presbyterian Church (Grand Island, Nebraska) [2]

[edit] Attractions

Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer, Grand Island, Nebraska. Building designed by Edward Durell Stone.

[edit] School districts

Grand Island Public Schools

[edit] High schools

[edit] Persons born in Grand Island

Tom Rathman, former NFL Running Back for the San Francisco 49ers & Los Angeles Raiders, current Running Backs coach for the Oakland Raiders (born October 7, 1962)
Mary Martin McLaughlin, Medieval history scholar, born April 15, 1919.
Henry Fonda, Academy Award-winning American film actor, born May 16, 1905.^[5]
Sociologists, authors, social workers and educators Edith Abbott (born September 26, 1876) and Grace Abbott (born November 17, 1878).
Arling Wiederspahn (1916-2007), Pioneering mortician, coroner, and community college board member in Cheyenne, Wyoming
John Parrella, born November 22, 1969, former Defensive Tackle for the Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers, played in Super Bowl XXXVII
Computer pioneer Bo Evans
Tenor Joe Feeney