| Grand Island, Nebraska |
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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 . 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. GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE Grand Island is located at (40.922316, -98.357996). According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 55.9 Km&2 (21.6 Mi&2 ). 55.6 km&2 (21.5 mi&2) of it is land and 0.3 km&2 (0.1 mi&2) of it (0.60%) is water. Grand Island was once known for being a center of prostitution due to the volume of railroad traffic which went through it. 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. {Link without Title} HISTORY 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. It was called this because there was a large island in the Platte River near the settlement.1 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. 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. While no longer an island, they kept the name. In 1886, the railroad did come to town and its population and industry began to grow. As a result prostitution and liquor sales flourished. In fact, it was often said that a bar could be found at the corner of every street. In 1872 the city was incorporated, and in 1887 an intercity railway was established. 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 Tornado es. 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 . DEMOGRAPHICS As of the Census of 2000, there were 42,940 people, 16,426 households, and 11,038 families residing in the city. The Population Density was 772.2/km&2 (2,000.2/mi&2). There were 17,421 housing units at an average density of 313.3/km&2 (811.5/mi&2). 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, but feels like more. 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. 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 route. Every mid-September is the Husker Harvest Days. This is a show of the latest farm techniques and equipment. According to local superstition it will always rain during Husker Harvest Days. GRAND ISLAND IN THE NEWS On by Julia Preston, December 13 , 2006 {Link without Title} . A February 16 , 1952 issue of Look Magazine listed Grand Island as one of 26 cities that tolerated sinful behavior. (http://www.nebar.com/pdfs/nelawyer/2000/020004.pdf). After this issue, Grand Island took measures to clean up its image. RELIGION ATTRACTIONS .]]
[http://www.stuhrmuseum.org/ Stuhr Museum Website]
HIGH SCHOOLS
PERSONS BORN IN GRAND ISLAND
EXTERNAL LINKS REFERENCES
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