Grand Island, NE (Lexington, Gibbon, Alma: real estate market, home, neighborhoods)

[Keeper]

Please get back on topic.. if you want to discuss immigration issues go to that forum.. The poster did not ask about illegals she asked about housing..Thanks

[silverojo]

Originally Posted by AngelikaV

In a nutshell, Grand Island isn't for everyone. It isn't a pretty town; it doesn't have pretty scenery

As a former Grand Islander (who's heading back as soon as my lease in AZ expires), I must respectfully disagree. Downtown may not be pretty (but not too many downtowns are), but there's a lot to see elsewhere in GI. After being subjected to the ugliness of Phoenix--land of desert and concrete--for years, my eyes yearn for the lovely green grass, the trees, the businesses that DON'T look like Mexican prisons, the gorgeous sunsets, and beautiful wildlife like the cranes, so close by. I used to go through a LOT of film, taking photos of the natural beauty of GI.

Now, if you want to see a truly ugly town, go to Bakersfield, California. (No offense to those in Bakersfield--I really liked living there. But one can't deny that it isn't a pretty place.)

Originally Posted by AngelikaV

it doesn't have many cultural amenities; it doesn't have many entertainment options; it doesn't have many recreational options

GI is rich with the history of the Prairie Pioneer, and one of the best museums to celebrate that history is Stuhr Museum in GI. And it's not far from another fantastic museum, Pioneer Village, in Minden.

"Cultural amenities" and "entertainment options" is just another way of saying "pretentious Yuppie crap"--who needs it? I've had enough of that BS in Arizona to last me a lifetime. Oh, yeah, there are lots of places around here where you can go to see art or live performance. But that doesn't help when you go to the grocery store and they're out of half the things on your shopping list, because there are too few supermarkets for too many people in an overcrowded hellhole where it's 115 degrees. I want to live with real people, not Yuppie snobs. GI is more like a suburb than most real suburbs are, without being overpretentious. That's one reason I'm aching to get back to GI...so many stores and practical amenities.

For example: I live in a city with 250,000 people, and we have only one VERY crowded Wal-Mart Supercenter way up north. GI, with roughly 50,000 people, has two. I'm tired of having to devote two or more hours of my day to grocery shopping or running errands.

As for the recreational options...unless you're exceedingly lazy, there are tons of things to do in GI. Bike trails, lakes and other areas where you can do all sorts of outdoor activites abound. And the beauty of the crane migration near GI is very well-known. About the only thing you can't do in GI is ski; even if you like water sports, there are lakes where you can enjoy them. What's not to enjoy?

Originally Posted by AngelikaV

But if you don't care about amenities, like smaller towns, a slow pace of life, mostly dry weather but four seasons, and a mostly white conservative Christian community, then Grand Island may suit you.

GI isn't that slow-paced, really. If you want a slow pace of life, move to Arizona. That was the worst culture shock when I came here from GI. I was expecting the pace of Omaha--not so. Some of the people are so slow, that I find myself wondering if they're really that stupid, or on drugs. The scary thing is, they get into their cars and drive fast, despite having such slow reflexes. (This is why our insurance rates are so high out here.) It never fails to amaze me, how long it takes most Arizonans to step on the gas when the light turns green.

I know that things have changed in GI--most of the problems started with the meat-packing plants, as someone else posted on this thread. And it infuriates me that the pretty old neighborhoods have been infested with crime. But that's a fact of life anywhere, and GI's pros far outweigh its cons.

[silverojo]

Originally Posted by mattpoulsen

Seriously, how do you know they're illegals?

Simple: If they speak Spanish, they're illegals. People who come here legally must take the citizenship test in English, so they have to be fluent English speakers. If someone can't speak English, you know they haven't taken the citizenship test.

[Dave1215]

Originally Posted by silverojo

Simple: If they speak Spanish, they're illegals. People who come here legally must take the citizenship test in English, so they have to be fluent English speakers. If someone can't speak English, you know they haven't taken the citizenship test.

You don't have to have taken the citizenship test to be here legally... there are many types of visa's that a legal immigrant can hold without being a citizen.

[tw enterprises]

Originally Posted by hpawlet

My husband and I are moving to the Grand Island area, housing situation still undecided. We would like to rent a house in the outskirts of G.I, we have a dog and a cat. We are relocating from VT and do not know anybody! We are in our mid twenties, he is an electrician and I am a teacher (k-6). He got a job with Mid Plains Power, I do not have one yet, I need to transfer my license over. I feel like I have exhausted the newspaper/internet housing search. We will rent, we thought about buying but that it difficult because we are 24 hours away. If anyone knows of a place, rent to own, house rent, apartment rent, at this point whatever. We have refrences if needed. Thank You.

If you are looking for a teaching job in Grand Island you shouldn't have a problem. My girlfriend is a teacher and she is retiring this year and she saids alot of teachers are retiring this year. They have expanded and built new schools here also because of the growth. If your husband desides to go out on his own electricians are in great demand here. As far as housing you may contact TW Enterprises. He deals in realestate. Sometimes he has rentals or rent to own, but mostly he sells properties of all kinds. You can contact him atNo Phone Numbers Please. Send a direct message to a specific poster if they are interested.

[mattpoulsen]

Silver,

That is one of the most ignorant things I have ever heard!

First, they don't have to have citizenship to be her legally.

Second, your contention that they have to speak "fluent English" to pass a citizenship test is just completely absurd.

This simply displays you have no idea what you're talking about on the subject.

[amosite]

I have employed dozens of people in GI and it is very hard to tell who is illegal and who is not. I have hired laborers that spoke very little English yet had birth certificates from California. I have also had laborers that spoke fluent English but I had to fire because their social's came back invalid. A lot of white Nebraskans also have fraudulent social security numbers. It is hard to tell what is what.

[amosite]

Anyway, GI is a pretty nice town, if not a little ugly. There are tons of places to live and real estate is dirt cheap right now. Spend a few days looking around town or out in the country because there are a lot of great deals to be had.

[shane insane]

personally, i wouldn't move here. the town is being run over. i'm not trying to be mean or anything, but it's the truth. the neighbor hood that i'm living in currently used to be nice a few years back. but now we have mexicans across the street, around the block, down the block, EVERYWHERE! and every day they are racing down the street blaring their music as loud as they can. they throw trash ALL OVER, and they're always yelling. we have complained before, but no body seems to do anything. and it's true, they DON'T care about this community. all they really care about is getting money and healthcare. which i seem to be missing out on both of those. where i used to work, there were several illegal immigrants. one of the guys has a total English name, yet he didn't speak one word of english. NOT ONE WORD! i'm sorry, but this is america. if you come here, you need to be able to speak OUR language and play by our rules. don't come here thinging that you can change our ways.


as for renting a house, it's somewhat hard to find a place that allows dogs or cats. we are renting and we aren't allowed to have either one. my brother is also renting and isn't allowed pets. but some places will allow them if u pay a little extra.

[shane insane]

a few things i need to add:

my family goes to the bar a lot. and nearly every time, there's a fight. the mexicans beat up on whites, mexicans beat up on other mexicans, and now there's the sudanese biting off ears or whatever the hell happened. very vicious bunch. now i'm not saying that whites don't fight, but we DO fight a lot less.

as for needing to speak spanish to live here, it's pretty damn close to being true. go through mcdonalds and see what kind of challenge that is. go to wal-mart and try havin one of the mexicans check u out. YOU CAN'T UNDERSTAND THEM. that's the way it is, and apparently that's the way it's gonna be for a while unless someone can make some drastic changes.