Grand Island, NE

[lehua_haynwahine]

wow so much hostility; i want to add to shane that your a very rude, and ignorant person. Your the kind of people that i wouldnt want in my neighborhood, when i move to GI. i am a pacific islander whose lived in las vegas for about 3yrs now there a lot of variety of races, and racism. BUT i've never met one race that fights more than others! maybe the "MEXICANS" wouldnt fight with your "FAMILY" at bars if people like you werent so damn racist! And yeah it might be a struggle once in a while at walmart or mcdonalds getting assistance from someone who cant speak english, but just because one hispanic person cannot speak english, doesn't mean they are all the same! i dont know what race you are, i'm guesing white by the way you back up the so called "WHITES", but realize that by being the hatful racist person you are things wont get any better for you until you get past your way of thinking and deal with all the different variety of cultures america has. OR just join the KKK and see how that works out for ya!

[BJEP]

I live in Grand Island and abolutely love it. There are the pros and cons, but everybody who has grown up here always seems to want to come back or stay close to home.

It seems like illegals are a big concern to our nation as a whole right now so I will discuss that situation first. Yes, some will tell you they are illegal, some are illegal and tell you they are not, and some just don't talk about it. The meat packing plant has attracted a lot of illegals to the town, but we all still coexist without many problems and we all seem to get along for the most part.

I read a previous post referring to the east side of town and how some are afraid to drive through it. No, the east side of town isn't that bad. You can tell its majority is the minority, but once living on that side of town, I find myself venturing through it on my way back home to the south-side. The parks are well taken care of right now and are filled with children playing soccer out in the field, or shooting hoops on the court. You can tell that there has been a change recently and that the people of the neighborhoods are trying to make a better living for their families. The minorities culture is shown in their businesses and restaurants downtown on e. 4th street. Some say it's scary, but just stop into one of the restaurants and grab a bite to eat, the food is delicious and the people like to see you in there and they even try to speak english and carry on a conversation with you because they want to, not because they have to.

People are also complaining about the meatpacking plant being the reason for attracting all the illegals, yea many of them are employed there,but they are hard workers and the meat packing plant is a major factor in our economy, much larger than one might think. The money that comes through that place and dispersed to all of its employees greatly helps our economy since they need to shop and spend money on entertainment just as well as everybody else does. I'd be more concerned about the odor coming from the plant itself then the minorities and illegals that work there.

The Grand Island Public School system is always looking for new teachers it seems. The school system is expanding and there have been many new additions and renovations. Check out the website, GIPS Home Page - Grand Island Public Schools. The public school system consists of about 20 schools all over Grand Island, it is great for all kids grades K-12. There are many programs that deal with kids with disabilities and kids learning english. The Grand Island school system is always receiving outstanding awards. The staff are all friendly and easy to get alongwith. If you're not a fan of public schools, then there are private religious schools centrally located as well that offer great education.

Housing in Grand Island is very cheap right now. I'm sure there are houses you would like and easily could afford. Even with the nations struggling economy and the housing crisis, our real estate market is still doing fine. There are many rentals, but right now wouldn't be a bad time to buy either, I'd look into both options because it could just as well be a good investment.

I don't know if you have kids, or are planning to, but grand island is a community great for children. There are many parks located throughout the town, and all of them are taken care of pretty well by the city's parks and recreation department. The park's in Grand Island are always a safe place to be and there are many community activities that go on at the parks as well. Youth recreational sports, art in the park, and kids summer programs all occur at stolley park, and the park has hundreds of trees and has quite a bit of history behind it. The parks are truly a beautiful place.

If you're into golfing, or being a part of a country club type atmosphere, Riverside Golf Club is a popular place for members. It's located in the Riverside neighborhood on the south side of town and it has a bar area and serves dinners year round. The golf course is open seasonally spring through fall and as well as the swimming pool during the summer months. There are other golf courses as well that are open to the public and there are many nice courses in the area.

There is also the Island Oasis Water Park, it is the largest swimming facility in Grand Island. It consists 7 water slides, including two 6-story water slides, two tube slides, two open flume slides, and a baby slide. The park also features a wave pool where kids can enjoy the thrills of the waves from rafts you can rent, a great shallow area full of fountains and fun for the youngest of watergoers, a lazy river, a sand volleyball court, a sand play area, 3 sheltered pavillions, and a concession and souvenirs stand. Great place for a day of family fun in the sun.

Some people say there isn't much to do in the town but I say you are probably just lazy. There are many things to do outdoors. The adventures on the rural minimum maintenance roads seem to bring you back to the days of the great expansion west. The stars are bright out there at night, but I wouldn't recommend it if you don't have a vehicle with 4-wheel drive. There is also the jeep jamboree on the dried up/partially muddy platte river during the summer. There are a bunch of people who bring there 4 wheelers and jeeps out to the river and have a good time with everybody else. But if youre looking for air/fanboat adventures you will have to travel north 30 miles to the loup where there is just a little more water. That's just if you are in to that kind of outdoorsy stuff, if not there are many others.

There are a bunch of lakes within an hour and a half that families like to go to. Many rent cabins on these lakes or just visit to camp or picnic. The swimming, boating, and fishing can all be enjoyed by just about anybody. Some of the closest lakes are Sherman Reservoir near Loup City, Nebraska, Harlan Reservoir in Alma, Nebraska, Calamus Reservoir near Burwell, Nebraska, and Johnson and Elwood Reservoirs near Lexington and Eustis Nebraska. All of which are near small towns and very friendly folks.

The new Heartland Events center at Fonner Park is a huge entertainment hot spot right now especially during the spring when the horse races come to town. There always seems to be something going on, whether it's concerts, fairs, rodeos, basketball tournaments and games, wrestling tournaments, volleyball tournaments and matches, the HEC offers it all. Even cage fighting, boxing, expos, and now the state fair and state volleyball tournaments are coming. The heartland events center greatly provides to our economy.

There are many of restaurants, don't let the others' posts fool you. If you are looking for formal dining there is the saddle club, the riverside country club, and sebastians downtown. There are also many other restaurants, applebee's, perkins, red lobster, ruby tuesdays, Chicken Coop, a few steak houses each in different parts of town, and many chinese, greek and mexican style and local restaurants, some to mention are Coney Island, Farmers Daughter Cafe, Pams Pub and Grub, Vlassy's, Come and get it BBQ , it's very diverse. There are also manyfast food places. There are the usual Mc donalds and Burger king, wendys, taco bell, taco johns, sonic, amigos, dairy queen, kfc, arbys, sandwich places, and dont be scared there are more than one of all of them with the exception of long john silvers and kfc. Grand Island is definitely not going hungry by all means.

If youre looking for religion, Grand Island has a bunch to choose from. There are many christian churches throughout the city and like everywhere else in town, the people are friendly. There are catholic, methodist, lutheran, evangelical, presbyterian, and many others that will suit you and welcome you with open arms.

I read earlier about grand island being dirty, Its definitely not dirty. There are a couple parts to where I can see that can be considered dirty, but they are also old industrial and commercial zones that are now being brought back to date. I see two examples, 2nd street and the area south of w anna street. Once the construction comes to a complete this summer, i can see the renovation coming back to that area just like it has downtown. The area south of w. anna street has also seen a little improvement with the hike and bike trails and the work completed to Joe's Pond. The town of Grand Island is much more beautiful than many other places I have been to.

Grand Island has many pros and cons, but overall it truly is a great place to locate. It has that great family atmosphere with a little taste of the good life. There is definitely a place in Grand Island for everybody and once you have found that place, you will never want to leave.

[tino martinez]

I agree that there are too many hispanics in G.I. but what do you hate more? Hispanics or the hundreds of white people who act black and blare their damn rap music so loud that it rattles your whole house?

[tino martinez]

Grand Island sure has changed, You see my grandmother was born in Gibbon so I been here all my life. Actually back and forth from Florida in the eighties and early nineties. When I lived in florida i missed grand island because of the slower pace of life and the nicer people, yeah there was alot of racism but it wasnt so bad.Now all I see are gangs and graffiti everywhere. Every weekend there are fights between these people and you cant enjoy life the way you used to be able to.Im american but of mexican decent and Im so ashamed of the behavior of other hispanics. I hope someone notices that there are normal people like myself still living in G.I. and maybe someday things will settle down and be like it used to be.