Grand Island, NE (Omaha, Lincoln, Bellevue: transplants, for sale, crime rate)

[Calvary]

I am thinking about moving to Grand Island next summer. I am moving from California and I was wondering if anyone had any information that could help and if anyone knew what it was like in Grand Island?

~Marcus

[kosnebbear]

What part of California are you moving from. Grand Island is the third or fourth biggest city in Nebraska. They change places with Bellevue. Grand Island is a growing city. There are about 40,000 people living there. They have a two college and a distant learning center where you can work on your advance degrees. They have a very nice museum on the south side of town. They have two Wal-Marts and several shopping centers on the west side of town. If you are moving to the area I would suggest looking at the smaller communities around Grand Island to locate at as well. Doniphia which is south of Grand Island is small and is very friendly. It is only like 7 miles from Grand Island and is located on a four lane express way that takes you to Grand Island or you can go the back way into Grand Island on Locust Street. They have horse racing in Grand Island as well if you are into that. It is located on Locust Street and is called Fonner Park. It has the Regional Airport for central Nebraska. It is the home of the Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Center and is the base for the Army National Guard helicopters. It is known for tornadoes and has been hit several times with the worse one happening in June 1980 that killed five people. The storm began around 6:30 pm and did not end until around 10:30 pm they think that there could have been up to 7 or 9 tornadoes that hit the city that night. I think that the movie the "Night of the Twisters" is based on this storm.

If you want more you can email me at kosnebbear@yahoo.com and I will give you a web site that will show you pictures of our great state.

One more thing I do hope you enjoy the cold and snow as we also get a bunch of this in the winter as well.

Bob

[mbutts]

i live north of gi about 70 miles. i traveled all over the us and canada for years as a van operator for a major moving company. its flat in gi, sparse amount of trees. calif is very diverse both in ppl and environment so it might be similar or different from what ur used to. ppl are friendly, they have 2 super walmarts. overall growth of businesses was a bit slow in my opinion. not much has changed quickly until about the last 3 to 5 years. downtown died down over the years and most of the growth is on the west side of town. the south part of downtown was rebuilt in the 70's after a bad tornado ripped it apart. they have best buy, menards and home depot. it has an agriculture base outside the city. you have lincoln, hastings, kearney for the closest large towns to go shopping. no more than about 1.5 hours travel time. not much rush hour traffic so u dont get caught up in jams. there is crime but i dont know if it is above or below national averages. they have had stabbings and shootings from time to time. it is a town small enough for one to know alot of the ppl who live there but large enough to give you some shopping and eating choices. not alot but some. you have hastings, gi, columbus, kearney with collage presence. ccc is k, h, c and kearney has a unl satellite campus. they had some nitrate problems years ago from the army munitions plant. i dont think that is a problem now. i wud consider gi perhaps similar to north of LA and south of SF. not that dry, but rural with agriculture. maybe like being on I5 or the 101. if i had to move somewhere in the state i wud consider gi. it has weather exteremes both hot and cold. moderate rain, some snow. not as much wind as western neb. hope this helps you.

[Dennis P]

From reading this state's forum, it looks like the California invasion hasn't happened here, at least not yet. I was wondering if there are any California transplants who have successfully relocated to Nebraska. If so, how do you like living there?

[AngelikaV]

Originally Posted by Calvary

I am thinking about moving to Grand Island next summer. I am moving from California and I was wondering if anyone had any information that could help and if anyone knew what it was like in Grand Island?

~Marcus

Calvary-Marcus,
If your moniker is an indication of what's most important to you, you'll probably like living in Nebraska 'cause you'll find a lot of like-minded people here. It's very white, very Christian, and very conservative -- not just in Grand Island but across the whole state. It's among the reddest of the red states. Of voters with a registered party affiliation (i.e., not independents), approximately 63% are Republicans and 34% are Democrats. Grand Island is a little bit less "white" than it was 10 years ago thanks to illegal immigration, but on the plus side, the Mexicans have been a small engine of economic growth for the community. Too bad they've also been a small engine of growth in the local crime rate as well, mostly drug related with the drug of choice being meth. Of course, crime in Grand Island is still very low, especially compared to just about anywhere in California. I'd recommend you read the local newspaper, the Grand Island Independent, to get a feel for the community. They have a website, but since this forum doesn't permit providing links, you'll have to Google it.

You don't mention whether you'll need to find work in Grand Island or are self-employed. If you need to find a job, I'd highly recommend getting one lined up before you relocate. Good job opportunities in a community of 40,000 don't spring up all that often, and when they do they're mostly filled locally through word of mouth. You could find yourself working two or three menial jobs while you build a network and attempt to find better employment. The Grand Island Independent website will give you a good feel for what's available. I'd also recommend Nebraska JobLink, an official Nebraska government website, at nejoblink.dol.state.ne.us

What part of California are you from and what’s the population of the smallest town you’ve lived in? If you're from an ag town in the central valley you might like it in Grand Island. If you're from the coast, you'll be in for both climate and culture shock. There's little to do and few places to go in Grand Island, but if your primary social outlet is church you'll be able to have a full social life. If you're interests are more varied, you're going to have to travel 1.5 hours east to Lincoln or 2.5 hours east to Omaha. The two biggest local events are Husker Harvest Days in September and the annual crane migration from late February to early April (varies depending on weather conditions). The crane migration is to North American birding what the wildebeest migration is to the Serengeti. It brings ecotourists from all over the world to the Platte River valley. The Platte isn't exactly a "recreational" river in the usual sense. It's very shallow and often is nearly dry in summer due to overuse for irrigation, but if you're a naturalist you'll enjoy it's unique beauty, particularly in Spring.

Grand Island is on the Great Plaines in the broad valley of the Platte River. It's FLAT and the weather is like the Russian steppes: hot and mostly dry in the summer, but with high humidity and mosquitoes, and cold and mostly dry in the winter. Nonetheless, blizzards in winter and tornados in spring and summer can be expected, and temperatures can swing widely from one day to the next, or even in a matter of hours. The only trees you'll see are the native cottonwoods along the river and trees planted and watered by humans. There is insufficient rainfall to sustain woodlands, or agriculture for that matter, without irrigation. It's short grass prairie with highest and best use as grazing land and the original home of those roaming buffaloes. When first settled by white men, homesteaders had to build houses of sod for lack of other building materials.

In a nutshell, Grand Island isn't for everyone. It isn't a pretty town; it doesn't have pretty scenery; it doesn't have many cultural amenities; it doesn't have many entertainment options; it doesn't have many recreational options; and doesn't have a wide variety of well-paying employment options. 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.

[MattDen]

I remember passing through Grand Island and it seem very dusty and a little run-down. I know people who are from there and they say there is reason why they moved to the Lincoln area. (which I wouldnt consider the best place ever in my opinion).

I would say the best place in that area is Kearney(population of the Kearney area is about 50,000) because it has a college and seems to be cleaner and have more potential then Grand Island.

[Dennis P]

That was a very thorough reply you wrote concerning what to be prepared for before moving to Grand Island (to Calvary). If I ever were to move to Nebraska, it would be to Omaha, where I've been a number of times. (I posted in the Omaha forum and so far haven't received any replies, so I'm guessing that there are a lot of Nebraska residents who don't know about these forums and are content to live where they are ). I know that Midwestern weather is extreme, unlike here in Southern California, where it's pretty mild year-round.

Thanks once again for your very thorough reply, even though it wasn't to me directly. Merry Christmas!

[csewell]

I will tell you what I think about Grand Island. About 20 years ago, it was a beautiful place before Swift/Monforts came to town. About 3% minority. I have nothing against any race, except for the laotions, and the type of hispanics that came to the town since then. I think now it's about 36% or more minority, and old people that won't leave. I left in 1990. Since then I have visited my parents every year, and witnessed the social decline. They lived in a very safe neighborhood while I was growing up. Now they are afraid to go outside. They have had all 4 tires stolen off their car that was parked on the curb in front of their house. Now they have a security alarm as well. They live in fear. Granted, my parents are elderly, but I have seen it. If you want to move there, you better be bilingual. The schools have to be. I think alot about moving back, because it is a big part of my history. But that is the only reason. If you do decide to go, pick a smaller town outside GI. Maybe I'm biased because I know what it used to be. But it's not anymore. Don't pick a meat packing community. I'm trying to get my parents out as soon as I can, and they can leave history behind.
If you want to know anymore about the real GI, email me at mcsewell4@earthlink.net. I was there for the 1980 tornados. Another reason I don't live there.

My moms house is for sale. Email me

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by dennismpat

... I was wondering if there are any California transplants who have successfully relocated to Nebraska. If so, how do you like living there?

I know some CA transplants in Omaha and Lincoln, they have done well, but are 'tolerant' enough of 'Christians' and 'conservatives' to deal with living there. Rural towns will be more of a stretch, but if you are into the 'community' thing it will work. Need to learn to deal with the fact the cashier in groc, may decide to have a conversation with the person in front of you, or EVEN yourself
Pace of life is a bit more moderated, concern for others is more emphasized. (if you go to the hospital or get sick, often folks will feed your family (yes, they will actually know you are their neighbor, unless you insist on an 'unlisted number') Stiil some SUV's around, but I wouldn't recommend going to a rural / western NE town with one of those 'half breed' SUV-pickup things, you might find it loaded with manure

[Dennis P]

Originally Posted by janb

I know some CA transplants in Omaha and Lincoln, they have done well, but are 'tolerant' enough of 'Christians' and 'conservatives' to deal with living there. Rural towns will be more of a stretch, but if you are into the 'community' thing it will work. Need to learn to deal with the fact the cashier in groc, may decide to have a conversation with the person in front of you, or EVEN yourself
Pace of life is a bit more moderated, concern for others is more emphasized. (if you go to the hospital or get sick, often folks will feed your family (yes, they will actually know you are their neighbor, unless you insist on an 'unlisted number') Stiil some SUV's around, but I wouldn't recommend going to a rural / western NE town with one of those 'half breed' SUV-pickup things, you might find it loaded with manure

My friend who lives in Omaha told me (when he lived here in CA), that in Nebraska, if you're stranded on the side of the road with car trouble, that people will actually stop and try to help you out! Here in CA, you stay in your car and call the Auto Club on your cell phone, then wait for the tow truck driver to arrive.

Yes, it does seem that everyone looks out for everyone else over there. Regarding the checker having a conversation with me at the grocery store, I certainly have no problems with that. Here in CA, that's usually frowned on because people just want to pay for their groceries and get the heck out ASAP!

I'm long overdue for a visit to Omaha. Hopefully sometime in the next year. Happy New Year!