Grand Island, Nebraska

Grand Island is a city in Hall County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 42,940 at the 2000 census and had grown to 44,546 by 2005. It is the county seat of Hall County.

Geography

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 km² (21.6 mi²). 55.6 km² (21.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) 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. [http://www.grand-island.com/Home/History/history_home.htm

History

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 destruction.

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/km² (2,000.2/mi²). There were 17,421 housing units at an average density of 313.3/km² (811.5/mi²). 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.

Attractions

High schools

Person born in Grand Island

Mary Martin McLaughlin, Medieval history scholar, born April 15, 1919.
Henry Fonda, Academy Award-winning American film actor, born May 16, 1905.

External links

City of Grand Island Site

All-America City | Cities in Nebraska | Micropolitan areas of Nebraska | Hall County, Nebraska

Grand Island