Quality of Life

Grand Island's inexpensive and high quality living will attract and retain the workers you want with a friendly and safe community, abundant amenities and a low cost of living.

Friendly and Safe Community

Grand Island has a slow pace of life and is uncrowded.

	1990 Census		2000 Census
Total Population	17,561		18,621
Gender:
Male	8,697	50%	9,188	30%
Female	8,864	50%	9,433	50.70%
Total Median Age	35		39.1

In Grand Island, most points of interest are about 20 minutes apart. The region's average commuting time, about 19 minutes, is lowest among 50 major U.S. markets, according to a federal study.

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Amenities

Buffalo ranked 38 out of the 275 cities polled in provision of recreational amenities. Buffalo-Niagara is home to a national football team - the Buffalo Bills - and a national hockey team - the Buffalo Sabres.

The region contains a trove of arts, theater, musical, and architectural resources - from Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo to Niagara-On-the-Lake in Southern Ontario - place the region among one of the most culturally wealthy regions in the nation. Buffalo has been ranked ninth in the nation for arts and cultural attractions.

Grand Island is surrounded by water, within minutes of the world famous Niagara Falls and the region's abundant cultural attractions. The Island has abundant open space; large parks and golf courses, recreational trails. The Buffalo Parks System designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, bike paths along the Niagara River, and many ski resorts in the southern stretches of the region are easily accessible. Quality shopping is accessible on the island and within a close drive of large malls, fine dining and shopping.

Click on the map to view a larger version of the Open Space Map.

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Inexpensive Living

The Buffalo Niagara region is a very inexpensive place to own a home. 72.6% of residents own their homes in the region. In Grand Island these numbers are even higher.

Housing Units
	1990 Census		2000 Census
Total Housing Units	6,528		7,355
Owner-Occupied	4,974	76%	5,747	78.10%
Renter-Occupied	1,271	19%	1,151	15.60%
Vacant	283	4%	457	6.20%

Median Home values are low.

Owner Occupied Home Value for Grand Island
	1990 Census	2000 Census
Median Home Value	$95,747	$111,298
Monthly Cash Rent
Median Rent	$427	$547

 

Median Home Prices, 2nd Quarter 2003 (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
Rank Among Benchmarks	Metro Area	Median Price in 1000's
1	Beaumont/Port Arthur, TX	$87,300
2	Buffalo/Niagara Falls, NY	$90,400
3	South Bend/Mishawaka, IN	$91,000
4	Syracuse, NY	$92,800
5	El Paso, TX	$93,000
6	Waterloo/Cedar Falls, IA	$93,100
7	Peoria, IL	$95,700
8	Ft. Wayne, IN	$97,000
9	Springfield, IL	$97,100
10	Amarillo, TX	$97,600
11	Rochester, NY	$98,200
12	Wichita, KS	$98,500
13	Oklahoma City, OK	$100,200
14	Topeka, KS	$100,700
15	Shreveport, LA	$102,600
16	Corpus Christi, TX	$104,600
17	Little Rock-N. Little Rock, AR	$105,200
18	Davenport/Moline/Rock Island, IA/IL	$107,200
19	Biloxi/Gulfport, MS	$108,600
20	Pittsburgh, PA	$110,600
21	Charleston, WV	$111,500
21	Tulsa, OK	$111,500
22	Rockford, IL	$112,100
23	Toledo, OH	$114,100
24	Pensacola, FL	$114,400
25	Dayton/Springfield, OH	$114,500
26	Jackson, MS	$114,800
27	Appleton/Oshkosh/Neenah, WI	$115,900
28	Canton, OH	$116,100
29	Fargo/Moorhead, ND/MN	$116,800
30	Spokane, WA	$117,400
31	Chattanooga, TN/GA	$119,300
32	Akron, OH	$119,600
32	Mobile, AL	$119,600
33	Gary/Hammond, IN	$120,400
Source: http://www.realtor.org/Research.nsf/pages/EconHousingData

80% of Buffalo-Niagara MSA housing is "Affordable" which places it seventh among benchmark cities. Source: National Association of Home Builders

The weather is good in Grand Island. We have very pleasant springs, summers and falls. Average July daily mean temperatures are 71.1. This compares very well to 62.7 in San Francisco and 93.5 in Phoenix. Source: National Climatic Data Center Web Address http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/ol/climate/online/ccd/meantemp.html
Grand Island gets less snow than areas to its south.