Grand Island (New York)
| Grand Island | |||
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 Satellite image of the Niagara River. The river leaves Lake Erie in the picture below to Lake Ontario in the north. Before reaching Niagara Falls , it flows around Grand Island. |
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| Location in New York | |||
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| Basic data | |||
| Foundation : | October 19, 1852 | ||
| State : | United States | ||
| State : | new York | ||
| County : | Erie County | ||
| Coordinates : | 43 ° 1 ′ N , 78 ° 58 ′ W | ||
| Time zone : | Eastern ( UTC − 5 / −4 ) | ||
| Residents : | 20,374 (as of 2010) | ||
| Population density : | 278.3 inhabitants per km 2 | ||
| Area : | 86.2 km 2 (approx. 33 mi 2 ) of which 73.2 km 2 (approx. 28 mi 2 ) is land |
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| Height : | 180 m | ||
| Postal code : | 14072 | ||
| Area code : | +1 716 | ||
| FIPS : | 36-29828 | ||
| GNIS ID : | 979012 | ||
| Website : | www.Grand-Island.NY.com | ||
Grand Island is an island and a city on it in Erie County in the US state of New York . The name is derived from the French term "La Grande Île" ("The Big Island"), as Grand Island is the largest island in the Niagara River . The French name can also be read on the city arms.
geography
Geographical location
Grand Island is located in the far northwest of Erie County , where the Niagara River forms the border between the United States and Canada . The river divides into two arms in the southeast of the island, which flow together again in the northwest. A few kilometers to the west are the Niagara Falls .
The largest extension from west to east is a good 10 km (6.5 mi ), that from north to south about 12 km, (7.5 mi ).
Neighboring communities
West of Grand Island is the Canadian city of Niagara Falls , in the north the city of the same name in the US state of New York , in the northeast Wheatfield and in the east Tonawanda or North Tonawanda .
history
The first Europeans to set foot on Grand Island were French settlers in the sixteenth century, who met members of the Neutral tribe on the island . In 1651 this tribe was defeated and destroyed by the Seneca . As part of the peace treaty after the French and Indian War , the island became part of the British colonies in North America in 1764.
In 1815, New York State took over Grand Island from the Iroquois, along with several smaller islands in the Niagara River . In August 1993, the Seneca sued the purchase because it violated a 1790 law that said land could only be bought from the Indians with the approval of the federal government . In 2002 the lawsuit was finally dismissed on the grounds that the land no longer belonged to the Indians in 1815, but had been owned by Great Britain since 1764. The payment from 1815 was only made to avoid later conflicts between New York State and the Seneca. The Seneca appealed against this judgment, which was finally dismissed in 2006.
Culture and sights
On Grand Island is the amusement park Martin's Fantasy Island with the Silver Comet , a wooden roller coaster .
Economy and Infrastructure
traffic
Interstate 190 runs across Grand Island and leads in the north over the North Grand Island Bridge to Niagara Falls (New York) and connects the southeastern part over the South Grand Island Bridge with Tonawanda. Furthermore, the New York State Route 324 runs over the island, in the north and south-east this road is identical to Interstate 190.
education
- Grand Island High School
- Veronica E. Connor Middle School
- William E. Kaegebein Elementary School
- Huth Road Elementary School
- Charlotte Sideway Elementary School
- St. Stephen's School (This is a parochial school , a kind of denominational school )
Web links
- Information about the city (English)
- From the history of Grand Iceland (English)