Year Grand Island hits 50,000

Erik · Post by **Erik** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 12:03 pm

When do you think it will happen?

Not just for metropolitan status and image status..

But for federal funding and grants and much other logistical reasons?

From what I understand is that in a few years, GI could annex enough to hit 50,000 by the year 2011 estimate..

Stargazer · Post by **Stargazer** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 12:11 pm

I'm more interested in when the tri-cities will hit 100,000.

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 12:14 pm

Bellevue is actually close to annexing it's way over 50,000. Watch out memorial stadium.

Big E · Post by **Big E** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 12:25 pm

DTO Luv wrote:Bellevue is actually close to annexing it's way over 50,000. Watch out memorial stadium.

If NU keeps scheduling South Dakota State caliber teams, Memorial Stadium might beat Bellevue to 50K.

Erik · Post by **Erik** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 12:31 pm

Stargazer wrote:I'm more interested in when the tri-cities will hit 100,000.

The tri-cities:

Grand Island 46k
Kearney 30k
Hastings 25k

JUST the three cities pushes it over 100k..

The Grand Island micropolitan area encompasses 3 counties and its micropolitan population has just passed 70,000
» Grand Island Micropolitan Statistical Area (Hall, Howard, and Merrick Counties)
http://www.dol.state.ne.us/nwd/center.c ... PCAT=4C5RA
2008 estimate is - 72,587

» Kearney Micropolitan Statistical Area (Buffalo and Kearney Counties)
2007 estimate is - 51,578

» Hastings Micropolitan Statistical Area (Adams and Clay Counties)
2007 estimate is - 39,320

PER http://www.dol.state.ne.us/nwd/center.c ... PCAT=4C5RA

Total estimate 163485

Stargazer · Post by **Stargazer** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 12:40 pm

Maybe I was thinking more in terms of what it would take for Grand Island to get it's hooks into Kearney/Hastings towards creating an MSA.

Erik · Post by **Erik** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 1:10 pm

GI-Kearney-Hastings is probably a distant future...

But GI-Hastings is a very likely scenario is the very near future..

Hastings is just a couple of miles from the south end of Hall country, which is the county where GI is in..

Kearney, however is like 30 miles from the west side of Hall county and that would take a few decades for any consideration..

72,548 Â Grand Island Micro
39,320 Â Hastings Micro

111,868 for a Grand Island/Hastings combination....

Candleshoe · Post by **Candleshoe** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 3:03 pm

The year GI actually hits 50,000? No guesses from me. The last census estimate says just shy of 45,000, while various estimates from city/civic/business people range from 44,000 to 47,000. What we can say is that job growth is on the upswing again and more businesses and construction are in the works in the near future. What bad economy??? Â 8)

Annexation probably wouldn't fly when you consider the costs of annexation right now. The last attempt to annex the eastern subdivisions was met with a lot of hostility and shelved. A wild guess would place maybe around a thousand people east of town with another few hundred west and south. It would be a stretch to say 2,000 folks live within a realistically annexible distance from city limits. The east lakes subdivisions would need city water and sewer and that'd be waaaaaay costly for the little gain in property taxes and I don't think it would be enough to make it a good investment for the extra federal funding and grants.

We'd need to really get on the stick to make it by the 2010 census... but who knows?

TitosBuritoBarn · Post by **TitosBuritoBarn** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 4:47 pm

Big E wrote:
DTO Luv wrote:Bellevue is actually close to annexing it's way over 50,000. Watch out memorial stadium.
If NU keeps scheduling South Dakota State caliber teams, Memorial Stadium might beat Bellevue to 50K.

Eh?

Memorial Stadium holds 80K and they're on a sellout streak that started in the '60s.

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 4:55 pm

He's more wondering how long fans will still go to see a mediocre team.

Big E · Post by **Big E** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 5:24 pm

DTO Luv wrote:He's more wondering how long fans will still go to see a mediocre team.

Ding ding ding... Â Don Pardo, tell him what he's won!

TitosBuritoBarn · Post by **TitosBuritoBarn** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 7:13 pm

They will go until the Apocalypse