Grand Island, New York - United States of America

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May 17, 2004

City official name :Grand Island
Founded date :
Location :New York State
Elavation :? ft (? m)
Area :Approximately ? square miles (? km²).
Facts :Grand Island is a town and an island in Erie County, New York, USA. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 18,621. The current town name derives from the French explorers' name "Grande Isle," which has the same meaning as the native term "Gah-We-Not."

The Town of Grand Island is located at the northwestern corner of the county. The town is northwest of Buffalo, New York. New York State Route 324 crosses the island.

In the early historical period of the island, the 16th Century, French explorers found the Neutral Indians living on the island. By 1651 the Senecas had destroyed this tribe and absorbed some of the survivors. The Seneca used the island for hunting and fishing.

After the French and Indian War the island became part of the British colonies in North America.

In the 1820s, in a precursor to modern Zionism, journalist and utopian Mordecai Manuel Noah tried to found a Jewish homeland at Grand Island in the Niagara River, to be called "Ararat," after Mount Ararat, the Biblical resting place of Noah's Ark.

The Town of Grand Island was organized in 1852 from part of the Town of Tonawanda.

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Photos

Grand Island
Grand Island, New York - United States of America