Living on Grand Island

NYSpeed Automotive NYSpeed Off Topic
21

Yeah, I wasn’t going to say this earlier but all 3 meets had someone (who wasn’t there for the meet) backing up into someone’s car. Just weird

Still have no good vibes from the island, and I wouldn’t want to hang out with Jays (or anyone like him FUCKING LAME DAD) types. I’ll keep to myself here in the burg and weekend in the city

So, in general, no thanks

---------- Post added at 04:23 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:19 AM ----------

Yeah, pretty much. More gave my opinion, then was open about where that opinion came from. Ostentatious mang

22

OK I’m back. So in defense of GI:

The bridges are a non-issue. They’re something that people who don’t live on Grand Island complain about. I’ve lived here over a year and a half now and I don’t think I’ve ever been stuck for more than 5 minutes. Most often there is zero backup. The bridges are just some sort of weird mental block to people. They’re really a non-issue. I get to work faster now than when I lived in Tonawanda even though I’m twice as far away. If you’re a GI resident it costs you 9 cents to cross the bridge, not $1.

You get a little more house for your money and usually a lot more property and somewhat lower taxes compared to the other nicer suburbs.

There’s a Wegmans and a Home Depot just over the North Bridge, 10 minutes from my house. There’s a tops and a hardware store on the island too.

Dick and Jenny’s is a really good and nice restaurant, and there’s a few other small quaint places for a good fish fry. There’s a mighty, teds, John’s, Say Cheese, Just Pizza, 2 chinese places, etc. Sorry that there’s no Applebees?

There are two kinds of people on Grand Island: Lifers who haven’t left the island in 20 years, and young professionals who moved here to raise families. I can’t imagine that the bar scene (and there are 3) would consist of much other than weird locals.

Beaver Island, Veteran’s Park, Buckhorn Island. All really great parks if you’re into outdoorsy stuff.

If you’re a baller you can find some of the nicest property in WNY along the water. The taxes would probably be 5 figures, but you can find nice waterfront properties that need a little work for well under $500k, under $300k if you’re diligent. Or there are ballin ass 7 figure mansions, but they’re not as common.

The schools are good. There is a wide variety of property within the same school district. Want to upgrade in 10 years but don’t want to move your kid out of the school district away from their friends? No problem. Want a farm house with 10 acres? No problem. Lost your job and need to downgrade to a smaller inexpensive house but don’t want to live in the ghetto? No problem.

I’m not saying it’s perfect. I don’t know if I necessarily would have chosen to live here were it not for proximity to the inlaws. But there’s a lot going for it.

Plus you’re 15 minutes from the ballet. :tup:

23

^ I’ve got a coworker who commutes over the island every day and the only time he has an issue with the bridge is if there’s an accident. When that happens he’s usually 45+ minutes late that day.

24

Riverstone Grill is open again… BONE IN THE STONE!!

25

Going to an open house on Sunday on the north end… Already thinking I’m gonna need a turbo car because of the bridges… Uphill racing after all is a turbo sport.

26

Pros:

Beaver Island Park (Best kept secret in WNY)
Dick and Jenny’s (Terrific LA. restaurant)
Gorgeous water views…
Space to play…

Cons:

Not much character (Not many great rest., places to go, etc.)
Island seclusion (Can get boring, bridge issues, etc.)
Many cookie cutter homes (Lots of new construction…)
Cops are pricks…

Overall, I like GI, but if I were to live there, it would have to be a like a vac. home on the water…for only part of the year…

27

Here is a really decent house that you can more than likely offer 8% under asking and have it accepted right away. Not sure of your budget but it is a bit higher end.

http://www.homepath.com/listing?listingid=36743339

28

A lot of us are late 20s early 30s who still has issues with cops?

29

Doesnt the island have a big infestation of Tics. I’ve had 2 cases where I’ve had to take one off me after riding a quad.

Also, besides the amount of police activity on the island… it seems lately theres been problems with theft. I know its something my friend has been dealing with and the surrounding neighborhoods.

Fry, have you been dealing with this issue at all? (not sure where you are on the island) I know its been closer to the north bridge on the canadian side of GI.

30

i like comic book cafe :tup:

but where is dick and jennys?

31

Just up the road from comic book cafe, away from Beaver Island Parkway at the next corner.

---------- Post added at 11:15 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:13 AM ----------

The only run-in I’ve had with the cops was when I caught that guy going through my truck in my driveway at 5AM. There were 3 of them cruising around the park and neighborhood looking for him within 2 minutes of me calling.

Other than on the 190 I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone on Grand Island pulled over.

---------- Post added at 11:19 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:15 AM ----------

Yes, there are ticks on Grand Island. If you go for a walk in the woods or ride around on quads or something you’ll want to check yourself when you get home. Most likely you’ll find a couple. Kind of creepy and annoying, but there’s no lime disease or anything that I know of. Bug spray should help.

As for crime, there’s a little punk kid in the next neighborhood from me (he lives in Woodstream) with a shitty dad and a mom that doesn’t live there anymore who has been stealing shit from unlocked cars at night. The cops know who he is and try to keep an eye on him. It was him and his buddy I caught one night, but they ran home as soon as I started chasing them and there was nothing the cops could do. I live near the north end by veteran’s park.

The cops said that sort of nuisance stuff isn’t uncommon, and it tends to rotate between the north end and the south end.

32

Yeah, I know the cops caught the 2 that stole from them. They ended up taking his quad keys and a couple other objects throughout the neighborhood. They lucked out that the neighbors bread goldens and they were barking, the neighbor saw/heard them at the garage so she called the cops. They ditched the keys (later found) and I think stole fishing gear from a cop on the street. Also I believe left a crack pipe and other shit left behind in his boat. It was a guy and his gf in their 20s. I know they were said to be a couple stealing from other areas as well.

33

Come on, man…it’s not about having “issues with cops,” but if you’re driving an attention grabbing car, you know the routine…the cops have a lot of time to sit around in GI…

34

Pros.
VERY cheap taxes unless ur in the sticks and ur not on the island.
Virtually no crime. Like stated above, petty crime but nothing really bad.
Close to everything. 5-15 to downtown, falls, amherst, etc.
Somewhat close community( may be a con for others)

Cons
not too much to do.
Bridge. Nowhere near as bad as made out to be at all. Yes it would be better if a flat road.
Tops is really only choice.

I love the island and concentrating all my investing there as i think its very underpriced but thinking about moving to Clarence to be closer to our church and son’s school.

And as far as the rocky’s comment. Lol, it used to be much better or so ive heard:-)

35

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/images22/GondenRetrieverPongoDog.jpg

36

^ lolling

37

Your sentence structure rivals that of an inner city middle schooler. So many periods. Also so many sentences being started erroneously. I don’t know. Where to begin. And end.

38

Ok, not concerned about it. This is a forum. I type and dont care to proof read or focus to much. I have other shit to worry about during the day than my grammar and spelling on here, But thank you.

Edit: And this should be nothing new to anyone on this forum. lol

39

I guess it’s a little weird that you have to try to hard. without effort most do better.

40

Depends which way you go. Going over the South bridge in the AM is a cake-walk and so it going back over around 5 PM. But the South bridge is bad the other way around. In the AM it sucks getting off of the island on the south bridge and getting back on the island around 5 PM can be not so fun.

I work on the Island, and know many people from work who have been here there whole life. I don’t know if I would say that the bridge is a non-issue but, it isn’t a huge deal. There’s tons of places to eat the island which is a plus, I like Tops and even so I can make it to Wegmans and back on lunch easy. I would consider living here, if I didn’t just post up in Tonawanda.