[5] Grand Island has been given the All-America City Award four times (1955, 1967, 1981, and 1982) by the National Civic League.

Grand Island is home to the Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Center, which is the sole agency responsible for training law enforcement officers throughout the state, as well as the home of the Southern Power District serving southern Nebraska.

When the Pike's Peak Gold Rush began, Grand Island was the last place travelers could obtain supplies before they crossed the plains.

Grand Island became the end of the east division of the railroad and UP built service facilities for their locomotives in the town as well as an elegant hotel for passengers providing a boost for the local economy.

The first sugar beet processing factory in the United States was built in the southwest part of Grand Island.

Throughout the 20th century, Grand Island experienced steady growth due to its strategic location along the railroad.

[10] These include several expansions to the city's airport, as well as the relocation of the Nebraska State Fair to Grand Island.

[citation needed] The Grand Island Metropolitan Statistical Area consists of Hall, Hamilton, Howard, and Merrick counties.

The Grand Island MSA is home to 76,479 people (2023 estimate), making it one of the smallest in the United States.

[15] In 1981, a plume of contaminated groundwater was discovered beneath the Cornhusker Army Ammunition Plant, which occupies 20 square miles (52 km2) west of Grand Island.

Hazardous level of RDX and TNT were discovered,[18] remnants of the explosives produced at the plant during various wars.

In 1998, a pump-and-treat facility that continues to operate was built to cycle contaminated water through an explosives residue-removal system.

[18] Construction of a primary water detention cell for flood control has been delayed by the slow cleanup.

[18] The 2020 United States census[20] counted 53,131 people, 19,601 households, and 12,983 families in Grand Island.

[25] The museum houses over 140,000 artifacts from early settlers in central Nebraska, and features a living history village called Railroad Town.

Railroad Town is designed to evoke an 1890s-era prairie village and made up of many original period structures moved to the museum.

On September 4, 2008, Allegiant Air began nonstop service from Grand Island to Las Vegas, Nevada.

In June 2011, American Eagle Airlines began providing service to Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, twice daily.

[28] Intercity buses operated by Burlington Trailways and Express Arrow serve Grand Island.

[29][30] The city's transit system is entirely demand-responsive, with rides requiring reservation 24 hours in advance.

This system allows for particularly efficient through-traffic while sacrificing speed and barring transportation to some locations by certain, longer vehicles.

[33] Of these fifteen recorded roundabouts, fourteen are designated "official," while one is reportedly an "unofficial" insertion into the Grand Island's public transportation network.