Grand Island, New York

Grand Island is a town and an island located in Erie County, New York, USA. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 18,621.

The Town of Grand Island is located at the northwestern corner of the county.

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, journalist and utopian Mordecai Manuel Noah tried to found a city to be called "Ararat" on the island as a refuge for persecuted Jews from around the world.

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