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South Cental,
Thanks for responding, but you are being way too sensitive! I am by no means demeaning RURAL
Nebraska. I have always been fasinated with the small towns of the rural Grand Plains and the
way of life out there. If you read one of my responses to this post, you will see I said its would
be very sad indeed if any of these tiny rural towns did in fact die.
No offense was meant, and as a matter of fact, I greatly respect folks who life a middle class
rural Great Plains life.
True, I also do not come from rural Nebraska (or Nebraska at all....yet). I would never qualify that I know a lot about rural Plains living other than what I have read or seen through my many travels, especially through your state, but I am very intrigued by the history of the area and hold great admiration for those with a pioneering spirit that work hard to make a living out there.
Maybe some of the state is more pioneering like the Sandhills but a lot of the eastern part of the state and South Central Nebraska is very Midwestern - small well laid out towns with nice long Main Street style downtowns, center pivot irrigation, movie theatres, family-owned ice cream and fast food places, it is no different than other small towns across America - we have wireless internet, running water, heat and a/c, our farm equipment is expensive and is high tech, the movies are first run name brand movies, and we are all doing well. Making a living is no harder than elsewhere just different with an emphasis on agricultural jobs. Yes it takes a special type of person to work in agriculture but it takes a special person to do a lot of different type of jobs in the inner city. We are not all so different as you think, I just find myself much less stressed out here!
South Cental,
Thanks for responding, but you are being way too sensitive! I am by no means demeaning RURAL
Nebraska. I have always been fasinated with the small towns of the rural Grand Plains and the
way of life out there. If you read one of my responses to this post, you will see I said its would
be very sad indeed if any of these tiny rural towns did in fact die.
No offense was meant, and as a matter of fact, I greatly respect folks who life a middle class
rural Great Plains life.
Then come out here and enjoy it, lot of rodeos, county fairs, state fair this summer. Hotter than heck right now but may be nicer when you come!
Ha..thanks!
Not sure about those harsh winters though!
The reason I ask about rural Nebraska is 10 years ago myself and two friends
drove out to Calf in the fall on a 3 week vacation. When we were on Route
80 in rural NE, I was the one who wanted to go off the Interstate and explore
the rural towns and meet Nebraskans and see what their feelings were about
New Jersey folk., but my friends wanted no part of that.
Its shame as im sure it would have been an eye opening experience for
me, as well as my friends.
From beautiful Princeton NJ to Luguna Beach California...and back.
Ha..thanks!
Not sure about those harsh winters though!
The reason I ask about rural Nebraska is 10 years ago myself and two friends
drove out to Calf in the fall on a 3 week vacation. When we were on Route
80 in rural NE, I was the one who wanted to go off the Interstate and explore
the rural towns and meet Nebraskans and see what their feelings were about
New Jersey folk., but my friends wanted no part of that.
Its shame as im sure it would have been an eye opening experience for
me, as well as my friends.
From beautiful Princeton NJ to Luguna Beach California...and back.
Rural Nebraskans would be friendly, New Jersey is so far away I don't think a lot of people think about it, I don't think anyone would want to live there as things east are seen as more crowded, urban, etc whether right or wrong.
I would trade harsh winter over the current 105 degree heat! I hate summer (well the 80, 90, 100 degree days) but luckily it only lasts in full force for a couple months. To me brutal winter isn't half as bad as oppressive heat! For the record the winter is not that bad there are plenty of places in America that are far colder in the winter like Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Alaska, the Dakotas - most days are a high of 30-35 and low of 10 or 11 at night.
Well, NJ sure is over populated, thats for sure. But its one of those states
you wanna be to make a great salary. But I understand money isnt everything, as long as you are comfortable and can pay your monthly
expenses and have some left to save, you can be content. Others dont
see it that way, though.
Well, NJ sure is over populated, thats for sure. But its one of those states
you wanna be to make a great salary. But I understand money isnt everything, as long as you are comfortable and can pay your monthly
expenses and have some left to save, you can be content. Others dont
see it that way, though.
Some people in New Jersey may make a higher salary but for the vast majority of people they are much worser off - high cost of living, harder to find a job, have to work 2 40 hr/week jobs to make ends meet, much greater job competition. Sure there may be people in NJ who make tons of money but the competition for those jobs are likely to be keen, there is much less job security, your mortgage and property taxes are through the roof, and the economy there is in rotten shape. No thanks. Beautiful state some of the outdoor areas but I wouldn't want to live there.
Secondly, you act as if no one in Nebraska makes money at all. Thats not true, we have Lincoln and Omaha, some of the farmers make big money, technicians, managers, there are good paying and bad paying jobs anywhere you go. The difference is you are not going to live in some run-down gang-infested neighborhood with a bad paying job here or put yourself through the meatgrinder everyday to make ends meet unless you have some kind of special circumstances. So is New Jersey a state I want to be in to make big money, no not at all. There are people who make "big money" everywhere - it takes less of it to be considered "big" out here but we are not showoffs either. We don't lock the Mercedes behind the gate at the McMansion while 10 miles away someone is getting mugged or shot.
Thanks for taking the time to write down your thoughts? That was very
well thought out!
So, in you opinion, what will become of rural Nebraska as the population
continues to dwindle? Will the area eventually turn into a desolate, barren
landscape with nothing left but memories and abandon structures?
That would be so sad if the whole rural Great Plains area goes this route.
Michael
You're welcome. I love Nebraska, even tho I've only lived here 3 years - it is everything I wanted.
No, Michael, I don't think everything will become a virtual ghost town.
For one thing, it isn't 'barren' even though it appears so to the naked eye. It is covered with wildlife; NE has great hunting and fishing opportunities, the rivers are ice cold and clear and abundant for swimming and boating and even 'lazy-river' type tubing. It is also extremely well suited for grazing animals.
I can forsee corporations - even family corporations - running cattle ranches and doing it for a profit. There is some resistance to change, of course, but most ranchers I know have been to college, stay on their Co-op boards and are heavily involved in land-use boards, political lobbyist boards. Some have even gone to China to see how they do things there and are bringing back some marketing ideas, setting goals, making plans to change with the times. It may be a leaner operation, but it will have to be.
Right now, my children are quite happy to be where they are in Vegas, working their careers - but they love this property and everything about Nebraska, too. Their spouses and they will probably move here to raise their children. The current 'back-to-the-land' movement - not by the folks who think that country living means playing in the pasture with the cows and horses all day, but people with a real concern for land and productivity, and a determination to work to make their dreams come true - can and should be encouraged, IMHO. Nebraska is the perfect place for those who want to be - and are able to be - self-sufficient.
(I strongly try to discourage those who suddenly decide they want to move to Nebraska - somewhere - because they heard there were jobs here. That's as may be - but most folks looking for a 9-5 office job are not going to find one, especially not one that pays them what they are used to. Lincoln and Omaha are not Scottsbluff or Kearney or even Chadron, and people who are aimless need to do their research FIRST before they come here expecting others to provide homes, jobs, and all of the comforts they want or need. For this I get called mean - but it would be far meaner to tell them to come, be unemployed, unhoused, without a plan or an opportunity, and let them starve in their cars. Nebraska weather is not kind to those who are not prepared for living out in it. )
As for 'stopping to see what people think of New Jersey people' - that strikes me as very funny. You aren't aliens or zombies, after all! LOL We are South Carolina people, and everyone is friendly, warm, and open... we have made good friends and have wonderful neighbors. The principal of the Cody Schools is from Baaaaston; she married a local rancher. We have another lady near here who just moved here from Chicago to marry a rancher. Nebraskans are not standoffish - although most work VERY hard and aren't the daily coffee-klatch type. My good friend - a Greek from Washington, DC - will probably be moving here in the next year or so. While he is brash and abrupt, he is pleasant and funny and engaging, and loves people, especially loves to talk to and listen to people. He'll fit right in. Every year hundreds of bikers go past on Highway 20, en route to Sturgis, and quite a few stop in to the local restaurant, have become yearly visitors. While some folks don't like 'new people' - you'll get that anywhere and everywhere - most are curious and friendly. We are a regular stop for some hunters as well.
With clean air, pure water, fresh and wholesome food and wildkill, four spectacular seasons of impressive weather, and an attitude of independence and self-sufficiency, Nebraska is the New World - or, it is for us.
Maybe some of the state is more pioneering like the Sandhills but a lot of the eastern part of the state and South Central Nebraska is very Midwestern - small well laid out towns with nice long Main Street style downtowns, center pivot irrigation, movie theatres, family-owned ice cream and fast food places, it is no different than other small towns across America - we have wireless internet, running water, heat and a/c, our farm equipment is expensive and is high tech, the movies are first run name brand movies, and we are all doing well. Making a living is no harder than elsewhere just different with an emphasis on agricultural jobs. Yes it takes a special type of person to work in agriculture but it takes a special person to do a lot of different type of jobs in the inner city. We are not all so different as you think, I just find myself much less stressed out here!
Center-pivot irrigation is not common to the core of the Midwest at all (Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, most of Minnesota- minus some sugar beets)- that is a Western feature the vast majority of the time. Also, most of the center pivots irrigate corn that really should not be grown in a semi-arid climate. That, along with all the massive ethanol subsidies that are being very closely examined...
Center-pivot irrigation is not common to the core of the Midwest at all (Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, most of Minnesota- minus some sugar beets)- that is a Western feature the vast majority of the time. Also, most of the center pivots irrigate corn that really should not be grown in a semi-arid climate. That, along with all the massive ethanol subsidies that are being very closely examined...
The ethanol subsidies I have checked on since your last comment on them.
They go to the oil companies to get them to blend the ethanol with their foreign bought oil, not the ethanol producers (unless indirectly because they are owned by big oil) and not the farmers.
So cry to the politicians, not us good farming folk.
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Nj
I have checked on since your last comment on them.
