Possible western Nebraska mvoe (North Platte, Scottsbluff: income, rent , jobs)

[mtgman3mil]

Can anyone tell me much about Kimball. I'm thinking about a possible move there. It looks like a nice small town to live and raise a family. What about future economic development? Anyone know anything about the growth, or loss, of what the future holds for this small town.

[western Nebraska]

I have been through Kimbell several times. It is a fairly small community.
I don't think there is much economic growth going on there,
there isn't anywhere out here. You would probably have a time finding much of a job there, however you are reasonably close to the interstate there.. The rent like anywhere in western Nebraska is escalating however economy can't justify it. The rent out here is anywhere from $350 on up..but $350 won't get you much.. Jobs are either minimal wage or ranching jobs which most want experience..I always thought that Kimball was a "dirty" appearance town..a lot of drugs(by reputation) for its size. For any medical the closest place is Scottsbluff..and I think law enforcement also I can get more info if you are seriously interested..

[mtgman3mil]

I'm actually in contact with the local chamber and economic developer. obviously, they're going to paint a rosey picture. i was hoping to hear from locals there, but you are the only response. thank you

[mtgman3mil]

no other thoughts on kimball nebraska? can anyone tell me any experiance they have with this small town in western NE.

[MattDen]

Ive been through Kimball I didnt see anything impressive. They had some fast food restaurants and it was fairly run down in appearence in my opinion.

It seems like the future is looking up though its economy is expanding rapidly and its in fairly close proximity to Cheyenne, Wyoming; Greeley, Colorado and Denver is I believe is 2 or 3 hours away.

I did look up some numbers and it does have a fast-growing economy though.
In 2002 the per-capita was 21,640 and in 2004 per-capita income was 26,978
The average wage per job in 2005 was 24,264 and the national average wage per job is about 40,000

So the pay scale is 40% below the national average, but the housing costs are probubly much lower then that.

For families I would recommend North Platte it has a good economy , clean, and very affordable housing. North Platte in fact economy is one of the fastest growing in the state.

[mtgman3mil]

thanks for the info. Anyone else know anything about Kimball? Looking for all the info i can get

[Gretchen B]

Well, mtgman, since nobody seems to be helping you out I guess I'll jump in here. I lived 13 yrs in Ogallala, which is somewhat similar in location/size to Kimball. We used to visit friends in Kimball occasionally, but I don't remember anything too memorable about the town. Most of the Nebraska towns with pop. under 5,000 are really struggling to stay afloat. Alot of the farms & ranches have been bought out by the "big boys" and Walmart has come into many of those small towns and so the local Main Street economy pretty much dies.

Kimball is fairly close (by Nebraska standards) to Cheyenne, which would be a plus if you needed to do some major shopping. Sidney, the next town to the east, seems to be doing okay economically mainly because of Cabella's and the railroad being major employers there.

If I remember right, besides ranching, I think there's quite a few oil wells around Kimball, so that might boost their economy. I know this isn't much as far as info but I hope it helps a little. I never heard any of my friends that lived there complain about the town, so they must have liked it there.

[janb]

I did Kimball every Saturday night for 7 yrs on my 'truckdriving' college job, but that was 1973-1980... (they even had an A&W Drive-in, as well as an old theater, that I had to wait for movies to end...to transport film) I 've been through a few times since, and had a friend move there a few yrs ago. I think you will have plenty of opportunity for 'economic development'. You might have to create your own companies, but it is on a central route, and is a nice spot (just pretty rural). I always felt I was getting pretty close to civilization when I topped the hill and came into town, after driving though 6 hrs of blizzard backcountry to the north (or south). The summer lightning storms and winter moonlit snowy (icy) prairie nights are spectacular! I'll never forgot the bitter cold and very icy Christmas Eve when I cruised through Kimball, and folks were doing a 'Candlelight' service, It was so quiet and peaceful. I was on my way to Gillette, WY. (long night, as had to return to Ft Collins, Colo. by mid-morning Christmas).

[mtgman3mil]

thanks for the info. I've only been to Kimball one time, and thought it was a nice quaint town. I'm hoping the pieces of the puzzle fall in the right place and I can ultimately make the move.