Anyone been to Arthur? (Omaha, Chadron: home, buy, high school) - Nebraska (NE) - City-Data Forum

CA central coast · 03-12-2009, 03:30 PM

I just wonder what living there is like? One of the samllest counties in the U.S. by population. Not trying to be demeaning, I'm really curious what life there is like.

IsThisOneTaken? · 03-12-2009, 04:11 PM

Arthur is a neat little town. Not much there. It is about 30 miles north of Lake McConaughy and Ogallala on a windy state highway. It is in the beautiful sandhills.

The town has a tack store, bar, mechanic and post office. It also has a grocery store--completely run by volunteers, built with donations, and run non-profit.

It is the county seat and the only town in Arthur County. There is a courthouse there. Most of the positions are part-time. Even the County Sheriff works full-time for a ranch, and is the Sheriff on the side. He has no deputies.

They have a high school, and I think every kid is involved in every activity. You had better like your classmates, because prom dates are probably hard to come by.

It is a neat town, and people that live there would have it no other way. Completely different lifestyle than what many, even native rural Nebraskans, are used to.

CA central coast · 03-12-2009, 10:10 PM

That way of life is a part of America that most people in this country have no idea even exists. If I ever take another road trip through NE, I'm going visit there. I don't know what it is about Nebraska, I just like it. I have a good friend in Omaha who I've visited a few times. Nebraskans are great people.

SCGranny · 03-13-2009, 05:47 AM

I'm kind of glad no one knows it exists, CA!! Grin
It makes it so much nicer, living here and listening to/reading about my friends back East talk about gangs, home invasions, street and home violence, and telling them there is a better way to live. I've send them hundreds of pictures and told them stories about the way we live now, and they simply cannot conceive of it. My cousin in Orange County, CA, and my other cousin in Phoenix are completely flabbergasted by it too - they say NO ONE lives like this any more - but yes they do!

I live in Cherry County, the largest county in the US -with a population of 6000. Arthur is one of my local HS' football and basketball rivals. The Sandhills are beautiful, the people are honest, straightforward, funny, and open, the air is clean and pure, the water fresh and sweet. What else is there to wish for?

tpabes · 03-13-2009, 06:40 AM

Not to be a stickler SCGranny, but Cherry County is not the largest county in the US. There are bigger counties in Alaska and in the continental US the biggest is San Bernardino in California.

Anyway, they had great article about the Arthur grocery store in either the World-Herald or Journalstar awhile back. I'll see if I can find it.

SCGranny · 03-13-2009, 06:51 AM

LOL tpabes, I can only go on what I was told in Rapid and here - that Cherry was the largest County in "the world" by square acreage. I found "the World" a little tough to swallow, but could buy the US idea... grin. Maybe they meant if you flattened out the Sandhills, it would be?

CA central coast · 03-13-2009, 02:52 PM

Nebraska Community Makes Grocery Store Work » Market to Market - Feature Archive

I found that. I live in an area that is right next to the Pacific Ocean and is 60-70 degrees year round. my wfe thinks I'm insane for wanting to move to Nebraska. Maybe one day.

mike0421 · 03-13-2009, 02:59 PM

I drove through Arthur and MacPherson counties, specifically to see what this area of the country was like, 10 years ago. In fact, I made a week long vacation out of it, and centered my travels around Chadron. I remember driving into Arthur and seeing signs for the H.S. 7 on 7 football. The enrollment is evidently so small that there are not 11 player teams in towns like Arthur and Tryon. I remember traveling through Valentine, Harrison, all those small towns along US 20, as well as traveling through the SD Badlands and Eastern Wyoming. It was a magical week, one I will never forget.

Monty870 · 03-13-2009, 05:37 PM

I'm really interested in this part of the US too and really enjoyed my exploring through western Nebraska last year. Unfortunately, I didn't make it to Arthur (the closest I got was Hyannis) but there's just something about the Sandhills area.

HighPlainsDrifter73 · 03-16-2009, 05:44 AM

I always wondered what the town of Arthur was like. When I would look at the Rand-McNally, it was amazing how isolated it appeared. The county has a very small population and Arthur is the largest town in the county. One day I will get out there and check it out for myself.

As to what one of the posters mentioned, most people especially those who live in an urban area have no clue as to what rural America is like. My coworkers can not understand why I would go on a week long drive/vacation and go to see small towns like this.