Our Trip To Nebraska
Sorry for the silence. We headed out west for Stef's parents 50th wedding anniversary. The hotel we stayed at had horrible WiFi, so getting on the net, let alone blogging was next to impossible. When we were out in Scottsbluff, I took a few notes:
1. When golfing, wear a hat and sunscreen. I should know better, but...
2. Farmers irrigate a great deal in Nebraska. Environmentalists have screamed about the Ogallala aquifer being drained, but from what I can tell, farmers and homeowners use, reclaim, and reuse groundwater as much as possible. They are far more conscience of their water usage than us in Illinois. The drought they had a few years back seems to have broken. Lake McConaughy was at 54% capacity in 1999, and when we were out there, it was at 91% capacity and still filling.
3. Sugar is huge out in Western Nebraska. They grow sugar beets and process them out there. Huge business and strict land usage/rights laws regarding planting sugar.
4. The Scottsbluff monument is beautiful and has a mystic quality to it. Nearby is Chimney Rock, named for the shape of the bluff. The "chimney" portion isn't as big as it used to be because of erosion caused part of it to fall, but it still looks like a chimney.
5. The railroad is huge. The Union Pacific is running coal trains almost non-stop. Next time those of us who live in Effingham complain about the amount of trains in town, go to Scottsbluff and see what having to wait for trains is really like.
6. Oregon Trail Days was going on while we were in Scottsbluff. They celebrate their Oregon Trail roots and some of the trails and wagon ruts are still visible today in parts of Western Nebraska.
7. Played Keno. You can play Keno in just about every bar in Scottsbluff.
8. Nebraska is projected to have a $625 million budget deficit this year. That's bad, but it's alot better than what we are facing here in Illinois.
9. Due to unforeseen circumstances on our part, our scheduled meeting with the Scottsbluff Tea Party leaders didn't happen, but we thank them wanting to meet us and we look forward to collaborating with them via email and phone.
Finally, Scottsbluff Nebraska itself.
I'm honestly surprised that Scottsbluff didn't get mentioned in Jack Schultz's 2004 "Boomtown USA: 7 1/2 Keys to Big Success in Small Towns" . I was thoroughly impressed by this town of just over 14,000. I had been to Scottsbluff 2 years before, but I didn't really take a look around like I did this time.
Scottsbluff is not much unlike Effingham. Scottsbluff has about 1500 more people and a higher population of Hispanics (not by much believe it or not), but is almost the same in income, housing costs, education level, etc. The population of Scottsbluff County is also near the population of Effingham County. One big difference is Scottsbluff does not have are two major interstates intersecting in the middle of it. However, the closest major cities are about the same distance away from Scottsbluff as Effingham's proximity to major cities. Transportation, especially the railroad, is a still major factor in Scottsbluff. The similarities start to diverge here though.
In Scottsbluff, the sales tax is 7%, Effingham is 6.5%. It's a bit more expensive to live in Nebraska as well. For instance, my future sister-in-law told me that she had to pay $400 to register her daughter's car, I registered our car here in Illinois for $90. In Scottsbluff, the downtown area is bustling They have a Menards - and a Home Depot. They have a Super Wal-Mart and a Big K K-Mart. They have a Target and a Staples. They also have a zoo with 300 animals domestic and exotic (which Stef's mother helped establish in Scottsbluff). We have some of those things, but why don't we have more? As I said, there is not too much difference between the two towns, and you can only blame so much on the interstates.
Another point is their visitor's center. I know it's probably too late to do anything here in town regarding our visitor's center, but in Scottsbluff, and in Gering (a town nearby), their visitor's centers are retired Burlington Northern cabooses and have free wireless internet. When I told my future in-laws that our city spent $425,000 buying an abandoned gas station for a visitor's center, they laughed and were disgusted at the waste of taxpayer money (did I mention they are all conservatives as well?). My future brother-in-law Chris works for the Union Pacific driving coal trains and he said that the railroad does have cabooses for sale. The price? He said about $10,000-$20,000. Far cry from $425,000 for a gas station. On top of that, it is fitting that a town that has relied on transportation since covered wagons of the pioneer days would have a caboose as a visitor's center. Not Effingham though - another town that celebrates transportation.
Ever heard the phrase, "dress to impress'? In Scottsbluff (in Gering and Terrytown as well), as you enter city limits you are greeted by a stone sign welcoming you to town. In Effingham, we have green signs on steel poles. With all the stone mason companies we have in Effingham, we can't utilize them to create similar structures to greet our arrivals? I'm just saying it would be a nice aesthetic improvement to our city.
So what's my point with all this? I think Effingham can do more, even with less. We are so focused on the interstates and the traffic pulling off the road to our city that we forget there is more to Effingham than just 3 interstate exits and Keller Drive. I've seen a town doing more with less and being successful at it. Is it wrong to want that success for my town as well?
1. When golfing, wear a hat and sunscreen. I should know better, but...
2. Farmers irrigate a great deal in Nebraska. Environmentalists have screamed about the Ogallala aquifer being drained, but from what I can tell, farmers and homeowners use, reclaim, and reuse groundwater as much as possible. They are far more conscience of their water usage than us in Illinois. The drought they had a few years back seems to have broken. Lake McConaughy was at 54% capacity in 1999, and when we were out there, it was at 91% capacity and still filling.
3. Sugar is huge out in Western Nebraska. They grow sugar beets and process them out there. Huge business and strict land usage/rights laws regarding planting sugar.
4. The Scottsbluff monument is beautiful and has a mystic quality to it. Nearby is Chimney Rock, named for the shape of the bluff. The "chimney" portion isn't as big as it used to be because of erosion caused part of it to fall, but it still looks like a chimney.
5. The railroad is huge. The Union Pacific is running coal trains almost non-stop. Next time those of us who live in Effingham complain about the amount of trains in town, go to Scottsbluff and see what having to wait for trains is really like.
6. Oregon Trail Days was going on while we were in Scottsbluff. They celebrate their Oregon Trail roots and some of the trails and wagon ruts are still visible today in parts of Western Nebraska.
7. Played Keno. You can play Keno in just about every bar in Scottsbluff.
8. Nebraska is projected to have a $625 million budget deficit this year. That's bad, but it's alot better than what we are facing here in Illinois.
9. Due to unforeseen circumstances on our part, our scheduled meeting with the Scottsbluff Tea Party leaders didn't happen, but we thank them wanting to meet us and we look forward to collaborating with them via email and phone.
Finally, Scottsbluff Nebraska itself.
I'm honestly surprised that Scottsbluff didn't get mentioned in Jack Schultz's 2004 "Boomtown USA: 7 1/2 Keys to Big Success in Small Towns" . I was thoroughly impressed by this town of just over 14,000. I had been to Scottsbluff 2 years before, but I didn't really take a look around like I did this time.
Scottsbluff is not much unlike Effingham. Scottsbluff has about 1500 more people and a higher population of Hispanics (not by much believe it or not), but is almost the same in income, housing costs, education level, etc. The population of Scottsbluff County is also near the population of Effingham County. One big difference is Scottsbluff does not have are two major interstates intersecting in the middle of it. However, the closest major cities are about the same distance away from Scottsbluff as Effingham's proximity to major cities. Transportation, especially the railroad, is a still major factor in Scottsbluff. The similarities start to diverge here though.
In Scottsbluff, the sales tax is 7%, Effingham is 6.5%. It's a bit more expensive to live in Nebraska as well. For instance, my future sister-in-law told me that she had to pay $400 to register her daughter's car, I registered our car here in Illinois for $90. In Scottsbluff, the downtown area is bustling They have a Menards - and a Home Depot. They have a Super Wal-Mart and a Big K K-Mart. They have a Target and a Staples. They also have a zoo with 300 animals domestic and exotic (which Stef's mother helped establish in Scottsbluff). We have some of those things, but why don't we have more? As I said, there is not too much difference between the two towns, and you can only blame so much on the interstates.
Another point is their visitor's center. I know it's probably too late to do anything here in town regarding our visitor's center, but in Scottsbluff, and in Gering (a town nearby), their visitor's centers are retired Burlington Northern cabooses and have free wireless internet. When I told my future in-laws that our city spent $425,000 buying an abandoned gas station for a visitor's center, they laughed and were disgusted at the waste of taxpayer money (did I mention they are all conservatives as well?). My future brother-in-law Chris works for the Union Pacific driving coal trains and he said that the railroad does have cabooses for sale. The price? He said about $10,000-$20,000. Far cry from $425,000 for a gas station. On top of that, it is fitting that a town that has relied on transportation since covered wagons of the pioneer days would have a caboose as a visitor's center. Not Effingham though - another town that celebrates transportation.
Ever heard the phrase, "dress to impress'? In Scottsbluff (in Gering and Terrytown as well), as you enter city limits you are greeted by a stone sign welcoming you to town. In Effingham, we have green signs on steel poles. With all the stone mason companies we have in Effingham, we can't utilize them to create similar structures to greet our arrivals? I'm just saying it would be a nice aesthetic improvement to our city.
So what's my point with all this? I think Effingham can do more, even with less. We are so focused on the interstates and the traffic pulling off the road to our city that we forget there is more to Effingham than just 3 interstate exits and Keller Drive. I've seen a town doing more with less and being successful at it. Is it wrong to want that success for my town as well?
Comments