Introduction in Sidney
Cheyenne County is situated on the beautiful high plains, in a region that produces more wheat than any other county in Nebraska. Sidney, the county seat, straddles the crossroads of commerce, with roots that go back to the days when the Old West was so wild it captured the imagination of the entire world. Today the excitement is focused on progress that would have been unimaginable when pioneers made their way up the Oregon Trail, or to the gold fields of the Black Hills. Sidney was known as the Territorial Capitol in its early day and its history rivals that of Deadwood, Cheyenne, Tombstone and Dodge City.
While many small towns are dwindling in other regions of the Midwest, this remarkable community has the distinction of unparalleled development, leading all of western Nebraska in population growth since 1990. National economist and entrepreneur Jack Schultz, who featured Sidney in his book Boom Town USA, named Sidney one of the Top 100 Rural Communities in America for communities under 50,000 in population. Even the small farming communities that surround Sidney are experiencing growth, unlike similar towns throughout the Midwest. Approximately 50 percent of the workforce in Sidney’s 6,400-job market commutes here from neighboring communities in a 60-mile radius. Sidney’s successful economic development efforts have become the economic engine that is driving the well-being of the southern Panhandle and northeastern Colorado.
Nine times in the past 15 years, Sidney has been named the “Nebraska Community of the Year” by various statewide organizations. With 20 new housing subdivisions under development in recent years, in 2005, the Washington Post pointed out that Sidney had more job opportunities per capita than any other community in America. Sidney’s booming economy was also featured on the front page of the Wall Street Journal in 2002.
There is much to see and do in the area for visitors of all interests. Experience the life of the 1867 soldier with a visit to Fort Sidney Museum and Post Commander’s Home, or tee up the ball on the challenging 18-hole Hillside Golf Course, set in scenic, rugged terrain. For those who prefer more exercise, two tennis courts are adjacent to the Community Center where top flight exercise equipment, an indoor walking track, basketball and racketball courts provide the opportunity to hone your physical edge. Too hot for exercise? Take a dip in the Sidney Municipal pool, enjoy a peaceful walk around the community’s new fishing pond or explore the botanical gardens of Legion Park, or try your hand at disc golf or the shooting park.
Shoppers will enjoy the wide variety of friendly merchants and restaurants downtown, and near the I-80 interchange. First on most visitor’s list is Cabela’s where the entire family can spend hours shopping for innovative outdoor products or just looking at fantastic wildlife displays rated as Nebraska’s #1 Tourist Attraction in 2007.
Sidney’s residents are fond of looking back over their shoulder, contemplating the area’s storied past, while rushing forward into a promising future. Gamblers, gunslingers, railroad workers, soldiers and life surrounding Fort Sidney serve up the romantic interlude, but the attention of this community is clearly focused on the bright future that lies ahead. Evidence of this was adopting a bond issue for a new high school to open in 2009.
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