Articles & Essays
Home | View all Essays

A mountainless man finds a home on the plains
by Mark Hayden

The nearby Rocky Mountains were not the only rugged aspect of Josh Gill’s life in Denver. Between the fast-paced lifestyle and the high cost of living, there were a lot of things about the city life that were pointing him in the direction of something simpler for his wife and daughter.

The family of three moved to Holdrege in July 2007 and Gill has not regretted the decision a moment since.

“I was offered a comparable salary to what I was making in Denver, so it made sense,” Gill said. “The cost of living and general living experience out here being a little more low key and friendlier than the city made it an easier choice.”

Gill, 26, moved his wife and two-year-old daughter to the rural Nebraska town to take a position as produce manager for the new Holdrege Marketplace, a supermarket that opened here last summer. Gill learned of the job opportunity through a friend of his wife.

Holdrege is not his first experience with the sense of community small towns offer, but it is his latest. Little Rock, AR was home for Gill until the age of 14. Although arguably a city, Gill recalled it being small enough to have the benefits of a small town, such as getting to know the people around you.

After leaving Little Rock, he ventured to the mountains and moved to Denver. There were many things that Gill enjoyed during his time in Denver, such as the variety of activities that are offered, but with so many things to do, there was not enough time to do them.

According to Gill, three million people living in a 100-square-mile radius created more havoc than he was ready for. Getting a days’ work in without having a lengthy commute sounded like something worth going after.

“You don’t get away from the traffic and the constant noise. You can go out at night and it doesn’t feel like nighttime. If you can see stars, you are lucky. You know that if you can go outside, and it’s pitch black, you are nowhere near the city,” Gill said.

“A large number of people trapped in the small amount of space makes getting around tough. And it also makes everyone tense,” Gill said.

Living now in rural Nebraska, Gill says it’s easy to forget that there are people just a state away, people are living life bumper to bumper — physically and metaphorically. To Gill, it’s all about priorities when it comes down to deciding how you want to experience your life. When you have a family, you can raise them in a relaxed, safe environment or you can choose the diverse, busy and high demand lifestyle in the urban areas. Gill made the decision to move to Holdrege and started noticing the advantages right away.

“Everyone was really quick to say, ‘Hey, welcome to town!’ They made it very obvious that they were genuinely interested in knowing about me and my family and they really did want to know, not because they were nosey, but because it’s a community and everybody tries to know everybody else.”

Crime is always an issue when it comes to living in areas where it is largely populated, but when it comes to locking your door at night in Holdrege, most people do not even think about it, because you can trust the people around you.

“I have a lot more peace of mind. It’s really comforting to know I can go home at night and I don’t have to worry about locking up my car. There are so many negative things that you take for granted when you live in the city.”

The two-minute drives to work, starry nights and the endless array of friendly conversations are just a few advantages for Gill and he expects to be enjoying these gifts of the rural life for years to come.

“I have complete plans to be here for a very long time,” said Gill.

Mark Hayden is a journalism student at the University of Nebraska, Kearney.

To learn more about how you can be a writer for Nebraska Rural Living, and have your essays posted on this site, visit our 'Writers Wanted' page.

back to top | more Articles & Essays