Rural Nebraskans doing what they must to stay put

Southwest Nebraska and a ski resort.

As different as night and day at first glance, but use a little imagination, and, looking at the latest Rural Nebraska Poll you can see some similarities.

Resort areas are often home to the very rich, but they are also populated by the not-so-rich, who have to struggle to make a living.

Talk to the young person manning the rental counter, and you'll find he also tends bar during the evening or holds down another job or two to make ends meet.

But he probably won't complain; he's happy just to be able to look out the window at spectacular scenery and get in a few ski runs a couple of days a week.

No mountain views here, and "Ski Nebraska" posters are an old joke.

But rural Nebraskans see something to love in a spectacular sunset, and, despite lower income and fewer opportunities, they're finding ways to stay right where they are.

The latest University of Nebraska Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources mailed surveys to 6,200 randomly selected households in Nebraska's 84 rural counties, and based results on 2,481 responses.

Rural Nebraska households with at least one wage earner have an average of two jobs, 27 percent have one job and 55 percent have two. Fourteen percent of rural Nebraska households have an individual who holds more than one job.

Sixty percent with households with an individual who holds more than one job say it's necessary to pay for living essentials, and 37 percent say it's to make additional income for nonessential items.

And while the same poll indicated that most of us realize how important agriculture is to our rural economy -- 90 percent -- it's also a testimony to the state of agriculture. Twenty-two percent of farmers and ranchers cited employment benefits as a factor for holding multiple jobs.

Interpreting the numbers, it also isn't hard to see just how much of an impact the high cost of gasoline is having on rural Nebraskans.

According to the poll, those who do not work in their home or in the nearest community, said they had to drive an average of 31 miles, one way, to their primary job.

Considering the results of the poll, it's easy to see why many give up, and move to larger population centers to make a more comfortable living for themselves or their families.

But for those who choose to live here, the slower, safer pace of life and small-town values make all of the extra effort worth it.

We owe it to them to redouble community development efforts to continue to make possible the lifestyle they love.