Sedgwick

Sedgwick is a small farming and ranching town of less than 200 people on the plains of northeastern Colorado about 15 miles from the Nebraska border. Sedgwick is one of three towns in Sedgwick County. The entire county is agricultural based growing mainly corn, wheat, alfalfa, beans and sugar beets. Livestock is predominantly cattle, though hogs can also be found. Sedgwick is also home to a large bison ranch owned by the Price family.

Due to the small size, Sedgwick combines students with the neighboring town of Ovid to form Revere High School, located in Ovid. Revere High School accomodates grades 6 through 12 and combines with another neighboring town, Julesburg, for athletics. Together these three towns form the "Sedgwick County Cougars." School enrollment for Revere High School and for Platte Valley Elementary School located in Sedgwick is about 120 students.

Overall, residents here have strong values and are very supportive of the schools and of each other. When a farmer gets injured or falls ill, another will step in and help. There is a strong sense of "community" and the community centers a lot around the schools. It is not uncommon to have many locals attend school events, even if they don't currently have children in the school system. Many will show up for a Friday night football or basketball game or even a school concert. There are community events, the largest being the "Sedgwick Harvest Festival" which occurs over Labor Day weekend each year. During this event which draws people from neighboring towns, you can see a parade, and then attend the rodeo and demolition derby followed by the street dance. There is a pancake breakfast on Sunday morning in the park.

Life here is much slower paced and people wave when they see each other on the road. There is a strong work ethic; farming and ranching are hard.

There are two main businesses in Sedgwick: RDs, the local pool hall/bar, and Lucy's Place, a cafe with delicious food out by the interstate. The nearest grocery store is in Julesburg, a town about 15 miles away. More major shopping is usually done in either Sterling, about 45 miles to the west of Sedgwick or in Ogallala, NE, about 50 miles to the east.

Jumbo Reservoir is a recreational venue for this area. It is located approximately 5 miles west of Sedgwick and provides hunting, fishing and boating opportunities. For other activities, there is a golf course located in Julesburg as well as in Sterling. There are movie theaters located in Julesburg, Sterling and in Ogallala, NE.

Most of the homes in the area were built many, many years ago and can take some time to sell due to the limited growth in this area. Housing costs are minimal in this portion of the state compared to other areas.

I think this was a nice place to grow up. It was more of a "sheltered" lifestyle stressing good values and a strong work ethic.