O'Neill, Heartland Hometown
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2/18/2008
O'Neill, originally an Irish settlement founded by General John O'Neill, is a friendly, stable place with great quality of life, affordable housing and a generally strong economy for a small rural town. It's the largest city for about 70 miles (Norfolk, Johnny Carson's birthplace, is larger). Several local families are direct descendants of the 1860s homesteaders. Outside O'Neill, lines of trees ("shelterbelts") denote where farms/ranches begin and end, and were a required part of homesteading.
In the past several years, this very homogenous town has seen a small influx of Hispanic migrant workers, although I believe it is still at least 90% Caucasian. The economy is based primarily on large-scale grain farming, grassland beef ranches, and feed lots. The downtown is charming, although most locals travel to Norfolk, Sioux City, IA, or Grand Island, NE to shop for clothes, shoes, etc.
O'Neill is a classic Midwestern town. As such, it is difficult to find much variety of local viewpoints/perspective in the local media--radio station or weekly newspaper. Mainstream Christian conservatism is overwhelmingly dominant.
O'Neill's greatest asset is the close-knit community. In general, traditional family values rule and O'Neill youth are wholesome, capable people who go on to a variety of Midwestern and other colleges, as well as to run family farms and businesses. O'Neill invests in its youth, and the favorite form of entertainment appears to be high school sports, as well as hunting, fishing, rodeo sports, and more.
O'Neill is a small town with a big heart, rather slow to change or embrace new ideas (good or bad) due to the multi-generational history shared by most of its residents.
Bp | Roseville, MN