Julesburg, Colorado: A Diamond in the Rough

As part of my duties as the “Leader” of the High Plains Compass, it is my job to travel around communities of our region, and educate them on what the High Plains Compass can offer. I’ve been to 11 communities thus far, and each one truly surprised me. I wanted to virtually take you with me on my last trip to Julesburg, Colorado.

The drive to Colorado from Sidney, Nebraska started out a bit rough since we have so much interstate construction going on right now (for the better, of course). But upon getting into Colorado, things were truly awesome. I kept driving through magnificent hills, farm life, and little homes with ‘God Bless America’ signs and flags. The whole atmosphere of these tiny towns amazed me. I even recall thinking to myself “I could TOTALLY live here, this is so beautiful!”.

I was originally supposed to be headed to Sedgwick, Colorado, but found out about 10 minutes into my journey that I was to go to Julesburg. So I re-did my GPS and was headed in the right direction. When I finally arrived in Julesburg, I was met by Trish Stever, the Sedgwick County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, and all of her members. I was actually surprised by how many people were in attendance at this meeting, most of the time, I have about 10-15 people attend these Regional Presentations. I sat down, and started eating the meal that was served (lasagna, salad, and garlic bread) and patiently waited for my turn. Once the business was taken care of, Trish introduced me. I got up and explained all about the High Plains Compass (and how great it is, of course). The members applauded, asked very good questions, and gave me their business cards.

The meeting was concluded and I sat down to eat the dessert (brownie with vanilla ice cream) before departing. I said my goodbyes to the few remaining people at the meeting and headed down the street to their convenience store for a soda. The cashier was super friendly and polite.

What a great trip this was for me. I can’t tell you how friendly the entire town was, the rolling hills out there were amazing, and you could tell, just by simply looking at the farm homes that you passed along the way, that this place has a great sense of community. I always used to say that I wanted to live in  a big city, but since having the position I do now, and getting to see these wonderful places, that there is no way I could. I want to see these friendly faces every day, I want to be able to drive a few miles and be ‘in the country’, I want to feel small when I’m standing in the middle of the field, and be able to see for miles, I want to trust my neighbor, and most defintely, this is the place to do it.

So, if you haven’t already visited Julesburg, Colorado. I highly recommend it. If not for the great food, or the friendly faces, go for the atmosphere of the environment, there’s truly nothing like it. Aw-Inspiring to say the least.

The members of the Segwick County Chamber of Commerce Meeting!

Trish Stever, the Sedgwick County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director