When I was a child, Neodesha was the big city.
My family and I lived in nearby, even smaller Altoona. The city of Neodesha — population 2,275 — boasted a grocery store, library and a red caboose behind that library. This month, I drove back to Neodesha with my 11-year-old, on a mission to look both backward and forward.
The looking backward was obvious. My family had moved away from the area when I was 7 years old, and I hadn’t visited Neodesha since. What had changed and what had stayed the same? I looked forward to sharing my history with my son, although his eye-rolling as we arrived in town suggested he didn’t share that excitement.
The looking forward was inspired by Neodesha itself. Three years ago, reports of all-but-guaranteed scholarships for those graduating from the city high school made national news. Like many other small towns and cities across Kansas, like the rural areas that dominate this state’s geography, Neodesha wants to make sure it isn’t ignored.
“I am excited about the untapped potential we have in our community,” Mayor Devin Johnson told me via email. A third-generation resident, he returned after graduating from Pittsburg State in 2008. “Over the last three years we have seen incredible progress made in many areas. In a time when small communities are struggling to remain viable, Neodesha is thriving.”
During my first year at Kansas Reflector, I’ve written about Salina, Lawrence and Topeka. But beginning this month and through the fall, I want to expand our geographic range with travels throughout the state (and Alabama).
How do small towns and cities navigate an increasingly urbanized, connected world? What are the obstacles and opportunities?
In southeast Kansas, at this oil exploration landmark, I searched for answers.
Educational promise, virtuous cycles
Driving into Neodesha that Friday afternoon, we found a neat and tidy downtown.
A handful of cars passed as we visited a flea market and drugstore and looked for lunch. The sky stretched endlessly blue overhead, while muggy summer heat pressed down as we strolled to and fro on Main Street.
This was the big city I knew as a kid, and the small town I recognized as an adult. My son ran ahead, peering through windows. One storefront proclaimed it would soon become the Main Street Diner. Another, freshly clad in black with boarded-up windows, kept its secrets.
This quiet street might mislead visitors, though. Neodesha has ambition aplenty.
In fall 2019, retired businessman and native son Ben Cutler stepped forward to fund the generous Neodesha Promise scholarship program. The town’s high school graduates will have college tuition and fees covered. (A handful of requirements and limitations apply.)
After an initial burst of publicity three years ago, the attention had faded. As I browsed the drugstore and watched a clerk fussing over a display of blue-and-white Neodesha schools Bluestreak merchandise, I wondered how the program was doing.
Reached by phone a few days later, Neodesha Promise administrator and USD 461 college academic coach Rebekah Peitz gave me the answer: impressively well.
