Editor's Note: This is the first in a three-part series on the recent growth of Orchard - families returning, business expansions and rejuvenated community engagement. Read an introduction to the series by the editor here.
Dana and Rachael Cheatum both graduated from Orchard High School. Like many young people, they moved away to the city, looking for more than the small Antelope County community could offer. But February after over 15 years of living elsewhere, they moved their family back to Orchard. “We came because my husband changed jobs last spring and started working from home,” said Rachael Cheatum, talking about the move. “Around August or September, our kids started asking why we couldn’t move to Nebraska to live closer to their grandparents.” Dana graduated from Orchard in 1988 and is the son of John and Barb Kiley of Orchard. Rachael is a 1996 graduate and the daughter of Bob and Shari Ickes of Page. The children’s desire to move to Nebraska got the idea going. Then an incident involving a shooting at their local high school affirmed the family's decision to move back to small-town America. “The kids said they wanted to live close to grandparents and cousins, and we had an opportunity with his (Dana Cheatum’s) job that we’ve never had before,” explained Cheatum. “And, I think that as they (their children) get older, we started to see that in a big school being able to be involved in everything just wasn’t possible. They were starting to pick and choose because there just wasn’t time to do everything.” Although some would say that growing up in small communities gives kids less opportunities, the Cheatums disagree. By growing up in a community where kids were involved in everything, the Cheatums felt that the well-rounded atmosphere of small schools would be a good fit for their children. Cheatum explained that she feels they’ll have more of an opportunity to be involved in extracurricular activities out here. “In the city, I felt like we were looking more toward specialization, whether it be in academics or choosing a single sport or maybe music. Here, I feel like they can do all of those things and just really enjoy everything that they like, whereas in Sioux Falls they really needed to focus on their favorite thing to be good enough to participate," she said. Some of the perks of living in the country, as the Cheatum kids see it, is that they get to ride their four-wheeler to grandma and grandpa’s house and hang out with their cousins As for Rachael and Dana, they’re looking forward to going to ball games on weekends, an activity they didn’t really get to enjoy in the city. “Living in the city we kind of missed going to ball games on Friday nights and different things like that that we grew up doing,” explained Cheatum. “We didn’t know any kids who were playing in that team in our school so it really wasn’t fun to go to their ball games because we didn’t really know anybody.” Although some might find it difficult to find their place in this small community, Cheatum said it’s really been fun reconnecting with old friends and making new friends. The Cheatums have only been back for a few months, but they’ve that noticed many of their childhood friends have moved back as well. “I’m from Page and it seems like for a while everyone was leaving,” Cheatum said. “Then it seems like people come back again." Cheatum isn’t wrong in her observation that families are moving back to Orchard. In fact, more than a dozen families and individuals have chosen to call Orchard their home in the past few years, some returning and others new to the community. Kaleb Finch, a 2006 Orchard graduate, and his wife also moved back to Orchard in 2013. Like most young people, Finch left Orchard for college and later joined the U.S. Army. “I left for college and army and then I was kind of all over the place,” Finch said. “I started out going to college in Lincoln, then I went to Milford. After that I did training for a year or two and then actually transferred up to Wayne State and got a degree there and then right after graduation I moved back to Orchard.” Finch, the son of Randy and Sally Finch of Royal, was gone for about six years, and, although he’d always thought to move back eventually, he expected to be gone longer. However, he does not regret moving back when he did, and even his wife, originally from the larger town of St. Paul, Nebraska, has grown to love Orchard and the friends they have here. “A lot of my friends, the guys I graduated with, were already back here,” said Finch about moving back. “Most of them are in the ag business, whether it be farming or fertilizer application.” While some may be resistant to moving back to a small communities for job opportunities, Finch said it was absolutely the right choice for his family. “I do construction and carpentry, and it’s really good for me around here,” said Finch. “A lot of people kind of know me and know that’s what I do. Luckily, so far it’s been really easy to stay busy and not really have to hunt for work. I think starting out in Lincoln would have been a different a story. Trying to go out on my own down there would have been a slower start.” While national statistics show rural communities are decreasing in population, with some experts saying that soon the United States will blend from one suburb to the next, Orchard has seen unprecedented growth in the past few years. Just like the Cheatums, many families are realizing the benefits of raising children in rural communities. And, not unlike Finch, others find it easier to find their career in a smaller community, where the competition is less harsh. Whatever the reason, dozens of people are realizing you can come home. So they are coming back, and currently flocking back to Orchard. |
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