As America approaches its 250th birthday, there won’t be a shortage of celebrations, documentaries, speeches, fireworks, and reflections about our nation’s history. We will hear about the Founding Fathers, great presidents, wars, our rights as Americans, and defining moments that shaped our country into what it is today.
But while America’s story is often told through the proverbial lens of Washington, D.C., New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles, I believe the true backbone of this country has always been places like Sioux City.
Small cities still matter.
Communities like ours built America long before skyscrapers dominated some of our skylines. Cities along rivers, railroads, farmland, and manufacturing corridors became the engines that fed, moved, supplied, and strengthened the nation. Sioux City was built by hardworking people with grit who believed in creating something not just for themselves, but for future generations.
That spirit still exists today.
In Sioux City, we see it in the small-business owner unlocking the doors, sometimes seven days a week. We see it in parents coaching youth sports after long workdays. We see it in volunteers serving on Sioux City’s boards and commissions, nonprofit groups, churches, and various community organizations. We see it in police officers, firefighters, teachers, healthcare workers, construction crews, and city employees who quietly keep communities functioning every single day.
Those things may not make national news, but they are in Sioux City, IA. USA.
As a member of the City Council and serving as Mayor Pro Tem, I’ve learned to appreciate just how much our nation’s future is decided at the local level. It’s easy to think patriotism only exists in grand gestures, but often it looks much simpler than that. Sometimes patriotism is attending a council meeting. Sometimes it means supporting a local business. Sometimes it’s investing in a neighborhood, cleaning up a property, mentoring a student, or simply choosing to believe your city’s best days are still ahead.
That belief matters.
Across the country, many small and mid-sized cities face real challenges. Aging infrastructure, workforce shortages, housing demands, tight budgets, and changing economies are realities we can’t ignore. Sioux City is no different. But America has never been defined by communities without challenges. It has been defined by communities willing to confront challenges and then act.
What gives me confidence is that Sioux City continues to move forward.
We are seeing new housing development, infrastructure investment, downtown conversations, neighborhood improvements, business expansion, and long-term planning shaping the next generation of our city. Progress rarely happens overnight, and it rarely happens perfectly, but meaningful growth never does.
As America turns 250, it’s important to remember that the future of this country will not only be shaped by those who live in major metropolitan areas. It will also be greatly influenced by communities like Sioux City, where we still believe in hard work, where people still know their neighbors, step up to help one another in times of need, and still care deeply about where they live.
Small cities still matter because people still matter.
And as long as Sioux City residents continue to invest in each other, our story is far from finished.
By Julie Schroderr
