Alone we can do so little; together, we can do so much.

Helen Keller

Urbana is a small little community located in the mid-west. Centrally located within driving distance from Pomme de Terre Lake, Lake of the Ozarks, Branson, and Kansas City, Urbana was once a thriving town.

Established soon after the close of the Civil War, Urbana once had a general store, a hardware store, a drug store, a harness and saddle store, a shoe shop, and a cabinet shop, to name a few. And, according to some writings, before the free school system reached its present efficiency, Urbana maintained a good private high school. Probably the roots for my kids’ amazing school.

Today, it’s not the booming town it once was. As with most small-town American towns – big box stores have edged our mom-and-pop grocery, clothing, and goods stores. But, as a new community member, I can tell you the spirit of small town America has not been edged out.

Our little cattle ranch is located about 3 miles outside of Urbana. Shortly after moving here, I volunteered with the city events committee, helping with the Christmas Parade and planning an Easter Egg hunt. One of the committee’s efforts was to submit a video to HGTV’s Hometown Takeover.

I had the honor to help build the video submission to showcase Urbana. We weren’t selected, but I had so much fun learning about my new community and see first-hand the love everyone has for their hometown. Check out our submission.