Omaha-Lincoln Differences

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mrsticka
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Omaha-Lincoln Differences

Post by mrsticka »

Omaha–
Many 2-lane streets do not have a center turn lane.
Street signs for numbered streets are not labeled with N or S prefixes.
Street signs are a mixture of capital and lowercase letters.
Miles are every 12 blocks.
Traffic lights are mounted vertically.
A majority of street light fixtures are non-cutoffs.
License plates all start with “1”. Or they used to. Now alpha-numerical plates are issued.

Lincoln–
Many 2-lane streets have a center turn lane.
Street signs for numbered streets are labeled with N or S prefixes.
Street signs are in all capital letters.
Miles are every 14 blocks.
Traffic lights are mounted horizontally.
A majority of street light fixtures are cutoffs.
License plates all start with “2”. Or they used to. Now alpha-numerical plates are issued.

I probably forgot other things. But this is just what I know so far.
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Re: Omaha-Lincoln Differences

Post by Dundeemaha »

Omaha -
915,312 pop estimate
Average traffic speed is 3-7 mph over the posted limit
Terrible planning and implementation of bike lanes
Many hills
OMetro: ~4.2million trips in 2012

Lincoln -
318,945 pop estimate
Average traffic speed is 1-5 mph under the posted limit
Recent work on improving downtown bike lanes
Flat as a pancake
Startran: ~2.5million trips in 2015
daveoma
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Re: Omaha-Lincoln Differences

Post by daveoma »

mrsticka wrote:Omaha–
Many 2-lane streets do not have a center turn lane.
Street signs for numbered streets are not labeled with N or S prefixes.
Street signs are a mixture of capital and lowercase letters.
Miles are every 12 blocks.
Traffic lights are mounted vertically.
A majority of street light fixtures are non-cutoffs.
License plates all start with “1”. Or they used to. Now alpha-numerical plates are issued.

Lincoln–
Many 2-lane streets have a center turn lane.
Street signs for numbered streets are labeled with N or S prefixes.
Street signs are in all capital letters.
Miles are every 14 blocks.
Traffic lights are mounted horizontally.
A majority of street light fixtures are cutoffs.
License plates all start with “2”. Or they used to. Now alpha-numerical plates are issued.

I probably forgot other things. But this is just what I know so far.
It may seem insignificant, but in MUCH prefer vertical traffic lights.
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Re: Omaha-Lincoln Differences

Post by mrsticka »

As do I. And now Lincoln's switching their traffic lights to vertical as well. I wonder if and when the rest of the state will follow suit?
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Re: Omaha-Lincoln Differences

Post by Busguy2010 »

I wish we could cut and paste the UNL campus in Omaha somewhere. I feel like Omaha would be a much bigger city, and our city would benefit the university. I like to imagine if we had UNL and council bluffs had Iowa or Iowa State.

The university is the only real difference that has me jealous. Everything else I'd take Omaha.
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Re: Omaha-Lincoln Differences

Post by daveoma »

Busguy2010 wrote:I wish we could cut and paste the UNL campus in Omaha somewhere. I feel like Omaha would be a much bigger city, and our city would benefit the university. I like to imagine if we had UNL and council bluffs had Iowa or Iowa State.

The university is the only real difference that has me jealous. Everything else I'd take Omaha.
I agree totally. I think a research university would benefit tremendously from the private philanthropy in Omaha.
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Re: Omaha-Lincoln Differences

Post by Coyote »

daveoma wrote:
Busguy2010 wrote:I wish we could cut and paste the UNL campus in Omaha somewhere. I feel like Omaha would be a much bigger city, and our city would benefit the university. I like to imagine if we had UNL and council bluffs had Iowa or Iowa State.

The university is the only real difference that has me jealous. Everything else I'd take Omaha.
I agree totally. I think a research university would benefit tremendously from the private philanthropy in Omaha.
You mean something like UNMC? :P
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Re: Omaha-Lincoln Differences

Post by mrsticka »

I wish I-29 ran through Nebraska instead of Iowa so that it could serve Omaha directly. Then Nebraska would have a major north-south interstate route.

I even wonder what if the Missouri River went a different pathway from Bellevue to northeast Omaha? The area that is Council Bluffs is part of Omaha? The street signs there are all labeled with an "E" suffix (for East) like they are by the airport. That way Omaha would have an actual east side of town. Not that Council Bluffs wouldn't exist. It still would just 5-6 miles east of where it is now. The river that I-80 crosses east of 13th Street is the Elkhorn instead of the Missouri. That would make the final exit for I-80 in Nebraska either 459 or 461. I got that idea from the geography in Portland, OR.

The airport being a huge major hub with 3 long concourses and a layout similar to that of Cleveland's except flipped horizontally. Storz Expressway also being an uninterrupted freeway-like road from I-29 to the airport.

Copy and paste those hills in northern Nebraska and put them on the Iowa side of the Missouri River so that the terrain is stable enough to build I-29 through there.

Omaha having 3 pro-sports teams: MLB, NFL and NBA. Rosenblatt Stadium still fully intact and hosting a MLB team. Across the street to the south is a major football stadium. It's called Mutual Field (after the Mutual of Omaha) and it hosting an NFL team. Because of this, Bert Murphy Avenue is a 2-way street its entire short length between 13th and 10th Streets instead of only one. CenturyLink Arena hosting an NBA team. I don't know what these teams would be called.

In Lincoln is a major race track called Lincoln Motor Speedway. It's the one on Sun Valley and West O. It hosts the Lincoln 500. It's just like the Daytona 500 and Indy 500.

Peony Park still being open today. But instead of it being located at 78th and Cass, it's downtown accessible from Abbott Drive a few blocks east of CenturyLink.

Omaha having a HUGE downtown with many skyscrapers. Most of them at least 50 stories tall. Don't worry, the Woodmen Tower and First National Bank Towers are still there. The only unaffected part of Downtown Omaha is the Old Market. It's still a major tourist attraction.

Also, what if Sioux City was in Nebraska as well and the seat of Dakota County and I-29 going through it?

And how about Grand Island, Kearney and Hastings all being one big metropolitan area similar to that of the Tri-Cities in Washington (Pasco, Richland, Kennewick). Copy and paste Kearney to the west/southwest side of Grand Island and Hastings directly south of GI. US 281 being a full uninterrupted freeway from I-80 to the north end of town. It's labeled Interstate 580 and being a dual road with US 281. Also, US 30 is a freeway from I-80 to downtown Grand Island. US 30/I-580/US 281 being a full cloverleaf interchange with collector distributor lanes on both sides of I-580 and high mast lights posted at the interchange. I-80 and US 30 are a dual roadway from the Tri-Cities to the Wyoming border.

Also, gambling being legal in Nebraska. Because of that, there's a big beautiful casino north of Lincoln off exit 405 (US 77). It's called Star City Casino. People all over Nebraska love to come to it.

Memorial Stadium selling alcohol. But they're very careful about it. They have a policy where if the customer sounds like they're slurring their words, they're on the verge of becoming drunk and don't sell them anymore alcohol.

Albertsons still being in Nebraska owning and operating stores in Omaha (including Bellevue, Papillion and Elkhorn), Lincoln, the Tri-Cities, Sioux City, Norfolk, North Platte and Scottsbluff. In Lincoln, Albertsons doesn't go into the building where K Mart was on 48th and Vine. The K Mart is still there today. The Albertsons is on 48th and Van Dorn and there are 3 other locations in Lincoln.

And license plates issued in Douglas, Lancaster and Sarpy Counties still using the 1, 2 and 59 codes. They use 6 characters afterwards instead of just 5. Sarpy still uses 5, but doesn't stack their 59s because there's enough room for 8 on the plates. However, if a plate needs a 6th character, then they will stack the 59 code. Sometimes they still used the stacked format of the 59 with 5 or less characters.

I apologize for rambling on like this. I know I shouldn't. I just couldn't help myself. But that's what Nebraska's like in my own head. Don't give me too hard a time about it. We all have our own ideas of what we think Nebraska ought to be.
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Re: Omaha-Lincoln Differences

Post by Busguy2010 »

mrsticka wrote:Omaha having 3 pro-sports teams: MLB, NFL and NBA. Rosenblatt Stadium still fully intact and hosting a MLB team. Across the street to the south is a major football stadium. It's called Mutual Field (after the Mutual of Omaha) and it hosting an NFL team. Because of this, Bert Murphy Avenue is a 2-way street its entire short length between 13th and 10th Streets instead of only one. CenturyLink Arena hosting an NBA team. I don't know what these teams would be called.
I totally think we could support an NBA team. Creighton was selling 15,000 + seats when Dougie was here (are they still?). However, NFL stadiums and MLB stadiums seat at least 60,000 and 40,000, respectively. I don't think our metro alone could draw that many people on a consistent basis, especially with KC right down the road.
mrsticka wrote:Peony Park still being open today. But instead of it being located at 78th and Cass, it's downtown accessible from Abbott Drive a few blocks east of CenturyLink.
We should have a good size amusement park. We definitely need SOMETHING... ANYTHING. Most amusement parks are a good ways out of their cities, much like their airports. But Omaha's airport is so close to town, why not flip the text book again and have our amusement park close to downtown?
mrsticka wrote:And how about Grand Island, Kearney and Hastings all being one big metropolitan area similar to that of the Tri-Cities in Washington (Pasco, Richland, Kennewick). Copy and paste Kearney to the west/southwest side of Grand Island and Hastings directly south of GI. US 281 being a full uninterrupted freeway from I-80 to the north end of town. It's labeled Interstate 580 and being a dual road with US 281. Also, US 30 is a freeway from I-80 to downtown Grand Island. US 30/I-580/US 281 being a full cloverleaf interchange with collector distributor lanes on both sides of I-580 and high mast lights posted at the interchange. I-80 and US 30 are a dual roadway from the Tri-Cities to the Wyoming border.
I so wish they were joined. Not that it would change the population of Nebraska, but it would create another population center. As it is, these cities are just now being referred to as a "metro", but only to us nerds who care and hope they will one day join within our lifetime. If it were already a contiguous metro area, Nebraska would benefit.
mrsticka wrote:Also, gambling being legal in Nebraska. Because of that, there's a big beautiful casino north of Lincoln off exit 405 (US 77). It's called Star City Casino. People all over Nebraska love to come to it.
This is such a good idea. It is beyond me why Nebraska does not allow gambling.
mrsticka wrote:Memorial Stadium selling alcohol. But they're very careful about it. They have a policy where if the customer sounds like they're slurring their words, they're on the verge of becoming drunk and don't sell them anymore alcohol.
Isn't there talk of this? In any case, it won't help a whole lot. There is so much pre-gaming going on, people could probably use a good 3 or 4 hour break :lol: . But for those who enjoy a beer or two and don't want to escalate past that point, this would be highly beneficial.
mrsticka wrote:I apologize for rambling on like this. I know I shouldn't. I just couldn't help myself. But that's what Nebraska's like in my own head. Don't give me too hard a time about it. We all have our own ideas of what we think Nebraska ought to be.
There's no need to apologize, Mr! You have had some very imaginative posts and I always find myself relating to a lot of what you have to say. I would like to see you post more often :)
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Re: Omaha-Lincoln Differences

Post by mrsticka »

Busguy2010 wrote:I totally think we could support an NBA team. Creighton was selling 15,000 + seats when Dougie was here (are they still?). However, NFL stadiums and MLB stadiums seat at least 60,000 and 40,000, respectively. I don't think our metro alone could draw that many people on a consistent basis, especially with KC right down the road.
SIGH... Maybe you're right. :( But it doesn't hurt to imagine.
Busguy2010 wrote:We should have a good size amusement park. We definitely need SOMETHING... ANYTHING. Most amusement parks are a good ways out of their cities, much like their airports. But Omaha's airport is so close to town, why not flip the text book again and have our amusement park close to downtown?
Riverfront Park in Spokane, WA, is downtown. That was the site of Expo '74. Before the area consisted of a big, ugly trainyard. It was an eyesore to many residents. Just like that big trainyard that Abbott used to pass over was an eyesore to many residents here. So that's where the inspiration came from.
Busguy2010 wrote:I so wish they were joined. Not that it would change the population of Nebraska, but it would create another population center. As it is, these cities are just now being referred to as a "metro", but only to us nerds who care and hope they will one day join within our lifetime. If it were already a contiguous metro area, Nebraska would benefit.
But it wouldn't be bigger than Lincoln. Lincoln would still be bigger. And of course, Omaha would be 3 times its size.
Busguy2010 wrote:This is such a good idea. It is beyond me why Nebraska does not allow gambling.
I don't know either. And by the way, I meant to say off of I-80 at exit 405.
Busguy2010 wrote:Isn't there talk of this? In any case, it won't help a whole lot. There is so much pre-gaming going on, people could probably use a good 3 or 4 hour break :lol: . But for those who enjoy a beer or two and don't want to escalate past that point, this would be highly beneficial.
Just for the record, they do not sell alcohol to minors. That's still illegal.
Busguy2010 wrote:There's no need to apologize, Mr! You have had some very imaginative posts and I always find myself relating to a lot of what you have to say. I would like to see you post more often :)
Thanks. Much appreciated.

Another thing about Lincoln is the street signs. On main streets, the sign for the cross street is bigger than the sign for the main street. That's rather odd. They should just have both signs be bigger. And, of course, signs for east/west main streets would indicate their block. And lettered streets wouldn't simply label their signs with "ST". Instead, they spell out the whole word "STREET" and still indicate the block underneath to match the length of the numbered street sign.

Now, I may get heat for this one, but 14th and Superior and 14th and Alvo still wouldn't be roundabouts. Instead, 14th would still become 4 lanes (2 north, 2 south) as it approaches Superior. From there, 14th is 4 nondivided lanes. Down the middle would be a double solid yellow line. Southbound 14th would have a left turn lane to Old Glory Road. That's the street a block north of Superior that has access to the Walgreens there. Superior would have right turn lanes to 14th in both directions. The traffic lights at the intersection would all be mounted vertically instead of horizontally. And not that this is important, but the signs for Superior would indicate their block "4400 N" under the little "ST" abbreviation. At Fletcher Avenue, the one south of the I-80 overpass, 14th would be reduced to 2 lanes and the old bridge over I-80 would still be fully intact. What would change however are the railings. The railing on the eastbound end of the bridge would still feature 2 street light posts while the one for the westbound edge would have a top-curved chainlink fence behind it and allow for pedestrians to cross the bridge safely. After the bridge, 14th would have a left turn lane to Fletcher (the one north of the I-80 overpass). And Fletcher would be moved a few feet north to make enough room for a left turn lane. From there all the way up to Alvo, 14th would be 3 lanes (1 north, 1 south and a center turn lane). 14th and Alvo would also still be a traditional intersection. But instead of stop signs, there would be traffic lights and they'd also be mounted vertically. After that, 14th Street continues on up to Saunders County like normal.

Now while I'm not a big fan of roundabouts, if any intersection in Lincoln ought to be one, it's 10th/11th/Sun Valley. That's a rather oddly designed intersection.
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Re: Omaha-Lincoln Differences

Post by NovakOmaha »

I was recently in Lincoln for a day and holy cow has it changed since my UNL days from 76-80! In those days it was really a UNL & state government town and had a small town feel to it. Between the Haymarket District, which is amazing, downtown & the campus, and the suburban developments, Lincoln has sure grown. Very impressive. A very entrepreneurial spirit there.

My gripe is what it was back in the 70s. They never and still haven't had a traffic system to accommodate the growth. I get that there is no Interstate other than I-80 but there seriously should have been plans for major streets other than O street. Rush hour is a killer, albeit relatively short.

Other than that, I really enjoyed the short trip.
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Re: Omaha-Lincoln Differences

Post by mrsticka »

Well, there are plans for an East Beltway. Something they should've done 25-30 years ago. I first moved to Lincoln in 1993 when they were still working on the West Beltway (US 77). They built West Capitol Parkway (Now Rosa Parks Way) as a traffic light intersection. I didn't agree with that. Then around 2005-06, they changed it to a freeway-like interchange. I thought it should've been one from the start.

Here's how I think the rest of it should've been built:
-Pioneers Blvd being an overpass above US 77 with on and off ramps.
-Old Cheney also an overpass, but with no access.
-US 77 and Warlick as a full cloverleaf interchange.
-Cut off Yankee Hill Road since it doesn't go into town.
-US 77 as an overpass above Rokeby Road.
-Saltillo Road being the first traffic light intersection.

So US 77 would be a full uninterrupted freeway from I-80 to Saltillo Road. That's how I think they should've done it back in the early 90's.

From what I understand is that back when the interstate was being built back in the 60's, the residents of Lincoln didn't want it running through their city. They thought it would destroy its small town image. Now here we are, our population's over 300,000. We are definitely NOT a small town anymore. We're almost as big as Omaha was 40 years ago.
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Re: Omaha-Lincoln Differences

Post by daveoma »

Coyote wrote:
daveoma wrote:
Busguy2010 wrote:I wish we could cut and paste the UNL campus in Omaha somewhere. I feel like Omaha would be a much bigger city, and our city would benefit the university. I like to imagine if we had UNL and council bluffs had Iowa or Iowa State.

The university is the only real difference that has me jealous. Everything else I'd take Omaha.
I agree totally. I think a research university would benefit tremendously from the private philanthropy in Omaha.
You mean something like UNMC? :P
I mean a traditional non-medical university. Sciences, engineering, classics, etc.
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Re: Omaha-Lincoln Differences

Post by Coyote »

daveoma wrote:
Coyote wrote:
daveoma wrote:
Busguy2010 wrote:I wish we could cut and paste the UNL campus in Omaha somewhere. I feel like Omaha would be a much bigger city, and our city would benefit the university. I like to imagine if we had UNL and council bluffs had Iowa or Iowa State.

The university is the only real difference that has me jealous. Everything else I'd take Omaha.
I agree totally. I think a research university would benefit tremendously from the private philanthropy in Omaha.
You mean something like UNMC? :P
I mean a traditional non-medical university. Sciences, engineering, classics, etc.
That now begs the question we have had on another thread. Omaha has a huge philanthropic community that seems to have genuine concern for our community. But for a "non-medical" State educational institution to surface in Omaha with the blessings of Lincoln? Good luck. With HDR in Omaha, you would think we could get an engineering degree here...

Peter Kiewit Institute... Degree out of UNL.

I really think the UN system is afraid of Omaha and what could really happen, if, but...
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Re: Omaha-Lincoln Differences

Post by Omababe »

daveoma wrote:I mean a traditional non-medical university. Sciences, engineering, classics, etc.
You mean like Creighton? :)
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Re: Omaha-Lincoln Differences

Post by MTO »

Coyote wrote:
daveoma wrote:
Coyote wrote:
daveoma wrote:
Busguy2010 wrote:I wish we could cut and paste the UNL campus in Omaha somewhere. I feel like Omaha would be a much bigger city, and our city would benefit the university. I like to imagine if we had UNL and council bluffs had Iowa or Iowa State.

The university is the only real difference that has me jealous. Everything else I'd take Omaha.
I agree totally. I think a research university would benefit tremendously from the private philanthropy in Omaha.
You mean something like UNMC? :P
I mean a traditional non-medical university. Sciences, engineering, classics, etc.
That now begs the question we have had on another thread. Omaha has a huge philanthropic community that seems to have genuine concern for our community. But for a "non-medical" State educational institution to surface in Omaha with the blessings of Lincoln? Good luck. With HDR in Omaha, you would think we could get an engineering degree here...

Peter Kiewit Institute... Degree out of UNL.

I really think the UN system is afraid of Omaha and what could really happen, if, but...
That's why UNO should secede.
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Re: Omaha-Lincoln Differences

Post by Louie »

MTO wrote:
Coyote wrote:
daveoma wrote:
Coyote wrote:
daveoma wrote:
Busguy2010 wrote:I wish we could cut and paste the UNL campus in Omaha somewhere. I feel like Omaha would be a much bigger city, and our city would benefit the university. I like to imagine if we had UNL and council bluffs had Iowa or Iowa State.

The university is the only real difference that has me jealous. Everything else I'd take Omaha.
I agree totally. I think a research university would benefit tremendously from the private philanthropy in Omaha.
You mean something like UNMC? :P
I mean a traditional non-medical university. Sciences, engineering, classics, etc.
That now begs the question we have had on another thread. Omaha has a huge philanthropic community that seems to have genuine concern for our community. But for a "non-medical" State educational institution to surface in Omaha with the blessings of Lincoln? Good luck. With HDR in Omaha, you would think we could get an engineering degree here...

Peter Kiewit Institute... Degree out of UNL.

I really think the UN system is afraid of Omaha and what could really happen, if, but...
That's why UNO should secede.
Now I'm no lawyer or constitutional expert but that might not be a real thing.
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Re: Omaha-Lincoln Differences

Post by bigredmed »

Louie wrote:
MTO wrote:
Coyote wrote:
daveoma wrote:
Coyote wrote:
daveoma wrote:
Busguy2010 wrote:I wish we could cut and paste the UNL campus in Omaha somewhere. I feel like Omaha would be a much bigger city, and our city would benefit the university. I like to imagine if we had UNL and council bluffs had Iowa or Iowa State.

The university is the only real difference that has me jealous. Everything else I'd take Omaha.
I agree totally. I think a research university would benefit tremendously from the private philanthropy in Omaha.
You mean something like UNMC? :P
I mean a traditional non-medical university. Sciences, engineering, classics, etc.
That now begs the question we have had on another thread. Omaha has a huge philanthropic community that seems to have genuine concern for our community. But for a "non-medical" State educational institution to surface in Omaha with the blessings of Lincoln? Good luck. With HDR in Omaha, you would think we could get an engineering degree here...

Peter Kiewit Institute... Degree out of UNL.

I really think the UN system is afraid of Omaha and what could really happen, if, but...
That's why UNO should secede.
Now I'm no lawyer or constitutional expert but that might not be a real thing.
Its not. What needs to happen is for the undergrad programs to center at one or the other campi and then teleconnect to the others. We really don't need a second college of engineering. What we need is a leadership staff that realizes that when the college of engineering is technologically inferior to the college of nursing, you have a serious problem and one that you have fostered.
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Re: Omaha-Lincoln Differences

Post by MTO »

bigredmed wrote:
Louie wrote:
MTO wrote:
Coyote wrote:
daveoma wrote:
Coyote wrote:
daveoma wrote:
Busguy2010 wrote:I wish we could cut and paste the UNL campus in Omaha somewhere. I feel like Omaha would be a much bigger city, and our city would benefit the university. I like to imagine if we had UNL and council bluffs had Iowa or Iowa State.

The university is the only real difference that has me jealous. Everything else I'd take Omaha.
I agree totally. I think a research university would benefit tremendously from the private philanthropy in Omaha.
You mean something like UNMC? :P
I mean a traditional non-medical university. Sciences, engineering, classics, etc.
That now begs the question we have had on another thread. Omaha has a huge philanthropic community that seems to have genuine concern for our community. But for a "non-medical" State educational institution to surface in Omaha with the blessings of Lincoln? Good luck. With HDR in Omaha, you would think we could get an engineering degree here...

Peter Kiewit Institute... Degree out of UNL.

I really think the UN system is afraid of Omaha and what could really happen, if, but...
That's why UNO should secede.
Now I'm no lawyer or constitutional expert but that might not be a real thing.
Its not. What needs to happen is for the undergrad programs to center at one or the other campi and then teleconnect to the others. We really don't need a second college of engineering. What we need is a leadership staff that realizes that when the college of engineering is technologically inferior to the college of nursing, you have a serious problem and one that you have fostered.
I'm no lawyer and I doubt neither are you but UNO used to be OU (Omaha University) before it merged with the University of Nebraska. If the UN system won't let UNO flourish it should go back to an independent university.
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Re: Omaha-Lincoln Differences

Post by bmt »

bigredmed wrote: Its not. What needs to happen is for the undergrad programs to center at one or the other campi and then teleconnect to the others. We really don't need a second college of engineering. What we need is a leadership staff that realizes that when the college of engineering is technologically inferior to the college of nursing, you have a serious problem and one that you have fostered.

They already do this. Many Civil Eng. and Construction Eng. classes are teleconnected between UNL and UNO.
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Re: Omaha-Lincoln Differences

Post by RockHarbor »

I think Lincoln is a great city (I lived there for 3 years before moving back to Omaha), and if there's anything I would change about it, it would be to build that East Beltway Loop. Don't you feel the town is just ready for it, and needing it? I realize it takes $$$$, but still...

That's the one major thing I feel is ODD about that town, and I feel that new loop/beltway will help it. It is just so far off I-80, and the newest side of town (the south side), is even further away from it than the older, north side of town. What kind of major American city has that kind of set-up in 2016 (where the new-growth suburbs are 15 miles from the interstate)?

With the existing town in place, I realize stringing I-80 through in that diagonal way (north of town) was understandable in the 1960's. But, still...the town sits so oddly off that major E-W interstate, and that little spur takes you downtown. And, it is not all that bad... But, still...I think that beltway will help tie things together better.

Also, if Downtown Lincoln could just get ONE new major modern building (of medium height), then I feel the skyline would get a needed update. Instead, it always looks old with the Capitol and those existing buildings, although Downtown Lincoln has some great structures (especially some beautiful historic gems).

Other than that, Lincoln is a great 2nd city in Nebraska. I'm impressed with it.
I can get pushed out because I'm "too much" for some. Then, an observer of me comes suddenly swooping in to "fill my shoes." People are always more accepting of the new one, because their feathers aren't truly ruffled by them. (Yawn) I can count on it every time.
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Re: Omaha-Lincoln Differences

Post by mrsticka »

Yes, I think the East Beltway is long overdue. There's only so much traffic O Street can handle.

They've done a really good job at revitalizing the Haymarket.
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Re: Omaha-Lincoln Differences

Post by RockHarbor »

mrsticka wrote:Yes, I think the East Beltway is long overdue. There's only so much traffic O Street can handle.

They've done a really good job at revitalizing the Haymarket.
Yes, the Haymarket is awesome! Even without it, I feel Downtown Lincoln would be great, with all the stores, restaurants, and movie theater downtown. It feels so vibrant & cheery. I just love Downtown Lincoln.

And, yes...I totally agree about the Beltway. (Google Maps even had the new planned beltway incorporated for awhile, but now it is gone.) When you're driving into Lincoln from Omaha, you can see Downtown Lincoln off in the distance, and unless you know Lincoln well or look at maps, you just don't realize this fairly-big, rectangular, long-wise metro sits off I-80. It all looks like a smaller city than it actually is, imo, thus it is perceived as smaller. Seriously, you have no idea this charming city with sprawling new suburbs and malls are all beyond view. With a beltway on the edge of town, and an interchange and exits off I-80 for it, you'll get more the feel of a "big metro." Plus, think of how much quicker it will be for all the Lincolnites who live on the south edge to get home after going to a ballgame or concert in Omaha.

Seriously, when I first moved to Lincoln, I lived smack-dab in the middle of town (near 27th & South St.), and with the traffic lights, it took FOREVER to get home, after exiting off I-80. It literally took 15-20 minutes (to get to the center of Lincoln). To me, that is outlandish for a smaller city metro in Nebraska. Lincoln is not sprawling, stretched-out Phoenix, Arizona. But, it felt that way.
I can get pushed out because I'm "too much" for some. Then, an observer of me comes suddenly swooping in to "fill my shoes." People are always more accepting of the new one, because their feathers aren't truly ruffled by them. (Yawn) I can count on it every time.
mrsticka
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Re: Omaha-Lincoln Differences

Post by mrsticka »

You know what I think is cool? You can see the capitol almost anywhere you go.
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BRoss
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Re: Omaha-Lincoln Differences

Post by BRoss »

mrsticka wrote:You know what I think is cool? You can see the capitol almost anywhere you go.
I think that's partly the point of the height restrictions. Also the fact that Lincoln is pretty flat.
mrsticka
Parks & Recreation
Posts: 1897
Joined: Sat Apr 07, 2012 12:31 am
Location: Lincoln

Re: Omaha-Lincoln Differences

Post by mrsticka »

Yeah, that's true. Lincoln is pretty flat. But I'm pretty sure Kansas is much flatter. When I lived in Omaha back in the 80's and early 90's, I couldn't see the Woodmen Tower from 108th and L. :lol:
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