nativeomahan wrote: ↑Thu Aug 31, 2023 11:00 am
Things no one can change, no matter how much we would want:
1. General Climate. Yes it has gotten measurably warmer the past 50 years, but ice scrapers, snow shovels, mittens and scarves are still required 3-4 months of the year. As others have noted, most people, if given the choice, prefer to be too warm as opposed to too cold.
2. Geography. I have never met a person who has told me “Gee, I really wish I didn’t live so close to the ocean (or mountains). It just isn’t gonna happen here. The best we can do is relish the fact we live within a few hours flight time to those locales. And honestly, I have met many, many Denver residents who tell me they haven’t set foot into the mountains in 5 or 10 years, and quite a few residents of Puerto Vallarta that spend fewer than 5 days a year with their toes in the sand on a beach. So there is that.
3. Demographic Issues. Metro Omaha remains predominantly a city of one racial characteristic, although that is slowly evolving. Forty years ago I seldom heard Spanish, Farsi, Russian, Japanese, Korean or Chinese dialects spoken when I was out dining or grocery shopping. Now it is somewhat common, although nowhere near as common as in any large city. I don’t see us waking up anytime soon to being a truly multi-ethnic, majority minority city.
4. Taxes. They are like death, people. They will never get reduced in any meaningful way.
What can be changed:
1. Quality of life infrastructure: Better mass transit; increased recreational opportunities (our park system recently got a shot in the arm with the reopened downtown parks, and the number of suburban lakeside parks with recreation trails keeps growing); increased entertainment options (Steelhouse, reopened Admiral, Astro, Joslyn addition, Luminarium, improvements at Lauritzen and Fontenelle Forest). We will never be a good bike commuter city because we have too many hills for that. But urban planners can insist that new developments be walker friendly, and not focus on big parking lots that by definition discourage walking.
2. Inclusivity: Social diversity is key to making talented people feel welcomed here. Most people now understand this. When a physician, nurse, scientist, educator, IT specialist or any other person in a highly valued profession is offered a job transfer to Omaha, will our city make them feel comfortable moving themselves, and any partner or other family member here? Will they feel accepted given their brown or black skin, their heavily accented English skills, their veganism, their being atheist or Muslim or Buddhist? Will they find a welcoming community that shares their ethnic, social, religious or sexual orientation? Omaha has made strides in that regard, but so much more needs to be done.
3. Health care: Omaha increasingly has become a regional health care magnet, most notably with UNMC. These investments need to continue, as a way to encourage older citizens in particular to stay here is by assuring them (me) that our local health care systems are among the best in the nation.
4. Easy access to other places: Omaha is in the middle of “flyover country”. We are covered by a staple in a map of the nation. That just won’t change. However if our air travel opportunities are plentiful, residents can get to wonderful other locations within a 2-3 hour flight, and closer international locations in time for lunch. Eppley serves no direct international destinations at this time, a fact I attribute most to our relative geographic isolation, but I arrive at our home in México in time for a late lunch (after waking up at an ungodly hour). I can also get to Toronto and Montreal in time for lunch. These travel opportunities help people decide that a move to Omaha (or continuing to call the city “home”) is worth the city’s otherwise geographic isolation.
5. High quality educational opportunities. Our K-12 public schools are, generally speaking, of good to excellent quality, and our universities also rank high, and are relatively affordable. We have dental, pharmacy, law and medical schools. Continued strong investments in these educational systems costs money, often tax money. But we get what we pay for.
I’ve lived in Omaha since birth, and I have witnessed our city evolve. Not always in a good way, but in many ways it is a healthier, more vibrant place to live than when I grew up in the 1960s and 1970s. My travels to other cities and countries shows me both how well Omaha is adapting to change as well as ways where we don’t quite measure up. But the means to improve is within our grasp if we are up to the challenge.