Updated: Omaha's Top Rankings

[Erik]

I am just beginning to tip the iceberg with all the high ratings Omaha is getting....

Qwest Center: Top 10 busiest arenas in the world
http://www.csufresno.edu/journal/vol8/0 ... mart.shtml

Facts from the Omaha chamber
http://www.accessomaha.com/pdf/Markets.pdf

Omaha: Another best city ranking: #17 by time.com
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/artic ... -2,00.html

Omaha: One of the highest percentages of yuppies in America
http://themediaaudit.com/yuppies2.htm

OMaha: Most Golf courses per capita in US
http://www.taxadmin.org/fta/meet/omaha.html
http://www.embassysuitesomaha.com/meetingsevents.aspx
http://www.creightonmedical.org/content ... ory/72/69/
http://www2.agribank.com/Annual/Documen ... rOmaha.pdf
http://www.campbellcommunications.com/mag%20omaha.html

Omaha: Home to more millionaires per capita than any other US city
http://www.omahahomesguide.com/

National: 36,048
OMaha: 37,373 rank #41 out of 361

#18 for standard of living which is money vs cost of living
http://www.business.duq.edu/faculty/dav ... curcio.doc

#8 for Uhaul growth :-)
http://eomahaforums.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=6211

#12 for lowest cost of living and #15 for jobs #32 for median income
Omaha is 21% below average for housing costs
http://www.forbes.com/home/2007/02/15/b ... table.html
http://www.accessomaha.com/pdf/Omaha-Co ... g-2007.pdf

Omaha: 5 star metro
http://www.expansionmanagement.com/cmd/ ... efault.asp

Omaha: Link to more top rankings
http://www.mmqb.com/tcmmqbnew/tcmmqbnew ... 3130753809 0140&toload=tcm&system=ResiIOS&loadlook=179512&ses sionid=587425&dll=ros

Omaha: #18 for relocating singles
http://primacy.com/primacy_americas.asp ... macy+Ameri cas+Home&ID2=Primacy+News&CategoryID=2&NewsID=32

Omaha: On a yearly basis, one of the cleanest cities in the US
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/artic ... hix-sphere

most walkable city in america
http://www.prevention.com/article/0,577 ... -6,00.html

Omaha: #5 in the nation to have a baby
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16775895/

OMaha: Featured destination...
http://www.retirementtrends.com/feature.html

More top rankings for Omaha!!
Eleventh best city for business and careers (Forbes – 2004)
Third “Best Place to Locate Your Company” (Expansion Management – 2003)
Consistent ranking in top 20% of best places to live as rated by Places Rated Almanac.
and more rankings....
http://www.businessfacilities.com/bf_05_08_news2.asp
http://www.marketsphere.com/marketsphere.aspx?pgID=883

Omaha: #18 in the Nation for Standard of living
http://www.business.duq.edu/faculty/dav ... curcio.doc

Proof new construction is low cost in Omaha:
http://www.mickeymartin.com/Nav.aspx/Pa ... fault.aspx
this listing is housing built 2005 to current and is being sold for 125,000-150,000
sorry you'll have to go to search only new homes and select that range yourself in Douglas County built 2005 and sooner...

Omaha rated #7 in best places to live
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag ... 37000.html

Lot's of demographic information
http://www.omahachamber.org/pdf/EconomicOutlook.pdf

Nebraska: #24 in total taxes per capita:
http://www.census.gov/govs/statetax/05staxrank.html

Omaha:#30 fun place in america (3 lower than Vegas)
http://www.nbc30.com/news/2608638/detail.html
some of the attractions:
http://www.omahachamber.org/enjoy/Attractions.aspx






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Old Post:
a.Omaha was ranked in the top 20 in 2003 for best jobs in the us according to:
b.top 20 here in the us for quality of life:
c.#5 according to msnbc.com for raising a baby
d.Study ranks the Omaha metro the #30 funnest metro in america
e.#41 for highest per capita income in the US
f.crime rate if very low
g.#7 best big city place to live according to money magazine
h.#15 overal for jobs,
h.#32nd in median household income
h.#12th cost of living rank
h.#55 job growth

ahttp://www.nbc30.com/news/2608638/detail.html
bhttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16775895/
chttp://www.move.com/new-homes/before-yo ... family.cms
dhttp://www.bestjobsusa.com/sections/CAN ... /index.asp
ehttp://bea.gov/bea/newsrel/MPINewsRelease.htm
fhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Sta ... Crime_Rate
ghttp://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag ... ities.html
h.http://www.forbes.com/home/2007/02/15/b ... table.html
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Forbes Magazine ranked Omaha 15th overall for jobs, 32nd highest in median household income, 17th in unemployment, 12th in cost of living rank 55th in job growth out of all the metros in the nation...

Says Forbes (2/15/07) http://www.forbes.com/2007/02/15/best-c ... artner=rss

Complete rankings here: http://www.forbes.com/home/2007/02/15/b ... table.html

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http://www.omahachamber.org/pdf/EconomicOutlook.pdf

This one was just released and is the latest
it spells out household income vs US
Cost of living vs US
population of individual counties in Omaha metro and how much they grew by
from 2000 to 2006 and projections to 2011. It lays out the job growth here and by what categories... And what to expect in the next year 2007

[RockHarbor]

And, that is exactly why I'm finally coming full circle, and finally moving back to my hometown. I've been through the wringer, and I'm looking forward to returning to my "safe haven." You know, I grew up all those years in Omaha, sketching out my ideas for the city, religiously watching "Midlands News" for new projects, and dreaming to see it progress, only to watch it bloom after I took off. It is almost like the town "slapped me in the face."  And, I never had the chance to live on my own in my own hometown (I always lived at home).  And, I'm tired of not being part of the "Excitement Building on the Plains."

[Erik]

[justify]

I remember when I was a kid, I wanted to see alot of things happen in the city, but it was growing very slowly and nothing really was happening.. everybody else from here hated it...

And now within 10 years and watching the things to do multiply like ten fold during that span and now growing pretty fast, I am more than overwhelmed that the city has taken off like it has, I never even dreamed of the city having all that it does right now...  I did though dream that Omaha would grow a little faster, but it's really getting there!! The things to do is certainly more now than I ever thought would be in my lifetime and all of it came within the last ten years...[/justify]

[RockHarbor]

^It has changed.  Driving through the city today, it feels like the same ole' place in some ways, yet a different place, too.  It is much more exciting nowadays.  Looking at the skyline, I still feel like saying "Somebody...pinch me!" everytime I see it.  You can just tell Omaha has been bitten by the "architecture bug" finally.

Since I'm in landscape design, I feel disappointed at most of the city in that category, though.  It appears most of Omaha's idea of landscaping is just grass, a tree, and a few juniper bushes.  I seriously feel like renting a huge UHAUL, going to a nursery, choosing beautiful grasses and pines and firs, and then taking them to all the businesses on Dodge, and saying: "Plant these, and make Omaha beautiful."  I noticed Des Moines is ahead of Omaha in this category.  However, I realize landscape design is changing here.  I noticed a lot of the newer buildings and homes have great, modern, professional landscape design around them.

[midtown charlie]

Grid, Omaha by Design is working on that part as well.  They call it Green Omaha and the web link to the goals, etc... is http://www.omahabydesign.org/Green_Omah ... _main.html


I think the challenge is finding donors who are willing to spruce up the interstate etc....The benefits of such an endeavor is not so obvious.  We are definitely behind but we have the right plan in place.  Let's just hope the city is successful in finding the right donors.  

They are working on a project that will allow donors (big or small) to pick a specific thing to donate for.  Say you have $100 or $10,000 you want donate sure it's not up to par with the Lied or Durham millions but it's still worth something right?  They are working on a catalog of the city's wish list that you can put your money towards.  Very smart!

[edsas]

Those topography maps are awesome.  Wouldn't it be great if one of the city's big corporations through a couple million dollars at the landscaping issue? I think Omahans would be surprised by the difference it would make.

[RockHarbor]

Midtown Omaha:  Thanks for that link!  I had no idea that existed.  Knowing there are other landscape designers in Omaha, I am aware there are other people thinking like I am, so I am glad to get that link.  Thanks again.

You mentioned the interstates:  Yes, I agree.  Just imagine if Omaha planted groves -- and I say groves, not just a few individual specimens -- of pines and firs and bushes along the interstate, and in between the interchanges.  It could be a lot prettier and more exciting.  Most sections of the interstate look so plain to me -- plain sound walls, no landscaping.  I mean, Denver does a much better job then Omaha -- and we have no excuse, because we are overall greener and lusher, and have the same plant material to use, with the exception of aspens.  

I think the main thing for Omaha, is thinking about winter.  In the summer, the city is very green & lush, and flowers are planted.  However, the winter is so raw, so harsh, and so plain.  That is why I feel the city needs to plant more beautiful pines, firs, and spruces.  They are a great windbreak, they hold the snow pretty, and they add color to the winter landscape.

[Minneapolis Boy]

The responsibility along the interstates is not the City of Omaha's - it is the state's. I would encourage communication with the State Dept of Roads regarding landscaping/trees. I too wish there were more trees along the freeways.

[RockHarbor]

^ Thanks for that tip.  And, I was driving on I-80 yesterday, and I noticed it isn't as bad as I thought.  Most of the exits do have pines and stuff.  I'm thinking more MASS plantings of pines, ect.  Along those lines, that I-680/I-80 interchange could use a lot more plant material -- and huge chunks of limestone (that you see in KC).  I definitely think the I-80 and 'L' interchange needs work, too.  That is one of the first major interchanges to greet interstate people from the west.  I mean, honestly, I wish that would bulldoze that whole area, and just start over.

[Erik]

I've literally been flooding the Omaha board with "articles from outside of Omaha" with positive information and the haters are getting angry, lol

[RockHarbor]

You go, Erik.  :-)

[Vince Furlong]

Here is another rating about what kinds of places in which people would like to live.
The Pew Research boys and girls do some interesting stuff.

You can also take a quiz there about what you might prefer.

http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1096/commun ... top-cities

Vince

[TitosBuritoBarn]

Oh good, glad to see that this research seems to deduce the suburbs will be alive and well at the expense of urban areas for many many years to come. Who wouldn't want to live in Orlando over Minneapolis anyway?

[Asten]

Oh good, glad to see that this research seems to deduce the suburbs will be alive and well at the expense of urban areas for many many years to come. Who wouldn't want to live in Orlando over Minneapolis anyway?

me.  Not that I want to live in either.  But, I'd take Minneapolis over Orlando.

[Bosco55David]

I'd have to take Orlando.