Kiplinger: Omaha #3

[Coyote]

In the June 10 edition of Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine Omaha will be ranked third when they release their list of the top 25 best cities to live in the United States. Kiplinger's editor Bob Cook evaluated metropolitan areas by "How is this city going to benefit you financially?" Houston was first followed by Raleigh, Omaha, Boise, and Colorado Springs.

The city's population of members of the "creative class" – such as scientists, engineers, artists, writers and teachers helped to determine a their ranking.  Cook believes that type of person helps a city to prosper economically as well as culturally; "If you chose the right place, you're going to be happy and successful."

[StreetsOfOmaha]

Fantastic!  And did you mean MAY 10?

[Coyote]

Nope - It will be in the upcoming June 10th according to my source.

[RFO]

Coyote,

Do you know in which category Omaha was ranked to be number 3?  According to past rankings Kiplinger's had categories of:  Young singles, Mid-level professionals, Married with kids, Empty nesters & Retirees.  Based on the cities in past rankings, I'm guessing Omaha ranks 3rd in the mid-level professionals.

[Coyote]

That is as about all I heard that has been released. As you said it will be broken down but the quote I saw was: "The top 10 cities will also be broken down into the locations best for those in different life stages: young singles, mid-career professionals, married with children, empty nesters and retirees." So I am led to believe the #3 is the final ranking.

[Brad]

Omaha Is No. 3 On Best Cities List

http://www.ketv.com/news/16426789/detail.html

Kiplinger Magazine's 2008 Best City rankings puts Omaha at the No. 3 spot.

The magazine reported that Omaha landed there by breaking through its Midwest stereotype of the town that insurance companies, mail-order steaks and Warren Buffet call home.

"Walk through north downtown and discover the indie-rock club Slowdown next to Film Streams, a cinema art house. In Old Market, red-brick roads run past open-air restaurants, galleries and chic boutiques."

The article also mentioned the $100 million Holland Performing Arts Center and the Millard suburb.

The city's work ethic was touted as one where philanthropists and executives give back to the community to create an environment where such revitalization thrives.

[Coyote]

OMAHA: PARADISE ON THE PLAINS

Population: 821,356
Population Growth Since 2000: 6.6%
Percentage of Workforce in Creative Class: 30%
Cost-of-Living Index: 89.4 (100 being national average)
Median Household Income: $51,627
Income Growth Since 2000: 15.1%


Don't pigeonhole Omaha as insurance, Warren Buffett and mail-order steaks. This one-time Great Plains pioneer town has a stereotype-busting cultural scene. Walk through north downtown and discover the indie-rock club Slowdown next to Film Streams, a cinema art house. In Old Market, red-brick roads run past open-air restaurants, galleries and chic boutiques.

Funky, yes, but the city's success is defined by its midwestern values. People preach and practice a strong work ethic and modest lifestyle. They also believe in giving back to the community, and that includes the chief executives of the five Fortune 500 companies headquartered here.

Consider the 175,000-square-foot Holland Performing Arts Center. Built with private funding from corporate executives, philanthropists and civic leaders, this $100-million facility is a symbol of 21st-century urban modernism. A 2,000-seat, state-of-the-art concert hall -- with chiseled acoustic panels -- is the place to experience the classics, performed by the Omaha Symphony Orchestra.

And encouraging news: Businesses here are hiring and recruiting young professionals, especially in finance, health care, information technology and insurance. Entrepreneurs can also find fertile ground to make their mark. Rachel Jacobson, 29, who owns Film Streams, says that she wouldn't have opened her theater anywhere else. "Omaha is very open to new ideas."

Omaha continues to expand westward. Venture 10 miles southwest and you'll come to Millard, a suburb known for its top-rated, nationally recognized public-school system. It's a peaceful community with well-manicured lawns, sprawling subdivisions and shopping malls. Home prices are affordable, too. For example, a 3,000-square-foot, four-bedroom home sells for about $350,000, while a 2,000-square-foot, three-bedroom home goes for about $200,000.

Sales and property taxes are high -- upwards of 10%. But, says Tammy Lane, a mother of two whose kids are enrolled in Millard's public schools, "I love living here. It's the growth and quality of the schools that make the taxes worth paying."

VIDEO EXTRA:
Take Our Walking Tour Through Omaha

[Brad]

VIDEO EXTRA:
Take Our Walking Tour Through Omaha

EXCELLENT VIDEO!

I can already hear some of you complain(suburban housing), however it had something for EVERYONE!

[cdub]

I'm a little suspect on a list that has Houston as #1.  Hopefully this will help our rep a little though.

[UNOstudent]

Yahoo Homepage this afternoon. Too bad this pic is about 10 years old.

[Brad]

What a shitty pic!

[Bob]

Yup, MSN had the same story about a week ago.  It was one of the picture stories in the top left of the main page that rotate through the 3 different stories.  It was "The top 10 places to live in the united states" and Omaha was number 5!!  It was also the old picture without UP or First National... which sucks...

[S33]

of all the new skyline pics w/up, firsst nat'l etc etc.... why in the |expletive| that one?? lol, thanks for the pub at least.

the article has a badass picture though!

[Brad]

of all the new skyline pics w/up, firsst nat'l etc etc.... why in the |expletive| that one?? lol, thanks for the pub at least.

the article has a badass picture though!

Somewhere that is a stock photo, I need to find out where because it keeps getting used.

[StreetsOfOmaha]

Yeah, it's cool that it was the "front page" of yahoo news today with the (old) Omaha skyline picture right on the front.  The main article, as mentioned, did have an up-to-date, "badass" photo of the Omaha skyline.

As far as the video, great abbreviated look at what Omaha has to offer.  Although, I did choke back vomit when it showed the picture of "Millard suburban living."

Anyway, wonderful press for the city.  We should all be proud.

[Brad]

you can also go to that story and vote for it:

http://buzz.yahoo.com/articles/y_featured/24/1/

[SabrinaFaire]

Didn't see this posted elsewhere, hope it's not a repeat.

Don't pigeonhole Omaha as insurance, Warren Buffett and mail-order steaks. This one-time Great Plains pioneer town has a stereotype-busting cultural scene. Walk through north downtown and discover the indie-rock club Slowdown next to Film Streams, a cinema art house. In Old Market, red-brick roads run past open-air restaurants, galleries and chic boutiques.

http://www.kiplinger.com/magazine/archi ... -play.html

[TechnicalDisaster]

Great find!  They also have a decent walking tour of Omaha.  The pictures in the tour are kind of bland (the author isn't a photographer, that's obvious) but it's a promo of Omaha without cornfields.

[StreetsOfOmaha]

Perhaps the best thing (for me anyway) about this press and ranking, is that, not only are they not focusing on out-dated, inaccurate stereotypes, but they're PRAISING the fact that Omaha has "busted" through those stereotypes to become a truly unique, confident city.

Bravo Omaha!!!!!

[thenewguy]

yeah, Omaha was #3 on that list, and des moines was #9.  Nice pics for both, next to their ranking.

[Bob]

CNN just had a story on their station about best places to live.  Omaha was on that one too!  And they actually showed about 15 seconds of decent downtown shots, apposed to corn fields...  This story highlighted Omaha, Clay, New York, and some other small city in northwest Georgia.