Possible move to Omaha from SoCal

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Possible move to Omaha from SoCal

Post by Guest »

Hi Everyone- I am flying to Omaha on Monday for a job interview and if things go well I will be moving to Omaha within the next three weeks. I would love to get some perspectives on Omaha especially from people who have moved there from other states. I have lived in Studio City California for the last six years but prior to that I have lived in Salt Lake City Utah, Chicago Illinois, Coeur D alene Idaho, Grand junction Colorado & pretty much all over Texas.
I'm just wondering what others like about Omaha, don't like about Omaha, places to stay away from, places to go, hardest things to adapt to etc...
Thanks, I hope I get some responses, I posted this question on the Omaha city data forum and haven't gotten one response except for someone telling me I might have better luck posting the question here on this forum... so here goes!
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Big E
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Post by Big E »

Most of what you asked there is pretty subjective, so it might help if you ask more specific questions.  Age? Married? Kids? It all depends what you're looking for.

Crime here is about as non-existent as one could reasonably expect with the exception of the gang related violence in North Omaha.  For the most part, if you're not looking for trouble you're not going to find it.  As can be expected, the petty crime (panhandling, car smash and grab, vandalism, nuisance graffiti, etc) will be near downtown, but I've lived there for 8 years and never had a problem.

Having live in Texas and Chicago, you've basically seen both extremes of the weather you're going to see here, minus hurricanes.

Beyond that, get more specific and you'll get a flood of answers here.
Stable genius.
Guest

Post by Guest »

Good point, I should've included some more info. I'm 43 and married with no kids. The wife and I aren't into the bar/party scene at all and on days off we like to go on long drives and explore different areas/towns/places etc...basically the things that matter are living in a good community with friendly people and just having a place we enjoy being. Having good shopping (grocery, household) nearby would be nice as well. Coming from SoCal I'm not even worried about crime in Omaha. If I get the job I know this will be a tough transition initially because in the last six years we have really grown to love SoCal... the people not so much but the state itself with the ability to be both in the mountains and at the beach within the same day is pretty incredible.
The situation being what it is though, the economy here in California is terrible and the job search situation is very tough.
Also it is very tough to make friends here in the Los Angeles area and in the six years of living here I can honestly say I've not made one "real" friend. I really miss the feeling of the community/family atmosphere that was so prevalent in Salt Lake City and I would hope Omaha had its areas where you could find that.
I hope this added insight helps to get a few responses.
RH
bigredmed
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Post by bigredmed »

If you like transitional geography, we have it.   Along the Missouri valley is hard wood forest.  Particularly this time of year,the trees are pretty.  Drive north to Ft Calhoun about 8 miles from Omaha and you hit a nice orchard, Super Bee; a nice winery (Too Far North Winery); and Ft Atkinson.   They have reinactors there in the summer and special events through the fall and winter.  Drive sout to Nebraska City and you hit some orchards and some good wine.   Go SW of Omaha and you hit Soaring Wings winery which has live music on the weekends.  TFN might be interesting as they are from Cali.  SW has won a lot of wine awards.

The state parks in the area offer a lot of things to do.   Mahoney is good for a weekend get away.  Platte River is being redeveloped for outdoor rec sports in a theme of "we teach beginners, and help them get started, but we wont be so basic that advanced players get bored".  In 2011, they built an outdoor shooting complex with archery, pellet rifle, rimfire rifle, and trap.  They are building a canoe/kayak launch that will allow for float trips down to nearby Louisville on the Platte.  This will connect with the existing canoe trail on the Elkhorn.   This trail is marked and various campgrounds and landings are established from Norfolk to Omaha.

Good luck.
Guest

Post by Guest »

Coming from SoCal, don't be surprised if the scenery strikes you as pretty bland. Not that you won't grow to appreciate it, but there are no oceans, mountains, rock formations, large lakes, and etc. Basically just rolling hills and prairie.

The hardest thing to adapt to... I would have to guess the bitter cold winters, but as you pointed out, you've priobably experienced the same in Chicago. And I wouldn't worry about the winters as much, we are doing a good job releasing carbon and it's making them a bit more comfortable.

Probably your biggest surprise you will notice immediately upon your arrival, is the low cost of living. Much, much cheaper in Omaha than Studio City, CA. You can purchase a 3 bedroom 2 bath home in Omaha for the price of a cracker jack box in CA.

I'm not really sure what attributes Salt Lake City had that gave it a good community/family vibe, but Omaha consistently ranks highly in various "best palces to raise a family" rankings. (even though I think many of those lists are meaningless)

Good luck on the interview!
Guest

Post by Guest »

Thanks for the replies, I appreciate the info!
I actually lived in Between central city and grand island Nebraska when I was in the third grade but I vaguely remember it.
I'm absolutely certain the scenery will be bland when compared to California or even Salt Lake City. The community / family atmosphere in Salt lake came from people and communities that helped you out if you needed it, lots of get togethers and community activities... of course a lot of this was because of the Mormon neighborhood I lived in but even though I wasn't Mormon I was still accepted, invited and took part in everything they did. I found this in most areas of Salt lake and really liked it, then moved to Los Angeles to live amongst some of the rudest people I've ever had to deal with. The winters won't bother me too much as I have lived in Colorado, Salt Lake & Chicago. The comment about housing as compared to California is right on though, I pay $1150 for a small one bedroom here and looking at Omaha Craigslist I could rent a four bedroom house with a yard for that much! Thanks for wishing me luck on the interview, I'm off to get some sleep and get prepared to deal with LAX airport at 6:30 in the morning. :?
lisanstan
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Post by lisanstan »

As someone who has lived all over the US (born and raised in Los Angeles) anywhere you live is what you make of it. I have lived in Omaha for seven years and love it. I live in Dundee which is a very pedestrian friendly area of town. There is a saying, Midwest Nice, which is epitomized in Omaha. I know everyone hates the winters here, but growing up in 70 & sunny everyday has given me a profound appreciation for the change of seasons. I look forward to the first snow every year.
edsas
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Re: Possible move to Omaha from SoCal

Post by edsas »

Anonymous wrote:Hi Everyone- I am flying to Omaha on Monday for a job interview and if things go well I will be moving to Omaha within the next three weeks. I would love to get some perspectives on Omaha especially from people who have moved there from other states. I have lived in Studio City California for the last six years but prior to that I have lived in Salt Lake City Utah, Chicago Illinois, Coeur D alene Idaho, Grand junction Colorado & pretty much all over Texas.
I'm just wondering what others like about Omaha, don't like about Omaha, places to stay away from, places to go, hardest things to adapt to etc...
Thanks, I hope I get some responses, I posted this question on the Omaha city data forum and haven't gotten one response except for someone telling me I might have better luck posting the question here on this forum... so here goes!
I moved from Southern California to Omaha in 2010. Absolutely love it here. I lived in the Glendale and Montrose areas, so I was relatively close to where you were in the LA metro.  My wife and I left a bunch of close friends in LA (many of whom we met at our kids' schools), but we quickly made some new ones here.  I was a screenwriter out in LA so, when we moved to Omaha, I delved into the local film community.  Great bunch of people.  One thing you'll discover is that Omaha's arts scene is pretty impressive. I think we can go toe-to-toe with metros 2 and 3 times our size.

What is your career field?
Guest

Re: Possible move to Omaha from SoCal

Post by Guest »

edsas wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Hi Everyone- I am flying to Omaha on Monday for a job interview and if things go well I will be moving to Omaha within the next three weeks. I would love to get some perspectives on Omaha especially from people who have moved there from other states. I have lived in Studio City California for the last six years but prior to that I have lived in Salt Lake City Utah, Chicago Illinois, Coeur D alene Idaho, Grand junction Colorado & pretty much all over Texas.
I'm just wondering what others like about Omaha, don't like about Omaha, places to stay away from, places to go, hardest things to adapt to etc...
Thanks, I hope I get some responses, I posted this question on the Omaha city data forum and haven't gotten one response except for someone telling me I might have better luck posting the question here on this forum... so here goes!
I moved from Southern California to Omaha in 2010. Absolutely love it here. I lived in the Glendale and Montrose areas, so I was relatively close to where you were in the LA metro.  My wife and I left a bunch of close friends in LA (many of whom we met at our kids' schools), but we quickly made some new ones here.  I was a screenwriter out in LA so, when we moved to Omaha, I delved into the local film community.  Great bunch of people.  One thing you'll discover is that Omaha's arts scene is pretty impressive. I think we can go toe-to-toe with metros 2 and 3 times our size.

What is your career field?
Thanks for your replies!... I totally agree with the comment "living anywhere is what you make of it" that is 100% totally true.
Good to see your response edsas! As a potential new Nebraskan coming from SoCal it's good to hear the opinion of someone who's done the same thing I may be doing soon. Edsas may I ask why you moved to Omaha? Do you or the wife have family there or did you just pick it as a good place to move? I'm an Executive Chef and looking at a potential great position with one of the local Hotels there. I was supposed to interview Monday & Tuesday but that was postponed and I'll be in Omaha tomorrow and part of the day on Friday now... looking forward to seeing Omaha!
Guest

Re: Possible move to Omaha from SoCal

Post by Guest »

Anonymous wrote:
edsas wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Hi Everyone- I am flying to Omaha on Monday for a job interview and if things go well I will be moving to Omaha within the next three weeks. I would love to get some perspectives on Omaha especially from people who have moved there from other states. I have lived in Studio City California for the last six years but prior to that I have lived in Salt Lake City Utah, Chicago Illinois, Coeur D alene Idaho, Grand junction Colorado & pretty much all over Texas.
I'm just wondering what others like about Omaha, don't like about Omaha, places to stay away from, places to go, hardest things to adapt to etc...
Thanks, I hope I get some responses, I posted this question on the Omaha city data forum and haven't gotten one response except for someone telling me I might have better luck posting the question here on this forum... so here goes!
I moved from Southern California to Omaha in 2010. Absolutely love it here. I lived in the Glendale and Montrose areas, so I was relatively close to where you were in the LA metro.  My wife and I left a bunch of close friends in LA (many of whom we met at our kids' schools), but we quickly made some new ones here.  I was a screenwriter out in LA so, when we moved to Omaha, I delved into the local film community.  Great bunch of people.  One thing you'll discover is that Omaha's arts scene is pretty impressive. I think we can go toe-to-toe with metros 2 and 3 times our size.

What is your career field?
Thanks for your replies!... I totally agree with the comment "living anywhere is what you make of it" that is 100% totally true.
Good to see your response edsas! As a potential new Nebraskan coming from SoCal it's good to hear the opinion of someone who's done the same thing I may be doing soon. Edsas may I ask why you moved to Omaha? Do you or the wife have family there or did you just pick it as a good place to move? I'm an Executive Chef and looking at a potential great position with one of the local Hotels there. I was supposed to interview Monday & Tuesday but that was postponed and I'll be in Omaha tomorrow and part of the day on Friday now... looking forward to seeing Omaha!
My wife and I are Nebraska natives, but we lived in Los Angeles for ten years from 1999 to the last day of 2009. All of our kids were born out there. We had lots of great friends. Loved the mountains and beaches. But, much like you, it was hard to make a living in Southern California. I struggled as a TV writer for a bit and wrote a bunch of features on assignment, but they went nowhere.  My wife worked at the LA Times as an editor. Because of my sporadic script work and odd jobs, we never had a consistent income, but usually our household took in over $90,000 a year. And, yet, we were still living in a tiny, two-bedroom apartment with our three growing kids. Then my wife's department got cut so we decided to move back to Nebraska, closer to family and where we could buy a house to raise our kids in.

My wife and I each have a sibling and some cousins who live in the Omaha metro, but most of our families live out West. But we picked Omaha (or Lincoln) as our settle-down point because we'd come to love the urban lifestyle of LA.  Omaha more closely matches that than Lincoln, but my wife prefers Lincoln (makes her think of Pasadena).  But she landed a plum job teaching journalism at a high school in Papillion, so Omaha won by default.  And they built a Trader Joes here about 6 months after we arrived, so that was an added bonus.  (Lincoln eventually got one, too.)

We bought a three-bedroom house in Sarpy County for $85,000.  Just a starter house, but a house of our own nonetheless. My wife loves the season changes. I'm more indifferent to them. I liked our mild winter last year. The combined Omaha/Lincoln area is home to 1.2 million people. I never viewed the two cities as part of the same overall living experience when I grew up here (50 miles of farmland separating the two cities seemed like a big deal), but after getting used to the driving times in LA, hoping in the car for a 45 minute drive to Lincoln is something we do regularly without a second thought. And it really opens up the number of overall amenities we consider "local."  We also love to drive to the Nebraska City area which is home to Arbor Lodge and thick with forested landscapes.

My wife and I plan to buy a bigger house some time in the near future. We're excited about the possibilities.
Guest

Re: Possible move to Omaha from SoCal

Post by Guest »

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
edsas wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Hi Everyone- I am flying to Omaha on Monday for a job interview and if things go well I will be moving to Omaha within the next three weeks. I would love to get some perspectives on Omaha especially from people who have moved there from other states. I have lived in Studio City California for the last six years but prior to that I have lived in Salt Lake City Utah, Chicago Illinois, Coeur D alene Idaho, Grand junction Colorado & pretty much all over Texas.
I'm just wondering what others like about Omaha, don't like about Omaha, places to stay away from, places to go, hardest things to adapt to etc...
Thanks, I hope I get some responses, I posted this question on the Omaha city data forum and haven't gotten one response except for someone telling me I might have better luck posting the question here on this forum... so here goes!
I moved from Southern California to Omaha in 2010. Absolutely love it here. I lived in the Glendale and Montrose areas, so I was relatively close to where you were in the LA metro.  My wife and I left a bunch of close friends in LA (many of whom we met at our kids' schools), but we quickly made some new ones here.  I was a screenwriter out in LA so, when we moved to Omaha, I delved into the local film community.  Great bunch of people.  One thing you'll discover is that Omaha's arts scene is pretty impressive. I think we can go toe-to-toe with metros 2 and 3 times our size.

What is your career field?
Thanks for your replies!... I totally agree with the comment "living anywhere is what you make of it" that is 100% totally true.
Good to see your response edsas! As a potential new Nebraskan coming from SoCal it's good to hear the opinion of someone who's done the same thing I may be doing soon. Edsas may I ask why you moved to Omaha? Do you or the wife have family there or did you just pick it as a good place to move? I'm an Executive Chef and looking at a potential great position with one of the local Hotels there. I was supposed to interview Monday & Tuesday but that was postponed and I'll be in Omaha tomorrow and part of the day on Friday now... looking forward to seeing Omaha!
My wife and I are Nebraska natives, but we lived in Los Angeles for ten years from 1999 to the last day of 2009. All of our kids were born out there. We had lots of great friends. Loved the mountains and beaches. But, much like you, it was hard to make a living in Southern California. I struggled as a TV writer for a bit and wrote a bunch of features on assignment, but they went nowhere.  My wife worked at the LA Times as an editor. Because of my sporadic script work and odd jobs, we never had a consistent income, but usually our household took in over $90,000 a year. And, yet, we were still living in a tiny, two-bedroom apartment with our three growing kids. Then my wife's department got cut so we decided to move back to Nebraska, closer to family and where we could buy a house to raise our kids in.

My wife and I each have a sibling and some cousins who live in the Omaha metro, but most of our families live out West. But we picked Omaha (or Lincoln) as our settle-down point because we'd come to love the urban lifestyle of LA.  Omaha more closely matches that than Lincoln, but my wife prefers Lincoln (makes her think of Pasadena).  But she landed a plum job teaching journalism at a high school in Papillion, so Omaha won by default.  And they built a Trader Joes here about 6 months after we arrived, so that was an added bonus.  (Lincoln eventually got one, too.)

We bought a three-bedroom house in Sarpy County for $85,000.  Just a starter house, but a house of our own nonetheless. My wife loves the season changes. I'm more indifferent to them. I liked our mild winter last year. The combined Omaha/Lincoln area is home to 1.2 million people. I never viewed the two cities as part of the same overall living experience when I grew up here (50 miles of farmland separating the two cities seemed like a big deal), but after getting used to the driving times in LA, hoping in the car for a 45 minute drive to Lincoln is something we do regularly without a second thought. And it really opens up the number of overall amenities we consider "local."  We also love to drive to the Nebraska City area which is home to Arbor Lodge and thick with forested landscapes.

My wife and I plan to buy a bigger house some time in the near future. We're excited about the possibilities.
Great to hear from you, so you lived in LA for quite awhile then... a bit longer than me. I really like LA and I know I will miss it but its just to hard to thrive here... I say thrive because anyone can scrape by but I don't want to do that, I want to actually do more than just get by barely every month. It's amazing, you and your wife's combined income in the 90's and still living in a small 2bd apartment, but that's just how it is here. You have to make so much money in LA to live what could be called "the good life" but the problem is that there's not a lot of jobs paying those kinds of salaries... unless your in the "industry" and even then a lot of those guys are only doing slightly better than scraping by.
I'm sitting in the DFW airport waiting for my connecting flight to Omaha right now and I really hope this opportunity works out for me.
It sounds like it was definitely a good move for you and your wife to move back to Omaha and I'm glad things are working out for you guys. If things end up working out for me and the wife and I end up moving out there maybe we'll have to have a meetup sometime?
edsas
Human Relations
Posts: 841
Joined: Sun Feb 08, 2004 9:47 pm
Location: La Vista

Re: Possible move to Omaha from SoCal

Post by edsas »

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
edsas wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Hi Everyone- I am flying to Omaha on Monday for a job interview and if things go well I will be moving to Omaha within the next three weeks. I would love to get some perspectives on Omaha especially from people who have moved there from other states. I have lived in Studio City California for the last six years but prior to that I have lived in Salt Lake City Utah, Chicago Illinois, Coeur D alene Idaho, Grand junction Colorado & pretty much all over Texas.
I'm just wondering what others like about Omaha, don't like about Omaha, places to stay away from, places to go, hardest things to adapt to etc...
Thanks, I hope I get some responses, I posted this question on the Omaha city data forum and haven't gotten one response except for someone telling me I might have better luck posting the question here on this forum... so here goes!
I moved from Southern California to Omaha in 2010. Absolutely love it here. I lived in the Glendale and Montrose areas, so I was relatively close to where you were in the LA metro.  My wife and I left a bunch of close friends in LA (many of whom we met at our kids' schools), but we quickly made some new ones here.  I was a screenwriter out in LA so, when we moved to Omaha, I delved into the local film community.  Great bunch of people.  One thing you'll discover is that Omaha's arts scene is pretty impressive. I think we can go toe-to-toe with metros 2 and 3 times our size.

What is your career field?
Thanks for your replies!... I totally agree with the comment "living anywhere is what you make of it" that is 100% totally true.
Good to see your response edsas! As a potential new Nebraskan coming from SoCal it's good to hear the opinion of someone who's done the same thing I may be doing soon. Edsas may I ask why you moved to Omaha? Do you or the wife have family there or did you just pick it as a good place to move? I'm an Executive Chef and looking at a potential great position with one of the local Hotels there. I was supposed to interview Monday & Tuesday but that was postponed and I'll be in Omaha tomorrow and part of the day on Friday now... looking forward to seeing Omaha!
My wife and I are Nebraska natives, but we lived in Los Angeles for ten years from 1999 to the last day of 2009. All of our kids were born out there. We had lots of great friends. Loved the mountains and beaches. But, much like you, it was hard to make a living in Southern California. I struggled as a TV writer for a bit and wrote a bunch of features on assignment, but they went nowhere.  My wife worked at the LA Times as an editor. Because of my sporadic script work and odd jobs, we never had a consistent income, but usually our household took in over $90,000 a year. And, yet, we were still living in a tiny, two-bedroom apartment with our three growing kids. Then my wife's department got cut so we decided to move back to Nebraska, closer to family and where we could buy a house to raise our kids in.

My wife and I each have a sibling and some cousins who live in the Omaha metro, but most of our families live out West. But we picked Omaha (or Lincoln) as our settle-down point because we'd come to love the urban lifestyle of LA.  Omaha more closely matches that than Lincoln, but my wife prefers Lincoln (makes her think of Pasadena).  But she landed a plum job teaching journalism at a high school in Papillion, so Omaha won by default.  And they built a Trader Joes here about 6 months after we arrived, so that was an added bonus.  (Lincoln eventually got one, too.)

We bought a three-bedroom house in Sarpy County for $85,000.  Just a starter house, but a house of our own nonetheless. My wife loves the season changes. I'm more indifferent to them. I liked our mild winter last year. The combined Omaha/Lincoln area is home to 1.2 million people. I never viewed the two cities as part of the same overall living experience when I grew up here (50 miles of farmland separating the two cities seemed like a big deal), but after getting used to the driving times in LA, hoping in the car for a 45 minute drive to Lincoln is something we do regularly without a second thought. And it really opens up the number of overall amenities we consider "local."  We also love to drive to the Nebraska City area which is home to Arbor Lodge and thick with forested landscapes.

My wife and I plan to buy a bigger house some time in the near future. We're excited about the possibilities.
Great to hear from you, so you lived in LA for quite awhile then... a bit longer than me. I really like LA and I know I will miss it but its just to hard to thrive here... I say thrive because anyone can scrape by but I don't want to do that, I want to actually do more than just get by barely every month. It's amazing, you and your wife's combined income in the 90's and still living in a small 2bd apartment, but that's just how it is here. You have to make so much money in LA to live what could be called "the good life" but the problem is that there's not a lot of jobs paying those kinds of salaries... unless your in the "industry" and even then a lot of those guys are only doing slightly better than scraping by.
I'm sitting in the DFW airport waiting for my connecting flight to Omaha right now and I really hope this opportunity works out for me.
It sounds like it was definitely a good move for you and your wife to move back to Omaha and I'm glad things are working out for you guys. If things end up working out for me and the wife and I end up moving out there maybe we'll have to have a meetup sometime?
Absolutely. Good luck with the interview.  You'll really get a lot of bang for your buck here if you end up making the move.
Guest

Post by Guest »

Well I got the job in Omaha that I interviewed for and will begin the drive out on Monday as my first day on the job will be Wednesday the 17th. The wife is staying in California for a couple of months while I work and try to find a place then I'll be bringing her out probably around the first of the year.
A new adventure begins!

RH
User avatar
BRoss
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Post by BRoss »

Anonymous wrote:Well I got the job in Omaha that I interviewed for and will begin the drive out on Monday as my first day on the job will be Wednesday the 17th. The wife is staying in California for a couple of months while I work and try to find a place then I'll be bringing her out probably around the first of the year.
A new adventure begins!

RH
Congratulations! Hope you and your wife enjoy living here in Omaha!
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nebugeater
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Post by nebugeater »

Anonymous wrote:Well I got the job in Omaha that I interviewed for and will begin the drive out on Monday as my first day on the job will be Wednesday the 17th. The wife is staying in California for a couple of months while I work and try to find a place then I'll be bringing her out probably around the first of the year.
A new adventure begins!

RH

Congrts and Enjoy Omaha and the new job.  Should regster here and really join in the fun too!
For the record  NEBUGEATER does not equal BUGEATER    !!!!!!!
RobH
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Location: Omaha - ??

Post by RobH »

Thanks for the congrats and well wishes everyone, and I took the advice and did register. I'm looking forward to Omaha and can't wait to get the drive from Los Angeles out of the way and actually be there.
I have 90 days in which housing is provided for me so immediately finding a place isn't a concern but when it does come time I would like to rent ( not in any situation to buy right now or anytime soon) a 1 or 2 bedroom house with garage... what are some nice areas that I should look? ... BTW my job is near the Papillion prkwy plaza area.
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