Why Omaha?

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Post by Guest »

Yeah I think Albany is within reach of lake effect snow still. My fault about the temps, assuming wiki is right. I thought the average Jan temp in Omaha was 21 degrees f.
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Post by S33 is the man »

Yeah, that was I ^^
StreetsOfOmaha
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Post by StreetsOfOmaha »

Yes, I think the climate is similar - both Albany and Omaha are continental climates. However, as you noted, Albany is within reach of lake effect snow, but also  Nor'easters, and occasionally, Alberta Clippers.
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SabrinaFaire
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Post by SabrinaFaire »

StreetsOfOmaha wrote:
SabrinaFaire wrote:I know a lot of people like Omaha, and I don't mean any offense, but I'm just not happy here. To each his own, right? :)
No offense taken. To each her own. But in fairness, and I don't mean any offense, but it appears you live in Northwest Omaha, so I can't blame you for your feelings.
Doh. Forgot to change that. Now we're in Southwest Omaha. No idea if that makes a difference. :)
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Post by Omababe »

SabrinaFaire wrote:I know a lot of people like Omaha, and I don't mean any offense, but I'm just not happy here. To each his own, right? :)
To be honest, I felt the same way about 2 years after I moved here. I'm glad I stuck around. I was very seriously thinking of bailing!

It takes some time to establish your social circles, to settle you and your family into the scene, so to speak.

I also admit that Omaha has grown and changed over the past 20 years or so. There's now a lot more nightlife and quite a bit of that high-horse attitude which used to make me want to SCREAM has subsided. :)

Sure, the economy stinks right now, but it's not nearly as bad here as it is in most other areas, El-Lay, Las Vegas, to name a few. Our standard of living here is quite high and the cost of living is way low. There are little perks too. One that amuses non-Omaha people is no lines at DMV. (At least at the Sarpy County Court House, usually.) :) We really haven't seen the drastic cutbacks in essential services that many others have seen during this economic downturn.

There are some downsides. Whoever mentioned "what snow?" obviously does not remember the holidays last year! I think that was about the worst I've ever seen.

Also, what really scares me is the violence. :(  That was one reason I ended up staying out here. (Think NYC during the Beame years!) :( Now the rate of crimes against persons and gun-related crime is becoming an embarrassment to our area! :( And no, it's not just limited to certain neighborhoods of the inner city. We've had purse snatchings at Oakroads and hold-ups in the Elkhorn area in recent months. :(

Despite the issues, overall, the Omaha area is consistently rated as one of the most live-able places there is.

One of my friends has this quote, and I know I'm bastardizing it somewhat: "Omaha is a nice place to live but I wouldn't want to visit." :)
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Bosco55David
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Post by Bosco55David »

Outoftime wrote:How do the cars hold up, any rust problems?
If not properly cared for, the winters will cause rust problems. The underbody is the most susceptible area, but they make coatings available to protect against rust. Beyond that, some basic car care knowledge will usually suffice.

Or you could just do like I plan to and store your nice car somewhere in the winter and drive a beater for those few months.
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SabrinaFaire
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Post by SabrinaFaire »

The DMV thing is funny because I find the Omaha ones to be unorganized and to take forever. And the hours are horrible.
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Omababe
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Post by Omababe »

NovakOmaha wrote:Funny you mention DMV.  Where I live if you go to the DMV bring a long book and a sleeping bag.  Same with grocery stores and stores in general.  Banks too.
That (DMV) was one thing that most surprised me about life in Omaha. No lines to speak of was something I had never imagined.

And yes, supermarkets, banks, theaters, whatever. Very seldom are lines a nuisance in the Omaha area. I think it's really that we in the Omaha area expect, make that demand, a greater level of service from our public sector and our local businesses. Omaha area residents detest lines! Stores almost always add checkers if lines get more than a few customers deep. You never see a line down the block and around the corner at a theater in Omaha.

In Las Vegas it's so bad at DMV that they even have a service called LineBusters, who you pay to wait on line for you. No, I'm not kidding! Such a service would go broke in Omaha. :) If we had nasty lines at DMV in Omaha, I'm sure that we would have politicians voted out of office over the issue! :)

The DMV thing is funny because I find the Omaha ones to be unorganized and to take forever. And the hours are horrible.
I've never, ever, in 30 years had any issues with DMV in the Omaha area, both Douglas and Sarpy, and in Council Bluffs. As long as the paperwork has been in order, I've been in and out quickly. The only delay I can really remember was downtown back when they didn't give you the new registration and plates at the desk but printed them in the back and called out your name. Even with that it was 30 minutes, max, maybe.
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Post by Guest »

Yet you can't avoid a wal-mart line regardless of time of day,
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Post by thenewguy »

Anonymous wrote:Yet you can't avoid a wal-mart line regardless of time of day,
I had to pick up some stuff there the other day and walked right up to 4 cashiers that were waiting at the end of the line and got right through.  You can't avoid a line if you don't walk down a little further, but it is possible.  Also helps if you go before 10:30 and after about 7...which is generally when all retailers/grocers are the busiest.  Walmart is just busier than the others.

That's all i wanted to say...before this turns into another 'why i hate walmart' discussion.
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Post by NovakOmaha »

Anonymous wrote:Yet you can't avoid a wal-mart line regardless of time of day,
The difference is that while in line at Walmart you can take some snapshots for Peopleofwalmart.com.
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Post by StreetsOfOmaha »

Omababe wrote:Our standard of living here is quite high...
Is that right? Some of us might debate you on that.  :)
Omababe wrote:There are little perks too. One that amuses non-Omaha people is no lines at DMV
I spent two hours at the DMV on my birthday (last Friday). Then with trying to get from there to Westroads in rush hour traffic, I lamented the fact that I had surrendered several hours of my birthday to "the automobile".
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Post by NovakOmaha »

StreetsOfOmaha wrote:
Omababe wrote:Our standard of living here is quite high...
Is that right? Some of us might debate you on that.  :)
Omababe wrote:There are little perks too. One that amuses non-Omaha people is no lines at DMV
I spent two hours at the DMV on my birthday (last Friday). Then with trying to get from there to Westroads in rush hour traffic, I lamented the fact that I had surrendered several hours of my birthday to "the automobile".
Helpful hint.  Never go to any DMV on a Friday.  Plan ahead.  Another hint.  A lot of things can be done online or through the mail.
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Post by Guest »

StreetsOfOmaha wrote:
I spent two hours at the DMV on my birthday (last Friday). Then with trying to get from there to Westroads in rush hour traffic, I lamented the fact that I had surrendered several hours of my birthday to "the automobile".
Trust me, you've surrendered your entire life to the automobile, you just don't know it yet. =)
_S33

Post by _S33 »

Damn guest postings... That ^^ was me.
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Bosco55David
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Post by Bosco55David »

Outoftime wrote:So, whats wrong with the winters? (A few posts cited the winters)

How do the cars hold up, any rust problems?
Here's a good article on winterizing your vehicle.

http://www.autogeek.net/winter-car-care.html
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Post by Guest »

autogeek.net on winterizing your automobile wrote:Move to Tampa, FL... 'hang around' on the web with people from the plains, convincing them and yourself that you actually live somewhere necessitating winterization of your car.
:)
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S33
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Post by S33 »

Anonymous wrote:
autogeek.net on winterizing your automobile wrote:Move to Tampa, FL... 'hang around' on the web with people from the plains, convincing them and yourself that you actually live somewhere necessitating winterization of your car.
:)
I would bet almost anything I know who that ^^ "Guest" was.  :)
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Brad
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Post by Brad »

S33 wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
autogeek.net on winterizing your automobile wrote:Move to Tampa, FL... 'hang around' on the web with people from the plains, convincing them and yourself that you actually live somewhere necessitating winterization of your car.
:)
I would bet almost anything I know who that ^^ "Guest" was.  :)
It was an actual guest or a regular member posted as a guest from a new IP Address...
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Post by Coyote »

Kansas City.
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Post by Guest »

KC by way of Sprint... via my tethered Palm Pre. :)
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S33
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Post by S33 »

Yep, has all the clever, passiveness markings from a certain poster.  :;):
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Post by Stargazer »

Of course it was never my intent to hide my identity either. :)
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S33
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Post by S33 »

Stargazer wrote:Of course it was never my intent to hide my identity either. :)
I was wrong.
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Post by Stargazer »

Who else would it have been?  (ordinarily, I'd think my 'dot, dot, dot' usage would clue one in every time).
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S33
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Post by S33 »

Thought for sure it was Big E. Like I said, it had is stank to it.  :)
erik2

..

Post by erik2 »

Born and raised here..

Lived in Vegas, but with the exception of random-luck it didn't offer much economically.

I may move temporarily for a short time in the future, but I love the place and will die here.  I enjoy watching this city grow up and have been incredibly enamored by the place.  As I got older, I have learned that the O! is a better place all the time.  I guess I have got wrapped up with all the surprises of how well we measure up to any place.

I have seen this city wake up from a 20 year slumber to a relatively fast growing city and will get to watch it even more as time passes by.  I will get to watch more scrapers under construction, I will get to see the streetcar system be implemented, North Downtown become a major attraction and even a UFL product eventually turn into an NFL product (either directly or replaced by it)..

In a few years, I will get to see the usual underestimates be revised upward in the official count to over 900,000 with the addition of Dodge County (blah!) to the metro.  I will get to see the 24 miles of fields between Omaha and Lincoln continue to shrink increasingly in speed, as each city keeps growing faster.  In 2023 (outside chance in 2013) I will get to see Omaha and Lincoln merge into a single metropolitan area.  By that year both Omaha and Lincoln's downtowns will be unrecognizable with all the new infrastructure in place.  I will get to see Omaha surpass 1,000,000 without Lincoln by 2018 and 1,400,000 with Lincoln during the same year.  By 2030 (when I am 50) I will see the Omaha-Lincoln (official for sure) metropolitan area inching towards 2,000,000 or more people.  As we do so, i will still here people reference us as farmers and listen to arrogant southerners/coasters/chicagoans stick their nose in the air above me.  But I am okay with that, because this city is built from people like myself.  We like to build, we do run to a place that is already built only to become part of the rot.

Omaha/Lincoln will have several great academic institutions: Creighton, St Mary's, Bellevue University (I know, but for online it is highly respected), UNL will be long a Big-10 school, our Medical Research school will also see a boon from Big-10 affiliation let alone on it's own merits.  A community college that continues to have national recognition.

If the UFL doesn't survive, we will have shown the world that we are a football city and state.  The NFL will either taken in the UFL as a new division like the AFL in the 1960s, or we are a finalist for expansion.  We will have another pro team in the next 15 years that is either NBA or Hockey.  Major League Soccer is going to come either way.  Nebraska football will continue as it always has, but with nearly 100,000 per game attendance (sitting at 87,000 now with many more begging to go).

I will get to see the small space between downtown and midtown close up with exciting new developments from either a car, streetcar, bus or shuttle.  Old Mill-Regency becomes a new core for the city as a second major business concentration outside of downtown.  The second high-rise is already under construction there and I will see at least a few more in the next 10-20 years.

I will be living in a condo in dowtown with my own website business soon as I am finishing up with a four year degree and a large library of reference books.  I will get to read the papers and news on eomaha, growomaha, accessomaha and other sites about large new employer expansions and more incredible top-rankings that we seem to consistantly meet.

I will get to live many more winters, where I put on a few more articles of clothing to go walk to a movie or a resteraunt as I enjoy my night.  I will continue to hear the complaints of our winters here, but I chuckle inside because I know as well as they do that it isn't that bad.  We have the longest stretch of temperate temperatures from late February to early December.  Our summers qualify has Spring for many areas around the country.


I love my city that I grew up in.  I want to be there as a pillar (big or small) to help it in a positive way.  I love this place and I will continue to be vocal, an advocate and a proud citizen of the most underrated city in the United States.
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Post by Bosco55David »

Good zinger' guys lol.
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delinea design
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Re: ..

Post by delinea design »

erik2 wrote:I love my city that I grew up in.  I want to be there as a pillar (big or small) to help it in a positive way.  I love this place and I will continue to be vocal, an advocate and a proud citizen of the most underrated city in the United States.
Hear, hear!  Many of the reasons why I'm sticking around and wanting to grow my business here... but I guess your web-firm will be my competition in the future. ;)
erik2

Re: ..

Post by erik2 »

delinea design wrote:
erik2 wrote:I love my city that I grew up in.  I want to be there as a pillar (big or small) to help it in a positive way.  I love this place and I will continue to be vocal, an advocate and a proud citizen of the most underrated city in the United States.
Hear, hear!  Many of the reasons why I'm sticking around and wanting to grow my business here... but I guess your web-firm will be my competition in the future. ;)
Not necessarily.  I think competition should work more together than against.  Kinda creates a syngery that way.
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Re: Why Omaha?

Post by DeWalt »

ShawJ wrote:I thought it might be interesting to hear everyone's stories on why you're in Omaha. Why did you come here, how long have you been here, do you plan on staying, why haven't you left if you were born here, etc. Some of you know each other quite well, so I'm sure this won't be as interesting to some.

I was born in Omaha and have lived here my whole life. However, I'm starting to get itchy feet as I wrap up college. Omaha has been wonderful, but I hope to see what else is out there once I graduate. Of course, I might not have enough money to move right after college, but eventually I plan to live in other parts of the country.

What's your story?
Job brought me here.

Loving the city and area has kept me here.  

I hope to live the rest of my life here.
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Post by DTO Luv »

Because I'l have to put off my escape for another year. :(
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Re: Why Omaha?

Post by Guest »

DeWalt wrote:
ShawJ wrote:I thought it might be interesting to hear everyone's stories on why you're in Omaha. Why did you come here, how long have you been here, do you plan on staying, why haven't you left if you were born here, etc. Some of you know each other quite well, so I'm sure this won't be as interesting to some.

I was born in Omaha and have lived here my whole life. However, I'm starting to get itchy feet as I wrap up college. Omaha has been wonderful, but I hope to see what else is out there once I graduate. Of course, I might not have enough money to move right after college, but eventually I plan to live in other parts of the country.

What's your story?
Job brought me here.

Loving the city and area has kept me here.  

I hope to live the rest of my life here.
When did you first move / where are you originally from, DeWalt?
DTO Luv wrote:Because I'l have to put off my escape for another year. :(
How come?
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Post by ShawJ »

^^me
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Post by DTO Luv »

Logistics.
DTO
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Post by lisanstan »

Moved to Omaha in 2005 for hubby's job. He bugged me for 18 months to get me to agree. We were living outside Dallas and I had never been to the Midwest. I love it here except the taxes. Taxes will prevent us from staying here after retirement.  People who think the cost of living here is low have obviously never lived in Texas!  I grew up in Los Angeles but have lived all over the country and world since 1984. Omaha is definitely on my list of favorite cities to live in. I love the weather (no, really!) and love my neighborhood (Dundee). I like having the needed amenities without the headaches of a big city. I can live without Ikea, Crate & Barrel, etc.
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Post by DeWalt »

lisanstan wrote:Moved to Omaha in 2005 for hubby's job. He bugged me for 18 months to get me to agree. We were living outside Dallas and I had never been to the Midwest. I love it here except the taxes. Taxes will prevent us from staying here after retirement.  People who think the cost of living here is low have obviously never lived in Texas!  I grew up in Los Angeles but have lived all over the country and world since 1984. Omaha is definitely on my list of favorite cities to live in. I love the weather (no, really!) and love my neighborhood (Dundee). I like having the needed amenities without the headaches of a big city. I can live without Ikea, Crate & Barrel, etc.
Hey neighbor.
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Re: Why Omaha?

Post by DeWalt »

Anonymous wrote:
DeWalt wrote:
ShawJ wrote:I thought it might be interesting to hear everyone's stories on why you're in Omaha. Why did you come here, how long have you been here, do you plan on staying, why haven't you left if you were born here, etc. Some of you know each other quite well, so I'm sure this won't be as interesting to some.

I was born in Omaha and have lived here my whole life. However, I'm starting to get itchy feet as I wrap up college. Omaha has been wonderful, but I hope to see what else is out there once I graduate. Of course, I might not have enough money to move right after college, but eventually I plan to live in other parts of the country.

What's your story?
Job brought me here.

Loving the city and area has kept me here.  

I hope to live the rest of my life here.
When did you first move / where are you originally from, DeWalt?
Came down from Minnesota - going on 5 years now.
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Post by cdub »

Got a job here in 2005 and moved the fam in 06.  I'll definitely be here for a while, but probably not permanently.  Of course the longer you stay and older you get the harder it is to leave.  I'd still go back to Des Moines (where we were before Omaha) and would also love to get out to Colorado.  Once the daughter graduates we can look around more.  We do like it here though and are happy to raise our family here for a while at least.
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Post by ad2330 »

Grew up in Omaha, attended UNL and since relocated to DFW.  I currently live in Fort Worth, TX about a mile from TCU, and have for the past 2 1/2 years.  Fort Worth is a great city, especially the downtown, but I'm longing to get back to Omaha and will have the opportunity to do so in the spring.  Moving away has given me the greatest appreciation for what Omaha has to offer.  Such a great size and EASY going life.  People think big cities are so amazing but I'm telling you, it's just controlled chaos (not always controlled).  Don't even get me going on TRAFFIC.  If Omaha could pick up a professional team, whether it be NBA, NFL, NHL, MLS, MLB or whatever, I think we'd considerably raise the bar as a city.  It would provide such great entertainment and camaraderie among our city.  Every time I come home I see something new that has popped up and from my college days, Lincoln downtown has absolutely taken off!  Anyways, Omaha is great and once I move back I don't plan on ever leaving again.  What a great place to call home!
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