Census Estimates 2018

[iamjacobm]

https://www.omaha.com/news/nebraska/slo ... e04a6.html

Nebraska’s population is continuing its slow but steady climb, as new population figures from the U.S. Census Bureau indicate the count has reached 1.93 million people.

That’s an estimated 11,693 people higher than the 2017 figure. And it’s enough for a growth rate of less than 1 percent — six-tenths of 1 percent.

Those are relatively modest amounts. Nebraska ranked 29th among states in its total population growth, and 20th in its growth rate.

The federal figures, released Wednesday morning, estimate Nebraska’s population as of July 2018.

[Omaha Cowboy]

It appears, based on the current growth rate, Nebraska will officially hit the 2 million population mark within the next 5-7 years. I’d say 2024 is a safe bet...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

[daveoma]

So despite having one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation, the majority of growth in Nebraska is from births, not from people who are moving to the state to fill those jobs. It sounds like the state needs to seriously examine itself to determine why so few Americans want to move to Nebraska. The good news is that immigrants love the state. Hopefully the increasing diversity will attract those looking for a multicultural community.

[TitosBuritoBarn]

So despite having one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation, the majority of growth in Nebraska is from births, not from people who are moving to the state to fill those jobs. It sounds like the state needs to seriously examine itself to determine why so few Americans want to move to Nebraska. The good news is that immigrants love the state. Hopefully the increasing diversity will attract those looking for a multicultural community.

The diversity should certainly help. A recent OWH article discusses how pay at many companies may be pretty underwhelming. I think the largely one-sided and reactionary politics are scaring some people away. The young and educated seem to increasingly be more “woke” and maintaining policies that are un-woke or keep the woke-ness out isn’t typically good for business, especially when there’s no other unique draw.

[nebraska]

It sounds like the state needs to seriously examine itself to determine why so few Americans want to move to Nebraska

Honestly? It's not for everyone.

[buildomaha]

It sounds like the state needs to seriously examine itself to determine why so few Americans want to move to Nebraska

Honestly? It's not for everyone.

Honestly, Nebraskans depose change, and planning ahead... I’m still a firm believer that if Omaha and surrounding regions were a part of Iowa, it would only benefit the citizens. Omaha would benefit from immensely better public universities, more openness to progressive policy that doesn’t get a chance in the unicameral.

[daveoma]

It sounds like the state needs to seriously examine itself to determine why so few Americans want to move to Nebraska

Honestly? It's not for everyone.

Honestly, Nebraskans depose change, and planning ahead... I’m still a firm believer that if Omaha and surrounding regions were a part of Iowa, it would only benefit the citizens. Omaha would benefit from immensely better public universities, more openness to progressive policy that doesn’t get a chance in the unicameral.

That's a fascinating idea. I grew up thinking Omaha was much more progressive than those states surrounding Nebraska until Iowa became one of the first states in the country to legalize gay marriage--way before Nebraska. After that happened there was no loud political voice in the most liberal parts of Omaha who was a symbol of opposition to the outlawing of gay marriage in the state constitution a few years earlier. If they were vocal, then they weren't covered by local media--which so often drops the ball. Where were all of the representatives' outrage from such a blatant misuse of the constitution to disenfranchise and marginalize an entire section of the population?

Nebraska has a unicameral system of government based solely on population which is rooted in Populism. The majority of state legislators come from Omaha, Lincoln, and Bellevue--the most educated and economically and ethnically diverse areas of the state. If the majority of these legislators come from progressive communities, then why is it that we don't have a legislature that reflects the supposed progressive values of these communities? Furthermore, why would ANY young people want to move to a place with a record of such unapologetic hostility toward its own people?

[ita]

So despite having one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation, the majority of growth in Nebraska is from births, not from people who are moving to the state to fill those jobs. It sounds like the state needs to seriously examine itself to determine why so few Americans want to move to Nebraska. The good news is that immigrants love the state. Hopefully the increasing diversity will attract those looking for a multicultural community.

Speaking of immigrants who love the state, there was a good story in the Journal Star about a family of a Yizidi interpreter killed in action being able to immigrate to the States. They moved to Lincoln, where there is a good sized Yizidi population. I like the fact that we have diverse immigrant groups moving and staying in the state, particularly Omaha and Lincoln, whether they be refugees or professionals for work. I hope that having these large immigrant groups will help attract others to our cities. I hope we can maintain a general acceptance and inclusiveness as a community to encourage others to move here because we have a difficult enough time getting people to move/stay here.

https://journalstar.com/news/local/fami ... op-story-2

[daveoma]

So despite having one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation, the majority of growth in Nebraska is from births, not from people who are moving to the state to fill those jobs. It sounds like the state needs to seriously examine itself to determine why so few Americans want to move to Nebraska. The good news is that immigrants love the state. Hopefully the increasing diversity will attract those looking for a multicultural community.

Speaking of immigrants who love the state, there was a good story in the Journal Star about a family of a Yizidi interpreter killed in action being able to immigrate to the States. They moved to Lincoln, where there is a good sized Yizidi population. I like the fact that we have diverse immigrant groups moving and staying in the state, particularly Omaha and Lincoln, whether they be refugees or professionals for work. I hope that having these large immigrant groups will help attract others to our cities. I hope we can maintain a general acceptance and inclusiveness as a community to encourage others to move here because we have a difficult enough time getting people to move/stay here.

https://journalstar.com/news/local/fami ... op-story-2

That's a heartbreaking story, but I'm happy it ended well for the family. It's nice to hear a bit of good news nowadays.

[Cermak]

Right Nebraska does have a bad rep and it’s undeserving. The state is relatively clean and safe and has a reasonable cost of living. Much like other Midwest states it struggles with creating an attractive appeal to outsiders.

[bigredmed1]

Right Nebraska does have a bad rep and it’s undeserving. The state is relatively clean and safe and has a reasonable cost of living. Much like other Midwest states it struggles with creating an attractive appeal to outsiders.

That is one of the reasons I like our new tourism motto. It makes people stop and think that maybe we have been falsely denigrated, that maybe they should come see the place.

[Louie]

Right Nebraska does have a bad rep and it’s undeserving. The state is relatively clean and safe and has a reasonable cost of living. Much like other Midwest states it struggles with creating an attractive appeal to outsiders.

That is one of the reasons I like our new tourism motto. It makes people stop and think that maybe we have been falsely denigrated, that maybe they should come see the place.

Agreed.

[daveoma]

Right Nebraska does have a bad rep and it’s undeserving. The state is relatively clean and safe and has a reasonable cost of living. Much like other Midwest states it struggles with creating an attractive appeal to outsiders.

After leaving Omaha for over 5 years I've been able to get a read on why some people think so badly of us. A lot of it has to do with our politics. The time when almost everyone gets a read on a particular state is on election night, and they see either red or blue. Obviously this is the fault of media, but if you're a liberal minded person looking for culture, arts, and intellectuals, why would you move to a state in which the majority of voters voted for president a guy who is anti-immigrant, was endorsed by the KKK, and was supported by people who have long advocated against policies that help ethnic and sexual minorites? I hate to deduce it to something as simple as red vs blue, but whether we like it or not, the East and West coasts see us as poor ignorant brainwashed people who don't know how to accept change.

[guy4omaha]

Right Nebraska does have a bad rep and it’s undeserving. The state is relatively clean and safe and has a reasonable cost of living. Much like other Midwest states it struggles with creating an attractive appeal to outsiders.

After leaving Omaha for over 5 years I've been able to get a read on why some people think so badly of us. A lot of it has to do with our politics. The time when almost everyone gets a read on a particular state is on election night, and they see either red or blue. Obviously this is the fault of media, but if you're a liberal minded person looking for culture, arts, and intellectuals, why would you move to a state in which the majority of voters voted for president a guy who is anti-immigrant, was endorsed by the KKK, and was supported by people who have long advocated against policies that help ethnic and sexual minorites? I hate to deduce it to something as simple as red vs blue, but whether we like it or not, the East and West coasts see us as poor ignorant brainwashed people who don't know how to accept change.

Just my dumb opinion: Well, east and west coast haters are gonna hate! That’s what condescending, ignorant people do. I would suspect those most critical of us have the least real knowledge about us.

[NEDodger]

Right Nebraska does have a bad rep and it’s undeserving. The state is relatively clean and safe and has a reasonable cost of living. Much like other Midwest states it struggles with creating an attractive appeal to outsiders.

After leaving Omaha for over 5 years I've been able to get a read on why some people think so badly of us. A lot of it has to do with our politics. The time when almost everyone gets a read on a particular state is on election night, and they see either red or blue. Obviously this is the fault of media, but if you're a liberal minded person looking for culture, arts, and intellectuals, why would you move to a state in which the majority of voters voted for president a guy who is anti-immigrant, was endorsed by the KKK, and was supported by people who have long advocated against policies that help ethnic and sexual minorites? I hate to deduce it to something as simple as red vs blue, but whether we like it or not, the East and West coasts see us as poor ignorant brainwashed people who don't know how to accept change.

Yeah. Because before Nebraska voted for Trump in 2016, we were the darling of the liberal coasts. Give me a break.

[TitosBuritoBarn]

Right Nebraska does have a bad rep and it’s undeserving. The state is relatively clean and safe and has a reasonable cost of living. Much like other Midwest states it struggles with creating an attractive appeal to outsiders.

After leaving Omaha for over 5 years I've been able to get a read on why some people think so badly of us. A lot of it has to do with our politics. The time when almost everyone gets a read on a particular state is on election night, and they see either red or blue. Obviously this is the fault of media, but if you're a liberal minded person looking for culture, arts, and intellectuals, why would you move to a state in which the majority of voters voted for president a guy who is anti-immigrant, was endorsed by the KKK, and was supported by people who have long advocated against policies that help ethnic and sexual minorites? I hate to deduce it to something as simple as red vs blue, but whether we like it or not, the East and West coasts see us as poor ignorant brainwashed people who don't know how to accept change.

Yeah. Because before Nebraska voted for Trump in 2016, we were the darling of the liberal coasts. Give me a break.

Not a darling, but the US is more polarized than it used to be and people seem to pay more attention to where the majorities voted opposite their own beliefs.

[NEDodger]

What I’m saying is that Nebraska has never been a potential destination of the coasts. If anything, Nebraska is probably more accepted today than it’s been in its history due to its music, food, and amateur sports scenes.

[guy4omaha]

What I’m saying is that Nebraska has never been a potential destination of the coasts. If anything, Nebraska is probably more accepted today than it’s been in its history due to its music, food, and amateur sports scenes.

My guess is Nebraska's lack of destination status has more to do with harsh weather seasons, lack of mountains/oceans/mega-lakes, it's largest cities actually go to sleep at night (incredible to fathom for someone from NYC or Chicago) and an east/west coast perception that rural is equal to nothing to do and backward. Although political culture perceptions undoubtedly play into it.

I like Omaha and the rural parts of Nebraska because they're not like these other more hip places. I like Omaha east and west of 72nd Street. Urban density and suburban park-like neighborhoods too. The world it seems to me is better with this diversity. Heck, without this diversity, the hip places wouldn't stand out. And what would we talk about on these discussion boards.

[daveoma]

Right Nebraska does have a bad rep and it’s undeserving. The state is relatively clean and safe and has a reasonable cost of living. Much like other Midwest states it struggles with creating an attractive appeal to outsiders.

After leaving Omaha for over 5 years I've been able to get a read on why some people think so badly of us. A lot of it has to do with our politics. The time when almost everyone gets a read on a particular state is on election night, and they see either red or blue. Obviously this is the fault of media, but if you're a liberal minded person looking for culture, arts, and intellectuals, why would you move to a state in which the majority of voters voted for president a guy who is anti-immigrant, was endorsed by the KKK, and was supported by people who have long advocated against policies that help ethnic and sexual minorites? I hate to deduce it to something as simple as red vs blue, but whether we like it or not, the East and West coasts see us as poor ignorant brainwashed people who don't know how to accept change.

Yeah. Because before Nebraska voted for Trump in 2016, we were the darling of the liberal coasts. Give me a break.

I don't think the past is irrelevant here. I'm just telling you the sentiments I've encountered. Perception matters, and so does reality. Young people are much more progressive politically than they've been in the recent past. Whether you believe these perceptions are accurate or not is irrelevant as well. The problem is that Americans don't want to live in Nebraska. That's a fact. Lowering income taxes for wealthy people and corporations didn't attract them. The plentiful job market isn't attracting them. Whatever the state is doing isn't working.

I suppose Nebraska doesn't have to change. You can metaphorically cross your arms, and watch all of your educated children move away, then talk smack about how they're talking all high and mighty now. Hey, did that strategy work for Mississippi and West Virginia?

[buildomaha]

Right Nebraska does have a bad rep and it’s undeserving. The state is relatively clean and safe and has a reasonable cost of living. Much like other Midwest states it struggles with creating an attractive appeal to outsiders.

After leaving Omaha for over 5 years I've been able to get a read on why some people think so badly of us. A lot of it has to do with our politics. The time when almost everyone gets a read on a particular state is on election night, and they see either red or blue. Obviously this is the fault of media, but if you're a liberal minded person looking for culture, arts, and intellectuals, why would you move to a state in which the majority of voters voted for president a guy who is anti-immigrant, was endorsed by the KKK, and was supported by people who have long advocated against policies that help ethnic and sexual minorites? I hate to deduce it to something as simple as red vs blue, but whether we like it or not, the East and West coasts see us as poor ignorant brainwashed people who don't know how to accept change.

Yeah. Because before Nebraska voted for Trump in 2016, we were the darling of the liberal coasts. Give me a break.

I don't think the past is irrelevant here. I'm just telling you the sentiments I've encountered. Perception matters, and so does reality. Young people are much more progressive politically than they've been in the recent past. Whether you believe these perceptions are accurate or not is irrelevant as well. The problem is that Americans don't want to live in Nebraska. That's a fact. Lowering income taxes for wealthy people and corporations didn't attract them. The plentiful job market isn't attracting them. Whatever the state is doing isn't working.

I suppose Nebraska doesn't have to change. You can metaphorically cross your arms, and watch all of your educated children move away, then talk smack about how they're talking all high and mighty now. Hey, did that strategy work for Mississippi and West Virginia?

Crossing arms and letting the world change around you is what Nebraska is best at. Honestly though, I think Omaha is on the verge of a huge explosion. Lincoln is already relatively booming as of recently as well (ok maybe not a TON but we’ll enough). I really think the state has a chance here to change its reputation via new policies, programs, outreach, etc. Omaha is already one of the most affordable cities in the country, if we can keep that cost down via investment in the city core that is the beating heart of the state’s economy (do Not come for me for not mentioning ag industry in this post) in order to attract workers and investment. And the leaders in Omaha and Lincoln’s business and governmental communities have begun taking some steps to achieve this (ie gene lehy mall, PBA Lincoln). I fear that the state will hold back progress though in the me vs you, urban rural battle that Nebraska epitomizes.

[NEDodger]

I don't think the past is irrelevant here. I'm just telling you the sentiments I've encountered. Perception matters, and so does reality. Young people are much more progressive politically than they've been in the recent past. Whether you believe these perceptions are accurate or not is irrelevant as well. The problem is that Americans don't want to live in Nebraska. That's a fact. Lowering income taxes for wealthy people and corporations didn't attract them. The plentiful job market isn't attracting them. Whatever the state is doing isn't working.

I suppose Nebraska doesn't have to change. You can metaphorically cross your arms, and watch all of your educated children move away, then talk smack about how they're talking all high and mighty now. Hey, did that strategy work for Mississippi and West Virginia?

Apparently better than liberal enclaves like New York, New Jersey, Illinois and Connecticut, if we are still talking about where people are going and leaving?

https://www.google.com/amp/s/247wallst. ... aving/amp/

Americans don’t move to Nebraska because there’s “nothing to do” here. It’s far from the outdoorsy activities that outdoorsy people like and far from the huge metropolises that huge metropolis people like.

[edsas]

Interesting conversation.

There's very little evidence that Nebraska's political conservatism is holding it back in terms of domestic migration. Check out this map from 2017:



Nebraska had a net loss in domestic migration. But it was relatively low. Just 1.8% Meanwhile deep blue states like New York and Illinois had tons more moving out than moving in. Even California, which checks off every list of desirable qualities -- mountains, oceans, warm winters and progressive politics -- lost a significantly higher percentage than did Nebraska. Meanwhile, some deep red states (Idaho, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah) were among the biggest gainers in domestic migration. But then, deep red states like Wyoming and Alaska saw huge decreases.

This is just a snap shot of one year. But there's a strong indication that state political leanings neither attract nor repel domestic residents. In fact, I would predict that if you were to survey new residents from other states as to why they chose their new city, political climate would only register on a small number of locations. Portland and San Francisco would be on that list. Probably Vermont. And that might be it. I think a lot of Texas liberals end up in Austin because of its political climate, but that's migration from within the state itself.

I lived in Los Angeles from 1999 to 2010 before moving to La Vista (which is where my family has been the last 9 years). I still do business with people in California. My experience is that Nebraska doesn't have a bad reputation. It has almost no reputation. At least in LA. Or that there are bizarre misconceptions. Here's an example. I have a friend who is an LA Times reporter who also writes books. He was researching a story about a priest. There just so happened to be a priest who taught at Creighton who knew this other priest. My friend was getting ready to fly out to Omaha to interview him. He was casually talking about the project to me and he said that he was going to meet the priest "at the hospital." He paused and said, "Is there more than one hospital in Omaha?" At first I thought he was joking, but then I realized he was serious. I said, "Well, you don't expect half a million people to use one hospital, do you?" I could tell he was embarrassed. But I said the priest probably meant Creighton Medical Center when he said "the hospital." Turns out that was the case. When my friend got back to LA, we talked Omaha a little bit. He was impressed. The city was not at all what he expected. Similar to another friend of mine who went to the College World Series to see UCLA play. He was expecting Omaha to be "flat, dusty and boring," but he found it to be none of those things.

From my California perspective, people who grow up on the coasts (with few exceptions) look at the entire middle of the country as a monolith. Outside of places like Chicago, they see the Midwest as bland and culturally slow. Not backward, per se. The people I've talked to don't necessarily look at "fly over country" as repressed or bigoted or whatever negative stereotype you want to throw in (outside of some extremely myopic exceptions). They view the middle of the country as a "non factor." A place that doesn't have anything of particular value to add to the overall American culture. I could debate them all day for a month citing examples of why they are wrong. But it'd be a futile gesture. People need to experience fly over country for themselves (like the two friends I mentioned above). But most coastal people never will. Or, if they do, it'll be a brief and surface experience that won't do much to broaden their perspective.

[Omaha Cowboy]

Interesting conversation.

There's very little evidence that Nebraska's political conservatism is holding it back in terms of domestic migration. Check out this map from 2017:



Nebraska had a net loss in domestic migration. But it was relatively low. Just 1.8% Meanwhile deep blue states like New York and Illinois had tons more moving out than moving in. Even California, which checks off every list of desirable qualities -- mountains, oceans, warm winters and progressive politics -- lost a significantly higher percentage than did Nebraska. Meanwhile, some deep red states (Idaho, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah) were among the biggest gainers in domestic migration. But then, deep red states like Wyoming and Alaska saw huge decreases.

This is just a snap shot of one year. But there's a strong indication that state political leanings neither attract nor repel domestic residents. In fact, I would predict that if you were to survey new residents from other states as to why they chose their new city, political climate would only register on a small number of locations. Portland and San Francisco would be on that list. Probably Vermont. And that might be it. I think a lot of Texas liberals end up in Austin because of its political climate, but that's migration from within the state itself.

I lived in Los Angeles from 1999 to 2010 before moving to La Vista (which is where my family has been the last 9 years). I still do business with people in California. My experience is that Nebraska doesn't have a bad reputation. It has almost no reputation. At least in LA. Or that there are bizarre misconceptions. Here's an example. I have a friend who is an LA Times reporter who also writes books. He was researching a story about a priest. There just so happened to be a priest who taught at Creighton who knew this other priest. My friend was getting ready to fly out to Omaha to interview him. He was casually talking about the project to me and he said that he was going to meet the priest "at the hospital." He paused and said, "Is there more than one hospital in Omaha?" At first I thought he was joking, but then I realized he was serious. I said, "Well, you don't expect half a million people to use one hospital, do you?" I could tell he was embarrassed. But I said the priest probably meant Creighton Medical Center when he said "the hospital." Turns out that was the case. When my friend got back to LA, we talked Omaha a little bit. He was impressed. The city was not at all what he expected. Similar to another friend of mine who went to the College World Series to see UCLA play. He was expecting Omaha to be "flat, dusty and boring," but he found it to be none of those things.

From my California perspective, people who grow up on the coasts (with few exceptions) look at the entire middle of the country as a monolith. Outside of places like Chicago, they see the Midwest as bland and culturally slow. Not backward, per se. The people I've talked to don't necessarily look at "fly over country" as repressed or bigoted or whatever negative stereotype you want to throw in (outside of some extremely myopic exceptions). They view the middle of the country as a "non factor." A place that doesn't have anything of particular value to add to the overall American culture. I could debate them all day for a month citing examples of why they are wrong. But it'd be a futile gesture. People need to experience fly over country for themselves (like the two friends I mentioned above). But most coastal people never will. Or, if they do, it'll be a brief and surface experience that won't do much to broaden their perspective.

This is a great post my old friend..

I remember about 20 years ago (1999 ish), I was dealing with a wire transfer business deposit from a bank on the west coast..because the deposit had not been made into my account here in Omaha -and I waited a full 10 business days- I contacted the bank responsible for the transaction and they found evidence they had made the wire transfer deposit.. I asked the bank rep if she knew what bank/bank account the money was deposited into and her response was “it was deposited into, you know, the bank” , I then explained there are nearly 500,000 people living in the city of Omaha, there are DOZENS of banks.. In the end, I finally got the wire transfer taken care of, but it took up nearly my entire afternoon, LOL..

And these people who live on the coasts and have the attitude that the middle of the United States is a “non factor”, should attempt to find quality food products- particularly beef, vegetables and bread (for example)..if not for the “Heartland”, the variety would be slim pickings..

People with those type of attitudes never cease to amaze me with their absolute ignorance...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

[buildomaha]

Althought it really does suck that the heartland is pretty overlooked, I can understand the view growing up on the coasts. The Midwest really doesn’t contribute culturally and outside of the trendy millennials living in urban centers, people in the Midwest are exactly as phrased earlier^ “culturally slow” and not culturally backwards. Not saying it’s a bad thing, just a different lifestyle. I will say that I’ve noticed it is getting easier for young people to convince older people to try out the cool things that are “trendy” for us, especially among people in Omaha. As I’ve said, I think Omaha could be on the verge of trailblazing and create a reputation for its self as a place for everybody. We are about to have cool urban living, average suburban living, hopefully we can get our public transport together so we can stay a “20 minute city”, low cost of living, etc. Omahans really do support the things that we love, just look at memorial park concert, value and the zoo, sold out concerts and sold out theatres for shows that’s OPA brings to town black stone and benson are booming, fringe suburbs are growing. If we could just tie everything together it would be a big, beautiful, diverse Omaha for everybody. Omaha will be the place for change for the entire state, and the state can either drag us back, or hold on for the ride.

[edsas]

Althought it really does suck that the heartland is pretty overlooked, I can understand the view growing up on the coasts. The Midwest really doesn’t contribute culturally and outside of the trendy millennials living in urban centers, people in the Midwest are exactly as phrased earlier^ “culturally slow” and not culturally backwards. Not saying it’s a bad thing, just a different lifestyle. I will say that I’ve noticed it is getting easier for young people to convince older people to try out the cool things that are “trendy” for us, especially among people in Omaha. As I’ve said, I think Omaha could be on the verge of trailblazing and create a reputation for its self as a place for everybody. We are about to have cool urban living, average suburban living, hopefully we can get our public transport together so we can stay a “20 minute city”, low cost of living, etc. Omahans really do support the things that we love, just look at memorial park concert, value and the zoo, sold out concerts and sold out theatres for shows that’s OPA brings to town black stone and benson are booming, fringe suburbs are growing. If we could just tie everything together it would be a big, beautiful, diverse Omaha for everybody. Omaha will be the place for change for the entire state, and the state can either drag us back, or hold on for the ride.

I agree with everything you've said here, except the notion that Midwesterners are culturally slow. I think this was true a long time ago -- perhaps the 1970s and earlier. But since the advent of cable television in the 1980s and especially in the internet age of the last 25 years, cultural upbringing whether on the Coasts or not are virtually the same. I grew up in Grand Island before going to college at UNL (5 years in Lincoln) before living in Los Angeles for 11 years and now Omaha for 9 years. My experiences growing up were remarkably similar to friends I have who grew up in LA, New York, Boston, Florida and San Francisco. People in 21st Century America are now more connected by common interests than they are geography.

[BRoss]

I think mainly it's just that people don't know much about Nebraska and only know it as a farm state. From there they make assumptions that there is nothing there or nothing to do and the people are not cultured. Politics do certainly play a role to an extent at these highly polarized times, but people's opinion of Nebraska has always been that it's a flyover state.

Now that said, that doesn't mean they think the same thing about Omaha. I know I usually think differently about a city than it's state (I usually don't even really consider the state a city is in unless I'm traveling there). And I'd bet a lot of people don't even know what state Omaha is in.

[nativeomahan]

Of all the thousands of posts on this forum I have read over the past decade, the couple of dozen preceding comments on this thread have got to be the most thoughtful, polite, and insightful collection of postings of any of them. I honestly mean that. And I thank each of you for your contribution to this discussion.

None of us are going to resolve the issue as to why the multitudes of our friends and neighbors living relatively near to coastal waters don’t or won’t even consider living in America’s Heartland (except most notably the Front Range, Texas, the Twin Cities and Chicago). The “reason” is in actuality ...many reasons. First and foremost, it is based on ignorance. I don’t mean that in the pejorative sense. I mean it in the sense that a child is ignorant of things the child has yet to experience.

The majority of US residents live in states bordering or very near to an ocean or the Gulf of México. They are familiar with the areas they call “home” but probably not anywhere else. Guess what? You and I probably have preconceived notions of life in NY or California or SoFLA based upon what we see in the media, or our trips to Disney. Our notions are probably as wrong about those places as those coastal residents’ notions of life here is just one blank canvas. When I travel and meet locals and tell them I am from Omaha, Nebraska, 80% of the time I receive a polite but puzzled look. They have no idea where Omaha or Nebraska is. (My standard response has been “take a large map of the United States, fold it in half, and Omaha is on the crease.” That seems to help.)

Before spending a week there, my concept of New Jersey was one of smokestacks, crumbling casinos and crime. Well, I discovered firsthand that New Jersey isn’t called The Garden State for nothing. The state is beautiful, a land of countless small farms, rolling hills, forests and small communities. A close friend actually lived in a log cabin along a wild waterway in the north Jersey forest and hill country, where hawks, bears and wolves were his neighbors. His commute to work in Midtown Manhattan, New York, was just 29 miles. My time there and my two eyes changed forever my concept of New Jersey. I could give several similar examples of how my preconceived notions of other states was shown to be terribly off base. So, you see, it works both ways.

As to why geographic Middle America remains largely underpopulated, and under the national radar, well, again, there are many reasons. Miserably hot and humid summers aren’t for everyone. And subzero windchills really aren’t for probably anyone. My decision to relocate away from Omaha was largely based on two factors: weather and the cost of living. Yes, I find Nebraska politics about as one dimensional as one would find in Cuba or China. We are a true one party state. And the lack of cultural diversity remains a significant sore point. If you don’t agree you are almost certainly Christian and/or Caucasian. But I was willing to deal with the politics and cultural sameness. I simply hate snow and ice and freezing rain and wind chill, and I’m not willing to take it any more. I can more easily tolerate summer’s heat and humidity, so you are more apt to run into me mid year than in winter. I also adore living near the ocean. I know many people who would rather die than live anywhere else!

I think that most of the users of this forum recognize the value and indeed necessity of encouraging immigration into our state, region and nation. Immigrants take jobs that need to be filled, that would otherwise go unfilled. Probably 10,000 of those jobs sit empty today in Nebraska. I just read where our metro bus system can’t find enough drivers. Neither can the school bus companies. Or Waste Management. And on and on it goes. The fear of cultural diversification has real dollar costs to our business community.

Areas of the Midwest that celebrate inclusion and welcome new faces to become their neighbors will do just fine in the coming decades. Places that feel otherwise deserve the fate they are destined to suffer.

[Stargazer]

I spent 3 months commuting each week to Manhattan to work with a company (I've been through every possible airline nightmare scenario, but that's another topic). It's kind of funny you mentioned the commute of your friend, the short distance of 29 miles between New Jersey and Manhattan. Distance and commute time are not always the same thing. I polled my many acquaintances for their commute experiences over the course of the engagement, and the most typical commute involved ~45 minutes of public transit time, from Brooklyn, which is only about 12 miles away. The envied guy who lived on the east side (of Central Park) only spent 30 minutes of public transit, but he paid $2500 for a 1 bed loft! Anyhoo... great place to visit... personally, no interest in living there.

Indeed though, New Jersey is a beautiful state. We have a large office in Parsippany, so have visited there often as well.

We've been talking about net loss in immigration here for years. I haven't been following the 'numbers' lately, but I don't think it takes close analysis to figure out, based on what's happening throughout east Omaha... downtown, Benson, Blackstone... Aksarben Village even... we are definitely, holding on to more young professionals. There's an article in the paper today calling attention to it as well. It feels to me, like we've hit critical mass.. I see even our Republican mayor seemingly recognizing the importance of more progressive policy to keep a good thing going (including that supporting immigrants). I'm not going to worry about the Fremont's and Scribner's of the world. We'll see where fate takes them.

[nativeomahan]

The majority of the growth in Omaha is now on the east side of town.
https://www.omaha.com/money/plus/hansen ... 0Headlines

[Garrett]

I’ll throw my millennial hat in the ring here.

I was very intentional about moving out of Nebraska for college. Not out of hatred or anything like that, I just wanted to experience something different in life. I lived in Chicago for 5 years, loved it, and now I’m in NYC. I don’t see myself moving back to Omaha particularly soon. I basically want to be able to live in a big city where I don’t need a car and can use public transit to do all of the things I want to do.

Now, many of my high school classmates either went to UNO or UNL, and I think a lot of them are going to be staying in Omaha for a while. Omaha is getting better and better at retaining people I’d say. A lot of my brother’s college roommates from out of state that went to Creighton with him want to move back to Omaha because they loved it. I think Omaha’s strength going forward will be attracting and retaining college kids. You get them then, you’ll really have them for a while.

[Louie]

I’ll throw my millennial hat in the ring here.

I was very intentional about moving out of Nebraska for college. Not out of hatred or anything like that, I just wanted to experience something different in life. I lived in Chicago for 5 years, loved it, and now I’m in NYC. I don’t see myself moving back to Omaha particularly soon. I basically want to be able to live in a big city where I don’t need a car and can use public transit to do all of the things I want to do.

Now, many of my high school classmates either went to UNO or UNL, and I think a lot of them are going to be staying in Omaha for a while. Omaha is getting better and better at retaining people I’d say. A lot of my brother’s college roommates from out of state that went to Creighton with him want to move back to Omaha because they loved it. I think Omaha’s strength going forward will be attracting and retaining college kids. You get them then, you’ll really have them for a while.

I think there are two keys to fast growth in any city. Be where young people want to be in their 20s or be where old people want to be in their 60s and 70s. Because those are the two times in an average person’s life that they have the freedom to uproot and move.

[Uffda]

be where old people want to be in their 60s and 70s. Because those are the two times in an average person’s life that they have the freedom to uproot and move.

Hey 60s isn't old!!!!...... ---- BUT this 'old' guy is leaving O! later this year. I don't want to pay NE Income Tax and there are several states I can go and not pay that tax.

[Louie]

be where old people want to be in their 60s and 70s. Because those are the two times in an average person’s life that they have the freedom to uproot and move.

Hey 60s isn't old!!!!...... ---- BUT this 'old' guy is leaving O! later this year. I don't want to pay NE Income Tax and there are several states I can go and not pay that tax.

Ha I never said old! I just said had the freedom to move. Ie. less tied down by a job or family.

[bigredmed1]

be where old people want to be in their 60s and 70s. Because those are the two times in an average person’s life that they have the freedom to uproot and move.

Hey 60s isn't old!!!!...... ---- BUT this 'old' guy is leaving O! later this year. I don't want to pay NE Income Tax and there are several states I can go and not pay that tax.

Used to live in Florida where "they don't have an income tax" becomes the excuse for toll roads on every major thoroughfare. The B-line road in Orlando is the Dodge st equivalent there and you can't get across town without using it. The other fees are implicit. They have state parks. They are largely just parking lots next to some beach or some fresh water location that is too cold for gators. Think twice before moving there.

[Louie]

Upon second glance, I guess I did say old. Oh well.

[Omaha Cowboy]

be where old people want to be in their 60s and 70s. Because those are the two times in an average person’s life that they have the freedom to uproot and move.

Hey 60s isn't old!!!!...... ---- BUT this 'old' guy is leaving O! later this year. I don't want to pay NE Income Tax and there are several states I can go and not pay that tax.

Used to live in Florida where "they don't have an income tax" becomes the excuse for toll roads on every major thoroughfare. The B-line road in Orlando is the Dodge st equivalent there and you can't get across town without using it. The other fees are implicit. They have state parks. They are largely just parking lots next to some beach or some fresh water location that is too cold for gators. Think twice before moving there.

This got me thinking.. I can't recall having a conversation with someone who’s lived in Florida for a significant period of time, that actually still enjoys living there. They all move there for the same usual reasons- sunny warm climbs, job opportunity, the beach etc etc.. But then they experience the HORRIBLE drivers, horrible traffic congestion and drivers who have apparently contracted Mad Cow disease..along with all the other human related bizarre stories that many times are traced back the the state where they reside..and they tell me how a state they once thought was a greener pasture, is now a place they either wish they could, or cant wait for the day, they can move out of..

Just my humble thoughts as it relates to my experiences talking with Florida residents.. Your results may vary ...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

[Uffda]

be where old people want to be in their 60s and 70s. Because those are the two times in an average person’s life that they have the freedom to uproot and move.

Hey 60s isn't old!!!!...... ---- BUT this 'old' guy is leaving O! later this year. I don't want to pay NE Income Tax and there are several states I can go and not pay that tax.

Used to live in Florida where "they don't have an income tax" becomes the excuse for toll roads on every major thoroughfare. The B-line road in Orlando is the Dodge st equivalent there and you can't get across town without using it. The other fees are implicit. They have state parks. They are largely just parking lots next to some beach or some fresh water location that is too cold for gators. Think twice before moving there.

Won’t be around Orlando and I have traveled all around the area I plan to move to without needing the toll roads. There are always the positives and negatives when moving. I only need to think once — my daughter, and 2 granddaughters live there and I don’t want to be the only long long distant grandparent.

[bigredmed1]

Enjoy your grandkids

[TitosBuritoBarn]

be where old people want to be in their 60s and 70s. Because those are the two times in an average person’s life that they have the freedom to uproot and move.

Hey 60s isn't old!!!!...... ---- BUT this 'old' guy is leaving O! later this year. I don't want to pay NE Income Tax and there are several states I can go and not pay that tax.

Used to live in Florida where "they don't have an income tax" becomes the excuse for toll roads on every major thoroughfare. The B-line road in Orlando is the Dodge st equivalent there and you can't get across town without using it. The other fees are implicit. They have state parks. They are largely just parking lots next to some beach or some fresh water location that is too cold for gators. Think twice before moving there.

Won’t be around Orlando and I have traveled all around the area I plan to move to without needing the toll roads. There are always the positives and negatives when moving. I only need to think once — my daughter, and 2 granddaughters live there and I don’t want to be the only long long distant grandparent.

[nativeomahan]

I agree with the above comments about the Sunshine State. However...we have an annual winter time-share in Key West and love love love it. And the facts are it is one of the fastest growing states in the Union, in terms of population growth.
Except for coastal areas Florida actually resembles central Nebraska. Flat and populated with cattle. With equally miserable weather.