Wondering about Harlan or Oakland? (Council Bluffs: rentals, houses, neighborhoods)

[snowman0u812]

Hi all! Just wondering about the area around Harlan or Oakland. I got offered a job there and was wondering what it was like. I know it's close to Omaha but I was wondering if someone out there could give me a rational point of view of the area. I'm from a small town in Massachusetts and currently reside in the Twin Cities. I'm ready to get out of the city, traffic, noise, bad drivers, etc... Any info would be helpful. Thanks a bunch!

[EastCB]

I'd pick Harlan. It is a nice town with good schools. An hour drive from Omaha. Very cool town square. Oakland is a cute little town a little closer to the Omaha area with good schools too. Harlan is just larger and has a lot more character.

[WyoNewk]

Harlan is a great little town. I attended junior high and high school there, and my parents lived there from 1958 until their deaths a couple years ago. My brother still lives there, and I owned some rental properties there until about a decade ago. (All that's so you'll know I've kept fairly current with the goings-on in Harlan.)

The town itself is showing a slow growth over the years, so while not booming, the economy is pretty healthy. The farm land in that part of Iowa is rich, so most farmers do well. (Obviously, it's a farming economy.) The landscape is gently rolling hills -- very pretty. There's a nice lake a few miles from town, Prairie Rose. I think it's a state park now. The residents take pride in their homes, as is the case in most Iowa towns, so well kept lawns and homes are the norm. High school sports are big, and Harlan is well known as one of the top high schools in the state for athletics.

My wife, from Oregon, loves the area. It's almost like a Mayberry community. The main complaint we have is the high heat and humidity in late summer. It's a little warmer than Minneapolis, but that's a good thing in the winter.

[El Rhino]

I don't know about the towns but I assume the company you have a job offer with is CDS and I know they're a pretty decent company to work for.

[snowman0u812]

Thanks for the info all. Actually the job is with Western Engineering running heavy equipment at a sand pit. Are there rentals available in that area or should I consider say Council Bluffs for a rental? Thanks again

[WyoNewk]

The last I knew there plenty of rentals in Harlan, and they were relatively cheap. (That's why I sold my 12-plex!) In fact, Harlan is a bit of a bedroom community for Omaha/Council Bluffs -- just a tiny bit.

I think my brother worked for Western Engineering for years. He worked for one outfit for 25 years or so, and when they were bought out, he worked for the new owners for another 15 or 20 years until he retired a year or two ago. Much of that time was sand pit ops. He's lived in Harlan the whole time.

[snowman0u812]

Thanks Wyonewk. Man I saw alot of negativity on here about Council Bluffs. More than positive input. What the heck is going on? I know nothing is perfect anywhere you live but sheesh! Is it that bad?

[WyoNewk]

To me, Council Bluffs was usually just that place you had to drive through to get to Omaha. I've been gone too long to have much of an opinion, but it's never been a favorite of mine.

[SoCiEtY's ReBel]

Originally Posted by snowman0u812

Thanks Wyonewk. Man I saw alot of negativity on here about Council Bluffs. More than positive input. What the heck is going on? I know nothing is perfect anywhere you live but sheesh! Is it that bad?

I am currently living in council bluffs and I can tell you that all those negative posts are just a bunch of BS! Council Bluffs is a nice town, everything is within a reasonable distance (unlike Omaha) and the people you meet here are real friendly and always lend a helping hand (unlike Omaha). One time I was pushing my car home (had ran out of gas) and a cop drove up along side us and offered help. An Omaha cop would just give you some kind of ticket for violating some absurd city ordinance rather than offer to help you. And Omaha has a lot more crack houses and crack heads.

Generally, I believe the people who hate on Council Bluffs so much are the same people who hate on Omaha east of 72nd street (the people who are afraid to leave their nice and neat little sub-division neighborhoods). I tell these people to grow up, get a life, and explore what's out there, no one is going to mug/rape/murder you! A family member like an uncle or something is more likely to do those things to you than a random person on the streets! You might get asked for spare change though but that's about it!