Family with 3 young children, looking for good neighborhoods/schools in Lincoln, NE (Omaha: real estate)

[adfp]

My husband is finishing his Masters Degree through UNL, and we are looking to move to Lincoln (1st choice) or Omaha (2nd choice) (based on commute time to UNL), for the following: good housing areas which could mean apartments or condos/townhomes or traditional houses: interested mainly in rentals if possible, but would be willing to purchase if that would ensure a better location. We are looking for areas that have very low crime rates, and excellent elementary schools. Of course, this all depends on if my husband finds a good job, and we're currently looking--wish us luck! Ideally, we would like to have his commute time be short to UNL's campus. A longer commute would be tolerable if we needed to be further away from the campus for a better neighborhood/school--as that is the most important criteria for our young family. We are a traditional family, looking for the best of everything. Any suggestions on areas would be greatly appreciated--Thanks!

[mattpoulsen]

I just moved to Omaha and currently commute to Lincoln everyday (also work at UNL). My new wife and I just moved into the 190th and Q area. Its essentially north of Gretna about 5 or 6 miles (via highway). Its probably one of the fastest commutes to Omaha that can be found and the area is very new, clean, and quiet. I think door to door it takes me about 45 minutes to get to my office...it would be better if it weren't for all of the construction.

[NicePolishBoy]

Is there a popular area(s) of Lincoln where many faculty and staff live? Or are they pretty dispersed? I wonder if adfp would enjoy residential areas where other UNL employees live.

[mattpoulsen]

It doesn't sound to be that her husband is a faculty member, but rather a Masters student. There are areas in town like professors row, but for a student that wouldn't be what you're necessarily wanting. Plus, most faculty are well spread out. As far as grad students...they're well distributed, so I I guess the answer would be no...there isn't really an area of town where they aggregate. Part of the reason is probably because the areas around the university aren't really set up for middle class to upper middle class living. On the south side is the downtown area and the north and east consist of relatively run down neighborhoods (although that will soon be changing). To the west is the railroad.

[adfp]

I know I haven't signed in for a while, we've been out of town. I appreciate all of your comments, and will definitely keep them in mind as we look for an area to "land". My husband still hasn't found employment yet, so we will be on hold until that happens. Thank you all for your input!

[Boji]

I've lived in Lincoln for almost 16 years and really like it. You can get almost anywhere in town in a reasonable amount of time, unlike Omaha.

There is a definite opinion about the areas north of O Street and south. We live in south Lincoln and love the area. It's more upscale and has more for services, IMO. It's about 10-15 minutes from our home to downtown, and actually, I can get to NE Lincoln in 20-25 minutes, depending on traffic. I rarely go north since we have everything we need in the south end. It's a little more expensive to rent or buy in south Lincoln, especially south of Old Cheney, but to us it is worth it.

As for me, I would not live in Omaha. The advantages are not worth the hassles with the ongoing road construction and traffic. I can't imagine commuting from Omaha to Lincoln.

Both communities have a housing glut. We own rental property, and it's been a rough market with rents in the dumpster and so much for people to choose from. The housing market really favors buyers right now, and some rents are just a tad over "old" rents of five years ago.

[Janeway]

If you're looking for a short commute to UNL but prefer a safer neighborhood than that which is right off the campus, you may want to look at the Irvingdale area. You'd be looking at more houses than apartments, though it's not too hard to find rentals. I live there; it's quiet, friendly, and nice. You can find information at irvingdale.org.

[adfp]

Yes, we're still job hunting, and haven't moved yet. We are still very interested in Lincoln and surrounding areas. If anyone else has opinions about great places to live, feel free to update this thread, as I really do appreciate it! Thank you all again for the wonderful information you have provided!

[Gunluvver2]

You might want to check out the "InterLinc" website for Lincoln. It has links to various gov't agencies, maps of crime stats, school information etc. Right now real estate prices have stayed level for the past year but houses for sale are moving slow. For instance my Mother has a real nice 2 bedroom with a partially finished basement within five blocks of the Sunken Garden area. It is less than $90K and has been on the market for 5 months. Other houses in the area in similar price and condition have been slow to sell also. It is a buyers market for sure. A rental house for a couple with three young kids would probably vary from $650/month to $1200/month depending on location and condition. Ironically the slumlords that cater in renting to illegals and University kids are getting more from rents than the landlords that rent exclusively to single families. Some slumlords may be getting as much as $2,000/monthly for a $60,000 piece of property when they rent to 5 or 6 University kids. This is becoming a big issue in certain areas close to the University.

Bus service to the UNL campus is fairly decent and bicycle commuting to the University campus is great. Actually the bike trails in Lincoln are better than the streets in my opinion. I just wish my arthritis would let me continue commuting by bicycle.