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Thread summary:

Relocation to Lincoln, Nebraska from Albuquerque, affordable areas of town, parts to be avoided, elementary and middle schools, bad winters, apartment and home rental options

 
Old 09-28-2007, 12:04 AM
 
Location: Rio Rancho, NM
1 posts, read 3,700 times
Reputation: 10

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My employer is relocating me from Albuquerque, NM to Lincoln in early November, so I wanted to get some information about the city and neighborhoods so I have an idea what I'm working with. Any information on the following questions/topics would be greatly appreciated:

* What are some of the "better", but affordable, areas of town? Are there any parts of town that should be avoided?

* What are the elementary and middle schools like (class sizes, teachers and administration, etc)? We've got a 14 year old and a 12 year old that sometimes find it difficult to make friends.

* I had lived in Utah for 14 years, so I'm accustomed to heavy snowfall in the winters (sometimes upward of 2-3 feet in a day or two). How bad are the winters really?

* I've come across more than a fair amount of information about Christian communities in my searches, but I'm more interested in any Pagan community information. Anything anyone could point me to?

* I don't plan on purchasing a home unless or until I really feel at home in Lincoln. As such, our family will be looking to rent. Any resources for apartments and homes for rent would be a plus, especially from locals.

* Along the same lines as my last blurb, what would the median rent cost be, on a monthy basis?

* If there's anyone out there that knows anything about gaming/gamers, specifically collectible/trading card games, collectible miniature games, tabletop roleplaying games, etc, are there any good places to go to purchase games and/or play?

* How would you rate the health care in Lincoln, and which health care/insurance providers are predominant in the area?

* Honestly, would my family be able to live comfortably on a $62,000 salary?

* If anybody could point me to additional information regarding farmer's markets, I'd appreciate it.

* Is there a website with information about mass/public transit? If so, what is it?

* Parks and museums?

* This one may sound strange, but my wife and I love to visit very old cemetaries (specifically ones with larger headstones and mausoleums). I suppose it's our fascination with history, with a morbid twist. In any case, if there are any old-ish cemetaries in Lincoln, what would be some of the ones that have held up better?

* Our family enjoys a wide variety of cuisines. Are there many, or any, decent Italian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese or Indian restaurants in Lincoln, or would it be better to make the trek to Omaha?

Much thanks to anyone and everyone that can provide information in any area of inquiry!
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Old 09-29-2007, 08:07 AM
 
98 posts, read 393,966 times
Reputation: 41
Default Answers to questions I try to provide...

Tried to talk Yoda in my "title", probably didn't work tho! LOL!!

Hey, I live in Omaha, so I don't have all the answers about rent rates, etc. I wanted to let you know that my husband is in to comic books so we frequent comic book stores here in Omaha. There are quite a few comic book stores and most have gamers playing in them, also sell the game pieces and playing cards. I know of Krypton Comics and the Dragons Lair, and there are at least 4 others that I know of, but do not know the exact name of the stores. Omaha also has Indian, Japanese, Vietnemese, Chinese, and many other cultural eateries.

Winters in Nebraska aren't that bad as far as snow, it's the wind and bitter cold that you have to be wary of. I have lived in NE all my life and I swear, when I was little, it seemed liked it snowed all the time in the winter. Probably has something to do with this crazy thing called....global warming. But seriously, last year, here in Omaha we only one 'major' snow storm that shut down much of the city. In NE, when the snow falls, it usually doesn't stay around for long. The streets will be cleaned and then the snow melts or blows away.

Anyways, I know your questions were directed towards Lincoln, but I wanted to give you some information regarding gaming, dining, and the weather.

If you move to NE, may the force be with you.
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Old 09-29-2007, 07:11 PM
 
Location: West Omaha
1,181 posts, read 4,001,124 times
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Yoda,

I lived in Lincoln for about 10 years and just moved to Omaha, however I still commute to Lincoln everyday.

I would think the switch from NM to Nebraska wouldn't be a difficult one. The winters aren't bad and if you've lived in Utah then you'll be plenty prepared. The biggest difference that you'll notice won't be the winters, but probably the humid summers. Many don't realize this but during the summer Nebraska can be quite hot and sticky...but its not too bad. The fall and spring are very nice!

The public schools in Lincoln are excellent and that is documented through all sorts of methods...its not just me saying they're good. I would just look around the Lincoln Public School's website for more info.

As far as rentals, assuming you're looking for a 4 bedroom, you could probably find anything in between $600 to $1200 per month. Obviously, it depends on the location. For example, I'm renting out my 3 bedroom home, which is about 4 years old and in a new neighborhood for about $1100/month, but you can certainly find cheaper. The house I own is probably more on the high end because of additional amenities. I know you can find 3 bedrooms for $600/month if you'd like. I guess a run-of-the-mill 4 bedroom home would probably rent for about $900ish, but its really hard to gauge.

At any rate, housing in Lincoln is very reasonable and I would just look at some of the online rental options to get an idea. For homes for rent I would probably consult the Journal Star (JournalStar.com - Lincoln, Nebraska), which is our local newspaper.

Lincoln has excellent healthcare. In fact, I would imagine people not from Nebraska would view it as an anomaly. For a state as small as we are we do very well in the health care fields as we have nationally and internationally recognized systems in Omaha and Lincoln. In Lincoln, the two most prominent would be BryanLGH and St. Elizabeth's...both excellent.

As far as how far a $62,000 salary would go, well that depends? Does your wife work? If its only $62,000 then would still be fine, but it really depends on what your definition of "comfortable" is. But Lincoln, compared to the rest of the U.S., is very affordable. So, if you can live comfortably in New Mexico then there is no reason you couldn't do it in Lincoln. You're not dealing with a jump in cost of living or anything. In fact, if anything, I would expect a reduction in your cost-of-living expenses.

Lincoln has an excellent Farmer's Market and is held on Saturdays down in the "Haymarket District" of Lincoln, which is located near the downtown area.

Mass transit. Well, that is one area that's a little weak in Lincoln. We do have a pretty extensive busing system, but the hours of operation are somewhat limited. It would depend on your needs. If you needed to get to and fro work everyday then it would be fine. But if you were wanting a combination of lightrail and buses that get you everywhere in the city, like those in Boston, NY or DC, then that's not found in Lincoln. The bus company is called "StarTran". You should be able to find their routes to see if one goes near your new job location.

As far as home location, pretty much all of Lincoln is equally affordable and, minus a few isolated area near the UNL campus, no areas of Lincoln are what I would deem undesirable. The homes in South Lincoln do tend to be a bit more expensive than equivalent models in North Lincoln, but its not prohibitively significant.

I tried touching on some of your questions. If you would want to give your new job location I could much better give you an idea of good housing, school, and transportation options. If you don't want to post it here you can pm me.
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Old 10-08-2007, 02:07 AM
 
34 posts, read 104,053 times
Reputation: 19
I lived in Lincoln for 3 years and loved it. I lived in a 2 br apt and had all electric utilities and it was some of the cheapest I have ever seen. Mattpoulsen has alot of good advice. I want to point out that when I lived there I had a friend who was into gaming/role playing and all that. Sometimes they met at a Hobby Lobby store so you may want to check there. There are a few small comic book/trading card stores around. without getting too specific i would look for housing east of 48th street. (the street numbers get bigger as you go east) Also the NW part of Lincoln is descent. By looking at the neighborhoods you would get an idea of the area. As for property I know Lincoln is listed on Rent.com and apartments.com. For Realty agents either Century or Woods Bros are the 2 biggest. Century deals with rentals too. Both have information online. My friends went to school in Lincoln and depending on the school had grade sizes of 300+. Lincoln is currently building more schools. Their website is Lincoln Public Schools | Home Page Hope this helps.
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Old 10-11-2007, 04:29 PM
 
300 posts, read 1,176,005 times
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My employer is relocating me from Albuquerque, NM to Lincoln in early November, so I wanted to get some information about the city and neighborhoods so I have an idea what I'm working with. Any information on the following questions/topics would be greatly appreciated:

* What are some of the "better", but affordable, areas of town? Are there any parts of town that should be avoided?
You would really have to look around. My husband and I live in southwest Lincoln in a 900 sqft 2 bedroom apartment for $450 a month.
But ususally, and of course there are areas where this is not true, but usually, the southern end of Lincoln (mostly passed Old Cheney or someplaces Highway 2) are expensive.



* What are the elementary and middle schools like (class sizes, teachers and administration, etc)? We've got a 14 year old and a 12 year old that sometimes find it difficult to make friends.
There are some great ones and some not so great. I worked in elementry and middle schools ALL over Lincoln. What I have come to realize, and this is MY opinion, is that kids in Southwest and East Lincoln are alot stuffier and mean. Kids in Northeast and middle-south Lincoln are alot more accepting. Of course there are jerks in EVERY school.
* I had lived in Utah for 14 years, so I'm accustomed to heavy snowfall in the winters (sometimes upward of 2-3 feet in a day or two). How bad are the winters really?
Nah. The winds are trouble sometimes. They can take some getting used to, but other than that, it's really not bad. Usually it snows here and then a few days later all the snow melts.

* I've come across more than a fair amount of information about Christian communities in my searches, but I'm more interested in any Pagan community information. Anything anyone could point me to?
Er.. I really can't help you with this. I personally don't know of any Pagan communities or anything like that. But, who knows?

* I don't plan on purchasing a home unless or until I really feel at home in Lincoln. As such, our family will be looking to rent. Any resources for apartments and homes for rent would be a plus, especially from locals.
Check out Journalstar.com they have alot of apartment rentals. Rent.com also has more upperscale apartment complexes.

* Along the same lines as my last blurb, what would the median rent cost be, on a monthy basis?
That also depends on where you live. I found though, that in nicer apartments and houses it's between $600 - $1000 a month.

* If there's anyone out there that knows anything about gaming/gamers, specifically collectible/trading card games, collectible miniature games, tabletop roleplaying games, etc, are there any good places to go to purchase games and/or play?
My husband is a gamer. There's a great place called Gauntlet Games. It's located at the address below.
3233 S 13th St Unit 1s
Lincoln, NE 68502
Hobby Lobby also has SOME things that you may be interested in.


* How would you rate the health care in Lincoln, and which health care/insurance providers are predominant in the area?
Good. We have some amazing places for people that can't afford healthcare to go. That says something. insurance providers - Bluecross/Blueshield of Nebraska is one that is really popular.

* Honestly, would my family be able to live comfortably on a $62,000 salary?
I'm sure you could. It all depends on the neighborhood you are living in. Again, the southern edge of Lincoln seems to be more expensive. Included in that are gas prices, grocery prices, and rent.

* If anybody could point me to additional information regarding farmer's markets, I'd appreciate it.
mattpoulsen answered that quite nicely. I think there's also one in Havelock. But, I dont know when.

* Is there a website with information about mass/public transit? If so, what is it?
Our mass transit isn't great. But if it's just a to and from work thing, then you're ok. But as your main transportation? I would think of another way.

* Parks and museums?
We have great museums, though they tend to cater to either adults or children. Most of them are on the UNL campus.
Parks? We have tons of those. Some just tiny and some huge. Like antelope park.


* This one may sound strange, but my wife and I love to visit very old cemetaries (specifically ones with larger headstones and mausoleums). I suppose it's our fascination with history, with a morbid twist. In any case, if there are any old-ish cemetaries in Lincoln, what would be some of the ones that have held up better?
Sorry, I really can't answer that. If I'm right, I think we only have two cemetaries in Lincoln. (someone correct me if I'm wrong) There are some older huge headstones in those two, but I dont know if they are what you are looking for.

* Our family enjoys a wide variety of cuisines. Are there many, or any, decent Italian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese or Indian restaurants in Lincoln, or would it be better to make the trek to Omaha?
There are some, but if you want a variety, go to Omaha. One of my favorite Japanese places is Showgun. The cook your food right in front of you with tricks and stuff. It's pretty cool. I've heard The Oven (I think thats the name) is a great Indian food restaurant. Never been there personally though. Chinese restaurants are somehting we have quite a bit of. Most of them are just american/chinese places that aren't "real" or anything. Jade Rivers is a great Chinese buffet.

Much thanks to anyone and everyone that can provide information in any area of inquiry!

Well, I hope that helped answer a few of your questions. Sorry that I couldn't be more help!
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Old 10-11-2007, 06:14 PM
 
98 posts, read 393,966 times
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Default Food

The Indian Oven, which is in the Old Market in Omaha, has AWESOME food. My husband took me there for my b-day, it was my first time, and I really enjoyed it. Right next door is Ahmad's, which is Persian and they also have really good food.

As far as I am concerned, Omaha has much more of a variety when it comes to food. Which is a given due to population.
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Old 10-16-2007, 06:30 PM
 
119 posts, read 515,783 times
Reputation: 114
Downtown Lincoln has some good night life and eating! If you ever get a night without the kids, check out the haymarket!
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Old 10-21-2007, 07:51 AM
 
Location: Albion, NE
5 posts, read 22,758 times
Reputation: 10
My twin lives in Roswell, N.M. and I do envy him! But if you are prepared for the sometimes harsh, long, winters...welcome! We visit Lincoln now and then and it has everything you can think of for a city! Other towns in Nebr. send their people to Lincoln for the best in healthcare and 3 stepsons attended Linc. schools and they were great.
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