Moving to Offutt~ Desperatly seeking advice!!! (Omaha, Bellevue: cul-de-sac, fit in, apartments)

[C.J.]

Hello! Im in need of some advice! I am 26, and my husband is in the Air Force. He will be gone a lot, and I need some advice as to where to live. We married over the summer, and I made the mistake of finding my current home near Lackland AFB out of a listing book, without much regard to the neighborhood. I've had to call the police several times due to stalkers. Ive been followed home by strange men, and harrassed on several occassions. There must be a shortage of blondes in this town~ I am afraid to leave my home past dark. I cant live like this any longer!! I need some advice on where to live near Offutt. Can anyone help me, please?? I have little time to make this decision, and would greatly appreciate any words of wisdom. Thank you for your time!!

[Steve_W]

I would say if you are just avoiding creepy stalker type dudes sporting many different specimens and sub species of mullets, just avoid Council Bluffs. Also, there have be unsubstantiated sightings of a mullet subtype once thought to be extinct in the early 90's, "The Mulletino or also called, Mexi-Mullet" found in South Omaha just north of Bellevue(offutt afb). Now spotting one of them creepy fellas is not always as easy as you may think, you have to be very cunning. You will notice it's streamlined look with the absence of sideburns. Most Mulletinos like to accessorize their mullets with snake skin boots, large metal beltbuckles, silk shirts (with rooster prints) and colored jeans.

Does that help? =-)

[C.J.]

LoL! I appreciate the tip!! I am still unsure of where to live, though.. I will avoid council bluffs, but any advice on where I should live? I just want a safe neighborhood.. I do not have any kids, so school districts dont matter to me.. Just safety.. Also, whats the winter like in NE? I'm a southern belle, and have no clue about the climate in NE.. Thanks again for your help Steve!!!!

[Dave1215]

Originally Posted by C.J.

Hello! Im in need of some advice! I am 26, and my husband is in the Air Force. He will be gone a lot, and I need some advice as to where to live.

Check out Papillion, it is just west of Bellevue (where Offutt is). It was just named the 6th Best Place in the United States to Live by CNN/Money Magazine. No other town in Nebraska made the list. City of Papillion

You can find homes in any price range and there are quite a few places to rent if you need that option. Schools are great if you have little ones. Good variety of churches. Great park system, good trails that are interconnected with the rest of the trails in Omaha.

Also LaVista to the North of Papillion, then Ralston. All are good choices - low crime.

If you want more rural (away from Omaha) go south of Bellevue to Plattsmouth.

Hope that starts helping you out.

[theomahaforum]

Ralston, Lavista, or Papillion is your best bet. Close enough to the city and far enough from all the craziness. Trouble can happen anywhere but I feel safe living specifically in Lavista.

[ralleia]

The area of Bellevue from 25th to 36th streets (east to west) and between Capehart and Platteview roads (north to south) is quite nice and virtually teeming with active duty and military retirees. It was the nicest neighborhood I've ever lived in. Just in my little cul-de-sac we had Air Force (me), retired Air Force, two retired Navy and one active duty Marine.

My gorgeous 3000 sq-foot house was about $180,000 back then (five years ago). Fortunately for you it is a buyers market at the moment with a number of houses sitting on the market due to tightening mortgages and other factors.

"Old Town Bellevue" on the east side of the base is less expensive with smaller houses, but I am not confident about the neighborhoods there.

Papillion/La Vista/Ralston are quite high-priced, though nice areas. It is also a longer drive to the base.

I would NOT recommend Plattsmouth, the town where I now live that is 16 miles south of Offutt. We have neighborhood stalkers harassing my family and the day care across the street and talk to police and prosecutors regularly. I expect to be in court next week to testify as a witness. An exception to the Plattsmouth warning would be the extreme north portion (Buccaneer Bay area). It's far from Plattsmouth town center and has a lot of nice houses.

I've lived in the area about ten years now--my husband is retired Navy currently working as a govt civilian on the base; I'm a former Air Force comm officer then govt civilian now stay-at-home mom/engineering student. Feel free to email me directly if you would like information on different suburbs.

-Kris

Oops--meant to give you this website that has a lot of home listings to give you an idea what to expect: Home

[Dave1215]

Originally Posted by ralleia

Papillion/La Vista/Ralston are quite high-priced, though nice areas.

That's an overly broad statement. Between Papillion/LaVista/Ralston you can find every price range. Don't discount them without looking. Every price range is supported between the 3.

[Steve_W]

Don't forget Glenwood, Iowa. Very quick access to Offutt and a nice town(about 7,000) with many new subdivisions around the area. All price ranges are present also.

[kosnebbear]

When you get to Offutt AFB go to the housing office, which is something that you will have to do anyway and check in to sign up for government base housing unit. You might get lucky and get one right away and be able to live right on Offutt. They also have lisitings of places where you can stay as well. Most of these locations have been checked out by the housing office for problems like bad housing, crime rate, location from the base, access to public transportation and above all cost.

Here is the link to Offutt AFB Housing Unit so that you can read about housing in the area.

Fact Sheets : Offutt Air Force Base Housing Information : Offutt Air Force Base Housing Information

I know this as I am retired from military service and married.

Welcome to Nebraska and enjoy your stay.

[Dave1215]

Here is some info that might jumpstart things for you…. This is focused on Papillion a suburban area. If looking for Rural or Urban then would have some different thoughts. More Rural would be the suggestions like Glenwood... more Urban would be the inner/older parts of Omaha (but be real careful of area if looking this direction - repost for opinions on good/bad areas)

Papillion Specific Info (can't go wrong)
Lots of Texans in Papillion and also lots of retired military end up in Papillion (didn't want to come to Nebraska but once here decided to retire and stay)

For Apartments:
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I do not live in an apartment and am not a renter, so this is not a recommendation. No idea of management quality or rents, but would be one that I would check out if I was moving into an apartment and wanted to keep rents down., but have you looked at:

Here are ones that appear to be kept up nicely, I have never heard of any problems with them, they are not large, most are in walking distance to a school and park, all are close to one of the nicest malls in the Metro area (ShadowLake Towne Center), close to churches, close to a regional park with a small lake and great outdoor amphitheatre, close to junior highs and high schools.

All in Papillion, NE (other local options being LaVista or Ralston)
The Aspens 402-592-9305;
Gold Coast apartments 1213 Gold Coast Rd 402-339-8773
Meridian Club 402-331-4242 (probably the nicest of all I've mentioned – at least from the outside);
Monarch Group 1120 Delmar;
Papillion Heights 402-331-3931;
Park Terrace 402-345-3400
Tara Hills Villa 402-339-3665; and
Village at Papillion 1605 Barrington Parkway.

There are some others in Papillion that appear a little less well kept so I did not list them. None of the ones listed are huge complexes - they are all tucked into residential areas and fit in nicely.

If after all of that you budget still needs something on the lower end there are 3 or 4 I could list as well.

For Homes:
---------------
Lower price range check the original part of Papillion. Older homes, little smaller, generally kept up well, close to schools, parks and churches.

You can also find moderate priced and also very high end homes. To buy, both previous owner and new construction. Many many options if buying.

Century 21 – Papillion has a longtime presence in the area. Also have some realtors that have been in the area a long time and you see a lot of their signs. Their number is 402-339-2001. I have no interest in this company or any of their realtors, but they are probably the most widely seen. There are other good ones as well. Check out the Chamber of Commerce directory or the local Omaha Board of Realtors for other names and options.

Misc
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City of Papillion: City of Papillion
Papillion LaVista Schools: Papillion-La Vista Public Schools (http://www.paplv.esu3.org - broken link)
Sarpy Chamber of Commerce: Sarpy County Chamber of Commerce
Shadow Lake Towne Center: Shadow Lake Towne Center - Home


Hope this helps.