Lincoln Nebraska (Omaha, Grand Island, St. Paul: amusement park, condos, house)

[MattDen]

Originally Posted by new2pa

I'm married with 3 kids and I still don't have any friends (I've lived in Lincoln over 12 yrs!) !!!
Don't get me wrong, Lincoln has been a great experience for me and my family and we are sad to leave (new job awaiting). As a foreigner living here I will say that people are extremely friendly on the outside but, at least for us, it has been impossible to form real friendships outside of the University circle of other foreigners or of local Lincoln natives who have lived abroad for some time. The fact that we are not affiliated with any church doesn't help either as nearly everyone seems to be active in some kind of church or another. Still, Lincoln remains a very nice place to live and raise a family and as I said before, we will miss it when we go.

Its bizzare Lincoln people dont like meeting new people. Thats part of the reason why Lincoln has a big budget deficit and lots of problems is because they disdain meeting new people thus no new ideas.

Personally, Ive met people here from other states that I can have a good conversation with but people from Nebraska unless they have lived outside of the state I tend not to have anything in common with them and they dont have any in common with me either. Which is okay because I have no interest in talking about their state's flagship universities football team hasnt been talented enough to win a championship in at least decade and has a tendency to lose quite a few football games every year also.

Alot of the reason why its impossible to meet people here is because Lincolnites when they talk they usually gossip about their friends and co-workers. Other then that they talk about football alot also but and thats it. I guess since alot of Nebraskans are from towns of 100 people that are flat and have no cultural amenities with-in a days drive they pretty much only have to look forward to the dozen or so times a year thet their state's medium-sized flagship universities football team plays so thats what they have a ability to talk about in a social setting.

I cant blame them for not being inclusionary, because people are just gossiping its hard to join in on a conversation if you dont know the person they are gossiping about.

Ive personally been more bored with the vast majority of people here, I have met a few people here but around here from other states who go to colege here but if your not from a small-town and devoutly religious its hard to fit in. Personally, I prefer a social life different then the social life in Lincoln. The social life in Lincoln is mainly prayer circles that last for half an hour in public and gossip constantly behinds their supposed friends backs.

[Rumblebelly]

Originally Posted by MattDen

Its bizzare Lincoln people dont like meeting new people. Thats part of the reason why Lincoln has a big budget deficit and lots of problems is because they disdain meeting new people thus no new ideas.

Personally, Ive met people here from other states that I can have a good conversation with but people from Nebraska unless they have lived outside of the state I tend not to have anything in common with them and they dont have any in common with me either. Which is okay because I have no interest in talking about their state's flagship universities football team hasnt been talented enough to win a championship in at least decade and has a tendency to lose quite a few football games every year also.

Alot of the reason why its impossible to meet people here is because Lincolnites when they talk they usually gossip about their friends and co-workers. Other then that they talk about football alot also but and thats it. I guess since alot of Nebraskans are from towns of 100 people that are flat and have no cultural amenities with-in a days drive they pretty much only have to look forward to the dozen or so times a year thet their state's medium-sized flagship universities football team plays so thats what they have a ability to talk about in a social setting.

I cant blame them for not being inclusionary, because people are just gossiping its hard to join in on a conversation if you dont know the person they are gossiping about.

Ive personally been more bored with the vast majority of people here, I have met a few people here but around here from other states who go to colege here but if your not from a small-town and devoutly religious its hard to fit in. Personally, I prefer a social life different then the social life in Lincoln. The social life in Lincoln is mainly prayer circles that last for half an hour in public and gossip constantly behinds their supposed friends backs.

More generalizations.....thanks Matt.

Not everyone in Lincoln is religious (actually below the natl avg if you wanna look it up) and not everyone is a Husker fan. I have no idea what type of people you've been hanging out/working with or what kind of traumatic experiences you've had in your short 6 months stay but your posts says it all.

BTW, Jesus loves you.

[ehenningsen]

It is a good city of just under 300,000 (metro wise) and the east end of lincoln is just 35 minutes from the SW side of Omaha, many advantages to living here versus other places, however, as mattden and the other girl proved, there will be some that don't like the city, but that is the way it is anywhere you go... it really depends on what you are looking for, tell me what are you looking for when you relocate?

[MattDen]

Originally Posted by Rumblebelly

More generalizations.....thanks Matt.

Not everyone in Lincoln is religious (actually below the natl avg if you wanna look it up) and not everyone is a Husker fan. I have no idea what type of people you've been hanging out/working with or what kind of traumatic experiences you've had in your short 6 months stay but your posts says it all.

The social conservatism in Lincoln is stiffling, it doesnt have any moderate on social leanings like Omaha. Lincolnites tend to see things in black and white with no gray areas. For example, if someone is in their mid 20s and not married and doesnt have a baby they see that as a problem and that person is weird. Which is bizzare because in Lincoln they dont see people who have had half a dozen babies and cant afford them as making bad decisions. Its just a very, very extreme and in-your face social conservatism here thats hard to explain in Lincoln. Omaha is far from a liberal city but after Lincoln it feels extremely socially liberal in comparison.

Lincoln is like a combination of extreme socially conservatism (better get married and have a large family to fit in) and extreme fiscal liberalism (the vast majority of the people here believe that if a family doesnt have enough to raise their 5 babies then its the employers fault and they also love tax increases here). One has to actually live here to see what I am talking about.

Omaha is more politically somewhat moderate with insular social leanings where people tend to not be judgemental and absolutist so much in their beliefs.

I even talked to a guy from Utah who thought that Utah is not as socially conservative as Lincoln.

[kosnebbear]

Wish we could just forget about April and May so that you can move to Ohio that much quicker. This way your life will be much better and you won't become more traumatized than it already has been by having to put up with so many socially conservatives living in Lincoln. Did you ever stop to think that just maybe it is you with the problems and not all of the people living in Lincoln?

[Mosaic]

Thanks kosnebbear, I will be working at UNL. My price range is flexible ($400-$650) as most of them are cheaper than what I'm paying here in CA. So far I like the apartments next to the country club, on old cheney road or near holmes lake, but they seem to be "far" from the university. I'm interested in there are comparable apartments that are closer to UNL and yet is just as nice.
Thanks for the link, it's quite helpful.

[new2pa]

Mosaic, when I was in grad school at UNL I lived in the Haymarket area. The apartments there are wonderful!!!!! At that time (10 yrs ago) it cost about 400$ for a VERY large one bedroom with a huge Kitchen area and living room. There are two buildings that work on the same concept in the Haymarket and I think the apartments are beautiful in both. The one we lived in was called the "Hardy" building. Even though you are not very close to a golf course, you can walk to UNL and night-life, restaurants, theaters, coffee shops are all right there. I would have stayed there indefinitely if we hadn't had children and bought a house. Look into that, good luck!!

[Clogger4Life]

Hi, we are considering a move to Lincoln from Knoxville Tennessee. I have read everyones blogs but have some specific questions not addressed. Knoxville is not like the big cities that Lincoln is being compared to. However we do have great outdoor stuff; like camping, boating, parks, mountains. My family is very "out-doorsy". We don't really mind if there isn't a symphony or class act restaurants. We want clean air, friendly people, and stuff for the kids to do. Are there roller rinks, ice rinks, good parks (with shade; TREES!!!), walking trails, camping areas, movie theatres, a mall? open water? Are there any good community pools? Any amusement parks within a couple hours...nothing huge like Disney....just asking. We have an awesome water park about an hour and a half away (Dollywood Splash Country), the kids love it and it would be great if there was something comprable within a couple hours drive.

I do see that cost of living is higher in Lincoln than Knoxville, that's distressing. What about tax on food? Does NE tax food and clothing? I know we have a hefty food tax, but then we don't pay nearly what you do for property tax.

Also, safety is a big concern. Is driving really as bad as it reads on this blog. TN. is supposedly one of the WORST states for driving, but I haven't really noticed it being all that bad. FL is rated as the worst, so how does NE compare to these states?

Anyone who can answer specifically, without negative generalizations would be GREATLY appreciated!!!!

[MattDen]

Food is mainly tax exempt except if its like from the hot case in the grocery store or at restaurants.

7% sales tax on clothes, Minnesota is close though and they are tax-exempt on clothing puchases.

Property tax rate about: 2,000 dollars per 100,000 home value.

Lincoln drivers are average. They arent cautious because they always tend to have a cell-phone in their ear. They drive about the speed limit, but alot of times you have people who come up here on the weekends from rural areas and they tend to drive very badly and extremely fast.

Dont know about Knoxville but they drive faster here then they did in Ohio or Kentucky. People here arent very observant when they drive either its that ear in the cell-phone distracting them.

Drivers in Lincoln arent polite or rude, they are fairly average but on the weekends lots of people from rural Nebraska come up here they have different license plates for rural Nebraska and they tend to very un-observant, fast and rude drivers.

[kosnebbear]

Sorry that your first answer came from MattDen.

First there are many different areas that you and your family can go to to enjoy the out doors. Just north west of Lincoln is Branched Oak Lake. They have several beaches where you can go for a swim. It is a large lake where if you have a boat you can enjoy skiing as well. There are several smaller lakes where you can go to and fish. These smaller lakes have speed restrictions and what kind of boats are allowed. All of these areas you can camp out as well at.

You are within a few hours of two amusement parks in the area. You can check both out on line. There is Adventureland in Des Moines Iowa and Worlds of Fun/Oceans of Fun in Kansas City. We also have one of the finest zoos in the world in Omaha, it is the Henry Doorley Zoo, which you can also check out on line. Lincoln also has a small zoo that is set up with children in mind. Lincoln has a small water park on the south side of town, but it nothing more than a large swimming pool. Grand Island on the other hand has a very nice water park that has a wave machine, it is Island Oasis Water Park. So there is a lot for your children to do and see here in Nebraska. This is only about one and half hours west of Lincoln by using I-80.

Most of our food here is tax free. You will have to pay sales tax on prepared food items only that have been cooked and served to you. I know that the sales tax rate is at .05 for every $1.00 spent, but some cities will had on a city wide sales tax as well. The las time I was in Lincoln they have added on a .015 sales tax on top of the .05 sales tax that the state has made state wide. As for property taxes being to high is a big issue with us here. You need to look at the property taxes that I am paying. I am paying more than most in Lincoln has to pay and I live is a smaller community about 30 minutes away. We don't like our high property taxes either.

Lincoln has the children's museum that is downtown close to the Universtiy of Nebraska-Lincoln campus. There are many roller skating rinks in the Lincoln area as well. Did you know that the National Roller Skating Museum is also located in Lincoln and that we host the National Junior Roller Skating Championships in Lincoln as well. Lincoln has a golf course just for kids as well. They have youth baseball, softball, football, volleyball, tennis, and most other sports for kids as well.

Lincoln has a very nice and large walking and biking trail system that you can use to go from one side of town to the other side. These trails are well maintained and are being added to every year.

As for the drivers in Lincoln, you will find that most of the drivers to in clude those rude country folks like me that MattDen hates so much are very good drivers and will be driving safely. Just like in Knoxville you will have those knotheads who will be driving some where else in their minds and not watching out at what they are doing. Nebraska is working on a state law that will make it a traffic offense if you are talking on a cell phone and driving your car.

I hope that I have given you some of the information that you are looking for.