Returning to Nebraska? Highly considering. (Omaha, Lincoln: 2013, rent, crime)

[themadpoet1]

I left Nebraska at the end of 2010 and went to Columbus Ohio where I've been since. I've only been able to visit Nebraska twice since then; 2012 and 2013. Over the last few years, central Ohio is just getting more ghetto by the minute. The level of poverty growing here is frightening. Although the city is experiencing a lot of gentrification, the outer parts of the city are doing just the opposite, slowly but surely turning into ghetto with classless individuals, pan-handlers and thugs everywhere. On paper Columbus looks good. Lots of job growth. Low unemployment rate. But I find that a tremendous amount of the population here are on welfare. It didn't used to be so bad here until 3-4 years ago, now it gets worse and worse. I lived in Lincoln for quite awhile and I miss it there. It's so much more modest there. You can rent cheap and not have to worry about getting robbed in your own neighborhood. It's taken me years to realize the subtle things Nebraska has to offer that I lost. Peace and quiet, less nut-jobs, thunderstorms, modest living, cheaper rent, affordable tuition, etc. I hope one day I can make it back there.

[denimflyz]

Hello Mad Poet,
I live in North Platte, and it is becoming a ghetto also, especially the north side. I would say, a large portion is on welfare. We also have a huge lack of housing. What housing there is is outrageous in rent, compared to the urban areas.
I know dope is all over, but we have a huge problem with it, and people are becoming very aggressive, more than I've noticed since I shut my mom's business down 15 years ago. I have reopened the shop, it's a seamstress and needlepoint business, and the aggressive people that come in is amazing.
I haven't been to Columbus for quite a long time. I have been looking on the Spokane Washington site, looking around the small communities for relocation for us. North Platte is getting a large city feel, and I'm tired of it, was born and raised here, but even a native gets tired of the cesspool.
I'm not sure how you would go about searching. I have called several chamber of commerce offices in WA to get info.
It's hard to know. I gather you may be younger? We are in pre-retired mode, and it's a heavy decision to make because of our age.
I have been warned that in WA, newbies are treated with disdain, but that goes on here as well.
Keep your eyes on the horizon, and something make break.
Regards
Vicki

[RememberMee]

Perhaps you should start your quest by talking to a shrink to unravel the root cause of all your manias and fears. Once the root cause was isolated, you may proceed to narrowing down a friendly compound accomodating folks just like you. Seriously, what are you to be so above some other people? You imagination is way out of whack on"ghetto" going to get you in Columbus. I am serious about a shrink, or you could use this thread as a psycho therapy tool, talk it out, man.

[themadpoet1]

i don't consider myself above most people. But I do consider myself above people who throw trash everywhere on the streets, people who trash the world around them. People who are criminals and thugs. That's not arrogance, that's having good standards! Why would I want to live in an area with a bunch of disgusting people with no morals whatsoever? Perhaps you live in a fantasy land about what I call ghetto. You think I'm exaggerating or that it hardly exists. Go outside of Nebraska for once. Go see for yourself. Not only that, try living in a crappy area for awhile. I'm surn that you would want to get out as well. I don't care about living in an area of like-mindedness. I've lived in extremely liberal places before and it doesn't bother me. I care about living in a place that has good standards.

[Linda_d]

Originally Posted by themadpoet1

i don't consider myself above most people. But I do consider myself above people who throw trash everywhere on the streets, people who trash the world around them. People who are criminals and thugs. That's not arrogance, that's having good standards! Why would I want to live in an area with a bunch of disgusting people with no morals whatsoever? Perhaps you live in a fantasy land about what I call ghetto. You think I'm exaggerating or that it hardly exists. Go outside of Nebraska for once. Go see for yourself. Not only that, try living in a crappy area for awhile. I'm surn that you would want to get out as well. I don't care about living in an area of like-mindedness. I've lived in extremely liberal places before and it doesn't bother me. I care about living in a place that has good standards.

Most metros have nice neighborhoods, not-so-nice neighborhoods, and crappy neighborhoods. Don't tell me that's not just as true about Omaha and Lincoln as it is about Columbus, OH or Buffalo, NY or Erie, PA. Maybe you just didn't notice that when you lived in Nebraska 5 or 6 years ago.

When I lived in Lincoln about 40 years ago, some of the streets to the north and east of the university were unpaved and lined with what I would certainly consider shacks rather than houses, so they were definitely poor. You just didn't notice them in the nicer parts of town ...

[Garthur]

I'm a native Nebraskan. Lived in Omaha until I was 30 and now I live outside of Omaha for the last 32 years.

I can say that I'm not concerned for my safety any where in Omaha or Lincoln. I spend several days I week in ether location. I have never been the victim of crime or violence. I leave my keys in the car a lot of times and have never had a problem.

The OP has a right to live in a place that's is safe and affordable. No one should blame her for that.

People have been brain washed to think that there is no place that has a better standard of living to help to justify there location, I understand this.

Maybe it's just safer here because almost everybody here owns guns and the bad guys know this. It's not uncommon to hear of a break-in where the criminals were killed or wounded, it makes the other criminals rethink their profession.

[Ivory Lee Spurlock]

Originally Posted by themadpoet1

I left Nebraska at the end of 2010 and went to Columbus Ohio where I've been since. I've only been able to visit Nebraska twice since then; 2012 and 2013. Over the last few years, central Ohio is just getting more ghetto by the minute. The level of poverty growing here is frightening. Although the city is experiencing a lot of gentrification, the outer parts of the city are doing just the opposite, slowly but surely turning into ghetto with classless individuals, pan-handlers and thugs everywhere. On paper Columbus looks good. Lots of job growth. Low unemployment rate. But I find that a tremendous amount of the population here are on welfare. It didn't used to be so bad here until 3-4 years ago, now it gets worse and worse. I lived in Lincoln for quite awhile and I miss it there. It's so much more modest there. You can rent cheap and not have to worry about getting robbed in your own neighborhood. It's taken me years to realize the subtle things Nebraska has to offer that I lost. Peace and quiet, less nut-jobs, thunderstorms, modest living, cheaper rent, affordable tuition, etc. I hope one day I can make it back there.

When the good people move away from a neighborhood when an undesirable family moves in, they just pretty much turn the neighborhood over to the undesirables they don't want living there.

That's what I never understood about good people, is how they are so willing to give up their neighborhoods when an undesirable moves in.

Good people will let undesirable people take over a public park. Say, for example, they read in the newspaper of a good person who was robbed by an undesireable person in the park. So, instead of the good people showing up in full force at the park for their pleasure as a way to make a public statement that the undesireable people are not going to take over the park, the good people will simply stop going to the park, until there's nobody who goes to that park but undesireable people. Its the same way with the neighborhoods. And cities, in general, good people moving far away as possible from the undesireable people.

[themadpoet1]

I don't think that good people giving up a neighborhood happens quickly. It's a slow, gradual decaying process over years. The good people move out slowly, 1 by one, until there's few left. But you're right it's unfortunate that people don't fight for their neighborhood to keep it nice.

[carolinawilliams]

After reading through your post and all of the responses I can see where you're coming from in regards to missing Nebraska's "subtleties" with how safe the area is. If you're interested in relocating to the area and having that safe hometown feel I would recommend the suburbs of Omaha such as Bellevue, Papillion, La Vista, Ralston, Gretna, Or Springfield. All of these small suburban towns offer that safe community you're looking for! I hope if you do decide to relocate to the metro area that your transition is quick smooth and stress free! I've lived in the Papillion area for close to 2 years and we love it! Let me know if I can help with anything.