Holdrege, NE (Omaha, Kearney, Elkhorn: rent, daycares, how much)

[Singlemom2specialneeds]

Any feedback on living in Holdrege?
I am in Phoenix, grew up in SW Kansas and visited Holdrege yearly because my mother's family is there.
I am looking for info on jobs, the public school, etc...
Any info is appreciated!!
PS I am a single parent of a special needs child!!

[Gretchen B]

Sounds like we've trekked a similar path. I grew up in NW Kansas, moved to so. central Nebraska (via Denver) and presently live in Prescott, AZ. I lived in a neighboring town to Holdrege. School system will be good (most Nebraska towns have GREAT schools). Employment there will be tough. Not a lot of good paying jobs in rural Nebraska. If I remember correctly, there is some sort of manufacturing plant there which probably pays pretty well. Housing will be VERY reasonable, especially compared with Phx. Nebraska has some pretty good programs for special needs, too. For jobs, you might check out Job Service online. Most businesses in rural Nebraska usually post their job openings through Job Service.

[Singlemom2specialneeds]

Originally Posted by Gretchen B

Sounds like we've trekked a similar path. I grew up in NW Kansas, moved to so. central Nebraska (via Denver) and presently live in Prescott, AZ. I lived in a neighboring town to Holdrege. School system will be good (most Nebraska towns have GREAT schools). Employment there will be tough. Not a lot of good paying jobs in rural Nebraska. If I remember correctly, there is some sort of manufacturing plant there which probably pays pretty well. Housing will be VERY reasonable, especially compared with Phx. Nebraska has some pretty good programs for special needs, too. For jobs, you might check out Job Service online. Most businesses in rural Nebraska usually post their job openings through Job Service.

Yes, it does seem we have trekked a VERY similar path. You can't imagine how much I HATE Arizona. It's horrible.. out of the entire Phoenix METRO area, only 3 daycares will take my daughter AND they are out of school district which means the bus will not come and pick her up???
I think you are correct about Holdrege, I know BD is there and there is also a call center (believe it or not!!) that I may check out. I am just nervous because I am SINGLE and only 28 years old.. I don't want to be single forever

[kosnebbear]

My family lives in Holdrege and the plant that is just on the west edge of Holdrege is call B&D on US Highway 6&34 or 4th Avenue.

They make medical supplies there. They do pay well. Holdrege is a nice town. The people there for the most part are friendly. You have a small shopping center on the norht side of town US Hwy 183 or Burlington Street.

You might go to the web site for the Kearney Hub to check on jobs in the Holdrege area. The local newspaper in Holdrege is call the Daily Citizen, but they do not have a web site where you can check on jobs. You might have your family living there start checking for you and send you job listings that you might like.

If you want to know more let me know.

Good luck in your move.

[Gretchen B]

Have you thought about Kearney? I always liked Kearney when we lived in Nebraska. There's lots to do there (by comparison to the little towns), it's a college town, and the job market pays better with more opportunities. It's still fairly small, about 30,000 or so, and I would bet you'd find alot more help with special needs for your child. Kearney is one of the few places in Nebraska I'd consider if we had to move back to Nebraska. btw, I love it up here in Prescott. Have you checked it out? I totally understand why you hate Phx--talk about urban sprawl. I just never go down there unless I have to pick somebody up from the airport. Anyway, hope you find the right combination of town/job/special needs help.

[babycoleslaw]

Single Mom,
I'm in Elkhorn, NE just west of Omaha and have 3 kiddos...my oldest has Down syndrome and just started kindergarten w/ his peers. He is thriving! The schools here are fantastic and the jobs are good. The homes in Elkhorn are a bit more expensive but there are some areas where they are more reasonable.
We are actually relocating to Oregon next summer and although I'm excited about that I'm dreading the school switch.
Good luck to you!!

[Anywhere but Holdrege]

Holdrege was one of the worst places I have ever lived. The people are rude and very unwelcoming of newcomers! I would think twice about moving their. Try Kearny instead. If you move to Holdrege you will drive to Kearny all the time for everything! What little thier is in Holdrege isn't worth the time of day including medical care.

[lproctor]

I was born and raised in Holdrege, moved to Kearney to go to college, then moved to the twin cities, MN where I presently live. Holdrege is a great town and here is why. In order to get a decent job in Kearney you either have to have experience in a field or have a degree why you might ask? Well, it's because all those college students who flood that town take up the retail, food and even manufactering jobs. It's easier to get a job in Holdrege A Lot easier. My neices go and live with their grandmother in the summer for just that reason. I have been almost around the world. The people in Holdrege are nice, yes they can be a little clicky like any community, but if ya smile alot and say Hi they will definately welcome you. Holdrege has a great school system. My mother was a teacher for years there and she ended up getting her master's degree in LD education. Holdrege is very progressive when it comes to special needs children. Also Holdrege has some great amenities about the town. I have been in hospitals and Holdrege's hospital has technical services that even some of the hospitals don't have here in Minneapolis. Holdrege just built a new YMCA that is huge with state of the art equipment with your special needs child this might be a bonus. The arts are huge in Holdrege with The Tassel bringing in major productions from around the country. The retail services is kinda weak. Especially clothes shopping...there are clothes shops but not many. And the other weakness Holdrege has is they don't have an upper scale resturaunt. Of course with the size I guess that is to be a little expected. Other wise it's not a bad place to live...it can smell like cow manuer on occasion from the corp cattle feeds that are close by. Other wise it's a great place. You can rent a house for about 375 to 450 a month. Good luck on your search. Just an after note yes there are single guys there...they might seem a little hickish but that is my opinion! May God direct your path.

[combiner]

This last summer my boyfriend worked for Schemper Harvesting. Due to unpreventable and unforseen events, he had to quit suddenly, causing him to leave some of his belongings behind. Naturally a normal employer or person would send a person's things to him, but not in this case. It has been over 5 months since the unfortunate event and still no belongings. If anybody has any ideas how to get my boyfriend's stuff back for him, post.

Thanks

[star_gazer]

lproctor... I realize Holdrege and the surrounding area are big enough, this is probably a futile question to ask... but were you by any chance aware of a circular shaped farm house outside of town... it has/had a dome in the middle of the roof which was usually lit up in some color as well. My mother's aunt and her husband lived there before they both eventually passed away. At least back in the 70's/80's... it was fairly well known... according to my mother's cousin. Unfortunately, my memory is failing me at the moment... I can't recall their name.