A compliment to Southeastern Nebraska (Omaha, Lincoln: crime, homes, job transfer)

[amyjohi]

We (hubby, 10 yr old and myself) just got back from a 4 day trip to Beatrice.
While we were there, we checked out the towns of Fairbury, Wymore, Blue Springs, Odell, Diller and Dewitt. I have to say.. out of all the towns we drove around, we did not come across ONE rude person!
Heck, even the girl at the McDonald's drive thru was friendly!

Now, what really shocked me was that we had Oklahoma plates on our truck, which I figured that we would get rocks thrown at us....maybe our Okla State Cowboy plate on the front saved us!

I had the feeling while driving around that we had entered a different world. Everything was so clean and well maintained. It was like every town up there had a "Mayberry" feel to it! I kept waiting on Barney or Andy to step out of a store and give us a big ole welcome hug!

What impressed me the most was that there didnt seem to be any "wrong side of the tracks" part of any towns I mentioned!
Little kids playing in their front yards, smiling and waving as we drove by. They looked like they should be waving a flag and posing for a picture!

This trip was taken to see if we were really serious about a job transfer up there. After the 4 days, I'm ready to pack up and go!

I doubt alot of people from up there in the mentioned towns read this (who knows, they might) But if there are some....Thanks for being so nice and friendly! You made an excellent impression on these 3 Okies!

[tpabes]

Glad you like it so much. I remember you asking about those towns in a thread awhile back. Did you happen to choose a particular town you are looking to move too? Thanks for the kind words, even though I don't live in that area, those folks will sure appreciate it.

[Gunluvver2]

I live in Lincoln not Beatrice but I need to correct an impression you seem to have: Us Cornhuskers LOVE the OKlahoma Sooners. Of course we root for NU when we play OU but most of us want the Sooners to be #1 when Nebraska can't be it. I think the relationship is similar to two brothers always fighting.

BTW I think it is Nov. 1st that NU and OU play. It is already the talk of the town.

GL2

[ehenningsen]

That is true Oklahoma Sooners are our #2..

Most of us follow Oklahoma, as a friendly rival..

Now if you had Buffalo gear on your vehicle, you may have had a different welcoming interpretation

[amyjohi]

As far as towns, we really liked Fairbury...lots of homes to choose from with great prices. Only downfall would be the travel time for hubby. Then we came across Dewitt, and the Tri County school blew us away! It looks like it will be a great fit. We didnt have a chance to go to up to Wilber, but from the info I have found on here, sounds like it too is a very nice town.


As far as the sooners, I'm not a fan at ALL! As a matter of fact, my two favorite teams are OSU and whoever is playing ou! Being around them all the dang time, tends to push you over the edge! My Dad taught at Okla State and received his doctorate degree from there, so, its kinda a family deal! After reading some of the message boards on the college sites, I'm really shocked that Nebraska fans root for ou at all! That is not the impression I got!

LOL...as far as Colorado, I'm a Colorado State fan! I seem to always root for the underdog!

[crayfish]

Originally Posted by amyjohi

We (hubby, 10 yr old and myself) just got back from a 4 day trip to Beatrice.
While we were there, we checked out the towns of Fairbury, Wymore, Blue Springs, Odell, Diller and Dewitt. I have to say.. out of all the towns we drove around, we did not come across ONE rude person!
Heck, even the girl at the McDonald's drive thru was friendly!

Now, what really shocked me was that we had Oklahoma plates on our truck, which I figured that we would get rocks thrown at us....maybe our Okla State Cowboy plate on the front saved us!

I had the feeling while driving around that we had entered a different world. Everything was so clean and well maintained. It was like every town up there had a "Mayberry" feel to it! I kept waiting on Barney or Andy to step out of a store and give us a big ole welcome hug!

What impressed me the most was that there didnt seem to be any "wrong side of the tracks" part of any towns I mentioned!
Little kids playing in their front yards, smiling and waving as we drove by. They looked like they should be waving a flag and posing for a picture!

This trip was taken to see if we were really serious about a job transfer up there. After the 4 days, I'm ready to pack up and go!

I doubt alot of people from up there in the mentioned towns read this (who knows, they might) But if there are some....Thanks for being so nice and friendly! You made an excellent impression on these 3 Okies!

I'm glad you enjoyed your visit to Nebraska so much. If you like small towns and rural areas, I think you have some good ideas of where to live in Nebraska. Overall, Nebraska is a very safe state and inexpensive. We really don't have any cities with major crime problems. The city with the most crime is Omaha, and I have never encountered any crime while I was there. Two things I should warn you about: First, you might have a hard time finding a job in Nebraska's smaller cities. Second, Nebraska winters are terrible! We are supposed to have an especially bad winter this year.
I know this is common sense, but be very careful here if you have to drive in heavy snow or any other bad conditions due to the weather this winter.
We also have a lot of ice, which was the cause of quite a few car accidents last year.

[Moving South?]

As a former resident of Lincoln for 30 years, with a short time on an acreage outside Beatrice, those towns do have a certain "Mayberry" feel about them. There are a lot of nice folks. However, like many small towns, you should be aware that you are an "outsider" and there's nothing you can do to not be an outsider. Your kids can date "insiders", you can go to church, join organizations, your kids can go to school there for their entire 12 years, yet you will be an 'outsider'. Be prepared.

Also, be prepared for very few job opportunities in those towns.

I love Nebraska and will always consider myself a Cornhusker (American by birth, Husker by the grace of GOD), and will probably be planted in Nebraska when I'm done here, but be careful about the Norman Rockwell picture. Good Luck!

[ehenningsen]

Originally Posted by Moving South?

As a former resident of Lincoln for 30 years, with a short time on an acreage outside Beatrice, those towns do have a certain "Mayberry" feel about them. There are a lot of nice folks. However, like many small towns, you should be aware that you are an "outsider" and there's nothing you can do to not be an outsider. Your kids can date "insiders", you can go to church, join organizations, your kids can go to school there for their entire 12 years, yet you will be an 'outsider'. Be prepared.

Also, be prepared for very few job opportunities in those towns.

I love Nebraska and will always consider myself a Cornhusker (American by birth, Husker by the grace of GOD), and will probably be planted in Nebraska when I'm done here, but be careful about the Norman Rockwell picture. Good Luck!

You are right about some small towns... and there is NO arguing with that!!

However, I wouldn't be too worried either, especially if you've done a little bit of research to find the places to move to.... the right ones for that matter...