would like to move but first visit... (Omaha, Lincoln: crime, home)

[GenG1022]

Thanks lisalynn

[tpabes]

Originally Posted by lisalynn

Grand Island is a great place, small town feeling but large enough to have a few things to do. There is Central Community College and the Doane Campus where you can finish your degree, and at this time I believe they are taking applications for police officers for the City of Grand Island.
I live 4 miles from work, it takes me 9 minutes to get here, "If I don't have to wait for the turkeys to cross the road".
It is also close enough to Lincoln and Omaha if you want to get away for the weekend and take in a few shows.
http://grand-island.com

Also look into the other cities of the tri-city area: Kearney and Hastings, both really good towns. There is also a State Patrol headquarters in Grand Island.

If you like the idea of Omaha, but want smaller, I would also look into Fremont.

[Gunluvver2]

Gen one thing to keep in mind about Nebraska vs living in NYC: The cost of things anywhere in Nebraska is a lot less. Although wages are not going to be as high as a similar job in the Queens a lot of things will be much cheaper anywhere in Nebraska. Things like taxes, electricity, housing, groceries, medical, entertainment etc.

As an example how much would a 60 year old 3 bedroom home of 1,200 sq feet on a 60' x 150' lot cost? In some parts of Nebraska you can find such a house for less than $60,000 and even in Omaha or Lincoln you could find something like that for under $110,000. Car insurance? In Nebraska the typical house includes a one or two stall garage. Can you have a garden spot in the Queens? Just about every house in Nebraska has space for a lawn or a garden spot.

What kind of lifestyle could you have in the Queens on $40,000 gross wages? In parts of Nebraska you could do very well on that. Even in Lincoln or Omaha you could get by.

In some small rural communities in Nebraska you can leave your car unlocked with the keys in it and it will be there the next morning. When I lived in the country I never locked the house. Safety is not the big concern in most of Nebraska that it is in large cities. Probably the biggest complaint in small town living in Nebraska is that everybody knows your business. Secrets are hard to keep in a small rural community. Is that a bad thing? I guess that depends on what skeletons you have in your closet.

GL2

[itsMeFred]

I would like to finish college and become an RN.

You'll find a job anywhere in the state. I promise.
Rural Nebraska has a serious health care provider crunch.
(You might even look into becoming a Nurse Practitioner or Physician's Assistant. Both are in high demand as smaller, rural areas have a harder time affording full fledged docs, but still need primary HCPs.)

In some parts of Nebraska you can find such a house for less than $60,000

A house like that will usually sell in my county for around $30-50,000, depending upon what kind of shape it's in.

[GenG1022]

I always hated the the city...
Homes (one family attached) are around $450,000... and that is like a 3 year all time low. A garden? I don't know the last time I saw one of those. It is also a pretty common thing to discuss how many times you were robbed, I guess we get so used to it here and that is really sad. I was reading other posts on here regarding rent and I nearly went into cardiac arrest. For $650 you can rent a "room" here in Queens or Brooklyn. I swear I am not exaggerating. I am not opposed to working hard but I don't see the point of killing myself, working 80+ hours a week just to get by in some crime ridden area where I will never own anything but a car. My mother thinks I am nuts for wanting to leave here why I don't know. Both my parents never owned a home, always worked, my dad worked 2 jobs just to get by. I don't want that life for myself anymore. I have been married a year and now am starting to get the when ya starting the family questions... Never as long as I am here...
I have cousins that are from KS that went to college in Nebraska and wound up staying there and making good lives for themselves. I haven't spoken to them in ages but when I asked my mom she said they are all doing well.

[lisalynn]

Nebraska is a great place, people joke about seeing nothing but flat land and corn, but I love it. They say small towns everyone knows all your business, that is fine, I love the fact that my 83 year old neighbor lady tells me who was at my house. She is our neighborhood watch commander, "teenage daughter not to fond of it"! Half my neighbors have keys to my house, I think I have about 5 of my neighbors keys.
My house payment is $739 that is for a 4 bedroom, full finished basement home, on a half acre lot.
I feel very fortunate to be living where I am and to have the great neighbors that I have.

[unwillinginNE]

I would suggest Omaha, too. I live in Hastings, and have publically voiced my negative opinion about Hastings. One of my daycare parents this morning informed me in discussing it that we have the most halfway houses anywhere in the State here, few jobs, high property taxes, a big drug problem (meth), high crime relative to the small town, no school transportation if you do end up having children (so you would have to have a job close enough that you could drop off your child at around 8 a.m. and pick up again at 3:20 p.m.), etc. These things you would no know unless you lived here and had to open a daycare due to lack of available jobs.

Your field of work (accounting) is probably broad enough to get a job in some of the larger cities in Nebraska, but if small town-ish is what you want while still being able to find a job and support yourselves, Omaha would be it. I wish we got stationed there instead of here. I took a 53k pay cut moving here and working outside the home, and make about the same working at home with the daycare. But property taxes are double to quadruple what they were anywhere else we've lived.

I feel for you with the traffic. I used to deal with Cleveland traffic and although probably not as bad as NYC, it was still enough to cause stress!

Sandhills area in Western Nebraska is also really nice. Not as humid out there, but I'm not sure about jobs. If you do the RN thing, you will be okay in just about any place that has a hosptial. A lot of the people that I do daycare for are dependent on public services, however a large portion of them that qualify do go through CNA training and that part of medical is somewhere there are always jobs available around here.

Omaha has some scenery. Western Nebraska does, too and I really enjoy going out there. In these parts it's like corn..corn..corn..corn...cow...corn...corn...corn. ..corn..cow....soy beans...corn ....corn.... )

Good luck on your search for the perfect place.

[GenG1022]

I pay $1000 a month for RENT for 2 bedrooms and that in my area is considered great... I would rather know my neighbors and have them know everything about me than have them as strangers. We may make more here but the cost of living here is just astronomical.. it isn't in proportion. One couple I grew up with was able to buy a home. Everyone else in my age bracket rents, we all work hard for what? I see my husband for maybe 2 hours a day. he works 12-16 hrs I do about 9 or 10 but have a viscous comute. We are both cranky at the times we see one another. It takes a toll and I can't see this going on until I'm retired

You know I do not think meth had made it here to NYC at least not in epidemic proportions. Humidity I am used too, it gets bad here and I have been to FL where it is litterally disgusting. I was looking up wwestern NE last nigh. I dont want a city but i do not want live somewhere desolate where there are no roads...
Thank you both for your information, I appreciate it.

[itsMeFred]

*chuckle*

We do have roads in western NE.
(though in my case, our house is 12 miles from pavement to the south, 30 to the north, 25 to the west and 40 to the east. But unless you're also considering a cowboy job, you won't live anywhere near as desolate. )

Also, even if you just stick with the accounting thing, you'll be employable in most towns over about 2,000 people.
And, something to consider so far as the property taxes that unwilling mentioned is that yes, percentage-wise, they do tend to be higher than elsewhere. But when you consider the fact that you spend so much less for the property itself, it more than balances out...

~Erin

[jeepejeep]

GenG1022 I know exactly how you feel. I grew up in Queens and currently live in Nassau County. It's a mess! crime isn't horrible but getting worse all the time, as you said forget commuting. the crowding is out of control. I've been here (in thr forum) a while looking at the Western part of NE. Next summer I'm going to try to get out there and look in the Scootsbluff area. I love hunting and the outdoors so this might not be best for you. It's such an individual thing but NE seems to be a much nicer and less expensive state overall. Weather seems better too. NE still has cold,snow etc.in winter and heat in summer but without the horrible humidity that NY has. I believe 50% or so humidity is considered high in NE compared to 80% and up in NY. I'll be retiring in 2010 ans no way I'll be staying in NY.