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Old 02-23-2007, 02:08 PM
 
Location: Summerville, SC
559 posts, read 2,112,171 times
Reputation: 299

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DH and I are celebrating my 50th birthday the week of July 4 this year and are trying to think of where to celebrate. We have decided that we want to spend time in a place it might be nice to retire to. My DH is a retired Seattle firefighter (though he currently works in a lumberyard since retirement), and I am a retired x-ray tech (though I currently work for our local hospital as a certified medical transcriptionist). He is from the Pacific NW, and I grew up in the South. His father and grown children are in the NW; my family is all in the South. We were thinking about maybe moving towards the middle of the country because he hates the South, and I am weary of the rain in the Pacific NW.

The question now becomes where do we look? I figured I would go right to the folks who know Nebraska best to ask them. Do Nebraskans welcome folks from other places? Is it hard or easy to make friends? Up here, everybody just stays home, and everybody calls before they visit anyone. In the South, you just show up at someone's door, and if they're busy or going somewhere they tell you--charmingly--and you just go on about your business. If they're not busy, you are invited in and offered a glass of sweet iced tea and everyone chats for a while. (That's what I miss most about the South; folks coming to see you.)

I would really appreciate any advice you could give us as to where we might look to vacation and/or live in Nebraska as well as anything you think newcomers should know, good and/or bad. Thanks so much!
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Old 02-23-2007, 04:13 PM
 
Location: Lincoln, Nebraska (moving to Ohio)
673 posts, read 4,062,265 times
Reputation: 485
I would recommend Falls City, NE or Beatrice, NE area personally, people in the south-east border counties just seem nicer then the rest of the state for a certain reason and the cost of housing is extremely, extremely low in that area
50,000 dollars for a decent older house in that area Falls City and more in Beatrice and the property taxes are lower then the rest of the state. With Falls City and Beatrice its quiet, very low cost of living and 90 minutes from Kansas City, Missouri. Kansas City is a great place to spend a weekend and the hotel rates are very inexpensive places compared to other places. South-East Nebraska seems to have more mid-week, quiet appeal.

Another town I would recommend would be Ashland, Nebraska its a half hour from Lincoln and Omaha but feels very rural and is one of the cleanest well-kept cities in the state and you can get a nice house for less then 100,000 dollars (its more expensive then SE Nebraska). Lots of trees also in the Ashland area.

I would say with Nebraska the personalities of the people vary widely. I have met and been around people from all over this state. Some pretty friendly and hospitable people in this state (SE and Fremont, NE) but also some places with the rudest people ive ever been around (Central and Western Nebraska anywhere)

South-East Nebraskans seem to be the most hospitable people in the state. The most nice people ive met in this state have been from Falls City, Beatrice, Plattsmouth.

I would not recommend Central and Western Nebraska. The people are extremely unhospitable and unwelcoming in Grand Island, Hastings, McCook basically anything west of Lincoln to the Colorado or Wyoming border I would not recommend if you prefer pleasent people.

I know once in Grand Island I stopped for a meal on my way back to Denver and refused a steak or chicken because the cook was tired. People in Central and Western Nebraska dont like newcomers at all. I guess I was offended at first but then I started thinking and I guess if you had a steady influx of huge families just coming into town and raising property taxes through the roof I wouldnt be very friendly either. One country in Central Nebraska has has property-taxes to maintain services at $3500 per-capita, property taxes are much lower in SE Nebraska.

Central and Western Nebraskans (Grand Island, Hastings, Lexington, North Platte) almost have a how dare you stop in our stop and eat at our restaurant and god forbid you ask for a re-fill on cup of coffee with dishwater consistancy. Even Omaha which isnt what I would consider friendly, I would never be treated the way I have been treated when Ive stopped in some of the towns in Central and Western Nebraska for a warm meal.

Another think about South-East Nebraska other then being close to both KC and Omaha is its an older population that consists of more retirees and everything in that area is fairly well-kept. In Central and Western Nebraska they have lots of processing plants, large families and a much younger population.

So towns I would suggest for visiting or looking into: Fremont, Ashland, Falls City, Beatrice, Nebraska City. These places just seem to have the highest quality of life for the buck, very few social issues and very quiet. Friendlier people also!

Last edited by MattDen; 02-23-2007 at 04:30 PM..
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Old 02-23-2007, 04:42 PM
 
Location: west Omaha
475 posts, read 2,229,963 times
Reputation: 209
Quote:
I would say with Nebraska the personalities of the people vary widely.
You know copperkeetles... as opposed to anywhere else in the nation... where everyone has the same personality.

Well thanks for that, at least, somewhat subdued response Matt. We all know how the roadside cafe is the litmus test for an entire communities demeanor.
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Old 02-23-2007, 05:00 PM
 
482 posts, read 2,221,234 times
Reputation: 202
Sorry that MattDen sent you this as he is from Denver living in Nebraska. He does not have to many things nice to say about Nebraska.

I have to disagree with him and I base my comments on the fact that I was born and raised in Nebraska. Also I have lived in most of the areas that MattDen is talking about. In the part of Nebraska where MattDen feels as if that the people are rude. The people of Central and Western Nebraska will help out anyone and most of the time all they ask from them is a thank you as they are happy to help even people that they don't know. We can not ask about the steak or chicken issue, but I am sure that we would find out a much different story if we knew where in Grand Island he stopped. If he wanted a steak or chicken I am sure that even if the cook was tired then someone would have cooked it for him. He also does not like the food in Lincoln as well so it makes me wonder what really happened in Grand Island.

Some of us who read this forum and do post to it are wondering when he will go back to Colorado as it must be a much better place for him. Some of us wonder why he moved to Nebraska in the first place.

We do have people who are rude, just like you have where you live as well. Grand Island is the third largest city in Nebraska and it has anything you might need. It has a regional airport, it is along I-80, only 90 minutes from Lincoln which has a larger airport. Amtrak stops in Hastings that is only 30 minutes south of Grand Island. I lived in Grand Island for about two years while in the military and just like any city of size you will have it bad areas, but these are very small compared to Omaha. Falls City is in Richardson County in the southeast corner of the State. It is where the movie about Teena Brandon which won Hillary Swank her first Oscar, was made about if you remember "Boys Don't Cry". Falls City to me is very much one big click and if you are not part of it then you are not going to be happy. I know of individuals who grew up there and they left because they were not part of the click in Falls City. It also is the home of one of the more radical white survivalist groups in Nebraska which is in Rulo just south and east of Falls City. The leader of this group is currently on death row for killing a member of his group and his five year old son. So this is the kind of people you have in Falls City area.

Beatrice is a nice city as well so that part of what MattDen told you is fine. Beatrice is not as big as Grand Island and a lot of people live in Beatrice, but work in Lincoln. So Beatrice is more of a bedroom city for Lincoln. They do have a very big drug problem which also resulted in a very nasty killing of a run away teenager a few years back.

Fremont is not in the southeast part of Nebraska. Fremont is north of Lincoln and west of Omaha and it is also mainly a bedroom community for both Lincoln and Omaha.

To me Grand Island is a much better choice to move to and retire in. The cost of housing is not that bad and if you do want to live in a smaller community within 10 minutes of Grand Island you have many choices.

So from this life long resident of Nebraska I welcome you to our State even if you just come for a visit. I hope that you will find like the neighbors you want and decide to retire in Nebraska.
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Old 02-23-2007, 10:36 PM
 
Location: Summerville, SC
559 posts, read 2,112,171 times
Reputation: 299
Thank you all very much. You've given us a lot to think about.
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Old 02-25-2007, 12:15 PM
 
Location: My heart is in Wyoming, my body is soon to follow.....
745 posts, read 4,056,690 times
Reputation: 333
Aurora is a very nice community of about 4500 people I would say, maybe more maybe less. It is growing and the people there are very welcoming to new people, new business, economic growth, etc. It's about 15 miles from Grand Island, so you're very close to shopping but get to live in a small town. And Lincoln is only 80 miles away for bigger shopping. It's definately worth hopping off the interstate and taking a look. It's two miles off I-80 and you could take Highway 34 into Grand Island if you were going to check that out. The other plus is tornadoes don't seem to hit Aurora, in town I mean, at least I've never heard of one. G.I. on the other hand was practically destroyed in 1980, you can look up the pictures online. Being from the south I'm sure you're used to tornado country though. Good luck.
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Old 02-25-2007, 02:52 PM
 
Location: Summerville, SC
559 posts, read 2,112,171 times
Reputation: 299
Absolutely right. I am used to tornados--and hurricanes--and quick hard rainstorms. The one thing that I am not used to is earthquakes. With tornados, hurricanes, and rainstorms, you can go to a "safe" place until the storm is over. With an earthquake, there is no place to go. Earthquakes are not my cup of tea at all.
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Old 02-25-2007, 03:07 PM
 
Location: Monterey Bay, California -- watching the sea lions, whales and otters! :D
1,918 posts, read 6,774,638 times
Reputation: 2708
Default Another place

Thought I'd just jump in because I am looking for a place to retire, and I have lived in many states. I really can't speak much about Nebraska, as I have never lived there, although the people I know from Nebraska, are just that: from there! I didn't hear any good things from them, but then again, they were looking for something other than Nebraska. I didn't care much for the open plains there, either, but that's just from someone who loves mountains.

However, what about something like northern New Mexico? The Santa Fe/Taos areas are lovely, the weather great, lots of sunshine, and more easily accessible to the NW and the South.

I have lived in the northwest and truly understand the dismal weather there; I have been through the south, however, because I was a "Yankee," I did not have a good experience. The southwest seems to be a good choice in ways because a lot of transplants from all over have gone there, and it is pretty accepting. No earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, etc.

Just my two cents only because I'm looking for a sunny place to retire to.

Good luck to you!
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Old 02-27-2007, 03:12 PM
 
Location: NEBRASKA
77 posts, read 497,980 times
Reputation: 78
I have been to 99% of the towns in the state of Nebraska. And I would have to say that Hartington, NE is by far nicest place of them all.

The place is right out of a Norman Rockwell painting. If I were to retire in this state it would be Hartington, NE.
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