Does anyone else besides me -- HATE LINCOLN?

[modifiedancer]

I've lived in Lincoln my entire life, but I've been to lots of different places across the U.S. and I can't say it's much different here than anywhere else. In fact I think the people in Nebraska are very friendly (excluding those who are a**holes regardless of where they are).

And I live in the near south neighborhood and I am rarely nervous at night. Well the cops are in the neighborhood for parties and domestic calls, but nothing any city this size wouldn't also have. In fact we leave valuable stuff on our porch, and I've left laundry on the line overnight.

And I must personally object to the statement that our police department is crooked. Sure power corrupts all, but I think the cops here are very helpful people trying to make our city safer. I was followed home by a patrol car during a 4am walk of shame (I was asked first if he should escort me home), and the officer made sure I got into the house safely before leaving. That's something a cop in a big city would never do.

[The_Sage1]

First of all, I lived in Lincoln for a year and a half, and recently moved back to Lincoln from Columbus, Ohio. I've also lived in Florida and visited 25 states.

I think it's best to simply weigh in the pros and cons of the city and see if it fits you. Everyone has their own preferences when it comes to the style of living. It's also not relevant to generalize too much. Even in small-town Nebraska(which I hate), where you have a high percentage of morons, there's still going to be some cool people here and there. You can generalize that Kearney are full of drunks, Columbus are full of meth-addicts and Holdrege is full of narrow-minded hicks, but saying that everybody are like that is just over-generalizing.

Lincoln in reality is a fairly diverse place, and probably the most so in a state that's not really diverse overall. Lancaster County, for example, had the most vote percentage for Obama in the entire state. To say that Lincoln is totally conservative is not quite accurate. Just over half of Lincoln voted for the democrat. Omaha had similar results. As for the rest of the state, you can pretty much count on 3/4ths of everyone always voting for the right wing. You'll encounter some narrow-minded and judgemental people in Lincoln, but it's best to ignore them because there are lots of good people here. Most of the narrow-minded people in Lincoln are previously from rural and small town Nebraska. Even though I grew up in small town, Nebraska, I eventually moved out and alienated myself from most of those people. They are probably the most cliquey people on Earth. They don't like change and they are not very welcoming of new people. I've noticed that *most* of the people in Lincoln that I've liked were from other states or have always lived in Lincoln or Omaha. If you're new to Lincoln, don't worry...there are lots of cool people here...you just have to look. I will admit, establishing good friendships here is A LOT harder than some cities.

As far as living goes, Lincoln is a clean place with a low crime rate. It's safe to walk outside at night in most neighborhoods there. It's easier to live in Lincoln and spend less time commuting in a car. Whereas, in Omaha you pretty much *depend* on a car at all times. At least in Lincoln you can walk to a few places here and there, depending on what part of the city you live in. I am particularly fond of the Haymarket because they managed to preserve a piece of history rather than tearing it down. There's some good restaraunts there as well. It's too bad they knocked down the rest of the Haymarket, otherwise it would have been a lot bigger. Nebraska is famous for knocking down old buildings rather than preserving them and fixing them up. UNL campus is probably the strongest point that Lincoln has. It's a college town, simply put.

One thing that annoys me about Lincoln is that they have too many repeated local chains everywhere. Da Vinci's, Valentinos and Amigos are too abundant and have lousy, overpriced food. I wish Lincoln would offer more variety of chains and also more local places to eat. When I lived in Ohio, there were so many good eating places that I didn't know where to start. In Lincoln I tend to be very choosey as there are only a select few good places to frequent. Lincoln does have a decent amount of ethnic stores and restaraunts, which is nice.

Lincoln, NE is overall not a bad city for it's size. It has a level of mediocrity when you compare it to cities in Ohio or Indiana. If you're stuck in Nebraska, Lincoln is probably your best choice. It's the most diverse place in the entire state and has the best college as well. Omaha is full of arrogance because they think their city is better than everything else. Omaha, for it's population, doesn't hold a candle to most big cities I've been to. It also houses a pathetic crime-driven downtown area, a very sub-par University campus and even lousier commuting. I'd take Lincoln over Omaha any day.

[kibitzjoe2]

I like Lincoln quite a lot. I'm a little baffled about its supposedly bad roads. ??? No pot holes, no cracks, easy to navigate, they make sense. I live in a small town but I'm no stranger to larger cities. I've been through Denver, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, LA, Colorado Springs, etc. Lincoln is my favorite. Good eats, decent mall, cool downtown, good roads, nice neighborhoods, well kept houses, bike trails, friendly people.

[Bruce81]

Lincoln is ok to fill up and continue on your roadtrip somewhere else.. Be sure to eat at Valentinos, great food.. I wasted 3 months of my life there...

[hassa_554]

HI, I'm from peru and i'd like to know a little bit about Lincoln, it's food and the way they live and so on...if someone can help me.. add me laprincesa_554@hotmail.com, thanks.

[NEnomad]

I grew up in NE and lived and went to college in Lincoln for 7 years. That is a clean/nice place to live. If I had to pick a city to raise a family it would be Lincoln, NE. I would of course move its location away from this frozen tundra and maybe add a few more things to do but that place is about as far from dangerous and corrupt as possible. You are clearly a skiddish, easily frightened individual whom probably witnessed people shaking hands, just saying whats up with a fist bump or special hand-shake, and hanging out with some scantily clad girlfriends. Those people do not constitute drug dealers and pimps. Look it up victim, Lincoln, NE was rated the safest city/town/metro area to raise a family in 08 and 09. That is based on the ratio of crime rates, schools, and hospitals to people/area. I also hear there are things that cast shadows in Lincoln, be careful out there.

[skidamarink]

Originally Posted by Bruce81

Lincoln is ok to fill up and continue on your roadtrip somewhere else.. Be sure to eat at Valentinos, great food.. I wasted 3 months of my life there...

lol That was a good way to put it, but kinda harsh. It's not as bad as some places, dude. But yeah, I'll admit I'm pretty eager to move once I graduate in August.

[Omaha Rocks]

My wife & I spent a couple days in Lincoln this past week.

Kind of a different town - but that can be expected from a smallish city with a Division 1 University.

Mostly, I was surprised by the zoning, or lack thereof. A neighborhood full of cool old houses, but in the middle of the block there would be 2-3 apartment buildings full of college kids.