Why is Omaha so much more progressive then Lincoln politically? (Grand Island: employment, schools)

[Steve_W]

Originally Posted by pugh1454

Omaha is growing by leaps and bounds compaired to the rest of the area, 150 miles. Progressive? maybe in the social sciences. My company is looking to expand. It seems that Omaha is not interested in expansion of the airport. They were contacted through various channels..feelers with no responce. doubling air traffic to DAL, ATL, CHI, CIN, DEN, & SLC. and becoming a mini hub, flights from north platte, lincon, sioux city, Sioux Falls, Demoine, Cedar Rapids, Quad cities, joplin, KC, Witcha falls, Pierre, Colimbia, Spring field, Minot, and Fargo. Think of the income tax revs and moneys made and spent in the locial economy. I bet Lincoln would have loved that opp.

Maybe your company wasn't sending out "feelers" through the correct channels. Eppley usually jumps at the chance of any new air traffic or carriers.

[Fearringtonflash]

You have to remember that UNL hardly qualifies as an 'academic' institution--in terms of intellectual prestiege it ranks with Oklahoma, University of South Dakota, and Southern Mississippi University. So, to expect the university to have a leavening influence on the community and to make it more progressive is off the mark.

[mattpoulsen]

That remark is completely off base. UNL and OU are excellent institutions. Granted, they are not Harvard, but neither are any other universities in the midwest. UNL is ranked along the same lines as KU, Missouri, and Iowa State, with OU not being far behind. Where you pull South Dakota and Southern Mississippi out of is beyond me. UNK is comparable to South Dakota...not UNL. UNL is a major research university and the schools you listed are not. Furthermore, UNL is strongest university in the state...that includes Creighton. UNL has good "prestige" factor...to some how put them on the same level as USD is just silly.

Some will automatically say "no, but what about Creighton's #1 college in the midwest ranking". Well, that ranking is for "masters universities". That means it is not ranked in the same class as UNL, KU, KSU, MU, CU, and etc. Because Creighton does not offer a major research component and few of its departments offer doctoral degrees it is considered a "comprehensive college or masters university", unlike UNL which is a full blown research university. Creighton's ranking is against schools such as Drake, Butler, University of Northern Iowa and etc. Creighton has done an excellent PR job by suggesting that this ranking means they are the top university in the Midwest, but the ranking is entirely misleading, as it does not actually include the top universities in the Midwest.

The point is...UNL is an excellent school.

[itsMeFred]

UNL is also one of the most respected ag. research campuses in the world.
I realize many of you couldn't care less about that component, but things like improved beef genetics and reducing tractor roll-overs are vital to the world's food production. And that impacts all of us, either directly or indirectly.

So far as Lincoln being progressive, having lived in a couple of considerably smaller "college towns" in Nebraska, and many that don't have a college within 100 miles, I have to say, any institution of higher learning is going to make a town more progessive than it's counterparts. Statistics bear this out. (Do your own research right here at city-data and you'll see I'm right.) Lincoln can't possibly be the exception that rule.

And to the original question, if it is indeed the case that Omaha is more progressive (I've never lived in/near either city, so I don't have an opinion one way or the other) I'm going to guess it's simply population and economics. Omaha has a bigger draw from the rest of the world than any other town in the state. Diversity breeds progression.
(same reason that college towns are more progressive than non-college towns, I happen to think)

[mattpoulsen]

Well said Fred! I would also add, having lived in both cities, I really don't find much difference in terms of "progressiveness". And like you said, if there is a difference its a function of population.

[Amy99]

I was going to add my two cents: can Matt, Steve, and my other "attackers" please send me an email address so that I can show you a draft first to see if it's okay with you?

[mattpoulsen]

"my other attackers..." Oh please...have a small case of melodrama do we?? You come on here and start trashing certain parts of Nebraska. You don't criticize Nebraska...you trash it. Criticism is fine...everyone does that, but the things you said about "all of Cedar County" and Northeast Nebraska were not criticism...it was spiteful trashing. Then you claim its you opinion, which is fine. But when I disagree with that opinion and point out why I disagree you act offended. Get a grip. Basically, if you're going to dish it out you should probably have skin thick enough to take it.

[Steve_W]

Originally Posted by Amy99

I was going to add my two cents: can Matt, Steve, and my other "attackers" please send me an email address so that I can show you a draft first to see if it's okay with you?

Oh come on, Amy! I have never attacked you.

You spoke of Nebraska's "massive unemployment" and I simply gave you the correct information. Currently we are 2.7% almost half the national average.

The only time I even come close to attacking anyone are the threads where minorities are continuously pulling the race card.

Anyone who knows me will tell you to take anything I say with a grain of salt.

[crayfish]

Originally Posted by OREGONRAIN

By reading this particular forum, I can honestly say I am sure that some Californians will say lets pass on this Lincoln.

Don't base your opinions on what MattDen said. I honestly don't know where he gets these statistics from. Lincoln is a good city. I have lived in Lincoln all my life, and MattDen only lived in Lincoln for 9 months. Who are you going to believe?

[crayfish]

Originally Posted by Katiana

Matt, you may be right about everything you say about Lincoln, but do not compare the population of Lincoln and the population of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh has an aging population both in the city and the suburbs. My old high school in Beaver Falls is a shadow of its former self. Midland in Beaver County shut down its high school and buses its students to Ohio. People my age (50s) left when the steel industry crashed and our children were born elsewhere. They are closing schools left and right there, or operating them at a loss because the high taxes there allow them to do that in some cases.

You may think you are proving a point by comparing with Pittsburgh, but you are comparing a very stagnant city that lost more people in the last two years than any other city except New Orleans to a city with apparently a very high birth rate.

Compare Lincoln to a similarly sized city such as Aurora, CO or Akron, Ohio or Ft. Wayne, Indiana just to name a few. You will have a lot more credibility.

If you think that MattDen is right about Lincoln, you obviously haven't been to Lincoln.