Reasons I hate Omaha (Lincoln, Plattsmouth: property taxes, house, rent)

[pablo-me]

I'm a 20 year veteran of the airline industry and have been fortunate enough to live all over the US. Next summer I'll put my house up for sale...and never,ever return! Here's a short list of the things I hate about this town:

1) I live in a quiet neighborhood 4 miles from downtown and can't begin to tell you how many times I've had to call the police. Response time to answer the phone at 911 was around 10 rings, and patrol response time was 40 minutes. We have a mix of old and young in our neighborhood and it was clear I had to organize a 'neighborhood watch group' to defend ourselves.

2) Property taxes on my 136K home are more than a home selling in Aspen Colorado for 1,250,000!

3) The main public high school is plagued with gangs.

4) Omaha embraces immigrants here illegally and is a 'sanctuary city' thanks mostly to the meat packing industry.

5) My yard has snakes, really big spiders, something called 'jiggers' (they make your legs itch for weeks) and plenty of ticks for everyone.
Here's the best part....there's lots of RATS in the streets!!! I swear I couldn't make this up. I even had one living in the walls of my house for nearly two years. I finally caught him using a clever homemade water-trap (he out-smarted all the store bought ones). He was two feet long from tail to nose....and we called him Rattatouie!

There are some good things about this midwest town, but in the 4 years I've been here it's been going down hill fast. No disrespect to the proud folks who live here, but I think they are going to be in for a rough ride supporting the massive influx of illegals with the ever increasing taxes.

[Steve_W]

The trick to getting rid of jiggers is to take a shower.

[ralleia]

Not jiggers. You can avoid them by spraying a DEET containing insect repellent liberally on your feet and ankles, so long as you're not planning on sitting in the grass.

And then, like Steve said, bathe promptly after coming inside. Scrub everything from the waist down vigorously to dislodge the chiggers before they attach. They will tend to attach at any point where clothing is tight--around cuffed socks, the waist, and the groin line.

UGH!

[mattpoulsen]

Pablo,

Ok. I'm not even sure if you're being serious about your post. However:

1) Omaha doesn't have one "main" public school. The Omaha metro has nearly a million people...if you think they have one "main" public school then you have no idea whats going on.

2) The idea that Omaha embraces illegal immigrants is ridiculous! What meat packing plants are you even speaking of?? Do you think there are more illegal aliens in Omaha than say, Pueblo, Co?? Illegal immigration is a problem everywhere in the U.S...particularly California and Colorado. Omaha is actually relatively immune to it.

3) As far as taxes. First, I find it very hard to believe that you'll pay as much on property taxes for a $135,000 home as you would for a +$1million home. But even it were true, you have to consider all of the taxes and costs of living that go along with an area. For example, what kind of house can you find in aspen for $135,000?? Yeah, the property tax rate may be lower, but part of that is because home valuations are through the roof. Its not simply fair to compare #'s...you have to compare equivalent homes and take into account cost of living, and etc.

4) Rats?? I've never seen a rat in Omaha. You might want to move to a new neighborhood.

5) Its chiggers...not jiggers...and complaining about "chiggers" is about like complaing about the worms in your dirt! Every place in the country that has grass has chiggers.

[eahall]

sounds a lot like you have no idea what your talking about have fun in a better city.

[pablo-me]

As I said, 'no disrespect for those who call this home'.

While different folks are attracted to different things, I doubt anyone likes the things I pointed out. I didn't make this stuff up and it's not meant to be disrespectful to Omahamens (or whatever they're called). It's my observation and a 'heads up' to anyone coming here from another place.

In response:1) Cargill, Tyson, etc...
2) Saw 3 Rats in our neighborhood this year.....that's 3 too many!
3) Nebraska taxes are the worst I've seen anywhere...and I've owned
homes in four different states. And then Nebraska politicians tell
everyone how they pay for "the best roads in the country." Not true,
mediocre roads at best in comparison to rest of the US.
4) "Chigggers!!!!' My God, you even talk about it's like it's no big deal to
become infested with these parasites that live in every yard in this city.
NO SIR!!! No other place in the country with grass that I've lived has
'Chiggers'.

AGAIN, NO DISRESPECT, NOTHING PERSONAL....JUST MY IMPRESSION
AFTER 4 YEARS, AND A HEADS UP FOR OTHERS.


Seperate question for 'mattpoulsen': Can you respond to my observations of response time of 911 and law enforcement? I might be mistaken, but I thought you had previous experience in this area. Can you confirm the level of gang activity at South High?

[saltine]

[quote=pablo-me;1680933]As I said, 'no disrespect for those who call this home'
I've seen giant sewer rats...Plenty of Illegalls...gang thugs..high taxes and to add one, the stadium scam. If you disagree you must live way out yonder on the west edge of town.
Pablo-me, you can find problems with every town but I think its ashame whats becoming of Omaha. Sanctuary City

[ralleia]

I don't know about rats or about 911 response times in Omaha (they're pretty fast here in Plattsmouth and the dispatcher always responds by the second ring), but could we PLEASE stay FACTUAL about chiggers?

They're all over the country. I had lots of problems with them when I was a kid visiting my grandmother's house in Indiana.

Do a google search on "chiggers." You'll get hits from University of Florida, Missouri Dept of Conservation, Ohio state, Texas A&M--anywhere it's hot and humid.

The suggestion that this mite only chooses to live in Omaha is ridiculous.

[mattpoulsen]

Pablo,

No, I have no experience with 911 response.

Again, Chiggers are something that are absolutely everywhere. Now, in you neighborhood you may have more of a problem than most, but its hardly unique to Omaha. I've never had a problem with them.

Guess what you also have dust mites in your house, as does everyone else on the planet. The things you mentioned are basically a fact of life...everywhere.

The illegal immigrant problem is not unique to Omaha.

Heck, even rats aren't unique to Omaha.

Basically, everything you've mentioned is just as prevalent in Denver, KC, Chicago, and Minneapolis. You make it sound like Omaha is a mecca for disease and poverty. Omaha, on the whole, is a very clean and progressive city. I too have been all around the U.S. and the world and Omaha is cleaner than most top 100 cities.

I still don't get the "illegal immigrant" issue. Seriously, Omaha doesn't have a very high influx. Colorado has been hit much harder.

Yeah, all the things you mentioned are things that people don't like and I'll admit, technically they all are present in Omaha. However, they are present IN EVERY CITY IN AMERICA!

[buffy888]

[quote=mattpoulsen;1679871]Pablo,

Ok. I'm not even sure if you're being serious about your post. However:

1) Omaha doesn't have one "main" public school. The Omaha metro has nearly a million people...if you think they have one "main" public school then you have no idea whats going on.
QUOTE]

Just curious where this data comes from? Most estimates show Omaha's population at about 400,000. Even if you extend the "metro" to Lincoln, CB, etc., it still isn't nearly up to a million yet.

However, other than that, I agree with the points in your post. There are many different high schools in Omaha. Pablo-me, only if you live in South Omaha (and I am wondering if you do since you refer to South as the main high school and you also reference Mexican immigrants) and never leave it might you possibly think South High School is the main high school. OPS alone has 7 or 8 high schools, I believe, and there are other districts in the area besides that. Many students CHOOSE to go to South because it is a magnet school.

Regarding the immigrant situation - As others have stated, it is much more prevalent in other parts of the country. Within Nebraska itself, it is also more concentrated in other cities/towns whose main industry is meat-packing (or related to meat packing in some way). Are there illegal immigrants in Omaha? Of course. Do the people of Omaha turn a blind eye to them? Not usually. Also, in regards to immigrants, Omaha should be proud of the fact that it is so welcoming to refugees - specifically, refugees from Sudan that do have a large community in Omaha and who are slowly trying to rebuild their lives there.

Chiggers - really? I am not Omaha's biggest fan, but of all of the things I could think of to complain about, chiggers would not be one of them. I, too, have lived in many cities around the country (and in Europe as well) - 6 different cities, 5 different states - and I have always been aware of chiggers. Omaha is by far the smallest city in which I have lived, but even much bigger cities do have chiggers. Again, as others have said, chiggers do love humidity, tall grass, etc. (By the way, a "jigger" is a liquid measurement, usually used for alcohol.) I, and everyone else I know, have encountered chiggers in back yards, walks near lakes, hikes on trails, etc. I would suggest your next residence should be in an arid climate, such as Arizona, but then you would run into immigrants again, plus certainly creature such as snakes. And these typically would not be the harmless garter snakes you have in your yard now.

Good luck wherever/whenever you do relocate.