[Steve_W]

Originally Posted by star_gazer

I miss our boat... the rest of the family just got 'bored' with it (they say, the only thing better than owning a boat... is knowing someone who owns one).

While we owned it... we loved Manawa (someone gave it a bad rap) and Branched Oak. I suppose if you've got a really big boat... they might seem to small, but they were great for our 19 footer.

I would get off work early on, say, a Thursday... hookup and head over to Manawa... we'd be literally the only boat in the lake... try doing that on the coasts/'big' cities.

And we did many weekenders up to Lewis and Clark... it's only a 2 1/2 hr jaunt... there are some nice lakes in southwest Iowa too.

The Missouri River is great for sight seeing as well... it gets a bad 'sewage dumping' rap... I'm not suggesting that anyone swim in it (you wouldn't want to swim in a river this large/swift anyway)... but there are some very nice little coves/sand bars to stop and have a picknick in/on.

In case anyone hadn't posted it... here's a great website on Missouri River boating in the metro: OmahaRiverFront.com :: Missouri River News, Development, Commerce, History and Boating Resources.

As far as the sewage goes... just avoid days following heavy rains and it usually isn't a problem.

[star_gazer]

The scenery is better upstream anyway.

[metro223]

I like Omaha a lot and would definately consider living there in the future. I love Omaha's downtown and the Qwest Center is beautiful at night I have to admit.

I often visit Fort Worth, TX and love it, and for some reason something about Fort Worth (Dallas not included) always reminded me of Omaha. I KNOW no one will agree with me here, but there are some similarities between the cities proper.

Anyway...Omaha is great!

[Norris]

I see that posting your opinion on here is just an excuse for Omahans to attack you and defend their piece of desolation. I understand why others have become so nasty on this thread, Steve W is a attacking and hateful person. I have always tried to "invest my money" in Omaha when the opportunities presented itself. Unfortunately, there have been none. Why is that? Because the world is so much bigger than that dung pile you call home. I would never bring any business back to Omaha for several reasons, the first reason being the inferior attitude that Omahans carry around on their shoulders. The second reason being that Omaha has no idea how to prosper. The city planning committee feels that it is better to annex every town or city around Omaha to increase the tax revenue, instead of being able to breath life into the downtown area. You Nebraskans do realize that with that water front and downtown you should be getting top dollar for property all around that area. Instead you have crack alley North Omaha right next to "one of the best college's in the Midwest," Creighton. Wow!! Get a clue, you do not just keep sprawling your city to the ends of the Earth and then say "Hey everyone We are a legitimate city, with great stuff to do, just like Mogadishu!!" You have to reclaim the desolate areas and make them viable again, instead Omaha just keeps spreading it's reach like a fat kid at the dessert table. What I am really trying to say is this, I think Omahans are insecure about themselves and where they live. They always bring up the same things to do, as if they lived in a small town. Really how many people can go to Jazz on the Green at one time? Or the best thing that really makes me laugh, "Creighton averages 15000 people a game!" Really, and why would'nt they? What else is there to do? And know they same boring list comes out....

[Steve_W]

HAHA, I can't figure out if your post is for real or not.

Well, all I can say is that I'm flattered you would let a 24yr old smartass dictate your investment portfolio. Come on dude.

Please keep your multi-colored Milton Bradley money where you are...I think you should take a seat before you embarrass yourself any further.

[WhiteSandsYucca]

I don't have time to go into much detail, but I think Omaha is great, and has a lot to offer. I feel it is finding its identity and style, and even beyond things like "The Wild Kindgom" and "The College World Series" and "Borsheims/Berkshire Hathaways."

I feel the inner city has a lot of beautiful old neighborhoods. As far as some of the remarks from MattDen, I understand, but Omaha was never a huge city to begin with, so it isn't naturally going to have large swaths of gorgeous, inner city neighborhoods, or inner city urban centers (i.e. Clayton, MO, Buckhead, GA) like you see in larger cities.

It basically is a clean-cut, friendly city that sits proudly on the Missouri River on the edge of the Great Plaines, not afraid to endure harsh weather conditions, and always seems to keep a crop of nice, friendly, hard-working people running the town. The downtown has a developing skyline, along with the artsy "gem" of the Old Market, and is the "central focus" of the town (even the farthest-out subdivisions feel connected to downtown). The city spreads west, sprawling over gently rolling hills, and has a few modern, updated highways connecting the town together. High-tech, sleek suburban office buildings are popping up out west, and new subdivisions are paving over cornfields, encroaching on small towns that used to be far-out and isolated. I feel it truly is a modest, medium-sized, white-collar "gem" of the Midwest; A town that is on the move. And, it is a town that, I feel, is one that is most appreciated by those who have either grown up there, or have lived there for a long period of time.

[DTO Luv]

Originally Posted by Norris

I see that posting your opinion on here is just an excuse for Omahans to attack you and defend their piece of desolation. I understand why others have become so nasty on this thread, Steve W is a attacking and hateful person. I have always tried to "invest my money" in Omaha when the opportunities presented itself. Unfortunately, there have been none. Why is that? Because the world is so much bigger than that dung pile you call home. I would never bring any business back to Omaha for several reasons, the first reason being the inferior attitude that Omahans carry around on their shoulders. The second reason being that Omaha has no idea how to prosper. The city planning committee feels that it is better to annex every town or city around Omaha to increase the tax revenue, instead of being able to breath life into the downtown area. You Nebraskans do realize that with that water front and downtown you should be getting top dollar for property all around that area. Instead you have crack alley North Omaha right next to "one of the best college's in the Midwest," Creighton. Wow!! Get a clue, you do not just keep sprawling your city to the ends of the Earth and then say "Hey everyone We are a legitimate city, with great stuff to do, just like Mogadishu!!" You have to reclaim the desolate areas and make them viable again, instead Omaha just keeps spreading it's reach like a fat kid at the dessert table. What I am really trying to say is this, I think Omahans are insecure about themselves and where they live. They always bring up the same things to do, as if they lived in a small town. Really how many people can go to Jazz on the Green at one time? Or the best thing that really makes me laugh, "Creighton averages 15000 people a game!" Really, and why would'nt they? What else is there to do? And know they same boring list comes out....

You are horribly misinformed.

-Omaha is one of the least sprawling cities big cities in the country.

-Omaha is spending/has spent more money on Downtown and other inner city projects than cities our size and bigger.

[Dave1215]

Originally Posted by Norris

Wow!! Get a clue, you do not just keep sprawling your city to the ends of the Earth and then say "Hey everyone We are a legitimate city, with great stuff to do, just like Mogadishu!!"

Originally Posted by DTO Luv

You are horribly misinformed.

-Omaha is one of the least sprawling cities big cities in the country.

-Omaha is spending/has spent more money on Downtown and other inner city projects than cities our size and bigger.

I agree with DTO.... According to Smart Growth America, Omaha is the 6th most COMPACT city in the nation for metro areas. The basis for this sprawl/compactness measure was based on (1) residential density; (2) neighborhood mix of homes, jobs, & services; (3) strength of activity centers & downtowns; and (4) accessibility of the street network. They measured 83 metros representing 1/2 of the US population.

Most Compact Metros (least sprawl)

#1) New York City
#2) Jersey City
#3) Providence
#4) San Francisco
#5) Honolulu
#6) Omaha
#7) Boston
#8) Portland
#9) Miami
#10) New Orleans.

[DTO Luv]

Thanks for finding that Dave.

[Dave1215]

Originally Posted by DTO Luv

Thanks for finding that Dave.

No problem, I will find the report and post the direct link.

<edit> Found it...
Executive Summary: MEASURING SPRAWL AND ITS IMPACT - The Character & Consequences of Metropolitan Expansion[/b]
Sprawl Scores (http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/sprawlindex/chart.pdf - broken link): 83 Metro Areas
Omaha Fact Sheet (http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/sprawlindex/factsheet_omaha.html - broken link)
Complete Report (warning 1.4mb)