[pissy]

My husband's company wants us to consider relocating to the Omaha area, or anywhere between there and Des Moines.....
I would appreciate input on schools, weather, nice communities to look at, etc. We are from Califiornia and we have never been to that part of the US. Thank you.

[omahajosh618]

First of all, welcome! The Omaha area is a great area with great schools, shopping, many unique dining options and wonderful people.

There are a plethora of different communities here in Omaha. There are older neighborhoods and districts with homes built in the 1900's, newer neighborhoods, upscale neighborhoods and more affordable ones. It all depends if you want a more urban or suburban feel, Omaha city proper vs. surrounding communities, or if you want something out of the city, while still being able to commute to the city when you need to. Most important, it depends on your price range. Once we narrow that down, it will be a lot easier to help you with your home-hunting, as well as finding schools in the desired area.

The weather, to be quite honest, is a little unpredictable. The summers can be almost unbearable sometimes, not because of the heat, but because of the humidity. There are thunderstorms during the summer, and yes, extreme weather can happen. But in the ten years that I've lived here, I have never actually seen a tornado.

The winters can be extreme as well. It snows heavily 2-3 times during the course of the winter (November through February), with lighter snow showers in between. The snow for me is not the issue; it's the strong wind.

However, fall and spring are absolutely stunning here. I love them. I'm from Arizona and it's nice to have all four seasons.

The schools, for the most part are great here. Omaha Public Schools gets a bad reputation sometimes but as other forum members will tell you, it's a great district. Other districts in the Omaha area are District 66, Millard, Elkhorn, as well as others. Bellevue and Papillion are cities south of Omaha, each with their own school district. I went to Omaha for middle school and Bellevue for high school. I loved the Bellevue Public Schools and I have heard nothing but great things from Papillion. The other school districts in Omaha have been praised as well. There's not really a "bad" district. It's more of a school-by-school analysis. There are also many private and Catholic schools in the area.

Dave in the Omaha forums lives in Papillion, and if you chose to live in more of a suburban environment, he is the best for information about suburban areas, schools, restaurants, development, homes, ect.

Welcome to Omaha. Good luck!

[pissy]

Firstly, thank you for reply. We would definitely want to be in suburbs/not inner city. Nicer communities/houses. Possibly with acreage. I have read some posts and Papillion comes up as a nicer area, etc. We will definitely look into that. It's funny how I have read many con's about people accepting Californians.....bottomline, we are no different than Nebraska/Iowians...
When we visit next week, we are approaching this with an open mind. The "snow" will be a new one for us.

[Dave1215]

Originally Posted by pissy

.....We would definitely want to be in suburbs/not inner city. Nicer communities/houses. Possibly with acreage. I have read some posts and Papillion comes up as a nicer area, etc.

If you have specific Papillion questions that's where I live - would be glad to answer them... also look at Gretna...

If you don't mind being a little outside of the metro (want small town with acerage), then also consider Ashland...

[omahajosh618]

Also, west Omaha and the Millard area (southwest Omaha) are both seeing new development. Northwest Omaha is featuring similar growth, but at a slower pace, it seems. North of I-680 is the Ponca Hills neighborhood. This area is roughly defined geographically, but is probably one of the most wooded areas of Omaha and I know for a fact that there is acreage up there.

Bellevue, where I live, is an older city than Papillion, roughly 50,000 residents. Bellevue is located in the southeast corner of the Omaha metro, just east of Papillion. The city is featuring some redevelopment, with talks of even more. My favorite area of the city is called Fontenelle Forest, which features rolling hills, and older homes (large and small, old and new).

[MrsScott]

Originally Posted by pissy

Firstly, thank you for reply. We would definitely want to be in suburbs/not inner city. Nicer communities/houses. Possibly with acreage. I have read some posts and Papillion comes up as a nicer area, etc. We will definitely look into that. It's funny how I have read many con's about people accepting Californians.....bottomline, we are no different than Nebraska/Iowians...
When we visit next week, we are approaching this with an open mind. The "snow" will be a new one for us.

Hi, just want to say I am a native Southern Californian too and we are moving to Council Bluffs next week. We couldnt be more excited! I am a little weary of dealing with the snow but we will make do. Good Luck on your move!

[McBain II]

Originally Posted by MrsScott

Hi, just want to say I am a native Southern Californian too and we are moving to Council Bluffs next week. We couldnt be more excited! I am a little weary of dealing with the snow but we will make do. Good Luck on your move!

Congrats on the move. I lived in Council Bluffs from 96-2002 and really liked it. Not as much as I liked Omaha (which I'm moving back to) but CB had it's own special qualities.

The snow isn't too bad. The western parts of Council Bluffs are fairly flat, but to the north, south and east there are some pretty decent hills. A good set of snow tires is plenty good, but a decent 4 wheel drive vehicle wouldn't be a bad investment either.

[pissy]

All great input/advice. Our trip was rescheduled to first week of August. Will definitely note down all cities/areas recommended.

MrsScott, good luck on your move. Keep me posted on how relocating/move/settling in goes.

[ehenningsen]

Originally Posted by MrsScott

Hi, just want to say I am a native Southern Californian too and we are moving to Council Bluffs next week. We couldnt be more excited! I am a little weary of dealing with the snow but we will make do. Good Luck on your move!

Congratulations on your move! You are going to come home to a really proud city..

We have a heritage of hard-working, yet fun-loving people..
We are diverse in culture and are very accepting people..
We have a ton of entertainment facilities that have gone noticed by many of the nations largest cities (NY times, La Times, Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune).. We are absolutely hated by the Las Vegas paper.. Yet I ironically worked for them when I lived there for a year...
We have a lot of wealth here and a lot of this wealth is invested back in the community..

Don't be afraid of the stories of the cold that some will give.. It isn't that bad here..

[Vegas2Omaha]

It's quite a culture shift moving from the west coast to the mid-west. Thank goodness for chain restaurants and the big box stores so that you have a little of the familiar when you first move here. The cold weather is truly no more of a problem than the hot dessert summers. As long as you have heat, you're good and snow days are declared if the weather is really bad. The real challenge is the length of the cold season - about 6 months; it leaves me rejoicing when we get the occasional day of 50 degree+.
Anyone relocating from the So. West is welcome to reach out to me about what to expect.