[cc&lola]

First off, thanks in advance! I have a ton of questions, and I'd appreciate any answers you can give.
We are planning on relocating in the next year, and I'm doing lots of research to find the city that would best suit our family. I can google till my fingers go numb, but it's nice to get answers from current residents. Omaha has popped up on my husband's list of possible job locations (for the university).





-We are in our mid thirties with two elementary school age daughters. We want a city, with lots of family friendly activites (weekend festivals, parks, libraries, etc) where we can go out with kids and not be out of place. What area would fit this?




-He is a professor and I am a registered nurse (considering a return to school for my ARNP). We have narrowed our search based on college programs he is interested in, but how hard are RN jobs to find and what is the pay scale for RNs in the area? Do you know of ARNP programs in the area?




-Currently we don't live in the best school district so our daughters go to a private Montessori school that we adore-its like a family. We've had such a horrible public school experience and amazing private experience, that we are really leaning towards keeping them in a private school (perferable Montessori) when we move, but are considering a public (and the $ savings!) if we can move to a location with excellent public schools. What are the best public schools? Or, do you know of an amazing private school?




-We don't really want to live in a cookie cutter development, but want to live around other families with similar-age kids. We'd like a larger home, trees, decent-sized yard, sidewalks. Access to a pool and park would be great. Proximity to the above mentioned schools, university, hospitals would be a huge bonus. Any neighborhood suggestions?




-Our daughters love gymnastics, volleyball, swimming, and track. We don't want to take their activities away from them if we move, so the availability/affordability of lessons/teams for participation, and also spectator events is big. Are there programs in the area?




-We currently attend a large, liberal to middle-of-the-road, Methodist church with great social, kids, youth, and community activities. Anything like this nearby?




-We love to travel, and will also be moving away from family, so we would like to be within an hour of a good airport. How easy is it to get out of here?




-I'm a girly-girl. I need decent shopping. Sound horrible, but it does factor in to my great place to live. If the local mall consists of a Sears, a Payless, and a Supercuts, I'm not gonna be happy. Are there better department stores, chains, and cute boutiques nearby? Awesome bookstores?

[todd00]

Hi, you didn't mention where you are living now? What kind of weather are you used to and do you prefer? As you know, we have a 4 season climate here. I noticed some of your other posts and you do have several possible choices around the country.

You might want to start first by searching past Omaha threads on CD. In relocation threads many of the same questions come up. There have been several of these threads in the last several months. They might help answer some questions with regard to neighborhoods, things to do, safety, and shopping. Of course we can all add to that but you might get some of your questions answered that way too. And you may have even more questions after that, but thats OK. I don't know if you have done any comparing city to city or not. But that is easy to do right on CD.

I'll just touch briefly on your post. Omaha is a good sized city and has a good mix of shopping options. Omaha has a full service airport so that won't be a problem. I think you could find a middle of the road church without any trouble. There are health clubs and a variety of lesson options available for kids. There are some lovely older style homes in the Omaha area. Typically people like yourselves are moving to these areas, 30's with kids. The Dundee neighborhood is very nice as is the Country Club neighborhood. If your husband would be working at the University of Nebraska or the Med Center, those areas would be a quick commute for him. UNMC does offer a Physician Assistant program that has been around for many years. They may offer other options as well. Creighton has a Nurse Practitioner program. Clarkson College has an MSN degree program with several options of study. There is a Montessori school in the metro but the schools are generally good in Omaha. There are a good assortment of hospitals in the city and an excellent children's hospital. I think over all you would find Omaha a good place to raise your kids, maybe not as exciting as some places but all in all a pretty decent community. I'll be happy to help ya anyway I can.

I will add the Omaha link and you can check out other cities from there reference statistics.
http://www.city-data.com/city/Omaha-Nebraska.html

Some past threads reference relocation. They often include links about places in the area, so that saves time.
http://www.city-data.com/forum/searc...archid=2572835

[McBain II]

Originally Posted by cc&lola

First off, thanks in advance! I have a ton of questions, and I'd appreciate any answers you can give.
We are planning on relocating in the next year, and I'm doing lots of research to find the city that would best suit our family. I can google till my fingers go numb, but it's nice to get answers from current residents. Omaha has popped up on my husband's list of possible job locations (for the university).

Congrats! I'm sure you will love Omaha if you end up here!

-We are in our mid thirties with two elementary school age daughters. We want a city, with lots of family friendly activites (weekend festivals, parks, libraries, etc) where we can go out with kids and not be out of place. What area would fit this?

Honestly, pretty much anywhere. Parks and libraries are pretty plentiful in Omaha. Most of the festival type things are going to be happening in the east end of the city though, so keep that in mind.

-He is a professor and I am a registered nurse (considering a return to school for my ARNP). We have narrowed our search based on college programs he is interested in, but how hard are RN jobs to find and what is the pay scale for RNs in the area? Do you know of ARNP programs in the area?

Considering that Omaha has a very strong medical community, I imagine that RN jobs are pretty easy to come by. For the ARNP program, I'd think Creighton and Clarkson College (part of the University of Nebraska Medical Center) would have that.

-Currently we don't live in the best school district so our daughters go to a private Montessori school that we adore-its like a family. We've had such a horrible public school experience and amazing private experience, that we are really leaning towards keeping them in a private school (perferable Montessori) when we move, but are considering a public (and the $ savings!) if we can move to a location with excellent public schools. What are the best public schools? Or, do you know of an amazing private school?

Public schooling is pretty solid in Omaha. I went to Fontenelle Elementary in the early 90's, and at the time it was ranked one of the top elementary schools in America. I had a great experience there. We moved over to Council Bluffs after that, but the high school I would have gone to (North High) is one of the best in the entire state.

Just a word of warning. You will get people who will try to warn you off of some of the urban schools like North and Fontenelle. The thing is that these schools have excellent options available for students who are willing to take advantage of them. Don't fall into the trap of judging the school based on statistics that can be skewed by the students who are just "passing through" so to speak.

-We don't really want to live in a cookie cutter development, but want to live around other families with similar-age kids. We'd like a larger home, trees, decent-sized yard, sidewalks. Access to a pool and park would be great. Proximity to the above mentioned schools, university, hospitals would be a huge bonus. Any neighborhood suggestions?

Basically anything in the eastern third of the city would work here.

Benson - My Blog: Beautiful Downtown Benson ...
Omaha Forums :: View topic - Benson

Benson is currently going through somewhat of an urban revival. Lots of money and effort is being put into sprucing up that neighborhood. This is probably my favorite neighborhood in Omaha.

Midtown - My Blog: Crossing Midtown ...
Omaha Forums :: View topic - Midtown... ish (includes pictures of Gold Coast neighborhood)

Dundee - My Blog: Search results for dundee

That's just a sample. There is alot more in that area worth seeing.

-Our daughters love gymnastics, volleyball, swimming, and track. We don't want to take their activities away from them if we move, so the availability/affordability of lessons/teams for participation, and also spectator events is big. Are there programs in the area?

-We currently attend a large, liberal to middle-of-the-road, Methodist church with great social, kids, youth, and community activities. Anything like this nearby?

Someone else would have to answer this as it's not really my field. My guess would be that similar options certainly exist for you.

-We love to travel, and will also be moving away from family, so we would like to be within an hour of a good airport. How easy is it to get out of here?

You can pretty much get anywhere you need to go via Eppley Airport.

-I'm a girly-girl. I need decent shopping. Sound horrible, but it does factor in to my great place to live. If the local mall consists of a Sears, a Payless, and a Supercuts, I'm not gonna be happy. Are there better department stores, chains, and cute boutiques nearby? Awesome bookstores?

Omaha has two enclosed malls (well four or five, if you count Crossroads, Southroads and Mall of the Bluffs, but sadly those are just ghost towns anymore) with Westroads and Oakview. Both have the pretty standard assortment of stores. Westroads is more upscale and has Von Maur, Younkers and JCPenney. Oakview also has Younkers and Penney's to go along with a Dillard's. You also have the outdoor malls like Village Pointe.

Westroads Mall - Premier Shopping, Dining, Entertainment in Omaha, Nebraska
Oak View Mall - Top Stores, Shops, Brands in Omaha, Nebraska
Village Pointe at Omaha

[Raphael07]

I'd recommend the Westside School District area. Phenomenal schools, nice houses, close to UNO and Creighton, and good proximity to Westroads. It honestly sounds like it would be a perfect fit for you.

[dsrich98]

If you are considering private school then there are great neighborhoods anywhere in Omaha that will serve you well. I love the "westside - district 66 area" But Dundee is really great as well!

We've chose to live in Millard area because we demand the best public school options. I have to disagree with the last poster who was a big supporter of Omaha Public schools. Yes it's trrue that there are great students that come out of there everyday, and the teachers mean well and can be very talented. But the numbers don't lie... most OPS schools have an abundance of at-risk students that will demand the attention of teachers and staff and good students can be lost in the fray. I know many successful people who have come from OPS, but they have said that they succeeding despite their surroundings, not becuase of them. Both Distrist 66 and Millard have been nationally recognized as top performing school districts.

Overall Omaha is a safe city, there are pockets to avoid especially if you are looking for an established neghborhood. But a simple look at a crime finder map will show you what areas to avoid.

[cc&lola]

Thank you all so much for your help!
We are coming from central Florida, so this would be a huge change for us!

[McBain II]

Originally Posted by cc&lola

Thank you all so much for your help!
We are coming from central Florida, so this would be a huge change for us!

What part of central Florida?

[galtgal]

So- we are a couple with two older kids. DD college freshman in New Jersey. Son in grad school in Michigan. My husband has been commuting to Michigan for seven years while the kids finished school. Now he wants to sell the Michigan home and move me to Omaha. We have a beautiful four bedroom four bath house in Michigan on 3/4 acre lot backing up to a nature preserve. Two fireplaces, jetted tub, marble, three car garage. Our property taxes are less than 3K with excellent public schools. Lots of jobs here, but not many above 250K.
I hate football. I love trees and water- we sail and swim and jet ski. We are both college grads and DH has a Masters degree. I am in the throes of empty-nester depression and just can't seem to get excited about Omaha. I don't know how you guys survive here. Thoughts?

[galtgal]

Anticipating a move in the spring.

[MountainMen]

Originally Posted by galtgal

I am in the throes of empty-nester depression and just can't seem to get excited about Omaha. I don't know how you guys survive here. Thoughts?

Alcohol. Lots of it.