Please Compare Lincoln, NE living to Washington, DC living
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I posted this also on your other thread-
a few other thoughts...about the "work from home" thing- I've done it for several years now and I'd NEVER go back to working in an office or anyplace similar.
Lincoln is conservative and if you decide to move, perhaps consider it an opportunity to discover what is valuable in conservative thinking (there is value in BOTH liberal and conservative philosophies, right?)
You will likely miss the ethnic diversity DC takes for granted, however, there is a fairly significant Asian and Hispanic population.
Now for my pasted post:
Jewels, I live in DC now and also spent many years in Nebraska. Here is a little advice:
Go the the Zoo Bar The Zoo Bar
Drive out of town and be open to possibly loving the geography- big dark night sky, lots of stars, huge clouds, wide horizon- it's tough to find in the mid-Atlantic. I miss the stars at night.
Visit the Sandhills area; 85 percent of the original Sand Hills habitat is still intact. Very little, if any, habitat is intact in DC metro area!
Terrestrial Ecoregions -- Nebraska Sand Hills mixed grasslands (NA0809) (http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/na/na0809_full.html - broken link)
Go to the Platte River State Park just north of Lincoln and lay down in the tall grass and smell the lovely scent of the warm grass- notice that the grass changes color to a beautiful purple and orange in the fall. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission - Parks - Area Search
On the weekends go to Omaha and enjoy the Old Market and the Riverfront area (well, if it is still there after the flooding going on now...) also Mid Town Crossing,
Sorry I'm late to this thread but can't resist, having lived many years in both places.
>> The things that I really enjoy about living here in the DC area are:
>> Liberal Atmosphere
Liberals are a bit of an oddity but you will find a handful around the university campus and state government.
>> Health-conscious community (lots of outdoor activities/gym facilities available)
There are gyms and some very good YMCA facilities. And the jogging / cycling infrastructure is very good.
As far as defining it as a "health-conscious community", that's definitely a hoot. Listen... once you're here stop by a local grocery chain called "Super Saver" and have a look around at how half the store is sugary drinks and gross processed food. Then notice the grossly, morbidly obese clientele. The same clientele that think Olive Garden is Italian food. (By the way, that's pronounced "eye-talian" here.) I highly doubt you'll define this as a "health-conscious community". There are fit people if you look hard enough, but if you look around at a group of women or men over ~30 and it starts to become rather disgusting that you rarely find a non-fat butt or lack of gut in the bunch. It's a terrible problem here that I didn't notice nearly as much in DC, MD and VA.
>>Lots of fun things to do (night life, museums, scenery, historic scenery, varying neighborhoods)
No, no, no, no, and no.
>> Metro transport (can get anywhere in the city within 45 mins) My friends are close-
No. And your friends will now be 1000 miles away. You can make new ones at Olive Garden though!
>>Minutes to large water and close enough to the beach to take a day trip.
Avoiding the "large water" jokes that come to mind with the Missouri flooding. But the answers are No and no.
The things that I really dislike about DC:
>> TRAFFIC
>> Everyone is very busy. It's just the mindset here. Money, money, money, go, go, go.
Not here! Prepare to be stuck behind people who drive 10 MPH **below** the speed limit!!
>>>Expensive! I pay $750 a month to rent a room 6 miles out of DC (not an apartment) and 3 1/2% property owners tax each year on my car (virginia)
Lincoln, is much, much better on cost of living for housing. Groceries and gasoline, etc. will be comparable.
>>Summer humidity.
By comparison to NoVA we have practically none! NoVA is awful!!!! The climate here is beautiful. The allergens are also lower.
>>>Crime- even though I have never seen any.
Very low in all but the most dodgy neighborhoods.
Bottom line is Lincoln is a great, safe, somewhat "academic" in parts (college areas) town where one raises a family and time moves nice and slow. It's a wonderful place to have kids, go to their baseball games and scouting events, and have them meet a nice boy / girl at church with whom they too can settle down. Is that what you want, because there's nothing wrong with that.
On the other hand, this is not a cosmopolitan city. There is no serious cuisine (or even the ingredients to cook anything sophisticated) no real fashion, no significant night life or entertainment, no architecture, no exciting history, etc. etc. If you've got to have those things, then think twice about moving here.
Its as bad as they say here. DO NOT MOVE TO THE GREAT PLAINS! IT IS TERRIBLE. Please tell all your friends the same. Spread the word, save yourselves!!!
Its as bad as they say here. DO NOT MOVE TO THE GREAT PLAINS! IT IS TERRIBLE. Please tell all your friends the same. Spread the word, save yourselves!!!
Hmmm.... Define terrible. Your evaluation seems a little subjective (LOL)
Hi! Thanks everyone for your input. It is interesting that you bring up the point that African Americans are the majority in DC. Honestly, this is something that I have never noticed. Perhaps it's because I am actually in the suburbs of DC. Anyhoo...
The things that I really enjoy about living here in the DC area are:
Liberal Atmosphere
Lincoln and Omaha are very liberal, especially compared to rural Nebraska. It's one of the main reasons I moved here 40 years ago.
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Health-conscious community (lots of outdoor activities/gym facilities available)
We have HUGE parks on the edge of town where you can walk for miles and not see an automobile. The Nebraska air is especially clean and the water pure.There are lots of gyms, regardless where you live. Some are even free to use-- indoor track and exercise equipment.
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Lots of fun things to do (night life, museums, scenery, historic scenery, varying neighborhoods)
Keep in mind that about 150 years ago American Indians were a concern here... We don't have the settled history that you are used to on the east coast. Everything is much newer here in that regard. We do have many museums and fun things to do, but it's more limited then you are used to. The local traffic is much more managable than D.C. It's a pleasant one hour drive to Omaha, which has a whole range of different things to do and see, and about a 2.5 hour drive to Kansas City which is even more interesting.
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Metro transport (can get anywhere in the city within 45 mins)
My friends are close- on metro lines
We have bus service that covers most of Lincoln, however it is not used by most people. Bus riders are usually students and people without a car. Here it is so easy to park your car anywhere you go, and it's easy to get to anywhere by car. I practically don't know a person that uses the buses.
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I work in an office building with my own office (if I move to Lincoln, I will keep the same job just have to work from home...which is another conversation)
I also work from home and find it a dream to do so in Lincoln.
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Minutes to large water and close enough to the beach to take a day trip.
You are going to miss the beaches. Lincoln is surrounded by nice sized man-made lakes. The best water is out in the center and western part of the state. Water out there is filtered through miles of sand and is is crystal clear with sugar-white sand beaches. It will take you 2-3 hours to get to such places, but worth the drive and solitude.
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The things that I really dislike about DC:
TRAFFIC
Everyone is very busy. It's just the mindset here. Money, money, money, go, go, go.
It's a different pace here for the most part. You can actually enjoy a drive and have strangers wave to you just to be neighborly.
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Expensive! I pay $750 a month to rent a room 6 miles out of DC (not an apartment) and 3 1/2% property owners tax each year on my car (virginia)
It's far less expensive here in Lincoln. For example, I'm just finishing remodeling an air conditioned apartment. New carpet & paint, and new kitchen and appliances. It comes with off-street parking and is in a residential neighborhood a mile from the main street. There is a paved bike trail across the street that goes to the UNL campus or, to outside of Lincoln if you go to a distant town. The apartment has tons of windows with a view from the second floor (the kitchen has 7 windows alone). I'll be asking $500 a month, and that includes all utilities.
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I do not ever see myself buying real estate here.
The real estate market in Lincoln is better then much of the country. Last month I put an investment house on the market for $140,000. It's been totally renovated top to bottom. Three bedrooms, large office area, 2.5 baths (one with a Jacuzzi), large living room with working fireplace, daylight basement fully finished and two-car garage with electric car hookups. So it's easy to get nice property for a reasonable price.
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Summer humidity.
We have high humidity here too. It's not near as high as D.C., nor does it last as long. I'm sure the ocean adds a lot in D.C. We can get tornado warnings but Lincoln has never been hit with one. No hurricanes or earthquakes here. We can get some short violent storms that last less the 30 minutes that come with warnings hours ahead.
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Crime- even though I have never seen any. It it known that you don't ever leave your car unlocked or walk alone at night.
Crime is such an opportunist thing. I have waked my little seven-pound dog many nights after midnight for years without a problem, but I suppose I could have a problem someday.
Lincoln is a city that is flat as a table. People in Lincoln have always valued trees and you see them everywhere you go; even downtown.
I've also noticed that Lincoln and Omaha have rock-bottom unemployment rates (3.6% & 4.2% according to the BLS--Bureau Of Labor Statistics) compared to the 12%-plus rate here in Los Angeles.
Are service and/or retail jobs readily available in both cities?
I've also noticed that Lincoln and Omaha have rock-bottom unemployment rates (3.6% & 4.2% according to the BLS--Bureau Of Labor Statistics) compared to the 12%-plus rate here in Los Angeles.
Are service and/or retail jobs readily available in both cities?
Yes - and no.
Many of the service jobs are taken up by the endless stream of college students, some by the wives and children of surrounding ranchers to make ends meet, and by family, friends, or friends of friends.
Nebraska as a whole has low unemployment because most people work - sometimes two and three jobs. Service level jobs are notoriously low-paid with a minimum of benefits. The COL is incredibly lower in Nebraska, if you want to compare it to Los Angeles - but the amenities and public services are lacking by comparison as well. Nebraska did not suffer as badly as many states from the housing boom/bust for two reasons 1) developers didn't come here in droves selling McMansions on 1/4 acre to eager flippers thinking they'd make a buck, and 2) lenders were not as wild as in other states about balloon mortgages or ARMs or other specious lending activities. Since there was no hysterical boom, there was no devastating bust. And hence - no massive sucking sound as jobs went down the drain. These are the reasons unemployment figures seem so low... specious employment at retail and service jobs didn't leap upwards as new stores and new offerings opened every other week to cater to the boom, and then shrivel afterwards when it collapsed.
Numbers don't mean a lot unless you understand the reasons behind them.
I am considering a move from Washington, DC to Lincoln, NE to follow my boyfriend while he is in gradschool. I really enjoy living in Washington, DC so I have some reservations about moving to Lincoln, NE. I have heard some negative things about living in NE, so I would like to know your opinions. I am in my mid 20's. Thanks for your help
No personal remarks, please. I am not trying to be close-minded about NE stereotypes. I am attempting to educate myself on life in the area. Eg; quality of life, things to do, sightseeing opportunities, openminded-ness in the people, etc. Thanks
Probably a whole lot less public transit in Lincoln, NE.
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