Moving from Arizona to Nebraska! (Omaha, Lincoln: hardwood floor, 2013, apartments)
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My wife and I are moving from Phoenix, AZ to Lincoln, NE. She is getting her MBA at UNL and I will be transferring with my job. My wife is a Nebraska native (from Wahoo) and I am from Southwest Virginia originally. We are looking at moving into the northwest side of Lincoln (Highlands area I believe it's called). I have a couple of questions about Nebraska.
1). Do all of the houses have carpet? It seems like all of the houses we are seeing online have carpet as opposed to tile or hardwood. I really like non-carpet surface but is there an advantage to keeping the carpet in NE? Perhaps weather related?
2). Is the Highlands regarded as a nicer area? I've driven through it once and it looked nice but I feel like it's always better to get the opinions of some locals.
3). Is it hard to get Huskers football tickets?
4). Is a 4X4 vehicle necessary? I know that it is mainly flat but I've been told the winters are pretty gnarly.
5). Are tornadoes really all that common?
6). Can you spend 180k and expect to get a nice house or is that fairly uncommon?
7). How would you compare cost of living in NE to the US average?
8). I've heard a lot of good things about Lincoln's downtown...is it a pretty happening spot?
9). Really random question::::Are there any good Vietnamese restaurants?
10). Any other advice about what to do or where to go for fun would be appreciated!
My wife and I are moving from Phoenix, AZ to Lincoln, NE. She is getting her MBA at UNL and I will be transferring with my job. My wife is a Nebraska native (from Wahoo) and I am from Southwest Virginia originally. We are looking at moving into the northwest side of Lincoln (Highlands area I believe it's called). I have a couple of questions about Nebraska.
1). Do all of the houses have carpet? It seems like all of the houses we are seeing online have carpet as opposed to tile or hardwood. I really like non-carpet surface but is there an advantage to keeping the carpet in NE? Perhaps weather related?
2). Is the Highlands regarded as a nicer area? I've driven through it once and it looked nice but I feel like it's always better to get the opinions of some locals.
3). Is it hard to get Huskers football tickets?
4). Is a 4X4 vehicle necessary? I know that it is mainly flat but I've been told the winters are pretty gnarly.
5). Are tornadoes really all that common?
6). Can you spend 180k and expect to get a nice house or is that fairly uncommon?
7). How would you compare cost of living in NE to the US average?
8). I've heard a lot of good things about Lincoln's downtown...is it a pretty happening spot?
9). Really random question::::Are there any good Vietnamese restaurants?
10). Any other advice about what to do or where to go for fun would be appreciated!
Thanks!
I am a 66 year old single Male so my interests may be totally different than yours but I will attempt answering your questions.
1. If you look you can find houses with both carpet and hardwood floors. If you are renting it has been my experience that the cheaper apartments have carpet and higher end rental units may have both.
2. I consider the Highlands as middle of the road as far as housing. I know people living in that area and they all seem to like it.
3. Husker tickets can be difficult to come by. If they are having a great year expect to pay HUGE prices for the top ranked match ups. Bogus tickets are a problem also so buyer beware.
4. No a 4 x 4 is not necessary but on a few days every year it can come in handy. Knowing how to drive on ice and snow is a good survival skill.
5. I would be more concerned about getting hit by lightning than killed by a tornado. However BOTH can happen. Just pay attention to the warnings. Which BTW are fairly adequate.
6. A 180 K house will buy property in a nice area. Know the market before you buy though. The prices here may be drastically different than AZ and you don't want to over pay.
7. There are several web sites that compare cost of living in various parts of the country so I won't give specifics when you can just google it.
8. I don't know what your definition of "happening" is. However there are a lot of bars and theaters in downtown and it is within walking distance of the UNL campus.
9. There are several Vietnamese restaurants scattered around Lincoln but I don't know how the quality is. I prefer Chinese but I do 99.9% of my meals at either home or fast food places.
10. I prefer outdoor activities like hunting and fishing. There are decent opportunities for both within a few minutes of Lincoln. However if you are willing to drive 250 miles both hunting and fishing becomes great. Lincoln recently opened a MotoX track so a dirt bike hobby is possible. Fun is different for everybody but IMHO if you have an imagination you should never be bored in Lincoln. The fantastic libraries in the City are one of the biggest assets for me.
I am a 66 year old single Male so my interests may be totally different than yours but I will attempt answering your questions.
1. If you look you can find houses with both carpet and hardwood floors. If you are renting it has been my experience that the cheaper apartments have carpet and higher end rental units may have both.
2. I consider the Highlands as middle of the road as far as housing. I know people living in that area and they all seem to like it.
3. Husker tickets can be difficult to come by. If they are having a great year expect to pay HUGE prices for the top ranked match ups. Bogus tickets are a problem also so buyer beware.
4. No a 4 x 4 is not necessary but on a few days every year it can come in handy. Knowing how to drive on ice and snow is a good survival skill.
5. I would be more concerned about getting hit by lightning than killed by a tornado. However BOTH can happen. Just pay attention to the warnings. Which BTW are fairly adequate.
6. A 180 K house will buy property in a nice area. Know the market before you buy though. The prices here may be drastically different than AZ and you don't want to over pay.
7. There are several web sites that compare cost of living in various parts of the country so I won't give specifics when you can just google it.
8. I don't know what your definition of "happening" is. However there are a lot of bars and theaters in downtown and it is within walking distance of the UNL campus.
9. There are several Vietnamese restaurants scattered around Lincoln but I don't know how the quality is. I prefer Chinese but I do 99.9% of my meals at either home or fast food places.
10. I prefer outdoor activities like hunting and fishing. There are decent opportunities for both within a few minutes of Lincoln. However if you are willing to drive 250 miles both hunting and fishing becomes great. Lincoln recently opened a MotoX track so a dirt bike hobby is possible. Fun is different for everybody but IMHO if you have an imagination you should never be bored in Lincoln. The fantastic libraries in the City are one of the biggest assets for me.
We have a nice city. I hope you enjoy it.
GL2
Thanks for your input! Lincoln sounds like a great place and we are getting excited to head in that direction! Where are the best locations to fish?
Thanks for your input! Lincoln sounds like a great place and we are getting excited to head in that direction! Where are the best locations to fish?
During all seasons except summer one of my favorite close in places to fish is Branched Oak Lake. It is less than ten minutes from the Highland areas. After it warms up all the boaters and Personal Watercraft users make it too crowded for my tastes so from June to September I avoid it. If you have the time/money Big Mac near Ogallala, NE is my favorite. It is about a four hour drive from Lincoln but it is great. You can also make the trip up to the Missouri River Lakes on the border of NE/SD but again it is quite an investment in time and money.
There are dozens of farm ponds with great fishing in the area but you need to know the landowners to get permission. These connections take a lot of time and effort but will be worth it. There are several small State managed Lakes and Wildlife Management Areas that provide both hunting and fishing opportunities to the Public. Here is a link to a website with more information Home Page - Nebraska Game and Parks Commission - see you out there
If you want to see some great pictures of Nebraska do a google on Michael Forsberg and look at his work. He is a regular contributor to NEBRASKALAND magazine and is a world renowned wildlife photographer.
Are you looking for Pho, if so The Pho Factory, opened recently on N27th. They have other food offerings there also, but Pho is their big thing, and if you check out their web site you will see what I mean about big. Some bowls could feed my family of six. lol
I am a young Nebraska Native, my age might be something you'd like to consider in reading my answers.
1. I have never heard this concern, and would be surprised to hear it is hard to find a place with hardwood.
2. Highlands is pretty suburban. Away from the action, but a nice quiet burb, if that's your thing.
3. Yes.
4. Winters in eastern/lower nebraska are really not that bad. Daytime highs around 40 or so in winter. can be windy out west, but wind is never really an issue in lincoln/Omaha. I would say no, 4x4 is definately not a necessity.
5. No.
6. In Omaha, above average. In Lincoln, darn nice. Elsewhere: very, very nice place with acreage.
7. Lower.
8. It's nothing like Phoenix im sure, but it's very "comfortable" for lack of a better word. Good restaurants, great vibe, great energy, great coffee, nice experience for a night out.
9. Tons! check out South Omaha, along 24th street between Vinton and Q. One of the southeast asian markets is directly across from Omaha south high school on s 24th that tops all other vietnamese experiences i have had, in any city. There is soo much good food in Omaha, it's surprising.
10. Nebraska wine can be out of this world good. It is nationally award winning; in 2006, Soaring Wings Winery won "Best Blended Red in the Eastern United States" with their 'Dragons Red' table wine. Miletta Vista in Saint Paul is one of the best undiscovered wineries i've ever been to. Nebraska is officially considered a Wine Growing Region by the ASWW, if you like wine you will have a great time on the 'Nebraska Wine Trail'. Just get outside! The humid night air smells sweet, and unmistakably of rain, the feel of those warm Nebraska nights is, well, vibrant, and will never be forgotten. It really is a beautiful state with more going on than most give it credit for. I left it for Denver, and after two months I'm looking for jobs back home again
1). Actually one thing I love about Lincoln-as opposed to Omaha- is there is a large number of old, beautiful later model homes that have wonderful hardwood floor (like my present apartment that I love!). A never house might have the mixture of both, just depends but yes there are plenty of hardwood floor homes to rent/lease in Lincoln.
2). Is the Highlands regarded as a nicer area? I've driven through it once and it looked nice but I feel like it's always better to get the opinions of some locals. (see above)
3). Is it hard to get Huskers football tickets?
Actually its not too hard to get tickets for a game, but depending on where you want to sit it might cost a little. (BUT here is the trick, at halftime much of the old folks might leave so you can just slip down and take a seat right on the 50--did this many times as a student not to fight the student section crowd). Dont plan on season tickets though.
4). Is a 4X4 vehicle necessary? I know that it is mainly flat but I've been told the winters are pretty gnarly.
No a 4x4 is completely unneccesary, its not Montana. However on 2-12 days out of the year, it will be necessary but it wont matter because school and work will be cancelled so you wont be going out!
5). Are tornadoes really all that common?
There more common in rural towns, not really through downtown Lincoln, but you can get some nasty storms.
6). Can you spend 180k and expect to get a nice house or is that fairly uncommon?
That will get you an ok house- just be sure to have it inspected there are tons of beautiful older houses but they mask many problems from neglect or lack of upkeep so check behind the curtain even if its perfect on the outside.
7). How would you compare cost of living in NE to the US average?
Not to pricey, average.
8). I've heard a lot of good things about Lincoln's downtown...is it a pretty happening spot?
Downtown is pretty fun actually. I personally dont like alcohol but there are plenty of different kind of bars to choose from so you will have a place to be enterained. What I love there are many awesome coffee shops great for hanging out/relaxing and you can walk anywhere downtown easily. Check out the Haymarket.
9). Really random question::::Are there any good Vietnamese restaurants?
YES YES YES!! lol theres a huge concentration of vietmase immigrants in lincoln. There are like 10 grocery stores/ restaurants called Nguyen lol... My favorite is one right of of 27th and Vine. Go to "yelp" .com great source of local restaurants and reviews. I met my friend in Lincoln from Vietnam. She cooks for me 2-3 times a week authentic vietmase food that is amazing. Her parents dont know english but they make amazing Pho and spring roles! Pork brains I could do without lol!!
10). Any other advice about what to do or where to go for fun?
A lot of downtown activities, especially stuff with the university. Great bike trails and clubs for biking. I found my favorite thing was actually attending two of the local churches there that were nothing like church when I grew up and completely changed my life and made lincoln amazing by connecting me to wondeful people and activities. If you visit be sure to attend Berean Church or Christ Place church once (just walk in no need for attendance or having to know stuff you'll love it and be able to meet amazing people...if its not for you no prob but come on and try it once-> def changed my time in lincoln
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