Best and worst places to avoid. Mom that wants to be near schools, job opportunities, and fun. (Omaha: real estate)

[ariesmoon]

After doing more research Omaha seems to be the place for me over the second biggest city Lincoln, but I may be wrong. I decided to post in this section as opposed to Omaha first because there is a bit more traffic in here. From some posts on here, it seems like Lincoln is extremely quiet, not having as much things to do. So I figure I will say what I am interested in, and maybe some helpful people could tell me about an area of Nebraska that would match, whether Omaha or not..

1. Close to jobs whether retail/government. Closest to me is walking distance (ten or twenty minutes) In a car driving, close is less than thirty minutes, and far is anything over a forty minute drive.

2. Being close to grocery store/laundromat is important whether if it's a big chain or small. Currently where I am from the closest grocery store is eight to ten minutes away but buying from Target is cheaper than the local grocery, and I will occasionally travel to Target which is about twenty minutes walking/five minutes driving.

3. I'd like to be near the sights, like the zoo/aquarium, but having a local park is more of a priority. I have a three year old son that likes those activities.

4. Near different restaurants. I'm not sure if you all have grubhub, but if you do a place I can walk to or have food delivered to me for days when I want something different, like Thai, or Chinese, American, or Caribbean.

5. Near good pre-schools, kindergarten, and daycare. My son has autism.

6. Has a nightlife for someone single and late 20's, early 30's. I'm not into the bar scene unless it's karaoke. I prefer lounges where I can sit and mingle, with some dancing. I like bowling, and meeting new people.

7. A safe, diverse neighborhoods with an evenly distributed amount of black, white, latino, etc. I realize the definition of safe may vary, but an area with no known gangs, drug activity, and prostitution. I am always aware of my surroundings but don't want to be nervous once it's dusk, as in NYC there are certain places like that. If anyone knows of an area with a large population of Caribbeans that would be helpful as well.

8. Pet friendly apartment complexes. I have a fifty pound dog and a three pound dog.

9. Near community/public colleges.

10. Not too far from the doctor/dentist/hospitals, and other important government agencies.

11. Bike friendly.

12. Has a deaf community I want to work and meet deaf people.


I've been researching for days now as this would be a big move for me. I guess all in all if I have a car anything within a maximum of twenty to twenty five minute drive is fine for me. I know not every place might have all of these places but it's okay.

[geog-fanatic]

I've lived in Lincoln for only 7 months, and I find it to be a VERY relaxed place compared to my former home. It may not be the most exciting location, but I'm at an age now where I no longer need to live where all the action is. I'm not sure how much help I can offer on many of the things you've listed, but I'll give it a try.

Originally Posted by ariesmoon

1. Close to jobs whether retail/government. Closest to me is walking distance (ten or twenty minutes) In a car driving, close is less than thirty minutes, and far is anything over a forty minute drive.
Outside of medical jobs and jobs affiliated with the University, the majority of jobs in Lincoln would be in retail or government. If you want a retail job, there are numerous places around town with help wanted signs, so I don't think you would have a problem. You would also have no problem with commute times living and working in Lincoln. Nearly every place in Lincoln can be accessed within twenty minutes of any given point within the city, even in what the locals here call heavy traffic. Due to its size, commuting in Omaha could possibly take 30-45 minutes, depending on how far you are traveling. If you choose to live out in West Omaha around 168th and Maple and work downtown, this would be a good example of a longer commute.

2. Being close to grocery store/laundromat is important whether if it's a big chain or small. Currently where I am from the closest grocery store is eight to ten minutes away but buying from Target is cheaper than the local grocery, and I will occasionally travel to Target which is about twenty minutes walking/five minutes driving.
Unless you live in the south suburbs below Hwy 2, most Lincoln neighborhoods seem to be within walking distance of a grocery store. There are plenty of HyVee stores, along with a few Russ and Super Saver stores. Then you'll find 4 Wal-marts and 3 (maybe 4?) Targets scattered throughout town. I've seen a number of laundromats too, so I would imagine you could reach one via car in 5 minutes or less. Omaha also has a ton of grocery stores, but I've noticed most of them are outside of the downtown and midtown area, so just be aware of that.

3. I'd like to be near the sights, like the zoo/aquarium, but having a local park is more of a priority. I have a three year old son that likes those activities.
Lincoln has a children's zoo. I have not seen it yet, but around here it is highly regarded. However, nothing beats the Omaha Henry Doorly zoo...wonderful place! Either city should be very acceptable to you in terms of local parks. I think they both do a great job of keeping their parks clean and attractive, and there is plenty of green space to explore around here. A few of the parks even have small lakes with walking trails in both Lincoln and Omaha.

4. Near different restaurants. I'm not sure if you all have grubhub, but if you do a place I can walk to or have food delivered to me for days when I want something different, like Thai, or Chinese, American, or Caribbean.
Not sure about delivery services in Omaha, but Lincoln has something called metro dining delivery that will pick up from a number of restaurants and bring it to your door. Both cities have an array of Thai and Chinese options, but I'm afraid that the Caribbean choices are pretty limited here. Caribbean food is my favorite cuisine, and I haven't found any in Lincoln whatsoever! Omaha has just one place that I'm aware of on North 72nd St. It was pretty good, but it pales in comparison to the choices I had in Atlanta.

5. Near good pre-schools, kindergarten, and daycare. My son has autism.
I do not have any children, so I'm afraid I would be of no benefit to you in this category. I know you've received some feedback in the Omaha forum on their schools, so I would recommend you use the Great Schools website to evaluate Lincoln too before you make a decision. I currently live in the Lincoln East district, which is one of the highest rated in the city, but I understand there are a few other good options here in LPS.

6. Has a nightlife for someone single and late 20's, early 30's. I'm not into the bar scene unless it's karaoke. I prefer lounges where I can sit and mingle, with some dancing. I like bowling, and meeting new people.
I don't think you'd have a problem finding these types of locations. I'm pretty sure there is plenty of everything you mentioned here in Lincoln, which means you should definitely have no problem finding good nightlife options in Omaha.

7. A safe, diverse neighborhoods with an evenly distributed amount of black, white, latino, etc. I realize the definition of safe may vary, but an area with no known gangs, drug activity, and prostitution. I am always aware of my surroundings but don't want to be nervous once it's dusk, as in NYC there are certain places like that. If anyone knows of an area with a large population of Caribbeans that would be helpful as well.
As far as diverse neighborhoods go, you will probably have more luck in Omaha than in Lincoln. There is some diversity here, but not as much as I would have thought. I would think that, compared to NYC, you'll find Lincoln to be VERY safe, but there are a couple of neighborhoods that tend to make the news more often than others. For instance, the area bordered by 27th on the West, Randolph on the South, 33rd on the East and Holdrege on the North seems to have a higher amount of criminal activity than other areas. There are also a few blocks of problem areas just to the south of the capitol building. I've heard of some gang activity in both of these areas. Otherwise, I think everywhere else should be fine as long as you use common sense.

8. Pet friendly apartment complexes. I have a fifty pound dog and a three pound dog.
If you limit your search strictly to apartment complexes, you may not have many choices in regards to the 50 pound dog. I only have two cats, and there were a number of potential locations I had to scratch off my list. I've seen some places that advertise they'll accept small dogs, but you will need to do your homework. I'm not sure if the same restrictions apply in Omaha.

9. Near community/public colleges..
This would not be an issue in either city. For major universities, Lincoln has UNL, and Omaha has UNO. They both also have good, affordable community colleges: SCC in Lincoln and MCC in Omaha.

10. Not too far from the doctor/dentist/hospitals, and other important government agencies.
Again, this would not be an issue in either city. Both have very good hospitals and numerous choices for doctors & dentists.

11. Bike friendly.
Lincoln is super bike friendly! You can basically get just about anywhere in this town on a bike. The trail system is extensive. I'm pretty sure that Omaha is also fairly bike friendly with a good trail system, and I believe they have converted some of the streets to include bike lanes.

12. Has a deaf community I want to work and meet deaf people.
I'm not knowledgeable about the size of the deaf community in either location, but you could run a web search on "Nebraska Association of the Deaf" to find out more information.


I've been researching for days now as this would be a big move for me. I guess all in all if I have a car anything within a maximum of twenty to twenty five minute drive is fine for me. I know not every place might have all of these places but it's okay.

[ariesmoon]

Originally Posted by geog-fanatic

I've lived in Lincoln for only 7 months, and I find it to be a VERY relaxed place compared to my former home. It may not be the most exciting location, but I'm at an age now where I no longer need to live where all the action is. I'm not sure how much help I can offer on many of the things you've listed, but I'll give it a try.

Thanks so much. I will google those particular streets you told me to avoid as well as pretty much everything you told me about. I don't mind renting a townhouse as long as it's affordable. I have noticed that the price of renting a townhouse in some states can be about the same as an apartment if not only a little more. Makes me wonder why? To me the more space for the same amount of money is a bonus. Must be something I'm missing.

[geog-fanatic]

Originally Posted by ariesmoon

Thanks so much. I will google those particular streets you told me to avoid as well as pretty much everything you told me about. I don't mind renting a townhouse as long as it's affordable. I have noticed that the price of renting a townhouse in some states can be about the same as an apartment if not only a little more. Makes me wonder why? To me the more space for the same amount of money is a bonus. Must be something I'm missing.

It probably has something to do with the downturn in real estate. Condos and townhouses became a negative commodity, so more and more became available as rentals. My guess is the higher supply of town homes contributed to the decline in prices, as the owners just want to get someone in them and make back some of their investment.

For specific parks to investigate, look up Holmes Lake park and Pioneers park. They are both amazing and peaceful with walking and biking trails, and Holmes Lake has a dog park just across the street from it.