Is North Platte Really That Bad? (Omaha, Lincoln: RV park, apartments, rental)

[simplelife1]

I currently live in Iowa and have been looking into smaller cities to possibly relocate to. North Platte is a city that keeps coming up due to the lower cost, lower unemployment, size, and moderate climate.

But I have read mixed opinions about the city. So here are some questions I have.

Is North Platte really unwelcoming to newcomers? I have lived all throughout the Great Plains, and never had a problem.

Is crime in North Platte really that bad? I have read it has become a hot spot for drug dealers/use. Is it the type of crime where if you avoid those types of people you'll be fine, or do innocent people become victims of crimes quite often?

I have also read some say that rental apartments in NP are awful. Are they really awful, or are they just plain and simple without a lot of fancy amenities?


North Platte appeals to me in several ways. I like the somewhat isolated feel yet right on the interstate, the western history, the basic grid layout, etc... I don't drive, and the city looks easy to walk with lots of sidewalks. They also have a small bus system that runs until 8pm, which is better than any other smaller city in Nebraska. I am just wondering if I should pursue it more.

[IsThisOneTaken?]

North Platte will be what you make of it. If you are friendly, people will be friendly to you. If you find a nice apartment, you will have a nice apartment. If you avoid the criminal element, you will stay mostly crime-free.

North Platte seems to be no better or no worse than most similar-sized towns in Nebraska. It has its plusses and minuses.

[Bigg Mann]

Originally Posted by simplelife1

I currently live in Iowa and have been looking into smaller cities to possibly relocate to. North Platte is a city that keeps coming up due to the lower cost, lower unemployment, size, and moderate climate.

But I have read mixed opinions about the city. So here are some questions I have.

Is North Platte really unwelcoming to newcomers? I have lived all throughout the Great Plains, and never had a problem.

Is crime in North Platte really that bad? I have read it has become a hot spot for drug dealers/use. Is it the type of crime where if you avoid those types of people you'll be fine, or do innocent people become victims of crimes quite often?

I have also read some say that rental apartments in NP are awful. Are they really awful, or are they just plain and simple without a lot of fancy amenities?


North Platte appeals to me in several ways. I like the somewhat isolated feel yet right on the interstate, the western history, the basic grid layout, etc... I don't drive, and the city looks easy to walk with lots of sidewalks. They also have a small bus system that runs until 8pm, which is better than any other smaller city in Nebraska. I am just wondering if I should pursue it more.

My wife and I live in McCook, NE which is 70 miles south of North Platte and I moved back to McCook after being gone for 27 yrs and have retired here. I have been doing some volunteer work out of North Platte and have heard same stories you have. I stay in my Motorhome in an RV park and go home on weekends. Was told this RV park was not good and dirty. I have been there for 2 weeks now and it is clean and very quiet and neighbors and management are very friendly. Several leave their doors unlocked but I don't.

I like the shopping and dining compared to McCook which is 1/3rd the size but McCook also has drug problems etc. I would like to move to North Platte now and we will if Wife can find same type of job and pay.

I lived in Orlando, FL for 10 yrs, Denver, CO for 1 yr and last Indianapolis, IN for ,14 yrs. I loved Indy and miss it and they had lots of gangs, drugs, and a murder at least nightly. Every place has bad and good and just live good and be smart and everything will be okay. I have never had any trouble in any BIG city or small town. Good luck and take a chance, you can always move!!lol

[itsMeFred]

I've always liked North Platte, personally.

[IsThisOneTaken?]

I think this parable sums it up nicely:

A man moved to a new town. He asked a local resident whether the people there were friendly or not.
The resident asked the man, “What were people like where you used to live?”
The newcomer scowled and said, “They were really an unfriendly and rude bunch, and I couldn’t wait to get away from that place.”
The resident said, “Well, I’m afraid you’ll find the people here are pretty much the same.”
A week later, another man came to town. He happened to meet the same resident and asked him the same question. The local asked this second newcomer the same question: “What were the people like in the town where you used to live?”
This newcomer smiled and said, “Oh, that town was the friendliest place you could ever imagine.”
The local returned the smile and said, “Well, I’m glad to hear it, I think you’ll find people here are very friendly too.”

[brookhavennative]

I was a Southern kid that moved to North Platte in 2002 to finish high school after a few years in Eastern Kentucky (born and raised in Mississippi, but lived in Georgia, Kentucky, Indiana, Nebraska and now Arkansas as well...I'm a Wal-Mart brat) and let me tell you, complaints are relative. After the shock wore off of meeting a Southerner, the people were actually quite friendly. The town was clean, the traffic was low, the crime was non-existent. I was happier and felt more accepted in North Platte than I ever did in the South, and after I moved back south in 2004, I immediately missed North Platte. If I weren't so far away from family, I'd move back to Nebraska in a heartbeat. North Platte has its downs, but what town doesn't, really? I can tell you, after living in crime-ridden places like rural south Georgia and Kentucky, North Platte was a breath of fresh air. I haven't been in 8 years, but unless things took a nosedive since I left, I have nothing but good things to say. You get what you give in the midwest, so I've learned.

[simplelife1]

Originally Posted by IsThisOneTaken?

I think this parable sums it up nicely:

A man moved to a new town. He asked a local resident whether the people there were friendly or not.
The resident asked the man, “What were people like where you used to live?”
The newcomer scowled and said, “They were really an unfriendly and rude bunch, and I couldn’t wait to get away from that place.”
The resident said, “Well, I’m afraid you’ll find the people here are pretty much the same.”
A week later, another man came to town. He happened to meet the same resident and asked him the same question. The local asked this second newcomer the same question: “What were the people like in the town where you used to live?”
This newcomer smiled and said, “Oh, that town was the friendliest place you could ever imagine.”
The local returned the smile and said, “Well, I’m glad to hear it, I think you’ll find people here are very friendly too.”

This has been used so many times. It's old and I wish people would stop using it. The reality is some places are more welcoming than others to outsiders. I have lived in numerous cities, and their are differences. I am the same person in each city, so it is more than just my approach. Obviously, it has to do with which individuals one meets too.

In many areas, just saying you're from California gets you treated poorly, even before they know you on a personal level.

[empires228]

I've never heard anything negative about north platte and it certainly hasn't looked like a bad town any of the times I've been though on US83

[denimflyz]

I will inject a few things here and then let you make your decision. I was born in North Platte, and live here most of my life. In my 20's I moved to Sioux Falls SD and then Denver CO to work in banking and insurance and then got tired of the urban life in Denver so I moved back to North Platte in 1985.
Like others have said, it is what you make of it. All places have troubles including this place. I only inject my opinion as I live in a very bad neighborhood because its the only thing that I can afford at the moment, and we have several high end drug dealers that live several doors from me, and the landlords are no better than what they rent to.
I also inject my opinion as I am the daughter of a retired cop from North Platte, so I have seen, heard and dealt with what is going on, not rumors, the facts and truths.
My parents grew up in North Platte in the 20's and 30's when it was very rough, my dad was a cop on the beat here when it was "Little Chicago" in the 50's with the mobs and prostitution houses and Blackie Robinson.
North Platte has it star qualities, it has beautiful apartments now, and yes for the niceness, you will pay for it. It has many qualities, and shopping and yes, most of the people are pleasant, and friendly, and helpful. North Platte is giving, and generous for charitable organizations. It is the home of the Canteen...BUT it also has its dark and evil side as other communities have and always will, especially when others from the outside are moving here bringing both good and bad.
Personally, for myself, I am in the beginning stages of moving out. I have elderly parents that I will need to care for and eventualy move into my new home, and I personally do not like the urban feel of North Platte now. I also have a gardening/herb business that I need to move to continue on with my growing business with larger growing space. My plans are to move to a much smaller village in a different county.
So, please do your homework, and if you move here, I wish you the best, and an enjoyable experience in living here.

[2nd trick op]

An awful lot of what characterizes North Platte -- positive and negative alike -- can be linked to the domination of the community's economy by the Union Pacific Railroad. North Platte long ago replaced Altoona, Pennsylvania, as the nation's ultimate "railroad town", with constant activity at all hours of day or night. the only complete shutdowns are on Christmas and Thanksgiving. And that imbalance is accentuated by the fact that the quieter periods are usually on Tuesday and Wednesday, because it takes about two days for the shutdowns of business in Chicago and on the West Coast to be felt.

So unless you're a dyed-in-the-wool railroad buff like myself, North Platte doesn't have a lot to offer. But another positive to this is that the cost of living is generally low, and railroad paychecks, which are well above average, keep the economy healthy. I'd recommend it for a person who isn't looking for all the social and cultural amenities common to larger cities or the "bi-coastal" culture, but that description can be applied to Omaha, Lincoln and the entire state. I lived there for about a year (1999-2000) and I'm looking forward to an extended trip back during retirement, once time permits.