[BruceAdama]

Hi, all. I wanted to start a new thread because I have some very specific questions that I'm wondering about. I am considering taking a cross-country road trip soon, just to kinda see what else is out there, and see if any new place strikes my fancy to settle down at for a while, and Nebraska is one of the areas I'm considering, and that will be part of my trip.

I have seen pictures of downtown Omaha, and it looks very pretty, but I would not want to live downtown... I would like to live in a suburb, in a nice 1-bedroom apartment. So I'm wondering a few things. What is the USUAL daytime weather from the Spring to the Autumn? How often does it rain (I LOVE rain, so the more the better)? What are the major grocery/supermarket chains? What are the major ethnic groups represented? Are there any major shopping malls/movie theaters? Is the demographic mostly younger or older people? How much green prairie IS there really (Being from Los Angeles originally, I'm sick and tired of seeing nothing but dry and brown dead vegetation, so the more green the better)?

If someone can just clue me in on these and a few other things maybe, that'd be cool. Thanks.

[Aenej4]

What is the USUAL daytime weather from the Spring to the Autumn?

One thing about Nebraska weather is that it is a different season every day. It does rain mostly in the summer and the thunderstorms are awesome. We are in tornado alley but Omaha rarely sees them as it's usually the country areas that get hit. The humidity can be bad to the point where it's hard to breathe but there are also the days where the weather is perfect (70's spring weather). It really does vary from day to day.

How often does it rain (I LOVE rain, so the more the better)?

See above response.

What are the major grocery/supermarket chains?

Wal-mart, Baker's, Hy-Vee, No Frills, & Bag-N-Save are the major supermarkets. There are also Super Targets. We also have drugstores like Walgreen's & CVS Pharmacy (which are new to the area so there aren't very many yet).

What are the major ethnic groups represented?

This obviously depends on what area you are in. Overall, there are Caucasians, African-American, and Hispanic for the majority. There are also Asians, Native Americans, Africans, and all of the above.

North Omaha is predominately African-American, South Omaha is mostly Hispanic, West Omaha is more suburb-like where the further west you go, the more money people have. East of Omaha is Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Are there any major shopping malls/movie theaters?

The major indoor shopping malls are Westroads and OakView. The major outdoor shopping malls are Shadow Lake (In Papillion which is a suburb south of Omaha) and Village Point which is in West Omaha. There are tons of other places to shop but they are strip malls which have some stores, not a "mall" full. There is also a mall in Council Bluffs, Iowa called Mall of the Bluffs but that is deteriorating into various strip malls. (Omaha used to have Southroads and Crossroads but those are now vacant.)

As for movie theaters there are a ton. It really depends on what area you are in but I will name a few major ones. AMC Oakview, Marcus Cinema in Midtown Crossing (it's a Cinedine where you eat dinner and watch a movie), RAVE at the Westroads mall, AMC at Village Point, Aksarben Cinema which just opened a couple weeks ago, Twin Creek in Bellevue (suburb south of Omaha), Star Cinema is in Council Bluffs, Iowa and many smaller/older theaters.

Is the demographic mostly younger or older people?

This also depends on where you live as I believe it's a mixture. In the suburbs it's more families with kids and older people but there are also young single people too. The same goes for all over Omaha. The downtown and midtown areas are more younger single people mostly due to the major colleges being in those areas and nightlife.

How much green prairie IS there really (Being from Los Angeles originally, I'm sick and tired of seeing nothing but dry and brown dead vegetation, so the more green the better)?

There is A LOT of green during Spring, Summer, Fall and sometimes even Winter. I rarely notice dry or brown dead vegetation. There are also lots of fields outside of the city that are for farming.

I HOPE THIS HELPS. Let us know if you need to know anything else.

[Aenej4]

Originally Posted by Aenej4

What are the major grocery/supermarket chains?

Wal-mart, Baker's, Hy-Vee, No Frills, & Bag-N-Save are the major supermarkets. There are also Super Targets. We also have drugstores like Walgreen's & CVS Pharmacy (which are new to the area so there aren't very many yet).

There is also Whole Foods which is a health market and we recently got a Trader Joe's which is close to the Whole Foods.

[Aenej4]

Originally Posted by BruceAdama

I would like to live in a suburb, in a nice 1-bedroom apartment.

Just curious why you want to live in a suburb if you want to live in a 1-bedroom?

[Busguy2010]

There are a lot of "Suburbs" around Omaha. Some are actually part of Omaha proper, and some are their own cities or counties. I'll start north of Omaha, and circle to the southwest and back to the river.

In the north, you've got Irvington, which is actually in Omaha. There's a bunch of new appartments off 90th and Irvington rd, I believe. It's within I-680, so it's actually very close to the city, about 15 miles northwest of Downtown Omaha. There's a Walmart very near, as well as a huge strip mall called Sorensen Plaza with a Target, clothing stores, and a Movie theater. If you're a person that stays away from the minority section of cities, the "Ghetto", Irvington is about 5 miles away, I suppose, and people from that "Bad" area frequent the mall and Theater, so Consider that.

To the South and West, you've got Elkhorn. It's pretty far out of Omaha, it feels. Theres development to a certain point, then there is a section of farm land, and then Elkhorn. There's not much there. You will have to drive to Omaha for nearby Village Pointe Mall, or travel to Northwest Omaha for grocery. There's hardly any appartments I know of there, if any at all.

In between Elkhorn and Irvington, there's Northwest Omaha. I'm also going to bunch West and Southwest Omaha in here, because there's nothing unique between any of the three besides geographics. There are Many, many appartments here. This is where you will find all of the strip malls similar to the one near Irvington. In West Omaha, there's Village Pointe, an upscale outdoor shopping center with a theater. There's Oakview mall, a much more low-key, indoor mall in Southwest Omaha.

Millard is To the south of Southwest Omaha. It is an older community and you won't find any brand new cookie cutter homes in Millard, and everything is a little more densely populated.

Papillion-La Vista are south and east of Millard. They are in a different county from Omaha, Sarpy county, and they are also seperate cities. In papillion, you will find Shadow Lake; An outdoor shopping center similar to Village Pointe, but it also has grocery. Papillion and La Vista are older cities that have experienced some of their own "suburban aprawl", so there's also a lot of new. There are many appartments in Papillion and La Vista.

Last, to the the east of Papillion-La Vista is Bellevue. It is also in Sapry County and is the oldest town in Nebraska, according to them. It is just off the river, about 10-15 miles directly south of DTO. They don't have a lot of new development at all from what I can think of. Bellevue also houses Offutt AFB. It's a noticably older town, so if exclusive, up and coming is your type, I wouldn't reccomend it.

Well, there's what I have to offer. I'm not a fan at all of Omaha's suburbs, because of the driving and the lack of character. If your car acts up and can't find another ride, then you might as well stop functioning 'till you can get it fixed. When people say it's impossible to get around omaha without a car, I guarantee they are speaking of the suburban sprawl. I definitely wouldn't reccomend the places I listed above, but that's jut my personal preferrance. Living in the more inner-city area is better to me, because things are denser, have more character and are probably cheaper in a lot of cases. I think you'll get very bored of Suburban Omaha, very quickly.

[smithy77]

Omaha's climate is on par with NYC, albeit much more windy. If you like rain, Omaha's got some pretty wild weather; and there are also days in the spring and fall when the air is so clear and the sunlight so golden that it is absolutely breathtaking (I live on the East coast now, and that's one of the things I miss about that part of the Midwest). Regarding the 'flora', Omaha is surprisingly hilly and green, with old growth forests to the north and south. The word "suburb" has a different meaning here---Omaha is allowed to "annex" newer parts of the metro area within its existing county, so you'll hear people refer to areas west of 90th St. as "suburban". It also has real suburban communities in an adjacent county (Sarpy). There are areas of town that are younger, like Midtown, Aksarben Village and Downtown, and most of the apartment complexes in the 'burbs have a younger demographic. A decent 1-bedroom apartment will set you back about $500-$700 per month; luxury digs more than that. Ethnically, the city has a history similar to other northern industrial towns, with neighborhoods represented by Italian, Irish, Polish, Czech, Greek, Mexican, Jewish, Czech, German, Scandanavian, African-American, and others who settled here a hundred or more years ago; and most recently Sudanese, East and South Asian, and Central American.

[Aenej4]

Originally Posted by Busguy2010

They don't have a lot of new development at all from what I can think of.

^"They"= Bellevue^

The new addition to Bellevue University, CVS Pharmacy, Bellevue Medical Center are things that are new developments to Bellevue but may be irrelevant to the OP. Just thought I would mention it.

[BruceAdama]

Wow... thanks for all the great replies, folks! It definitely helps! It sounds like Omaha is a pretty neat place, and I look forward to exploring it.

Originally Posted by Aenej4

Just curious why you want to live in a suburb if you want to live in a 1-bedroom?

Well, I only need a one-bedroom apartment, as I don't have children and I'm currently single, and I would think that the further from downtown you are the more affordable the rent, but maybe I'm wrong about that, in regards to Omaha?

[Aenej4]

Originally Posted by BruceAdama

Well, I only need a one-bedroom apartment, as I don't have children and I'm currently single, and I would think that the further from downtown you are the more affordable the rent, but maybe I'm wrong about that, in regards to Omaha?

For the most part that is true. What are you looking to spend?

[BruceAdama]

I would LIKE to spend at the most $600 a month... I do not require anything fancy like cable TV or WiFi internet... the only "luxury" I would like to have is on-site laundry.