[Fatherof3girls]

Hello everyone. Thank you for reading.

Our family lives in a small northern California town close to Oregon. My wife and I settled here in the hopes of leaving the hectic metro life. We are raising young ladies in grade school.
I am a general dentist and have run a wonderful small practice for the last ten years and the practice has grown every year.

Before our girls entered elementary school, we were content with our lives.
However we are realizing that its very difficult to find good education and availability of after school activities for the girls. We manage to provide music lessons, a very short swim lesson at a local physical therapy pool, but things are very difficult to find.

Wife and I are both Korean Americans with conservative backgrounds and want to raise the girls that way.
We want to leave California as many have.

We want to consider Omaha or Lincoln area. We do not know anyone in Nebraska.
During the children's spring break, I am thinking about a trip to Nebraska.

I still do not want a metro life, but want to provide the family with more opportunities.

What area would you recommend?
I will probably contact a realtor beforehand for some area introduction.

Hard part is selling my practice and starting over, but I am willing and do this while I am still 43.

I am frankly very hesitant and scared to giveup a good life and move.....but must courage up!!!

[Power-I]

I don't know how rural you are looking for, but you have plenty of options between Omaha and Lincoln.

Lincoln is a small city ~250K, but feels alot smaller. Lincoln's "metro" is pretty much all Lincoln, and no major outlying suburbs. There is an interstate that runs along the edge of town, but unlike major metros, there are not miles upon miles of freeway to get you around the city. Other than a very short rush hour (5-6) on major streets, traffic is never really a problem. You can get most places in the city in 15-20 minutes.

Omaha, on the other hand, is more of a medium to large sized city. I believe the metro area in total is around 800-900K, ballpark. There are major freeways throughout the city, and rush hour is a mess from about 4:30-6:30 on freeways and major arterials. There are plenty of suburbs where you can get a more "rural feel" like the outskirts of Gretna, Papillion, La Vista and Elkhorn. These were all tiny towns that were engulfed by Omaha, so definitely a more rural feel in those areas, with the convenience of the city not too far off.

If you want a REAL rural experience, but not completely in the middle of nowhere, there are towns in between these two cities. Edge to edge, Lincoln and Omaha are about 30-40 miles apart, and in between there are a variety of small communities and farming areas. Ashland, Greenwood, South Bend. These are areas where you can get a good bit of land, and have none of the problems of city living, while still being within quick driving distance of either sized city. From Ashland to Omaha for example, you're probably looking at 15-20 minutes on the interstate. Additionally, I'm sure these small towns would be more than happy to get another dental option, as many of them that I know actually drive into Omaha or Lincoln now, because of lack of options.

Your situation seems to line up perfectly with one of the benefits of living in Nebraska, which is ability to lead a rural style life, but with the option of getting major city services in a very short distance away. Good luck whatever you decide.

[smithy77]

Originally Posted by Fatherof3girls

Hello everyone. Thank you for reading.

Our family lives in a small northern California town close to Oregon. My wife and I settled here in the hopes of leaving the hectic metro life. We are raising young ladies in grade school.
I am a general dentist and have run a wonderful small practice for the last ten years and the practice has grown every year.

Before our girls entered elementary school, we were content with our lives.
However we are realizing that its very difficult to find good education and availability of after school activities for the girls. We manage to provide music lessons, a very short swim lesson at a local physical therapy pool, but things are very difficult to find.

Wife and I are both Korean Americans with conservative backgrounds and want to raise the girls that way.
We want to leave California as many have.

We want to consider Omaha or Lincoln area. We do not know anyone in Nebraska.
During the children's spring break, I am thinking about a trip to Nebraska.

I still do not want a metro life, but want to provide the family with more opportunities.

What area would you recommend?
I will probably contact a realtor beforehand for some area introduction.

Hard part is selling my practice and starting over, but I am willing and do this while I am still 43.

I am frankly very hesitant and scared to giveup a good life and move.....but must courage up!!!

You might want to read the blog of another Korean American who moved to Omaha from NewYork City, knowing no one (Alice Kim)-----postcardsfromomaha.blogspot.com. My cousin married a Korean dentist back in the 1980's, so there is definitely a Korean presence in Omaha. The cost of living in Omaha and Lincoln is so ridiculously low that you can live like a prince on a low 6-figure salary. Moving to another part of the country is always a gut-wrenching experience for me (I've done it several times), and I currently live in the D.C.metro area. Trust me, Omaha is a good place to land.

[MountainMen]

You are in an ideal spot in America and if I were you, I'd be slow to entertain any idea of moving from there. You've likely worked hard to build a career and relationships where you are. But, if you must move, you should absolutely visit any area you're thinking of moving too, not just Omaha. And visit multiple times. Visit Omaha during January and experience single digit temperatures with howling winds, and then visit in August and experience 100+ degrees. Although few will admit it, segregation is strong in Omaha, especially compared to California, so I'm not sure how you feel about that. Good luck and hope you find what you're looking for.

[Gunluvver2]

I have an idea you might want to consider.
I was an over the road truck driver for many years. One thing I hated when I was on the road was getting a toothache and trying to find a dentist. Interstate 80 is Main Street USA as far as trucks are concerned. I have been off the road for several years now but when I left the business in 1989 I don't think there was more than one or two dentists located close to or in a truck stop.

You might consider renting space in one of the several Truck Stops on I-80 in Nebraska. I have a feeling that a Dentist could make a very good living catering to truckers with a sore tooth.

GL2

[Raphael07]

Originally Posted by MountainMen

You are in an ideal spot in America and if I were you, I'd be slow to entertain any idea of moving from there. You've likely worked hard to build a career and relationships where you are. But, if you must move, you should absolutely visit any area you're thinking of moving too, not just Omaha. And visit multiple times. Visit Omaha during January and experience single digit temperatures with howling winds, and then visit in August and experience 100+ degrees. Although few will admit it, segregation is strong in Omaha, especially compared to California, so I'm not sure how you feel about that. Good luck and hope you find what you're looking for.

Every city in America, and even most throughout the world, is segregated. This is nothing unique.

[Busguy2010]

Originally Posted by MountainMen

You are in an ideal spot in America and if I were you, I'd be slow to entertain any idea of moving from there. You've likely worked hard to build a career and relationships where you are. But, if you must move, you should absolutely visit any area you're thinking of moving too, not just Omaha. And visit multiple times. Visit Omaha during January and experience single digit temperatures with howling winds, and then visit in August and experience 100+ degrees. Although few will admit it, segregation is strong in Omaha, especially compared to California, so I'm not sure how you feel about that. Good luck and hope you find what you're looking for.

I don't see any reason not to visit during times of mild weather.. I mean, we do have it.

I will agree with you on one note: West Omaha is almost all white. In north Omaha there's a concentration of black, and in south omaha you have more mexicans. BUT, I'm not willing to say that eastern Omaha is segregated. you have all types mixing there to a much better degree than anywhere else in the metro and maybe in the region.

[Some_Random_Guy]

Honestly, I think the OP needs to schedule a weekend visit to Omaha while it's still winter. I'm from Omaha and I could provide a lengthy list of great things about the area, but I don't want to steer him in the wrong direction.

Winters in Omaha can be rough if you're coming from a place like Northern CA. Also, the landscape may leave a lot to be desired, as well. If you are ok with the climate during a winter visit, then I say go for it. The area has everything else one could want.

[MountainMen]

Originally Posted by Busguy2010

I don't see any reason not to visit during times of mild weather.. I mean, we do have it..

Indeed, but it's not the mild times that are going to make him regret his decision.

[btoverdrive]

Originally Posted by MountainMen

Indeed, but it's not the mild times that are going to make him regret his decision.

Indeed, indeed. Winter of 2009-2010 literally almost killed me trying to get my 4WD out of the snow. Thank goodness for a kind neighbor.