[lover13]

What is it like there?? Are gas prices really that intense down there?? Where's a good neighborhood?? Just looking for some information..

[ehenningsen]

Taxes are a bit high, that is true however let's talk what you will encounter here in the Omaha area..

Top notch schools..
Very friendly traffic compared to most other large cities..
The Omaha Sound, becoming known nationally, the music scene is tops
Performing Arts is top notch also, and is getting national reckognition
Standard of Living puts Omaha at #2 in america per capita..
Great Restaurants and retail shops
Fortune 500 headquarters, only 15 have 5 or more, including Omaha
Crime rates fairly low when comparing to other cities with same measurements
VERY VERY low cost of housing, we're talking fractions compared to other locs
Friendly people, seems to get national attention in this category too
Health-care, top notch facilities and research institutions
Top notch Universities in Creighton, UNO, UNL is nearby among many other
regarded colleges
Anything else

[Dave1215]

Originally Posted by lover13

What is it like there?? Are gas prices really that intense down there?? Where's a good neighborhood?? Just looking for some information..

Papillion was named 6th Best Place in the Nation to live by CNN/Money Magazine a few months ago: Article

Are you interested in Urban, Suburban, or Rural? That would help guide the areas you would be looking for.

[sinkfloridasink]

they tax the hell out of you (not that i know personally, since i was 15 when i lived there, but i've heard plenty of complaining...) and everytime i've talked to a friend the gas has been more expensive there than on the east coast (where i live now)

however, all of the positives mentioned above are spot on.

[mattpoulsen]

Yeah, the property taxes are higher here than many places on the east and west coast, but people HAVE to remember the difference in valuations.

I say this all the time but the "your property taxes are ridiculous" crowd just don't seem to listen.

The point is a house that runs for $150,000 in Omaha may run for $400,000 on the coast. Who cares if the levy is twice as high in Omaha, when valuations are much much lower.

The pertinent # should not be the actual tax rate, but the actual net amount of taxes you pay. After that is all figured in, even if the property tax paid is a bit higher in Omaha when you factor in the actual mortgage savings that you will reap then its not even close!!

The bottom line is even with higher property tax rates at the end of the month a person in Omaha has much more left in their pocket after making their mortgage payment than someone in NY, LA, San Fran, San Diego, or any major city on the coasts.

And don't think that salaries even come close to making up for it...they don't.

[Katarina Witt]

There are many financial spreadsheets on the web where you can figure this stuff out. In my opinion, if property tax is high, something else is low, and vice versa (comparatively). That is what makes some comparisons "apples to oranges". You have to look at the whole picture, property, sales, income, etc.

[drbungee]

I was born and raised in Omaha (I'm now 36 years old). Expect temperatures from zero degrees in the winter to 95 degrees (and a lot of humidity) in the summer. The summers also bring tornadoes to Nebraska, but I've personally only seen one in my life. And, you don't need to be a Husker fan to live here...we have plenty of other fans, too. Although you should be prepared for the onslaught of merchandise and conversations!
This is a very good place to raise a family. Very family-oriented -- Henry Doorly Zoo, Rose Theater, Omaha Community Playhouse, Summer Arts Festivals, etc.
Crime is pretty low here. The southeast section of the city is becoming mostly Hispanic. The northeast section is mostly black. People here refer to North Omaha as the bad section. However, I live in North Omaha and have had no problems. The majority of problems (gangs, drugs, etc.) are in the northeast section.
Education in Omaha is very good. In fact, we have one of the best colleges in the country...Creighton University. The University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is another good four-year college. Plus, there are pretty good community colleges in the area.
Unemployment is low. However, most of the jobs consist of restaurant or retail work. There are jobs requiring higher education. PayPal is here and Google is setting up a location in Council Bluffs (about a 30+ minute drive, depending on where you live). I would personally stay away from Mutual of Omaha and FDR...they tend to lay off frequently. Wages range from just above minimum to $15.00 per hour (depending on the job). Figure about $10.00 per hour average. A good source for local jobs is www.careerlink.com.
I would suggest Southwest Omaha or Northwest Omaha. If you don't want to live in Omaha but want a fairly easy commute, I would suggest Ralston, Papillion, or LaVista. If you want something more rural, I would suggest Blair or Springfield. Elkhorn is a good place (but it was recently annexed by Omaha and they're still trying to iron out the problems -- police, fire, etc.). There are a number of places in Iowa that are within an hour's drive to Omaha (this is an option for many people). Suggestions: Glenwood, Harlan, or Missouri Valley. I personally would would not live in Carter Lake, Council Bluffs, or Bellevue.

Hope this helps!

[drbungee]

I forgot to mention the health care...TOP NOTCH!!!

Nebraska Medical Center
Creighton Univeristy Medical Center
Boys Town Hospital
Children's Hospital

[mattpoulsen]

Nice post. I would just add that I don't really think most of the jobs are in the food service industry. I think that's just what people see all the time in the residential areas...I think Omaha has a nicely developed professional world. There are a variety of top notch companies in the area. I know this stat has been beat to death, but, among U.S. cities, Omaha, on a per-capita basis, has the most fortune 500 companies.

[ehenningsen]

A few more things, whether good or bad to you..

More golf courses per capita than any large city in the US
Five fortune 500 companies and Eight fortune 100 companies Headquartered here.
The largest privately held bank in First National Bank..
A booming space technology industry
A highly regarded technology industry, with Google adding to this with a $600,000,000 data center in Council Bluffs..

Other Hospitals not mentioned are:
Immanuel,
the VA Hospital,
Douglas County,
Lakeside (new and ever expanding)
A new Bellevue Hospital (going to be built)
A new West Omaha All women's hospital
Midlands hospital in Papillion
Children's/Methodist with new expansions coming along

Something to add to the UNMC hospitals is that they have built or are building 3 towers, and are going to build 4 more in the near future for research and inpatient/outpatient expansions

People talk about northeast Omaha as bad, it is the area with the highest crime and highest unemployment, however, there is now going to be in the near future a few large-scale economic turn-around projects that will break ground soon we're talking $500,000,000 ALREADY planned.

It is noted that the retail/restaurant industries ARE booming and that is a good thing, but don't underestimate the many booming industries here that have propeled the standard of living to near tops in the nation..