[Stiery23]

Just curious, being from the St. Louis area, I was wondering if Omahans consider themselves a part of the West or Midwest. It seems to have a decidedly more western influence to it than cities like St. Louis, Indianapolis, Louisville, Cincinnati, etc. Also, I was looking at some neighborhoods on Google Street View, and they all seemed extremely nice & well-kept..I was impressed! What is the job market like in Omaha; I might actually consider living there, especially if the city is actually as good as it looks. Also, this is more of a side note, but does it seem like Omaha gets more sun on average than the more "inner" midwestern cities like St. Louis & Indianapolis?

[Omaha Rocks]

Hmmm... Lots of questions.

I'd have to say Omaha is more Midwestern than Western. The Cowboys & Indians or Cattle Drive feel just really isn't here.

I'm not in the job market, but from everything I've been reading and hearing it would seem that Omaha is doing pretty well economically. I suppose it depends largely on what kind of work you're looking for.

Weather is not something we're wanting to talk about right now - two big snowstorms in the last 3 weeks, bitter cold right now, and apparently another storm hitting us this week. Basically, Omaha is a little colder version of Kansas City, if that helps at all.

[MATTDAMON]

Originally Posted by Stiery23

Just curious, being from the St. Louis area, I was wondering if Omahans consider themselves a part of the West or Midwest. It seems to have a decidedly more western influence to it than cities like St. Louis, Indianapolis, Louisville, Cincinnati, etc. Also, I was looking at some neighborhoods on Google Street View, and they all seemed extremely nice & well-kept..I was impressed! What is the job market like in Omaha; I might actually consider living there, especially if the city is actually as good as it looks. Also, this is more of a side note, but does it seem like Omaha gets more sun on average than the more "inner" midwestern cities like St. Louis & Indianapolis?

Omaha is traditionally known for being a river city.

As far as the "wild west" image is concerned... There were a number of stickups and robbery's due to the rail road and river.

KC and Omaha were more 'Cowboy' towns than anything.

Those days are long gone now. I think there is one western couture store down on Dodge and 72nd. That's it.

[Stiery23]

Originally Posted by MATTDAMON

Omaha is traditionally known for being a river city.

I think most midwestern cities are generally located on a river. Let's see: Des Moines (check), Kansas City (check), St. Louis (check), Cincinnati (check), Pittsburgh (check)..you get the point.

The reason I brought up the western idea was in fact due to Omaha's history with the cattle industry (which brings to mind cowboys and the "wild west") as well as its geographic location (everyone here thinks of places like Omaha and Kansas City as being "out west"). Also, the layout of the city is, for the most part, on a neat grid pattern, which sharply contrasts cities like St. Louis and Cincinnati, both of which I think would be considered true midwestern cities.

Just my two cents.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by Stiery23

I think most midwestern cities are generally located on a river. Let's see: Des Moines (check), Kansas City (check), St. Louis (check), Cincinnati (check), Pittsburgh (check)..you get the point.

The reason I brought up the western idea was in fact due to Omaha's history with the cattle industry (which brings to mind cowboys and the "wild west") as well as its geographic location (everyone here thinks of places like Omaha and Kansas City as being "out west"). Also, the layout of the city is, for the most part, on a neat grid pattern, which sharply contrasts cities like St. Louis and Cincinnati, both of which I think would be considered true midwestern cities.

Just my two cents.

My DH, who is from Omaha, likes to say Omaha is a "Mid/Plains" city, ie, a combination of a midwestern city and a Great Plains city. It feels very midwestern to me, compared to Denver (where we now live).

I am from Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh is one of those cities that has a dual-identity problem, as well. It is in an eastern state. It is on the western edge of that state. IMO, Pittsburgh is an eastern city.

BTW, many cities are located on rivers, e.g. Philadelphia; NYC; Albany, NY; Harrisburg, PA (the capital city of PA); Denver; many small cities in Pennsylvania, and many others.

[Jays1983]

I think it's fair to say that historically Omaha was a western type city (largest cattle yards in the nation, tranportation hub to the west, etc).

Today, I don't think it has much of a western feel at all. I think the term "Mid-Plains" is spot on. It has the same feel as KC, imo.

[WyoNewk]

Western Nebraska, especially the panhandle, has a western feel but not eastern Nebraska. If I remember right, Nebraska used to have a slogan: "Where the West Begins" It begins a couple hundred miles west of Omaha. (I grew up near Omaha.)

[mattpoulsen]

I think Katiana hit the description pretty well. Midwestern/Great Plains. There is no real Western feel to Omaha or Lincoln for that matter. I would say Nebraska starts to have that "western" feel when you get roughly west of Grand Island.

I think Omaha's association with the cattle industry is analogous to that seen in Chicago or KC.

I think a lot of the "feel" might also have something to do with the weather and the landscape. Most of the "West" is dry and has that prairie feel to it marked with impressive jutting formations such as sandhills, badlands, canyons, bluffs, rock formations, and mountains in the case of the Rockies. Omaha is neither dry nor consistent with the typical Western landscape.

To me when I think "Western city" I think Denver and Salt Lake City. However, I live in Omaha. If I lived on the east coast then Omaha may seem very "Western" to me.

[DTO Luv]

Cattle in Omaha wasn't big until almost middle of last century. The 1930's and on are hardly the time of cowboys and indians. By then Omaha was one of the top 20 largest cities in the country so to call it a western city 9conjuring up images of saloons and what not) isn't accurate.

[Jays1983]

Originally Posted by DTO Luv

Cattle in Omaha wasn't big until almost middle of last century. The 1930's and on are hardly the time of cowboys and indians. By then Omaha was one of the top 20 largest cities in the country so to call it a western city 9conjuring up images of saloons and what not) isn't accurate.

"Western" and "saloons" aren't necessarily synonymous. By "WESTERN" it could be interpreted from the cowboys and indians days to landscape, weather, lifestyle and other economic indicators (such as cattle yards).

Much of the old stock yards inventory was shipped WEST. I think the idea of Omaha feeling like a western city was the fact that it was used as a conduit to supply and transport for the west. As you may know, the Union Stockyards here in South Omaha were started in the 1880's to compete with the Chicago stockyards why? Because it was much further WEST.

While Omaha may not have a western feel today, that still doesn't make it a bad thing that it may have at one time.