Omaha, NE Reviews

Happy in Omaha! - 9/12/2023
Born and raised in Omaha, moved to the Pacific Northwest for 50 years, and now back in Omaha. Feels safe, secure, good health care, lots of activities. Compared to Portland and Seattle, we feel much more involved in the community and people are certainly more Read More

High quality city life - 8/5/2023
Many of the reviews say Omaha is good for family life - it is, but it also offers the best of quality urban living. I've lived here for 20 years, after living in Seattle, Washington DC and Boston, so I'm no stranger to vibrant urban life. When I first moved here, I immediately saw the downtown "Old Market" neighborhood as superior to Seattle's famed Pioneer Square, and adjacent is the new, spectacular Leahy Mall urban park and the Missouri riverwalk. Within a few miles of downtown are numerous interesting village-type neighborhoods, from funky to elegant to well-planned - notably Dundee, Benson, Aksarben, Blackstone, and "South O" (in which you might as well be south of the border). We have an endless supply of great restaurants of every cuisine, great concert venues, the magnificent Memorial Park and rose garden, and mostly safe neighborhoods. Further west we have, several sizable lakes surrounded by trails and parkland. The older neighborhoods have beautiful homes in every style, a Read More

Omaha: Quiet, cozy, and quaint - 5/4/2022
Pros:
Not much happens, no news is good news.
No major tornadoes for decades!!
Education can be good in areas.
Career opportunities for those who take risks and succeed.
Skilled labor opportunities.
Elkhorn, NE is the bee's knees.
Nice golf courses.
College sports if you like that.
Henry-Doorly Zoo and Aquarium

Cons:
Extreme weather, getting worse!
No nuclear power anymore. Just coal plants and natural gas peaker stations.
Road repair conditions.
Bureaucracy problems managing private held utilities like garbage collection.
Lack of unskilled labor opportunity for those who don't take education or business risks.
For the perpetually distracted urbanite, not much to do.

At the risk of being called a Grand Order of Nebraska cultist for stating this, but I have lived in Nebraska for nearly all of my life, for 29 of the 30 years. I have a lot to say.

Regarding the Read More

Omaha pros and cons - 8/30/2020
This place is great for families and kids, but if you're an empty nester or you're not into the whole having babies thing then it's best to just get out. You'd like it here if you still talk to people from high school and married your first boyfriend/girlfriend. You'd also like it here if you like to binge drink at the same bars on the weekends. You will not like it here if you enjoy professional sporting events, outdoor recreation, or comfortable weather.

Pros: Nebraska nice, good local restaurants, great zoo, CWS

Cons: heavy taxation, it's basically just a sprawling suburbia (oh, and it's highly segregated), nothing pretty to look at - it's just miles of neighborhoods and strip malls, humid as hell in the summer, overcast a lot of the time, high crime, crappy roads, not a lot to do except stuff your face or Read More

Nothing that stands out or wows you - 5/25/2020
Pros:
- Great place for a family with school-age kids
- Relatively safe crime-wise, compared to most cities this size.
- Economy is relatively stable compared to other metros
- Doesn't have much of a rat race/keeping up with the Jones vibe. No one really cares about your status, with the exception of a few exclusive social groups here and there. Even the upscale parts of Omaha are no where near as flambuoyant as parts of Dallas or Atlanta. You won't see as many outrageously sized McMansions or luxury cars that the owner can't afford. People in Omaha, for the most part, don't appear to raise their kids with the desire of having the best-performing child in sports/academics/money. I've learned to appreciate this.
-Cheaper than coastal metros
- This city is cheap enough to have the potential to start a progressive hipster movement, but it's moving very, very slowly.

Cons:
- If you're a single of any age or looking to make new Read More

Feels like home - 4/3/2020
I moved to Omaha in 2017 from Fayetteville,Arkansas. It has been a great choice for us.
Pro- The neighborhoods. There is such a varietyneighborhoods with very distinct vibes.(Benson,Dundee,Gifford Park,Old Market, South O- the list goes on). Love the historic architeture of the Downtown/ Midtown area. You can chose to live an urban more walkable area or there are several nice suburbs. We are able to live in an historic neighborhood that we would not be able to afford in many other places.
The schools- Lots of highly performing schools to choose from. My children's educational experience has been much better than AR. The expectations and goals are higher.
Jobs- There seems to be plenty. Low unemployment.
People- In my experice people HAVE been inclusive to me as a newcomer. This being said I put forth effort as soon as I arrived to get out and meet people right away (Meetup, playdates, everything).In a short time my family has built a solid network of people Read More

The Big O! - 3/21/2020
I have lived here for a few years and I like it. I am Asian and moved here, immediately I realized there are tons of restuarants, a good walkable downtown, not crazy traffic, and thats better than many many places I've lived in the country. Omaha is growing and keeps expanding, making new constructions, shopping areas etc., they need to fix the roads, then it'll be a more charming place! The city should aim to bring in more big businesses to the city and keep working on new modern nightlife, eat, play, shop kinda places, and be an overall more dynamic & more vibrant city. Keep on growing and never stop big O! Read More

Nebraska is a racist state - 2/28/2020
Nebraska is only a great place to live if you are a white person, otherwise it is a very racist state. Nebraska doesn't care about the poor people. At least in Texas, no one goes hungry, and there is no income tax. Nebraska doesn't care about its poor citizens. Only the White people have a chance to earn high income. If you are not White, then tough Read More

Terrible city to live in - 1/18/2020
I've lived in Omaha for almost 33 years. The first 10 were fine. But Omaha has been steadily been going downhill the last 23. The city government has become extremely corrupt. Spending is done based on what benefits the richest citizens. Most currently the City wants to spend 25 million dollars to build an electric trolley system that will only go 5 or 6 miles, mostly through one of the wealthiest parts of the city. Its will exist so those rich people can ride free from their 1/2 million dollar condos to the entertainment center of the city.
Our city/county has 7 school districts plus a disaster they call the Learning Community. The LC was created to stop 9 school districts in Douglas and Sarpy counties from suing each other for tax money. A total failure. That combination wastes over 30 million dollars a year in executive salaries and duplicated administrations. Teachers here frequently have to spend their own money for teaching supplies.
Waste collection has been an Read More

More minuses than pluses - 6/30/2019
Pros:
Low cost of living
Diversified job market
World class zoo
Men’s College World Series
Moderate traffic congestion
Good schools
Good healthcare

Cons:
* Weather sucks. Can snow from Oct thru April. Summer temps can go over 100.
* Roads are awful. Pot holes are everywhere and will damage your car.
* Aggressive and rude drivers
* Nebraska Cornhusker crazy. NU football is to Omaha what the Mormon religion is to Salt Lake City. You will hear about it 24/7
* Difficult for outsiders to be accepted. Everyone who lives here is from here. Their families and friends are all from here. Therefore their social circles are already set.
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