Comments from a middle-class perspective
-
3/14/2008
Omaha is a great city that truly has huge potential, however the downfalls that face Omaha residents can be disconcerting. I'll comment on a few of the categories to give you a good idea of what it is like to live in Omaha, NE.
The CLIMATE is very much so typical of a midwestern city, the winters are not nearly as brutal as they are in Chicago or Minneapolis, but not quite as nice as they are in Kansas City, MO or Dallas, TX. It would be considered a tolerable climate, where the summers are gorgeous and the winters fall between mild and modest.
The COST OF LIVING in Omaha for a typical lower income to middle income household looks good at first glance. Dig deeper though and you'll find some paralyzing stumbling blocks. The property taxes and vehicle registration fees are herrendous!!!! The retail property values have risen tremendously in comparison to household income in the last 10-12 years. Typical expenditures such as food, clothing, gasoline, cable tv, internet services rank average in the nation. Gasoline is typically lower than coastal per gallon costs. Expect high natural gas bills to heat a home or apartment during the winter months.
The amount of CRIME in Omaha has risen tremendously in recent years. It appears that most violent crimes occur in the northeast areas of the city from many drive-by shootings in a week to violent stabbings. Omaha ranks among the highest for auto theft. There are also many retail store and bank robberies. The police departments have been unsuccessful in getting a handle on local crime. The mission of the police doesn't appear to match the true and very real issues that have developed in Omaha.
CULTURE & RECREATION. Omaha citizens tend to be realistic, conservative and down to earth. However...not open-minded. People tend to become obsessed with issues they don't even face themselves. Citizens thrive on the idea of becoming a large sophistocated city, however the metropolitan mindset isn't there yet. People tend to be extremely wasteful. They don't appear to have any problem littering the city with their trash... out car windows, they just soon drop something on the ground than walk 4 feet to a trash can. There are countless things to do in Omaha, however they are difficult to find. Many people state that there isn't anything fun to do. Omaha is no different than any other city, there is always something going on that would interest the masses, one just has to apply themselves. From a entertainment perspective there are countless things to do. Great concerts at the Qwest arena. Many movie theatres in west Omaha. There is a symphony, playhouse, and opera and several other smaller arts organizations. The arts don't appear to have the support of the community, the businesses and business leaders in the community. A world-class zoo. Shopping, unfortuneately leaves something to be desired. Most retailers for some very odd reason tend to focus on development on the far west end of Omaha. Retail presence in downtown, midtown, and north Omaha is almost non-existent. High end retailers such as Macy's, Nordstroms, Sax, and Crate & Barrel (to name a few) have not made there way into Omaha yet.
So many factors enter into the ECONOMY of a city. Omaha very much so has a "Good Ole Boy" attitude. I do think that this is soon to diminish as the city grows. One will find that a few local business leaders tend to run the show. This is horrible for any city economy and it hinders the growth and development of any city. Finding a job and building a career in Omaha is extremely difficult. The needs of employers have become extremely specific and there is absolutely no deviation. Employees tend to be micro-managed, which is a direct product of poor education of the typical manager in Omaha area businesses. There are many high profile jobs to be had, however the salaries are extremely low. For instance, if you're an Accountant, with a degree and work experience, and also with your CPA, expect your typical salary offer to be around $30k a year. Good jobs are not easy to find in Omaha and many look to other cities in the US when job hunting.
HOUSING in Omaha was mentioned previously. Housing costs continue to rise and incomes tend to remain flat. This makes it increasingly more difficult for Omaha residents to own homes. There is a variety of housing from downtown condos, great historic homes, to an abundance of suburban cookie cutter homes and duplexes. The city needs to demand a more divesity in the construction of new homes. Apartments are abundant in any part of the city.
POLTICS, how does one really comment on that? Few politicians deliver what they say they will. Omaha is republican, but tends to have a rising community of democrats and liberals which makes a very interesting mix.
TRANSPORTATION in Omaha can be a chore, however true traffic jams are not prevalent. Traffic is heavy and moves at inconsistent speeds. Any type of flashing light tends to slow even the fastest driver to a mere crawl. A typical Omahan drives like they live in a small town...sometimes slow, sometimes fast, and seem to break most the rules. There is public transportation by bus, however the busses don't run 24 hours. Unfortuneately there is no public transportation by rail. Most roads are logically laid out and an understandable grid pattern. There isn't many expressways in the city, which hinders traffic flow greatly. Omaha also tends to put a traffic signal at every intersection (not just the big ones, but the small ones as well), this creates frustration and a lot of traffic congestion.
All in all, Omaha is a great city that is experiencing a lot of growth and development. I believe a lot of the negative aspects of Omaha will diminish as the city reaches the size it is striving to become. There's a lot of fine tuning yet to do. It has potential and can offer the quality of life that many are looking for. But, right now, there are many growing pains. For those that are patient and instrumental in making Omaha a leading metropolitan city are likely to succeed.
Todd | Omaha, NE