Does anyone live in Omaha?

[State43]

Yeah, i think most here covered all the details. If your single, midtown and old market areas would be the place to be if one can afford it. There is nice pockets all over so it depends what you want out of it really.
I live in Millard now and am working on moving to Bennington which is essentially North West Omaha.

 

[drmwevr08]

Mostly good advice here. Especially that you need to know what your priorities are cause certain parts of Omaha will satisfy different ones. I love papillion but it's mostly because I have a dozen kids. I've been a city planner in Omaha for 8 years though so I've got about any info you'd want. Lemme know if ya need anything.

 

[buchacho]

I have lived in downtown omaha/old market going on 3 years now, and I absolutely love it! yeah, dealing with all of the husker fans and and even hawk fans can get old, but the city really does have a lot to offer especially as it is really working hard to improve itself with lots of development going on all over the city. the downtown/old market areas are kind of experiencing a mini boom right now with lots of new apartments either going up, or old buildings being re-purposed into apartment complexes (once 16th street is done, hopefully downtown o will really take off). in addition to the housing developments, there are so many new restaurants and shops springing up all over. there is always something going on in the old market/downtown no matter the season, so being able to walk out your door and not have to worry about the drive or finding parking is very nice.

I also want to echo some of sentiments from previous posters in that the midtown, dundee, benson, and aksarben areas are all really nice and experiencing revitalizations and growth of their own. i was a bit hesitant about moving to omaha after living in monterey, california for the previous three years, but once i was settled in and began trying to take in as much of the city as i could, i realized how much of a gem the city really is. my love for the city has only grown from there. if you have any questions regarding a downtown/old market point of view, don't hesitate to ask.

 

[Clone83]

Here is a map of Omaha homicides from 2011-2014 I happened across a couple of weeks ago, with a pattern consistent with what people are saying:

http://dataomaha.com/homicides

That is, they are higher to the north. I would add that that area crosses the main east-west street on its east end, Dodge (Highway 6), which has more to do with that specific part being downtown Omaha (tall buildings, etc.), rather than a poorer residential neighborhood.

Also from the World-Herald website, here are some old photos some here might appreciate:

http://worldherald.tumblr.com

Many of these areas obviously look a lot different today.

Linked below is an article today about the most recent quarterly grants from the Iowa West Foundation in Council Bluffs, the organization that holds the licenses to the dog track and gambling facilities, I believe, including a million dollar grant to Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha. Iowa West has always been very well managed, and as a result, contributes much to local causes.

http://www.omaha.com/article/201404...t-foundation-aids-joslyn-art-museum-s-repairs

The casinos ultimately put the Ak-Sar-Ben horse track out of business, which at one time was among the nation's biggest.

I haven’t been to either city for years, but Omaha and Des Moines are pretty similar, in the grand scheme of things. Government spending and Iowa-wide things like state tournaments and the state fair are a bigger part of the economy in Des Moines. Omaha has always been a bit bigger in general, and businesswise. Annexation laws there have made it easier for Omaha to expand, but still more people live in that area. SAC headquarters in nearby Bellevue is the only major government installation I can think of, off the top of my head.

Growing up on a farm near Council Bluffs, fighter jets used to occasionally fly over.

Among other things in Omaha, I recall going to the zoo and a few college world series and Omaha Royals games, shopping some or just going to movies at Westroads, as well as live music in various forums (Civic Auditorium, the Music Box, the Music Hall). Driving through downtown on Dodge late night-early morning I always got the impression that hookers and pimps were the only people still out. This was all a long time ago, the 1970s. In high school, we used to mostly cruise Broadway in Council Bluffs (which turns into Dodge in Omaha) if we went to the city. Omaha is a much more urban environment, and we only really went there to do something specific, like see a live performance a movie, or such. But I never felt unsafe.

As a family, I recall doing or attending several events at (the old) Ak-Sar-Ben, including some shows, the rodeo, ice skating, exhibiting livestock, and even going to the horse races once.

As a younger child, even as near as we were, I recall only going to Omaha once or twice -- oooh, a big deal -- even though it was just to get one thing, say, something at a particular store. As time went on, though, through personal, family, and school related visits, thinking back, I actually visited there many many times before I was 18.

The Council Bluffs Nonpareil, which is owned now by the World-Herald, does some good historical articles.

From an article in November, here are two nice shots of General Dodge’s house, who was a Civil War general and the chief engineer for the Union Pacific railroad.






http://www.nonpareilonline.com/news...cle_f1d8761b-658e-5c39-bf77-76d8790b9f50.html

I guess you could count the decision to make Council Bluffs the eastern terminus of the transcontinental railroad a government subsidy, but the area was already a major trailhead to the west.

Doing construction on West Broadway, my cousin found a really cool old bottle stamped with an ancestor’s name (mine not my cousin's), from a large brewery where Mercy Hospital is today. It was closed by an Iowa prohibition in 1890 or something.

Located in the bluffs, Fairmount Park in Council Bluffs was, and presumably still is, a nice place for family gatherings.

http://www.satelliteview.co/?e=41.2...rmount Park - Council Bluffs North, Iowa:sv:1

The comments of others above are really good.

 

[Frak]

I'd say that the crime is not a huge issue just because it's segregated to the NE side of town. Most people out west or downtown never see it. But, you watch the news and it is night and day from what you see in DM. Lots of gang violence. Other than that and the cult-like husker obsession, it's a nice place to live. Plenty to do and see. Nightlife and events are probably more than what DM has. But most of it is downtown and it's a pain to get down there and home...just like heading to Court Ave when you live in Waukee or Ankeny. If nightlife is important to you, you're probably better off living downtown or in Dundee. But if you have kids and just want to hit the local bar now and then, the west suburbs are good. Plenty of different housing choices and prices.

 

[TranCytive]

So I've begun my search for residence at the corner of 30th and Ames, what I'm gathering out of this thread is that it's a nice place to live if you have children. And apparently they gang up against violence there. Plus it has Ames in the name, and who doesn't like Ames? Maybe hawkeyes?

 

[State43]

So I've begun my search for residence at the corner of 30th and Ames, what I'm gathering out of this thread is that it's a nice place to live if you have children. And apparently they gang up against violence there. Plus it has Ames in the name, and who doesn't like Ames? Maybe hawkeyes?

Only nice if you have kids.