Basic "Living In Lincoln" Info? (Omaha, Grand Island: apartment, renting)

[deanamae]

Hey all,

Planning a move to Lincoln, NE from Chadron, NE (pop. about 6,000) in May/June, after graduation from CSC.

I'm fine with Chadron traffic (though I have to admit to having some roadrage even here ), but I am worried about traffic in Lincoln. I've been there six times, yet have not driven in the city itself. I know that O Street is the probably the busiest street there is, and to forget trying to drive around the stadium on game days (duh). Does public bus transit systems cover the majority of the city? So, how is traffic in Lincoln? Scary? Manageable for a small-town girl?

Few other Qs:

What's the average price for TV/internet service in Lincoln?

What are the options for free/low-cost entertainment in the area?

What are the "bad areas" to avoid around town?

What are the prospects for a fresh-out-of-college student to get a decent-paying job in the area of graphic design/advertising?

That's all that I can think of for now, but I'm sure there'll be more in the upcoming months!

MUCHO THANKS!

[Gunluvver2]

Originally Posted by deanamae

Hey all,

Planning a move to Lincoln, NE from Chadron, NE (pop. about 6,000) in May/June, after graduation from CSC.

I'm fine with Chadron traffic (though I have to admit to having some roadrage even here ), but I am worried about traffic in Lincoln. I've been there six times, yet have not driven in the city itself. I know that O Street is the probably the busiest street there is, and to forget trying to drive around the stadium on game days (duh). Does public bus transit systems cover the majority of the city? So, how is traffic in Lincoln? Scary? Manageable for a small-town girl?

Few other Qs:

What's the average price for TV/internet service in Lincoln?

What are the options for free/low-cost entertainment in the area?

What are the "bad areas" to avoid around town?

What are the prospects for a fresh-out-of-college student to get a decent-paying job in the area of graphic design/advertising?

That's all that I can think of for now, but I'm sure there'll be more in the upcoming months!

MUCHO THANKS!

************************************************** ****
danamae,
Traffic in Lincoln during rush hours can be congested but you will get used to it quickly. Football game day within two miles of the stadium can be hectic but you already know that. In the downtown area and the University campuses bus service is fair Monday -Friday from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM. The outlying parts of the city buses run hourly and can get you within walking distance of almost anywhere in the city proper. Saturday there is some service but as far as I know there is no service on Sunday.

The worst area for a young woman in my opinion is between "O" Street south to A Street from 9th street to 27th street and T-Town, the area East of the University campus. Compared to Chadron Lincoln has more crime but common sense will help you avoid trouble. You can do a google using "InterLinc of Lincoln, Nebraska" as search terms and there are links there with maps of high crime areas, bus schedules, routes and all kinds of useful information about Lincoln.

I have Time Warner Cable (the only cable company in town) and High speed Internet, digital phone with unlimited long distance and 58+/- channels is just over $153.00/monthly. Your parents will love the unlimited long distance if you call home a lot. Each part of the service is about 1/3 of the total if you order separately.

Since I am an old phart, probably old enough to be your Grandpa, I won't even attempt answering your question about free entertainment. I'll leave that to the younger crowd.

I have friends who work in graphic arts and advertising and they are always looking for talented people. Just keep in mind that since the University has a lot of students willing to work part time for less than the going wage you will probably have lower entry level salaries than a place like Chicago, NYC, Kansas City, Minneapolis etc. However the cost of living in Lincoln is probably cheaper than those cities also.

If you have any more questions let me know and I will try to answer them.

Good Luck,
GL2

[deanamae]

Thanks! The info on the bad areas/bus service is very helpful.

[mattpoulsen]

Deanamae,

If you're unfamiliar with the street names and #'s don't worry. The "bad areas" of town are very obvious. Generally, I would say gunlover's description is pretty right on. But don't worry...you'll know when you're in a bad area.

I would also add that you can get cable and highspeed internet for much cheaper then the $153 price...obviously that's the high end. For basic cable and high speed internet lite (which most can't even tell a difference) I'm guessing you'd only pay about $50/month.

As far as jobs in graphic design...I couldn't be of much help really. I would think your odds are decent, if you're willing to be flexible.

Entertainment...well, it varies wildly. If you're a sports lover then you'll love Lincoln. Obviously, there is football in the fall, but Husker baseball can be quite entertaining. There is also a strong offering of off broadway shows that routinely perform at the Lied Center. There always seems to be some sort of music festival or something going on. And, of course, there is the typical bar scene. I'm 32, so I'm a bit out of loop when it comes to what the "happening" thing is for newly minted college grads, but there are a number of offerings.

Traffic. For reference, I grew up in a tiny town and moved to Lincoln, so I know what its like to adjust to traffic. In all honesty, compared to Chadron traffic will, at first, be a little more hectic for you. But you'll adjust very quickly. But really, besides the downtown area, most of the infrastructure is set up just like you'd see in a place like Kearney or Grand Island...its just that there is much more of it and it can can quite congested during rush hour. But you'll get used to it very quickly.

[awoods2]

Let's see. I live in Chadron now and lived in Lincoln for almost 6 years. Traffic is way way more in Lincoln. (gee, ya think LOL). When I moved to Lincoln (traditional freshmen in college, moved from Rushville) the first thing I did was went driving, just wander around for a while. Lincoln is a easy to town to figure out. One note traffic is insane before and after Husker home games, other than that it is not too bad.

As far as bad parts of town gunuvver nailed it. I lived in both of the area he listed, they are not super bad but just not where you really want to live.

As far as enterainment, what are you looking for. I spent a lot of time in the haymarket area (just west of downtown around 8th and P streets). Grab a copy of UNL's student news paper The Daily Nebraskan for some insight as to what is going on. (the Daily Nebraskan is also on line).

Good Luck
Adam

[SunshineSanity]

Being around your age here are a few options for entertainment musically.
I don't know what kind of music you like..
If you're into the more punky scene - Knickerbocker's has some awesome shows on the weekends. It's usually only about a $5 cover.
If you like country, Coyote Willies has some entertainment and music as well.
There's Pla Mor.. which on Sunday is country night ( and VERY busy and popular. It's actaully fun, even if you dont like country music). And like once a month (I think its still going.) Is Rumbles at Pla Mor which is more of a club that plays hiphop and whatnot.
There are tons of things going on at the varies bars around Lincoln too. Just basically just have to either check it out for yourself or hear what's going on from a friend.
That's all I can think of right now. If you have any more question about it, just pm me.

[deanamae]

Thank you, thank you, thank you all!

[bgrams7]

I can probably answer most of your questions best, beings I'm originally from a small town as well (Minden, pop. 3000), and am a similar age to you (sounds like you're probably in the 22-24 range or so, I'm about 20), so here it goes.

Traffic - Nothing too bad. It'd be much better if Lincoln had some sort of a freeway system rather than just city streets for most of its traffic, but outside of a couple times a day, getting where you need to go is really no problem. If you're worried about knowing where you're at when you move here, the thing I tell to any of my friends that move here is if you know where you are in the numbered streets and what main street you're near, then you'll be fine and have it all down within a few months at the most.

TV/Internet - Time Warner usually has specials for new customers that includes TV, cable internet, and also digital phone (if you need a home phone). If you're planning on renting an apartment or house, some places will offer discounted cable rates, or sometimes pay for your cable TV costs. At the worst, you'll pay roughly between $50-$60 a month for cable and internet for the first 6 months or so, and after that, the price will go up a little, but it's not too bad, especially if you're going to have a college degree and probably get a full-time job.

Entertainment - There are a variety of things to do, as already mentioned. If you like sports, of course there's the UNL sports, with the most exciting probably being football, volleyball, and baseball. Also, the Lincoln Saltdogs (minor league baseball) and Lincoln Stars (junior hockey) are in town, and both are fun to go to. Since you're moving down in late-spring/early-summer, I'd recommend going to either a Nebraska or Saltdogs baseball game when you get the chance. It won't cost you more than a few bucks to get a general admission ticket, and with that you can sit anywhere in the grass berms they have down the lines and along the outfield fence. IMO, even if you're not too big of a baseball fan, going to an evening baseball game is probably one of the best ways to relax and just hang out, especially for the price. At Pershing, there are concerts and other events that usually come to town, so some of those events might catch your eye. As far as movies goes, Douglas Theatres has some very big and very nice movie theaters in town, and that'll cost you about $6 for a matinee show, or about $8 for an evening show. There's also shows that go on at the Lied Center, as someone mentioned, and of course there are the clubs and bars downtown along O street and in the Haymarket that are a good time to go to, especially on weekends.

Bad parts of town - There's really not too many bad parts of town. Like already mentioned, in the area north of O street between the UNL city campus and 27th street isn't the best place to live, as well as directly south of the Capitol, but outside of that, I can't really think of any other places that are too bad.

Graphic design/advertising jobs - You shouldn't have too much of a problem finding a job. Whenever I look in the Journal Star classifieds or anywhere else online for jobs in Lincoln, I usually see at least a handful of graphic design and advertising jobs, and if you have a college degree, then you'll probably find one in no time.

Plus, Lincoln is taking steps to make the city an even better place to be, with the proposals of a new arena in the Haymarket (within walking distance of both Memorial Stadium and Haymarket Park), as well as a proposed new skyscraper and hotel downtown, with the skyscraper possibly being taller than the U.S. Bank Tower that's the tallest building in Lincoln outside of the Capitol. Add in that there is also talk of increased economic development along the I-80 corridor between Lincoln and Omaha, which could include a theme park and a railway connecting both cities, and this is a good time to move to the area.

Hope this all helps.

[star_gazer]

Lincoln is taking steps to make the city an even better place to be

The Antelope Valley project looks promising as well.

InterLinc: Antelope Valley Project

[bgrams7]

It looks like it's taking shape pretty well. Plus, it's going to drastically reduce the flood plain over by UNL, which is never a bad thing.