[jcku1981]

Hey all! I'll be flying from Minneapolis to Omaha for a job interview in a couple of weeks. The job itself sounds great & unless it is just an awful work environment or I completely blow the interview - I'd seriously consider making the move. My interview visit would be my first time in the great state of Nebraska & I won't have much time to really get a lay of the land - but if things go well I think I would be in a position to start putting plans together pretty quickly - so I'm looking for some help from you fine folks!

I'm 30yrs old & (alomst) over the late night bar scene, but do enjoy an active nightlife environment, good restaurants, and love live music. From all I've heard & read, Omaha seems like a great little city. A lot of people of I've talked to compare it to KC - which I loved when I lived there. Can anyone draw comparisons between Minneapolis/ KC / Omaha? The good, the bad, the ugly...all thoughts welcome.

The plan would be to rent a place for a while until I get accustomed to the area. My girlfriend ( soon to be fiance...hopefully) would be moving out later once we found her a job out there as well. Question 1: What area would be the best place to look for a place to rent? I'd be looking for a a 2brm preferably with wood floors, nice appliances, w/d that accepts pets & I'm willing to spend around $1k- $1200.

After that, we'd be looking at buying - we'd be looking to spend about $200- $250K for a 3brm 2ba place. I'd love to find an area that's comparable to St. Louis Park/ Linden Hills in Minneapolis or Brookside in KC. A nice friendly community with some charm, but nicely updated homes. Any thoughts there?

Any other input, warnings, words of wisdom is much appreciated.

Also - we're pretty fierce Jayhawk fans- I hope that the Big Red community would be accepting nonetheless

[laserdisque]

With the amount of money you are looking to rent at you should be able to get into most any apartment. Are you looking for a more urban or suburban area? After doing a quick google search on the neighborhoods you listed I would say that the Dundee and Field Club areas may be what you are looking for. Don't worry about being a Jayhawk, we are not even in the same league anymore. Now if you were a Texas fan...

[jcku1981]

Originally Posted by laserdisque

With the amount of money you are looking to rent at you should be able to get into most any apartment. Are you looking for a more urban or suburban area? After doing a quick google search on the neighborhoods you listed I would say that the Dundee and Field Club areas may be what you are looking for. Don't worry about being a Jayhawk, we are not even in the same league anymore. Now if you were a Texas fan...

Thanks for the reply. I think as far as renting goes, I would prefer to be in a more urban area - I keep hearing/ reading about Midtown? From the sounds of it, it seems like what alot of other cities have been doing by renovating a district in the downtown-ish area & throwing a lot of restaurants, clubs, bars, shops & theaters and such- is that a correct assumption? I think that may be a good place to start - but then again I could be WAY off.

Eventally I would imagine I would like to buy in a more suburban area - but not too cookie cutter, somewhere with some charm & culture and no too far removed from the "city" - although I've heard that you can get just about anywhere in 20 minutes....

[McBain II]

Originally Posted by jcku1981

Hey all! I'll be flying from Minneapolis to Omaha for a job interview in a couple of weeks. The job itself sounds great & unless it is just an awful work environment or I completely blow the interview - I'd seriously consider making the move. My interview visit would be my first time in the great state of Nebraska & I won't have much time to really get a lay of the land - but if things go well I think I would be in a position to start putting plans together pretty quickly - so I'm looking for some help from you fine folks!

I'm 30yrs old & (alomst) over the late night bar scene, but do enjoy an active nightlife environment, good restaurants, and love live music. From all I've heard & read, Omaha seems like a great little city. A lot of people of I've talked to compare it to KC - which I loved when I lived there. Can anyone draw comparisons between Minneapolis/ KC / Omaha? The good, the bad, the ugly...all thoughts welcome.

I'd say Omaha is more Minneapolis than Kansas City. Kansas City is a very spread out suburban style city while Omaha is more compact and urban at it's core, much like Minneapolis (although sadly, without the impressive skyline).

The plan would be to rent a place for a while until I get accustomed to the area. My girlfriend ( soon to be fiance...hopefully) would be moving out later once we found her a job out there as well. Question 1: What area would be the best place to look for a place to rent? I'd be looking for a a 2brm preferably with wood floors, nice appliances, w/d that accepts pets & I'm willing to spend around $1k- $1200.

As already mentioned, that kind of money will get you just about any apartment you want. You'll have no trouble finding a place to suit your needs.

Originally Posted by jcku1981

Thanks for the reply. I think as far as renting goes, I would prefer to be in a more urban area - I keep hearing/ reading about Midtown? From the sounds of it, it seems like what alot of other cities have been doing by renovating a district in the downtown-ish area & throwing a lot of restaurants, clubs, bars, shops & theaters and such- is that a correct assumption? I think that may be a good place to start - but then again I could be WAY off.

Midtown has seen a great revitalization in the last decade. Midtown Crossing is the crown jewel, but it's only part of what's been happening there.

Eventally I would imagine I would like to buy in a more suburban area - but not too cookie cutter, somewhere with some charm & culture and no too far removed from the "city" - although I've heard that you can get just about anywhere in 20 minutes....

It's not "suburban" by any stretch of the imagination, but Benson might be a neighborhood for you to eventually settle into. Same goes for Dundee.

[jcku1981]

Thanks for the info, I've been looking at condo/ loft rental in the Midtown/ downtown area, suggestions? - and yes, the skyline here is REALLY sweet - Minneapolis has a wonderful look & feel to it, something I would actually really miss if this were to play out.. I feel that the overall aesthetics of Omaha would pale greatly in comparison to the Twin Cities - and the aesthetic value of the place I live is kind of important to me. Which leads me to another question....are there ANY lakes in or near Omaha? Anything even remotely comparable to Minnetonka?

[Raphael07]

We have several man made lakes in the city, I just counted 14 midsized lakes on google maps in Douglas and Sarpy county, and the major lakes of the city are Manawa, Cunningham, Zorinsky, and to an extent Carter. Carter lake is the only one that I know of that isn't man made but rather it was made after the river shifted back in the late 1800s. I'm not sure if Manawa is man made of not....

[jcku1981]

so from the sounds of it the short answer is no..no real lakes with beaches, water activities, ect.....that's kind of a bummer...

[McBain II]

Originally Posted by jcku1981

so from the sounds of it the short answer is no..no real lakes with beaches, water activities, ect.....that's kind of a bummer...

You're from the land of 10,000 lakes, so prepare to be disappointed.

Sorry, but unfortunately that's one thing Omaha is lacking in.

[jcku1981]

I wasn't counting on even 5,000 lakes But not even one??

My impression is that Omaha & Nebraska in general lack the overall natural beauty I'm currently accustomed to.

How are the schools, in general, in Omaha. I know like anywhere some districts/ even schools within districts will be better than others - and probably Omaha Public School Districts are near the bottom like most cities- but on average is/would Omaha be a good place to start a family & raise kids?

[McBain II]

Originally Posted by jcku1981

I wasn't counting on even 5,000 lakes But not even one??

I never spent too much time on the lakes, but I know that people would water ski on Carter Lake. Lake Manawa has a beach although it's not terribly impressive. Lake McConaughy is the flag ship lake of Nebraska and it's pretty impressive though.

My impression is that Omaha & Nebraska in general lack the overall natural beauty I'm currently accustomed to.

Minnesota is one of the most scenic states in the union. Very few will stack up to it.

We do have a member here who is a former resident of Minnesota. He will hopefully chime in and give his two cents.

How are the schools, in general, in Omaha. I know like anywhere some districts/ even schools within districts will be better than others - and probably Omaha Public School Districts are near the bottom like most cities- but on average is/would Omaha be a good place to start a family & raise kids?

Omaha Public Schools are good for the most part.