Omaha a good place to live?

[Georgia Guardrail]

I've been curious about this city for a while.  I head good things about it.  Would perhaps consider moving there as long as it's not a social desert.

For those who live in or near the city or have lived there, what are your thoughts? 

Is it a good place for a single guy in his 30s to meet someone? 

Is the job market good?  Transportation engineering job market?  I know HDR is headquartered here and they are a big engineering firm.

How is traffic?   

General safety?

People friendly or cliquish?

Any other details you all could share about Omaha would be greatly appreciated!

[Dirt Roads]

Omaha is a great place if you are interested in railroading.  It is interesting that you mentioned HDR, because I could say exactly the same thing about them.  And in an odd twist of fate, Berkshire Hathaway now owns the other western Class I railroad, which might make for some interesting job opportunities in Omaha for railroad finance professionals.  All of the railroaders that I knew loved Omaha and wished that their career path would have kept them there (but many probably ended up back at UPHQ as they headed towards retirement).

For some traditional colleges, a Transportation Engineering degree started out with railroading as a basic line of coursework and branched out from that.  Most of my colleagues with Transportation Engineering degrees were wired more for Urban Planning, and if you are wired like that you need to find a line of work that focuses on big city life.  Some of those firms are not in the big cities.  Railroading is dirty and hard work, but very enjoyable for those who like getting outdoors and traveling all over the country.  Plus there are plenty of opportunities for working in the mean streets of the big cities.  Railroaders take care of their "young pups" and you won't have any problems finding a social life, even if you end pulling midnights for a while.

The three other big railroading HQ locations are Fort Worth, Jacksonville and -oops- Atlanta, all with the same railroad job opportunities.  If you want a great career in railroading, you could look in your own backyard as well.

If you are specifically looking at HDR, I can't say enough good things about them.  And if that is your target, you will need more information about Omaha before you jump.  If you don't get enough info from the AARoads folks, just ask the folks that you are interviewing with to get you an appointment with a relocation specialist on the same day as your interview.  They can get you all of the answers that you needs (and might show you around town, to boot).

[tman]

I spent four years in Omaha for college, so can maybe help here.

I had a lot of previous knowledge of the town as I had family there, but they lived in the suburbs (west Omaha) and I went to college near downtown, which is super different feeling from the western part of the city... on that note, most of suburban Omaha is actually within city limits, rather than being separate suburbs like many other towns. That has interesting effects that manifest themselves in a strong east/west divide in terms of culture... the east has old houses and neighborhoods (some blighted and others super ritzy), while the west is extremely stereotypical suburbs. The metro is approaching 1 million or so. If you look at a map, the transition to suburbia happens somewhere to the west of 72nd street, generally around 90th street or I-680, the outer beltway of Omaha. Inside of that tends to be more urban feeling, with more independent businesses, older houses, that sort of thing.

I feel like Omaha is certainly underrated, presuming you like the midwest/middle America. The restaurant scene is fantastic (Block 16 is consistently a favorite in town, and the Mexican food in south Omaha is delightful. You can get great steaks all over town, too). The bar scene is strong, with a few particular districts - Benson, Blackstone, and the Old Market - close to downtown.

All four seasons are present in what's probably about the most even split of anywhere (spring and fall feel short, like anywhere, but it's a pretty even balance). It's just far enough north to get solid snow in the winter, but far enough south for a few thaws in the winter that help to make it bearable. Snowfall averages around 30 inches per year, but the coldest highs of the year are right around freezing. It's pretty close to the prototypical four season climate.

It's got a few skyscrapers and a relatively dense urban core that help it to feel like a real city... I'd say it feels more like a baby "big city" than a large small town, if that makes sense (closer to a smaller big city than a big small city), at least in feel. The job market is as good there as anywhere (Nebraska has been setting records for low unemployment), and it's big enough to have plenty of industry opportunities. Traffic isn't always delightful, but the main issues arise from suburban growth along corridors that are under built (almost exclusively to the west, as the city is boxed in by the Missouri River to the east), but planning where you live based on where you work can alleviate most of the potential issues. The city is on a grid that is super easy to navigate, and locals will describe places based on their coordinates ("72nd and Dodge" is a major intersection, for example). Crime is concentrated in a few pockets in the northeast and southeast parts of town (north and south of downtown), and some parts of town around there struggle with crime (more like "big city crime" than "small town crime") but most of the city feels quite safe, save for the few worst pockets which aren't necessarily cake walks. As a whole, people tend to be nice and polite, though not necessarily great drivers. I'd say people are as nice as you'll find in a city anywhere, though not necessarily like "small town folks."

To me, it seems to balance cost of living and amenities better than just about anywhere I've been. I just moved away post college for a particular opportunity, but would jump at the chance to head back to Omaha in the future. I think it's a fantastic city and would recommend it almost without exception (maybe not to someone who hated winter, or wasn't willing to try the midwest). In my opinion, it's super hard to beat as a package (assuming the midwest is your forte) when considering amenities, cost of living, opportunity, job market, etc.

Feel free to DM with any specific questions!

[Rothman]

Everyone I know that has lived in the area (a small cluster of families and singles) say they love it.

...

That said, they really weren't able to say specifically why in a way that would make it unique.

[tman]

Everyone I know that has lived in the area (a small cluster of families and singles) say they love it.

...

That said, they really weren't able to say specifically why in a way that would make it unique.

I think that's fair. It's a good package (an average of America, in a sense) but not necessarily excellent at one particular thing.
Companies are known to test new products in Omaha's market because it's so representative and typical of the rest of the country (or at least an average of the rest of the nation), which I think is interesting. It's in the middle geographically (the middle staple in the Rand McNally US map page), and in many other ways as well. It certainly depends on what someone is looking to get out of life, but a solid, middle-class existence in Omaha (or Des Moines, or similar cities) can be easier to have than in many other places. No, there are no mountains and there is no ocean nearby, but there are subtle things to appreciate (amazing sunsets and surprisingly pretty scenery in the Loess Hills just across the river).

[skluth]

All I know about Omaha is billionaire Warren Buffett lives there, there's a really cool pedestrian bridge across the Missouri River, and Boys Town is still around.

[Georgia Guardrail]

Thanks for the insights guys!  Definitely seems like a cool place.

[jgb191]

No; reason being it is far too cold to handle living up there anytime outside the summer months.  I was there in early May and I thought I was going to freeze to death.

[Scott5114]

No; reason being it is far too cold to handle living up there anytime outside the summer months.  I was there in early May and I thought I was going to freeze to death.

You complain any time the temperature dips below 350°F though.

[wriddle082]

No; reason being it is far too cold to handle living up there anytime outside the summer months.  I was there in early May and I thought I was going to freeze to death.

You complain any time the temperature dips below 350°F though.

Yeah Corpus Christi stays at a consistent 400° year round, so I can understand.

Where I live, Columbia, SC, is known, at least throughout the Southeast, for how unbearable the summers can be compared to coastal or Upstate areas of SC.  Personally I feel like I would need to experience a bit of Omaha in order to get over my constant feeling of being "sunburnt" , if you will.  Having a true winter instead of slightly chilly, rainy, and STILL HUMID winter would do me right for a while.

[jgb191]

I was actually in Council Bluffs, Iowa (which is basically close to Omaha) in the first few days of May 2005, and the lows dropped dangerously close to the freezing mark and the highs didn't even make it 50 degrees, so the conditions in Omaha then couldn't have been that far off.

I just looked this up:  The average high/low temperature in the Omaha area in early May is equivalent to our average January in Corpus Christi -- upper 60s high and upper 40s lows.

[kkt]

No; reason being it is far too cold to handle living up there anytime outside the summer months.  I was there in early May and I thought I was going to freeze to death.

You complain any time the temperature dips below 350°F though.

[DandyDan]

I used to live in Papillion, which is one of Omaha's suburbs, and that wasn't that bad. Bellevue and Papillion get a lot of people who work at Offutt AFB, so there's people from everywhere there.

As far as restaurants go, I read somewhere that Omaha has more per capita than anywhere else in the US.

One really annoying thing about the media there is they never stop talking about Husker football. I wonder what will happen when Tom Osborne dies. Will they talk about anything else?

[Ted$8roadFan]

If you're a fan of Better Call Saul, this season was more Omaha-centered than in the past. Not sure if that's good or bad.