Lincoln, Nebraska

We've opted for sharing a local's review of Lincoln here since they seemed to capture it better than we ever could:

I have lived in Lincoln Ne for most of my life. AS a short answer I would say Lincoln is Safe, Comfortable, Middle Class City, that is diverse, racially fair, midwestern city. It has an excellent public school system as well as excellent catholic, and Christian a,d Lutheran private schools as well as a community college, 2 well known private college, Diane, Wesleyan, and a Seventh Day Adventist College, Union College. LIncoln is the Capital of the state and there is much state and federal employment here as well as a lot of private industry and business employment. It is home to the University Of Nebraska, well know for its academics, research and several sports, Football, Baseball, Basketball, Women's Volleyball, Basketball,Softball and both men's and women's gymnastics. Taxation in Nebraska may seem to the outsider to be slightly higher than some other states but one of the main reasons is that we are not overcrowded population wise, either in the cities or rural areas of Nebraska.

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The downside of living in a city that often has the feel of a small town is that, well, Lincoln can very much have the feeling of a small town. Most residents have lived in Lincoln their whole lives as their parents did before them, and it can be difficult here to meet new people if you don’t already have a connection or two. Most of the social spots here revolve around those bars and breweries, and if that isn’t your scene, Lincoln can be isolating.

While a great place to raise a family, the city can be a bit of a no man’s land for those too old for the college scene and too young to have a family, and Lincoln, and Nebraska more generally, is also not a great place to move if diversity is something important to you. It’s also still Nebraska, so the flat landscape, remnants of cowboy culture, and distance from mountains and large bodies of water can be tough if you’re coming from the coasts, great lakes, or the Rockies.

Lincoln is pretty much a dream come true place for families. Everyone’s nice, the neighborhoods are beautiful, community spirit is valued and there is a strong sense of work-life balance so at 5 pretty much everyone bolts to be with the kiddos. The downtown area is growing for those looking to go out but a decent percentage of the nightlife energy comes from the college student population and those who are out rooting for the school. Trust us, Nebraska football and sports overall will play a role in your life, even if you’d prefer they not.

If you want to check out what locals do in Lincoln here is the calendar of events.

Lincoln is the state capitol so plenty of government work is going on in Lincoln. Combine that with the massive university and public school education employers and you get a high percentage of employees as institutional-style workers. This contributes some to that culture of leaving work behind at the end of the day and creating family/life/work balance. The city is also known for a growing tech sector that is called “Silicon Prairie”. Overall the economy is strong in Lincoln with dependable professional jobs. Move here for a job and you can pretty much count on being able to stay.