Omaha has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, with large companies increasingly drawn to the area’s spaciousness. The city also boasts a rising tech industry that has been given the name Silicon Prairie. Add to that a decent cost of living, and Omaha is a decent place to work and live.

**A local's pov on the job market:**
*The job market in Omaha has been better than the rest of the country for many decades. That last recession wasn't bad at all here in Omaha, whereas things were pretty dire elsewhere.*

For more reviews of Omaha from locals check out: [**The Buzz**](https://lookyloomove.com/locations/omaha?page=buzz)

You can probably get a job

The Best Thing About Omaha?

Omaha’s public transit is not very good, and not used. That coupled with unpredictable weather at both cold and hot extremes, means that you really need a car to get around the city. It’s fairly easy to get out, with MegaBus offering cheap bus rides to Chicago and Des Moines, but it’s hard to get around the city.

**Here's a local's pov about public transport in Omaha:** 
*Yeah our public transit is a total joke except for ORBT in my opinion. But ORBT obviously doesn't constitute a full transit system and we need the other buses to be reliable too if we ever want people take transit seriously here. I do understand rerouting buses for snow, as the city can be hilly in places and that presents a difficulty and danger for some bus routes.*


Public transportation

The Worst Thing About Omaha?

Omaha has a growing downtown cultural and social scene but the fastest growing segment of the population are families. Omaha is ideal for young families who will benefit from low cost housing, room to spread out, even within the city, and plenty of amenities to keep everyone in the family occupied. The city does have a music scene, between Centurylink Center for big concerts, and several summer concert series to keep your toes a tapping. There’s also a world class  zoo, a magical children’s museum, tons of parks and an indoor waterpark during the scorching months of summer. 

If you want to see what happens in Omaha that's fun and cultural check out the calendar of events: https://www.visitomaha.com/events/


Lifestyle Of Omaha

Omaha is frequently ranked as having the lowest unemployment rate in the country. Massive and successful corporations including Berkshire Hathaway, TD Ameritrade, Omaha Steaks, Union Pacific Railroad and Mutual of Omaha call this home. That means incredibly high paying jobs in a low cost city. Not a bad combination. In many ways the work culture of Omaha can feel a bit like an earlier era in America, if both Moms and Dads were working outside of the home back then –  big companies offering secure employment in a city with reasonably priced homes and a mostly suburban lifestyle. 


Workstyle Of Omaha

In 2019, Omaha made its biggest investment ever in its transit system, with a brand new rapid transit line called ORBT. It has made a big difference in getting around the city, and tying neighborhoods together. More improvements are planned. 


A new transit system

Why You Should Move Here Now?

**The Best Thing About Omaha?**  You can probably get a job

Omaha has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, with large companies increasingly drawn to the area’s spaciousness. The city also boasts a rising tech industry that has been given the name Silicon Prairie. Add to that a decent cost of living, and Omaha is a decent place to work and live.

**The Worst Thing About Omaha?**  Public transportation
Omaha’s public transit is not very good, and not used. That coupled with unpredictable weather at both cold and hot extremes, means that you really need a car to get around the city. It’s fairly easy to get out, with MegaBus offering cheap bus rides to Chicago and Des Moines, but it’s hard to get around the city.

**How You Living?**  Cautiously comfortable
Most of Omaha is at work, making enough money for a decent cost of living. The city has great food, nice people and relatively affordable housing, which makes for a decent lifestyle. But like many other cities its size, there is segregation and a history of racial inequality that’s still prevalent today. 

**Why You Should Move Here Now?**   A new transit system

In 2019, Omaha made its biggest investment ever in its transit system, with a brand new rapid transit line called ORBT. It has made a big difference in getting around the city, and tying neighborhoods together. More improvements are planned. 


Omaha is the largest city in Nebraska and considered the “Gateway To The West”. Its central location in the Midwest and Great Plains states means a lot of other big cities are within a reachable driving distance. Kansas City, St Louis, Minneapolis, Des Moines, Oklahoma City and even Chicago are somewhere between 2 and 6 ½ hours. If you get bored at home then plenty of options for escape. Its location on the Great Plains means scorching summers and freezing winters. In fact Omaha is rated the 4th coldest big city in the U.S. but the fact it resides on the banks of the Missouri river means great views from throughout the city. 


The Area

Old Market (the original downtown) is a hotbed for young professionals in Omaha. Plenty of older buildings/warehouses converted to homes and condos along the river put you a walk from the central business district. Just as important are the bountiful supply of great restaurants, clubs bars and community activities to keep you occupied on nights and weekends. 
- Old Market
- Blackstone
- Little Bohemia


Young Professionals

Downtown

Benson is an interesting choice for youngster and couples looking for an active social scene but a bit less frantic than the downtown-type areas. Home to art galleries, boutique shopping, great restaurants, and two craft breweries,  it has plenty to do but feels a bit more “grown-up” than some of the more pure entertainment districts. 
- Benson
- Highlander


DINKs/SINKs

Benson

Nebraska is not historically noted as a particularly welcoming state but Omaha is big enough and filled with enough of a progressive population that the LGBTQ+ community can make it work here. First stop should be Old Market, the most popular neighborhood for the community and home to the bars and restaurants that cater to LGBTQ+ residents. 
- Old Market


LGBTQ+

Old Market

Aksarben/Elmwood Park is a good neighborhood for a family to start their search. Great classic homes are surrounded by great entertainment and retail options. This includes Aksarben Village, a development of businesses, restaurants, bars and theaters. Askarben (Nebraska spelled backwards) also hosts festivals like Earth Day, concerts at Stinson Park and Shakespeare on the Green at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. 
- Aksarben/Elmwood Park
- Dundee/Memorial Park/Happy Hollow
- Elkhorn

Families

Aksarben Elmwood Park

Omaha

**What are the pros and cons of living in Omaha, Nebraska?**

Pros:

It's cheap. You can buy an ok house in the $150k - $200k range. Property taxes are a bit high, but it seems like on most tax analyses Nebraska ranks somewhere in the middle. So taxes aren't too high. Omaha is still developing so building a house is a common option.
Despite what some may tell you there is enough to do here. No, there aren't beaches or mountains nearby, but you can keep yourself busy with : sports leagues, biking trails, bars, dating, etc.
Depending on where you live, commute times usually aren't too bad. It's possible to get a long commute but that's kind of up to you. It doesn't seem as bad as some of the nightmare stories I've heard in other cities, like DC or Chicago.
Omaha is relatively safe. I've lived here my entire life and never been the victim of a crime.
We have plenty of movie theaters and we usually end up getting most indie movies now.
We have several arenas and get a lot of touring bands. I saw Paul McCartney and Soundgarden last year (prior to Chris Cornell passing away). Taylor Swift has played here.
Cons :

Omaha has no major league sports teams. So you'll never experience the frenzy of the home town team winning the world series. We follow college sports and that can be fun though. And the college world series comes once a year.
Not scenic. It's not California or Colorado. Not on a great lake or anything.
Other major cities are a decent drive. Kansas City is like 3 hours away. Chicago and Denver are 7–8 hours. Minneapolis is around 6, I think.
Omaha is segregated. White people live out west. North Omaha is mostly African American. South Omaha is mostly hispanic. I enjoy going all over the city and experiencing different cultures…its just weird that various races are packed into areas of town.
I think that's about it. The main reason I live is here is because of my friends and family. The affordability is also a nice perk.

Oh yeah and the weather is horrible lol. We get both extremes. Cold winters, but not super snowy and hot humid summers. Spring lasted about two weeks this year.

**Pros and cons of living in Omaha, Nebraska?**

Pros: Henry Doorly Zoo, College World Series, Capitol District with fantastic bars and restaurants, Joslyn Art Museum, Burlington Station Museum, Omaha Children's Museum, hundreds of bars and restaurants with food of nearly every ethnicity you can think of. There are great places to shop, movie theaters galore and you cannot forget about the performing arts — Omaha Community Playhouse, the Orpheum Theatre and the Holland Performing Arts Center (the acoustics have to be experienced!). Lastly, Millard Public and Westside Public School districts in the western side of the city are two of the best, if not the best, schools in Nebraska.

Cons: traffic and constant road construction. The city has sprawled to the west and south and the interstate is now more in the center of town, so getting to those suburbs during rush hour is an exercise in patience. Taxes are high — the city has considered trying to impose its wheel tax on neighboring counties only to be told by the Unicameral they cannot (taxation without representation, duh). Now they are dealing with paying for and completing a federally mandated sewer upgrade for older sections of town. Omaha Public Schools is another problem. The school board is an embarrassment and they continually want to stick their hands into your pocketbook with no positive outcomes to show for it.

Do I live in Omaha? No, but I lived there for 22 years. We live in a little town north of the city, but are considering a move back into Omaha in a couple years when we retire, now that our kids are grown. I do work in the city so I am there every day.

If you are trying to decide if Omaha is the place for you, come visit. Join us for concerts at the CenturyLink Center and the CWS. Or maybe come for River City RoundUp, Septemberfest, Omaha Summer Arts Festival or a Taste of Omaha. We are always celebrating something and it is always a lot of fun!

**What the best, worst and in between things about living in Omaha?**

Anyway: I moved here last winter. Here is what I think. Best thing about living here is the population size. Omaha's at about 500,000 and that's how I like it. Big enough you can meet people and have niche interests, but small enough that it's not overwhelming.

Worst thing is the car dependency. Omaha by bus or bike is almost a completely different city from Omaha by car, and I'm mad about it.

In between is the weather. I've experienced three seasons here, starting on my fourth. I personally found the winter ugly but bracing, the spring beautiful, and the summer hellish. YMMV.

**What the best, worst and in between things about living in Omaha?**

Pros:

A decent selection of work with decent income for the CoL

A surprisingly good food culture relative to its population size. I've lived in bigger areas with less good food

World class zoo

People are pretty good here. It is a very hospitable place

Housing is affordable especially relative to the income you can make

Rivera's Mexican food might be the best Mexican food I have ever had, and I have had Mexican food in Mexico

Cons:

Legitimately bad drivers. It is a bit of a joke around here, but it is true. Omahans are the worst drivers of anywhere I have lived, and I have lived a lot of places

Omaha is an oddly segregated city. If you look up the history of Omaha, you'll notice it is pretty ugly in the not too distant past

Occupies a weird position for me with respect to its size. Not big enough while simultaneously being too big. I feel like I would rather go up or down a city size

Any specifics you want to know about, I'll answer as best I can.

Omaha, Nebraska

Home On The Plain

Looklyloo Score: 80