"Avoid Omaha. Trust me on this."
Posted on 07/11/2014 1:23:21 PM PDT by LadyBuzz
My husband has accepted a position in Omaha. We will be moving from PA in early August. We've always lived more or less on the east coast - Ohio, Mich, MD, Cape Cod & currently PA.
We have been looking for homes in the Dundee/Midtown area as well as Papillion.
Any help on the area would be much appreciated.
I got family there. Papillion isn’t too bad but there are definately areas in Omaha to stay away from.
"Avoid Omaha. Trust me on this."
Nice one...well done.
There are some very nice, upscale areas of Dundee and there are some less than quiet areas of Dundee. Property taxes, schools, and some of the other services are generally a little better in Papillion and Sarpy County than in Omaha. It can also be a little quieter. Depending on where you live in Sarpy, you could be surrounded by farm fields but still be just over the hill from Papillion/Bellevue and Omaha or freeway/interstate access.
I live in Papillion
Omaha is still back east to me.
I would second your avoid.
My brother lives in far northeast Omaha just past 174th and Himebaugh (almost to Lincoln). Nice area but taxes and services are not always real great.
My nephew and wife lived in Dundee area, one of the nicer parts, but they were not necessarily the happiest there.
I am partial to Sarpy County.
I guess Omaha would be back east if you were living in Kimball, Sidney, or Lodgepole and faced an all day drive to get there.
Dundee would be a nice location and very close to your hubby’s new work in Midtown. Assuming he’s a researcher or physician of some sort. Lots of that kind of activity there.
Am I correct that the commute from Papillion to downtown Omaha is approx 20-25 minutes?
Yes.
It takes me about 20-25 minutes to get to the Zoo and that’s quite a distance.
Of course, I’ve never driven it during rush hour.
What’s your husband do?
My choice would be in Sarpy County. Excellent schools in Papillion, Bellevue, and Gretna. Less crime, too.
Snow removal is often delayed or non existent in Omaha. Wheel tax ($50.00/car, more for truck) in Omaha and potholed rotten streets. HUGE increases coming to all sewer bills in Omaha to pay for EPA mandated sewer separation project. Handgun registration in Omaha. Petty city politics in Omaha. Residual lead in yards east of 72nd Street in Omaha.
Check the elevation and flood/drainage plains closely. State inheritance taxes. Fully taxed federal pensions and Social Security by the state.
No-braska has some of the highest property taxes on both vehicles and homes anywhere. I’m considering a move to Iowa.
Welcome to the Good Life!!
Check out Elkhorn. My daughter lives there and loves it.
Try the Fontenelle forest area in Bellevue, NE. Almost bought a house there once—always regretted not doing it.
Spent 13 years in the vicinity courtesy of DoD.
Iowa would be a better proposition in terms of taxes, as others have noted.
Avoid a place inside Omaha’s city limits: regulations are onerous. And city taxes merely add to the burden. Nebraska law prohibits city annexation across county lines, so avoid Douglas County, just to be safe.
The choice of residential locale might best be influenced by workplace location: any route crossing the main urban areas during rush hours will cause a headache.
Sarpy County has a number of nice small towns, but is probably vulnerable to suburban sprawl as much as the northwest side. The region between Omaha and Lincoln is nice too, but will likely see serious development soon.
Avoid low-lying regions along the Platte and Missouri Rivers. Spring flooding is common. 50-year and 100-year floodplain boundaries are fixed by law, but recall that they are not much more than guesses. Higher is better.
Summers are hot and sticky; winters cold, damp, and dreary. Home air conditioning and heating systems should be prepped carefully and checked often.
Iowa. Sun at your back coming and going to work. I live in Crescent and it’s 15 minutes to work with no stop lights until you hit downtown
Thanks for the responses and positive freepmails.
& to the 1 rude private repsonse - my screen name is LadyBuzz because I am a beekeeper NOT a pothead (LOL!)
Omaha City Council voted today to raise sewer fees by 45% on homeowners. Businesses get stuck for even higher rates with some contemplating closing or moving elsewhere.
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