OMAHA - Market size #58* - Most recent visit: August 2014
*based on Metropolitan Statistical Area
 |
| I will have more to say (below) about this seemingly perfect photo |
This city may be ranked 42nd in terms of population, but #1 in terms of disappointment. Not in recent memory has so much hype been generated and expectations raised. The Omaha metro has featured prominently in recent lists (CNN, Forbes, Money) of Top Places to Live or Raise a Family. Many of the posts on the forum City-data.com (I love its unvarnished, open discussion forums) contained much hyperbole about how Omaha was a widely-overlooked shangri-la ....so I couldn't wait to visit. I came, I saw, I judged.
Appearance/Aesthetics/Overall Vibe -
Omaha has squandered its considerable potential. The city is blessed with one of the most unique natural settings I have ever seen. Rolling prairie hills dotted with grassland and cornfields.....opportunities for scenic vistas abound. Then came mankind----this city has fallen victim to some of the most inept city planning/zoning I have ever seen. Omaha makes Houston look like a paragon of thoughtful city zoning. If you don't care about the view from your kitchen window or front porch, then Omaha is for you -- no matter where you live (with very few exceptions) you will be treated to a smorgasbord of high-tension wires, radio/cell towers, strip malls, and massive highway overpasses. Additionally, Omaha's road grid system is incompatible with the its rolling natural landscape. Other cities such as KC use curvy, winding scenic parkways to accentuate their varied terrains. Omaha appears to be fighting its natural beauty by imposing on its undulating landscape a checkerboard grid which would be more appropriate for the pancake-flat western suburbs of Chicago.
I'd like to pause in the middle of this rant, and expound upon this whole highway overpass thing. Omaha must fetishize highway overpasses.....it's the only way to explain why the city has plunged some of its most choice real estate into darkness --- under the shadow of these overpasses.
Exhibit A: The Riverfront. Omaha begins on the banks of the Missouri River. Nature has provided attractive riverfront real estate to greet its visitors....but urban planners had other ideas--they decided that THIS structure should dominate the waterfront:
 |
| Very sexy |
 |
While cities such as Boston spent billions to tear down structures just like this one, Omaha recently spent over $80,000,000 to erect a concrete scar that disfigures over 40 blocks of West Omaha!
Behold-- the West Dodge overpass ~~~~
Omaha's housing stock is equally dispiriting. Manufacturers of vinyl siding will be happy to know there's plenty of demand for your product from Omaha builders. With some notable exceptions, most home lots are virtually treeless and barren, resulting in a windswept, quasi-desolate feeling--even during the summer.
 |
| Typical suburban W. Omaha home |
 |
| ....and backyard |
Downtown Omaha has an empty feel, especially after business hours. Now, let's return to that gorgeous, Chamber of Commerce-worthy photo at the very top of the page---indeed, it looks utopian...but only if you're standing on the very spot the pic was taken, and only if you're looking directly toward downtown. Look immediately to your left or right, and the beauty fades into a somewhat worn downtown street scape.
I'll take a break from ripping on Omaha, and turn to attributes that rescued the city from a ZERO GAVEL RATING for aesthetics. --- There are few fences in middle class residential neighborhoods; this creates a pleasant, open feel. BIAS ALERT = I do not like gated communities, and the fortress-like vibe they exude. Fortunately, Omaha did not appear to have many of these.
 |
| Old Market |
Dundee
People -
BIAS ALERT = I love midwesterners. ---- and I have very recently travelled extensively through this region; however, Omahans do not compare favorably to the great folks that I have met in other midwestern places. I found Omahans to be more insular and dour than people from Kansas City, the Twin Cities, or even Cincinnati. I also found Omahans to be fairly bland compared to other midwesterners. Only a few people chatted me up when they learned I was visiting the city. Most of my interactions were kept brief, and my questions were usually answered in a laconic manner. I also experienced a surprising amount of aggressive driving, and other miscellaneous displays of douchebaggery on the road, such as drivers needlessly blasting their car speakers or unmuffled engines, as well as drunkenly yelling out of their windows.
Most disturbing, however, was the racial/ethnic segregation that was so apparent throughout the city. Racially, the city is divided into 3 sections: North (black), South (hispanic), and West (white). This arrangement is apparent to anyone who spends more than 10 mins. in Omaha, as each section is, by itself, racially homogeneous. This segregation extends to the city schools, which I will discuss in the Quality of Life section below.
Food -
My criteria for judging a city's food is simple. I look for an abundance of great restaurants that are easily discoverable. BIAS ALERT = I strongly favor inexpensive places to eat i.e. $15-$20 per person for dinner. I also favor places that serve great iced tea. Dallas and Kansas City are shining exemplars in this category. Omaha is a huge disappointment. Of course there are some great places to eat there, but they are too few and far between. I ate 3 fairly expensive yet mediocre meals at highly recommended restaurants in the Old Market. Otherwise, I found mostly bland, unappealing options. Omaha seems to love sushi and Mexican restaurants, judging by their prevalence. A local favorite is Runza, which specializes in serving....Runzas! - which Wikipedia defines as a yeast dough bread pocket consisting of beef, pork, sauerkraut, or cabbage filling. I ate one. I suffered. 10 days later, it feels like that Runza has taken up permenant residence at the bottom of my stomach.
 |
| Who's hungry??? |
Cost of Living -
I experienced Omaha to be slightly cheaper than average, although not Boise City-cheap. This Sperling's Best Places page appears to confirm my experience, while it breaks down the various ways in which Omaha prices stack up to the rest of America. An overview of the Omaha housing market is found at this Trulia page.
Other Quality of Life Stuff -
A mixed bag. Traffic was not onerous, even during rush hour---ironically, the east-west traffic situation appeared to be alleviated by the monster overpasses discussed above. Most primary (as well as many secondary) roads throughout Omaha are exceptionally wide, further aiding traffic flow.
Local government has a reputation for being very insular and ossified, with a penchant for levying higher than average taxes. I have not spent nearly enough time there to offer an informed opinion, so I defer to these robust discussion threads found at eomahaforums.com.
Safety in Omaha is a complicated issue. Although the city is often cited as being one of the most secure in the country, one's own sense of security can vary depending on which part of town one visits. Indeed, most of W. Omaha feels like the set of Ozzie and Harriet. Downtown can feel very sketchy after 5pm or so. It is nearly devoid of people, and some of the people lingering in that area during the evening can cause one to become a bit unsettled. The Old Market area was very well trafficked by tourists/shoppers/diners and well-patrolled by officers on bikes. North Omaha has pockets of notorious gang activity, and although the city has stepped up its efforts to secure this area, during my journey there, I checked that my car doors were locked, and my windows were up. South Omaha is a very uneven experience, as the area varies from block-to-block, alternating from vibrant urban bazaar to full-on sketch-fest.
While regional/national chains like Scooters and Starbucks are well represented in Omaha, there are relatively few local coffeehouses -- although Caffeine Dreams, Aromas, and Fox Hollow earn major props for their coffee and ambiance. On balance, however, Omaha's coffee culture is light years behind cities like Portland or Minneapolis.
Omaha is a moderately bike-friendly city, with a few lengthy paved or packed-stone trails which meander beside some of the city's rivers. However, it can be VERY challenging and dangerous to reach these trails via Omaha's roads. Most of the city's primary and secondary roads are decidedly bike un-friendly, and leave little or no room to ride on the shoulders. Some roads have no shoulders at all and should be avoided. See activateomaha.org for a bike trail map.
Omaha's local media is unremarkable. BIAS ALERT = Since telecom deregulation, I contend that most of this country's local media has become unwatchable/unlistenable ----Omaha's television and radio stations have a decidedly small market feel to them. The daily newspaper of record - The Omaha World-Herald is well-written and produced, with ample local coverage.
Eppley Airfield serves Omaha and its surrounding area. This airport is reasonably modern, clean, and easy to navigate. Most importantly, it is arguably the most conveniently located airport of any Top 50 city. Eppley is located less than 3 miles from downtown! Leaving downtown during rush hour, I reached the airport in 6 minutes.
A discussion of the city's school system means we must discuss race again. In keeping with the segregated character of its neighborhoods, Omaha has arguably the most segregated school system in the U.S. today. The city has accomplished this feat through a mixture of de jure and de facto segregation. Not only did the Nebraska legislature choose to resegregate the Omaha schools, but the city has also historically used its expansion and the resulting annexation of local suburbs to perpetuate segregation. This New York Times article from 2006 provides a detailed narrative of this unsavory situation.
Based on everything I had heard about the city, as well as my affinity for Nebraska in general, I really wanted to like Omaha. That didn't really happen. I judge Omaha to be...
..........disappointing.
Further detailed information about Omaha can be found on this City-data page.
_________________________________________________________________
