Top 10 Reasons to Live in Omaha

During my years as a training and development consultant, I spent most of my time traveling across the US. Oftentimes, I’d get asked a lot of questions about Omaha. Some of these questions revealed how little the inquisitor knew about Nebraska, and specifically Omaha. So, here’s my top ten reasons you should relocate to Omaha, just like Dezeray Jackson did.

1. Nebraska’s unemployment rate is 2.7%. Omaha’s is 3% (Feb. 2015)
2. The Fab Five are in Omaha: Berkshire Hathaway, Union Pacific, Mutual of Omaha, ConAgra Foods, and Peter Kiewit Sons’.
3. The arts, for young and old, are taken seriously in Omaha. Check out The Rose Theater, The Orpheum, Kaneko, The Holland Performing Arts Center, Blue Barn Theater, Shelterbelt, The Omaha Community Playhouse, The Roux, MAHA, The Omaha Film Festival, Shakespeare on the Green,  and more! Honestly, there’s too much to list and a lot of stuff is affordable or free.
4. The high school graduation rate is almost 90% (2014). This, of course, is across the board, and may differ by race and/or socio-economic group.
5. We love our green spaces. They’re all over the city. Throw a rock, and you’ll hit one. Check out Hummel/Dodge Park and Elmwood Park to get an idea of how diverse our parks are.
6. I’m sure that you already know that we have the best zoo in the world. That’s not an exaggeration, by the way. Read this.
7. It’s also home to the Silicon Prairie.
8. This is the only place in the country where you’ll never get a bad steak. It just can’t happen. It even made this list.
9. Sure, the population isn’t as diverse as on either coast, but it’s not homogeneous either. If you’re not white, you’ll see people who look like you in Omaha. I promise.
10. People really are friendly in Omaha. They’ll make eye contact with you, smile, and say hello. If someone bumps into you, they’ll apologize. Generally, we don’t like to be rude to anyone. (Don’t push it though. Not everyone is an Omaha native.)

You’ll notice that I didn’t mention anything about football. A lot of Nebraskans take the Huskers very seriously. I’m not one of them, so they didn’t make the list.

If you’re still not convinced that Nebraska isn’t a fly over state, and Omaha isn’t the place for you to land, check this out.

Who or what would you add to this list? Write your top picks in the comments!