Well, since we've been here for a few months, I thought I'd write about some of our impressions about this new place where we live. First, to dispell some myths. Omaha is not flat nor is it filled with corn. In fact, the valleys of Utah are flatter than Omaha. There are rolling hills everywhere. Even the farmland is rolly. I haven't seen a ton of corn either - Omaha is mostly houses and businesses. Another myth - no mountains means no outdoor beauty. The sky is so beautiful here. We have sunsets and thunderstorms and everyday paints a new picture. Also, the lack of mountains means the days are longer. In the summer, sunrise is around 5:30 or 6 and it actually starts getting light very early. There are no mountains for the sun to creep over.
There is shopping everywhere. We live a stone throws away from Target, Walmart, Lowes, and a myriad of other stores. And those are the stores that are all within 8 blocks of our house. We also live very close to a new shopping center called Villiage Pointe. It kind of reminds me of the shops at Riverwoods in Provo. There is a movie theater, tons of great stores, and most importantly, a Coldstone Creamery. I feel like I've only explored a tiny segment of the city and I'm sure there is way more out there. We also have a great zoo. You can see everything from penquins to sharks to elephants and more. We spent an afternoon there in just the aquarium and rainforest. Luckily we have a year pass so we can take our time enjoying it. If baseball is your thing, we are the home of the College World Series. I actually never knew that there was a CWS until we moved here, but still, it's pretty cool. There was an article in paper recently talking about what a cool city Omaha is becoming. Here are some of the highlights:
"The city that was barely on the national concert scene six years ago now ranks in the top 20 in the world - yes, world - in concert tickets sold. Its gleaming new Qwest Center Omaha pulls in national acts such as U2, Green Day and the Rolling Stones.
High-end retailers such as Williams-Sonoma and Pottery Barn, which Omahans once could find only in catalogs, have set up shop.
New local events, from citywide festivals to small, eclectic arts openings, flourish.
And young people seem to have noticed.
"There is a cool factor for Omaha," said Amanda Jedlicka, 33, director of Habitat for Humanity of Omaha. "I sense a lot of optimism from my peers."
The water, electricity, and natural gas are much less expensive here. I didn't know what to expect before we got our first utitlity bills, but I was pleasantly surprised. They also have gas stations here with ethanol. It's a little bit cheaper and it's supposed to be better for your car. If you can swallow our high property taxes, you can see that housing is very inexpensive. Also, the high property taxes do come with some benefits - great schools. It also includes some things like trash pickup and recycling.
The people here are also great. Everyone is very friendly. Several times I've had people start conversations with me at the grocery store. Everyone is very religious here. There are so many different churches. The people here in the LDS church in our ward here are very friendly and open. Not many people here in the church have extended family around. So, the ward becomes almost like a second family. Also, there are a few interesting sites if you are a church history buff. Omaha is home to Winter Quarters. There is a visitors center and a small temple. Council bluffs is about 15 miles away and there is more Church history stuff there.
So, I just wanted to enlighten you about this great place. It's made me realize that there are wonderful places everywhere.
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