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Tampa or Omaha?


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My mother was born and raised in Omaha. I would probably freeze to death there during the Winters and I hate cold weather. It can be hot and humid during the Summers. But, it is probably more relaxed there, with regard to traffic, etc. Possibly a lower cost of living than in Tampa. However, Nebraska, like the majority of states, does have a state income tax. I have 2 cousins who moved to Omaha. Central heating bills for long, cold Winters. Lots of special clothes, shoes, boots, etc., required for Winters there. My DD would like to play in the Snow, but she has no clue as to just how cold it is and how long the Winters are.

 

The weather in Tampa, for me, would be much better. And, there are beaches, it is close to Orlando, which has Walt Disney World and other attractions, etc. Long, hot, humid Summers, but mild Winters. Florida does not have a state income tax. Probably a much larger variety of fresh fruits and vegetables are available in Florida, because of the large Hispanic population, which would be important to my family, because we are accustomed to a huge variety of fresh food here. Maybe lower housing costs in Tampa, because of the recent foreclosures and housing bust in Florida.

 

We live in a Tropical Valley. If I were the one making the choice, I would go with Tampa. Four years in Omaha could be heaven or hell, depending upon what you family likes to do. And, you are like us, accustomed to living in a Tropical climate, so the weather in Omaha would be very tough. Pineapple grows, near where we live, as it does near where you live.

 

Depends on the job offer. Are you an AF family moving from HI? http://www.offutt.af.mil/

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:iagree: with Lanny.

 

I live south of Tampa, but I'm in the city a couple of times per year. The weather is such that one can be outside everyday. And there's a gazillion things to do in Tampa and nearby central Florida. The homeschool community is vast with lots of options. And all the big attractions have something for homeschoolers, i.e. Lowry Park Zoo, MOSI, Disney, nearby aquariums, etc.

 

:)

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I'm from the midwest and I'd choose Tampa, but I also dislike snow of any kind.

 

It might also depend on how you want to transition weather wise, 4 seasons or tropical. Omaha is no where near a real beach. Growing up in the midwest, that was one thing I hated, it takes a plane ride or driving for a day or more to get to real beach.

 

I haven't been to Omaha for years, but it has a world class zoo, an art museum, lots of things to do. http://www.visitomaha.com/things-to-do/attractions/

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Now see, I grew up in FL and I would choose Omaha. But I hate being hot and dislike the whole FL culture of glamour and glitz and lack of clothes. :) But I do love the beach.

 

But for me having four seasons is wonderful.

 

:iagree: i grew up in CA and I now live in NH. My kids LOVE playing out in the snow! It is SUCH a treat. Fall is just around the corner and I can NOT WAIT!!!

 

We don't like summer. The pool helps us to cope. We really, REALLY hate the heat. We have friends who moved to FL and they hate summers there.

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Now see, I grew up in FL and I would choose Omaha. But I hate being hot and dislike the whole FL culture of glamour and glitz and lack of clothes. :) But I do love the beach.

 

But for me having four seasons is wonderful.

 

I feel the same way. I lived in Tampa for 13 years and you couldn't pay me to move back there. ;) So, I'd pick Omaha. :001_smile:

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i am in my 20's and i grew up in tampa. I think its wonderful for homeschooling. you have many homeschooling groups there. MOSI, the zoo, Busch gardens, and tons of extracurricular as well as USF which has alot of summer programs. Also the beach and orlando are close by as well. I have never been to Omaha so i can't comment on it.

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Well, it's a no brainer for me as a person with pollen allergies, Omaha. We lived for one year in Florida and it was nearly the death of me. I'm allergic to a lot of things in that state! I woke up one morning just about unable to breathe, dh looked out the window and our grey car was YELLOW...totally yellow...pollen settling!!!! It happened three more times that year.

 

Also, the intense heat. I never saw children playing outside unless they were at the beach, the community pool, their housing development's pool, or their own personal pool. If you didn't have a pool or didn't head to the beach, there was no living with it. That bothered me a lot and dd was two years old at the time and didn't want to play out either. We'd be drenched with sweat in literally just a couple of minutes.

 

Then the wild animals....sigh. It ended up being unsafe to let her outside anyway. We had poisonous snakes come up into the yard, had a panther in the back yard one day as well and it took three hours for animal control to show up, take the report, and track it...three different alligators in the subdivision had to be moved.

 

I don't think you'll find the cost-of-living to be less in Tampa. My SIL is a realtor in St. Pete/Tampa area and says that housing is still VERY expensive and they pay more for food than we do in the Midwest plus the electric bills from running air conditioning 24-7 are comparable to heating bills if you can find a house in the Midwest that is on Natural Gas.

 

Faith

Edited by FaithManor
misspelling
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I haven't been to Omaha for years, but it has a world class zoo, an art museum, lots of things to do.
:iagree:

We were born and raised just across the river from Omaha and still have family in the area and get up there once a year. I am amazed how much it has grown and changed over the years. Their zoo is one of the best. The Jocyln Art Museum is wonderful! I have been told the children's museum is good, but have not been.

But the weather... Oh, it can be so cold in Omaha! And the snow lingers... until March... April...

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I grew up in Lincoln (an hour away from Omaha) and loved living there. The people were nice, living was affordable, and there was plenty to do. Yes, the winters were cold and it was humid, but I've lived in places that are worse. Also, from what I understand, Nebraska hasn't been hit as hard with the economy as other states have and has a fairly low unemployment rate at the moment. Omaha also has one of the best zoos that I've been to.

 

Another reason I like Nebraska is that I'm not a fan of wild animals and living with all of the alligators in Florida just scares me, although I'm sure I'd get used to it. My vote would be for Omaha.

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First off... have you seen the other thread on the snakes in Florida?!? ;)

 

I'm a midwestern gal, born and raised. I think I'd have a hard time raising a family anywhere else, it's just home, so perhaps I'm a bit biased. But I'm in agreement with others that this area is fairly financially stable and affordable, has four seasons (some more beautiful than others, LOL), and overall safe and very family friendly. Omaha has a great zoo, children's museum, semi-pro sports, etc. so there's plenty to do, even if the ocean isn't nearby!!

 

So I would vote for Omaha. That said, coming from Hawaii, it depends on how much of a change in climate you're willing to tolerate!! Don't worry, in the summer it often *feels* like Florida here, LOL... but just when you're sick of the season, another one comes along!!

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I grew up in Pa and now live near (one block from) Tampa. lol I've been here for 30 years. We love it. Lots of homeschooling activities and co-op opportunities. Green summer and winter. Many things to do, beautiful places to walk, etc. I'm staying right here (unless God tells me something different)!!

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What would you say was more humid:

 

Honolulu

Omaha

Tampa

 

??

 

I would think Tampa, although Omaha can be humid and feel like Florida. I've been to Florida a few times when it was cooler and less humid than KC, where we had just left. It was very dry this summer though.

 

We were in Hawaii in October many years ago and it felt less humid, maybe it was just the beauty overriding the experience. We did Costa Rica in November and that was way more humid than what I remember from Waikiki.

 

We are beach lovers and one thing I regret is not raising ds near a real beach. It just didn't work out, we needed to be near family. We have a lot of great vacation photos of ds on the beach, but never the experience of living there.

 

I would consider the age of your dc, how you view the beach lifestyle. Is this a part of their lives you want to continue? Omaha can give you a straight shot to Wyoming and Colorado and some great mountain vacation experiences too.

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I grew up in Nebraska and lived in Omaha for ten years. The people are wonderful, and if you can handle cold and snow, it is a great place to live. I really wouldn't want to go back there because of the weather. I got so tired of the frigid temperatures in the winter. And the wind makes it feel even colder. I'd probably give Tampa a try although I've never been there!

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I live in Tampa, and have lived in FL my entire life. Yes, it's humid and yes, the summers are long, but one thing I don't think I've seen mentioned is that we get SUNSHINE almost all year long. I don't think I could handle the dreariness of winter in places where it's cold and dark for long stretches.

 

One other thing others haven't mentioned is that while it's hot for long stretches of the year, we don't have the fluctuations in temperature that other places (like the midwest and other parts of the south) experience. So you can expect it to be in the 80's from mid-February through May, 90's from June through October, and 60's-70's from November through January. It's humid all summer, and it rains every afternoon. Very predictable. While other locales this summer had 100+ degree weather, we were still around 93......and will be until October.

 

If you are military moving from Honolulu, I would ask yourself if you want a change or a similar environment as what you're coming from. Tampa would be very similar to what you're used to in HI, while Omaha would be a major change.

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It really depends on what you want. If you want beaches and warm weather all year round, go with Tampa - Omaha will never be able to fill that desire. But Omaha does have a lot of other things going for it. Omaha is a great town for families: low cost of living, lots of cheap or free activities for kids, an active homeschooling community. It falls on the conservative side, but is also quite cosmopolitan with the indie music scene and all of the other things happening downtown. The winters really aren't that bad. In general, it only snows a handful of times (and the snow doesn't stick around for that long) but it is sunny almost all year. It may be below freezing, but the sun is out! The summers can be hot and humid - you definitely get all four seasons. If you could list some things you are looking for, I might be able to give more of any opinion.

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Omaha/Bellvue. I live about an hour south of Bellvue. Both Omaha and Bellvue have active homeschool groups. As everyone else has mentioned, the zoo in Omaha is phenomenal. We go throughout the year, as there are many indoor exhibits. Omaha host the College World Series, that NCAA basketball tournament thing, and often host the U.S. Olympic swim trials. The Jocelyn Art Museum has homeschool art classes through the year. There is a minor league hockey team and an arena football team. So even though it gets a little chilly in the winter, you won't get bored. Besides, the winters really aren't that bad. I'm originally from Louisiana (hot and humid), moved here from upstate New York (winter for 8 months), and I have no problems with the winter weather here.

 

There are only about 10 days of slight humidity in the Omaha area a year. When the corn (and there is a LOT of corn here) gets green, it releases moisture, which therefore increases the humidity. Still, as a Louisiana girl, I laugh when people complain about the humidity here.

 

The cost of living here is great. Nebraska has some of the lowest electric rates in the nation. You don't have to run your a/c all year. Groceries are reasonable. If you wanted to buy a home around Bellvue, you could get a pretty nice house for under $200,000.

 

Oh, and Nebraska is a FLAMING red state. Fu-laming red state. That appeals to a lot of people.

 

If you have any other questions, just ask.

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We have relatives in Tampa, and it really does seem like the kids are never allowed to play outside there. Our family says that everyone is too afraid of crime to let the kids play outside, plus it's too hot and humid a lot of the year.

 

I'd choose Omaha in a heartbeat, especially since where you really want to go is Colorado Springs. Omaha is a lot closer in feel to CS than Tampa is. It's a lot closer for a driving trip there too.

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:iagree: with Lanny.

 

I live south of Tampa, but I'm in the city a couple of times per year. The weather is such that one can be outside everyday. And there's a gazillion things to do in Tampa and nearby central Florida. The homeschool community is vast with lots of options. And all the big attractions have something for homeschoolers, i.e. Lowry Park Zoo, MOSI, Disney, nearby aquariums, etc.

 

:)

 

And it's SO sunny, it's hard not to be in a good mood most of the time! I'm from the cold and gray north great lakes area. The heat is just a non-issue with the ubiquitousness of air conditioning. Other than not exercising at noon in the heat, I suppose. I can't imagine the appeal of Omaha, but I'm sure someone must know what that is!

 

PS: just saw the post a couple above, wanted to let you know my kids play outside.

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I feel like an idiot...when I read that, my first thought was Cornhuskers....GO BIG RED. :lol:

 

:lol: Well, that too. Saturday afternoon during football season is the best time to go shopping in Lincoln. Everyone is either at the game or watching the game.:tongue_smilie:

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Odd....we have those two places on our list to move. Are you or your spouse in the military? A 24?

 

I am in the military, not the Army though. :001_smile:

 

 

And I just discovered that the Tampa job I am not actually qualified for, so that does narrow it down a bit. ;)

 

I have lived in:

 

Bangor, Maine

Jacksonville, North Carolina

Okinawa, Japan

Amarillo, Texas

Honolulu, Hawaii

 

I personally would prefer a change of pace from where I am now.

 

Thanks everyone for all your insight!

Edited by tntgoodwin
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I am in the military, not the Army though. I would be more similar to a 35. :001_smile:

 

 

And I just discovered that the Tampa job I am not actually qualified for, so that does narrow it down a bit. ;)

 

I have lived in:

 

Bangor, Maine

Jacksonville, North Carolina

Okinawa, Japan

Amarillo, Texas

Honolulu, Hawaii

 

I personally would prefer a change of pace from where I am now.

 

Thanks everyone for all your insight!

 

Omaha wins! Really, you won't be disappointed with Omaha/Bellvue. Papillon was recently voted one of the best places to live for families. Papillion is right next to Bellvue. I don't know where you're originally from, but being in the middle of the country sure helps the whole flying home thing. And we know because we were a Navy family for 10 years. I am a bit curious about what is your Navy rate. You can pm me if you want. We were both nukes and would have had no chance of being stationed anywhere near the interior of the country.

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I am in the military, not the Army though. I would be more similar to a 35. :001_smile:

 

 

And I just discovered that the Tampa job I am not actually qualified for, so that does narrow it down a bit. ;)

 

I have lived in:

 

Bangor, Maine

Jacksonville, North Carolina

Okinawa, Japan

Amarillo, Texas

Honolulu, Hawaii

 

I personally would prefer a change of pace from where I am now.

 

Thanks everyone for all your insight!

We are leaning heavily towards Omaha/Bellevue also. I certainly need a change of pace from where we currently are. Anywhere more green would be appreciated. My only concern is the cold.

 

I wanted Hawaii but my dear husband points out how far I drive to do stuff here...not really an option to drive to more entertainment on a small island.

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If you end up in Omaha, it will certainly be a change of pace from Hawaii, but if that's what you're seeking, there's a lot to like about Omaha and the entire midwest. It can get humid in the MW, but that's only about 3 months out of the year, and not every day... nothing like humidity in other areas of the country. And what we always say: if you don't like the weather, wait until tomorrow. Seriously, we can swing 40 degrees in a day when a front moves through without batting an eye! :D

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Omaha. This is coming from someone who hates snow but I would live in Omaha over Tampa any day. The only thing I hate more than snow is unrelenting humidity and high temps. Tampa is pretty close to my own personal idea of hell weather wise. It doesn't even really cool of at night and I just can't deal. Omaha is a nice Midwestern city, lots of great amenities, nice people and while it gets cold, there are 4 seasons so it's not like it is snow all year.

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I grew up 30 miles from Omaha, so my vote is for there.:D

I would move there in a heartbeat but our business is here so I don't think we're getting out anytime soon.:glare:

 

 

 

 

I feel like an idiot...when I read that, my first thought was Cornhuskers....GO BIG RED. :lol:

Haha, me too. We are so ready for football to start. DH has a new t-shirt coming tomorrow and the kids made him Husker coasters for his birthday on Saturday.

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I was surprised you had a choice. We are in the 25th year of service in the AF and only one time, did we get a choice- that was when dh applied for a position overseas and ended up not with the original one, but in another one- which was even better. But every other regular pcs, he didn't have much of a choice. Like in this last one, a number of people called up and asked him could they put his name in for the job, he said yes to all who called and altogether someone else who he was never asked about got him. Turns out that this was our place we wanted to retire in so we are very happy but it wasn't his choosing that got us here.

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I lived in Bellevue as a child - my Navy dad was on a joint staff at SAC HQ. We lived in Capehart - the military housing development just off base. I loved it - but that's from a child's perspective. We enjoyed sledding and ice skating in the winters and spent the summers in the pool. One nice thing about living in the center of the country is that you can drive lots of places fairly easily. We visited Mt. Rushmore, Yellowstone, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis and lots of other interesting places.

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I was surprised you had a choice. We are in the 25th year of service in the AF and only one time, did we get a choice- that was when dh applied for a position overseas and ended up not with the original one, but in another one- which was even better. But every other regular pcs, he didn't have much of a choice. Like in this last one, a number of people called up and asked him could they put his name in for the job, he said yes to all who called and altogether someone else who he was never asked about got him. Turns out that this was our place we wanted to retire in so we are very happy but it wasn't his choosing that got us here.

 

 

I think that's pretty typical. My cousin retired from the AF and this was true of just about everyone he knew. However, he had his choice of several bases when he came home from Germany and that was because there was a rather big shortage of officers trained for what he did and so there were numerous bases with positions open and several bases clamoring to get him. It was good for him since he was getting home just in time for his eldest to start high school after being in DOD schools overseas for her entire K-8 education. They were able to carefully evaluate high schools and choose the base nearest the best educational offerings for their dd's. But, as he said, most military personnel just have to take what's available and have very few options.

 

Faith

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most military personnel just have to take what's available and have very few options.

 

It really depends upon branch/MOS, for officers and enlisted. My dh's branch and experiences allow him to go almost anywhere. Some branches are very limited. At certain points in your career it is easier/harder to influence, but there have been many times when we at least had choices.

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It really depends upon branch/MOS, for officers and enlisted. My dh's branch and experiences allow him to go almost anywhere. Some branches are very limited. At certain points in your career it is easier/harder to influence, but there have been many times when we at least had choices.

 

 

Thanks, good to know!

 

Are you where you want to be for retirement, or do you think you will still have moves ahead you?

 

Faith

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Thanks, good to know!

 

Are you where you want to be for retirement, or do you think you will still have moves ahead you?

 

Faith

 

We still have moves ahead of us. We are probably looking at a move next summer, then at least one more move...depending upon how things go the next few years.

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