Omaha...

Jaemekon

Senior
Apr 23, 2007
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Growing up in central Nebraska was a very sheltered existence. Social media wasn't invented yet, the internet was barely a thing, I was able to download a song or two a day on Napster back then.

The town I grew up in was all white folks, so I wasn't really aware of other races, like I saw them on TV, but i didn't really think of them outside of that.

Similarly, I knew Omaha was a thing, but I never really thought of it as part of Nebraska. I just thought of Omaha as Omaha. I wonder if this is why I don't really have an affinity for Omaha to this day? I don't think of Omaha as a part of Nebraska. If we passed it off to Missouri tomorrow, I wouldn't be upset. It's just another place to me.

Do y'all think of Omaha as part of Nebraska? Or is it more just a "port" that happens to be on Nebraska's border?
 

Redscarlet

Heisman
Jun 17, 2001
32,824
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Can sure tell you’re having withdrawals without the open forum not around anymore, where crap like this is on that forum..
 

cubsker_rivals142943

All-Conference
May 29, 2003
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phoenix4nu

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Growing up in central Nebraska was a very sheltered existence. Social media wasn't invented yet, the internet was barely a thing, I was able to download a song or two a day on Napster back then.

The town I grew up in was all white folks, so I wasn't really aware of other races, like I saw them on TV, but i didn't really think of them outside of that.

Similarly, I knew Omaha was a thing, but I never really thought of it as part of Nebraska. I just thought of Omaha as Omaha. I wonder if this is why I don't really have an affinity for Omaha to this day? I don't think of Omaha as a part of Nebraska. If we passed it off to Missouri tomorrow, I wouldn't be upset. It's just another place to me.

Do y'all think of Omaha as part of Nebraska? Or is it more just a "port" that happens to be on Nebraska's border?
Strange.
 
Jan 13, 2015
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Growing up in central Nebraska was a very sheltered existence. Social media wasn't invented yet, the internet was barely a thing, I was able to download a song or two a day on Napster back then.

The town I grew up in was all white folks, so I wasn't really aware of other races, like I saw them on TV, but i didn't really think of them outside of that.

Similarly, I knew Omaha was a thing, but I never really thought of it as part of Nebraska. I just thought of Omaha as Omaha. I wonder if this is why I don't really have an affinity for Omaha to this day? I don't think of Omaha as a part of Nebraska. If we passed it off to Missouri tomorrow, I wouldn't be upset. It's just another place to me.

Do y'all think of Omaha as part of Nebraska? Or is it more just a "port" that happens to be on Nebraska's border?


I think of Omaha as Western Iowa.


 

TampaBaySkers

Senior
Oct 30, 2010
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I grew up in Omaha, and yea it’s Nebraska. I will say over the past decade or so it it does feel a bit foreign.. like Okc feels Oklahoman, but Omaha doesn’t feel Nebraska like it once was.

I have my theories on why that is, but I’ll keep to myself.
 
Sep 29, 2001
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Nothing new, everybody has their own growing up experience. I grew up on a farm in Nebraska and lived my adult life in a big city environment. Each environment has its pluses and minuses. I'm comfortable in either.
 

Jaemekon

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Apr 23, 2007
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Nothing new, everybody has their own growing up experience. I grew up on a farm in Nebraska and lived my adult life in a big city environment. Each environment has its pluses and minuses. I'm comfortable in either.

 
Aug 6, 2009
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I grew up in Lincoln. My mother is from Omaha and I still have relatives there. I think that there is indeed a disconnect between Lincoln/Omaha and the rest of the State. About half, if not more, of the State's entire population lives in an urban environment confined to the southeast corner of the State. My experience of Nebraska is the opposite of the OP. Growing up in Lincoln, and with relatives in Omaha, that is Nebraska to me and the vast majority of the rest of the State seems like a foreign country to me. Still... I would never say that it is not "really" Nebraska. Because of course it is. It just isn't my corner of Nebraska.
 

Jaemekon

Senior
Apr 23, 2007
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I grew up in Lincoln. My mother is from Omaha and I still have relatives there. I think that there is indeed a disconnect between Lincoln/Omaha and the rest of the State. About half, if not more, of the State's entire population lives in an urban environment confined to the southeast corner of the State. My experience of Nebraska is the opposite of the OP. Growing up in Lincoln, and with relatives in Omaha, that is Nebraska to me and the vast majority of the rest of the State seems like a foreign country to me. Still... I would never say that it is not "really" Nebraska. Because of course it is. It just isn't my corner of Nebraska.

Your description sounds better. Obviously they are part of Nebraska, I just feel no connection to them. Yes, they are basically foreign lands to what I grew up with. Omaha more so than Lincoln was just not a place that I thought of as Nebraska. I didn't know Creighton was in Nebraska until I was like 17 or 18.

I have a coworker from Lincoln who is unfamiliar with the rest of Nebraska, she/he/it grew up in Lincoln, and admitted that they just don't know anything about the rest of the state.
 
Jun 21, 2001
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I think (repeat, think) what the OP is getting at is whether there are 2 distinct cultures within the state of Nebraska. Omaha, and to a large extent, Lincoln, have much different cultures. OMA/LMK could care less about anything outside of their own locality. Rural Nebraskans generally have a different sense and know more about the entire state.
 

BleedRed78

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Oct 22, 2019
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Nothing new, everybody has their own growing up experience. I grew up on a farm in Nebraska and lived my adult life in a big city environment. Each environment has its pluses and minuses. I'm comfortable in either.
Ditto, but opposite. Grew up in Omaha, but am comfortable in ag community like I'm in now.

Omaha is absolutely Nebraska.
 

Laner2

Senior
Dec 27, 2007
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I think (repeat, think) what the OP is getting at is whether there are 2 distinct cultures within the state of Nebraska. Omaha, and to a large extent, Lincoln, have much different cultures. OMA/LMK could care less about anything outside of their own locality. Rural Nebraskans generally have a different sense and know more about the entire state.
This is true.

I would note two things.....

1. If you spend any time outside the US, say in Asia, Africa or South America, once you walk into the terminal at Eppley and wait for your luggage......you thank God you're back in Nebraska and Omaha feels like a huge slice of heaven.

2. Small towns are VERY clicish. If you weren't born there, you ain't one of them.....even if you grew up in next small town over.

It depends where you're from and what you're comfortable with. I can see where outstate folks just don't get or like Omaha and possibly Lincoln. But the opposite is true as well.
 

HuskerO58

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Sep 11, 2006
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2. Small towns are VERY clicish. If you weren't born there, you ain't one of them.....even if you grew up in next small town over.
Not sure how true this is. I grew up in a small town and any new kid was welcomed & treated well. Some who came to my hometown later in HS age ended up being some of my best friends.
 

9and4_rivals188421

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Omaha's metro population is more than 1.1 million people. Lincoln's is now 340,000. That's 1.44 million people. Subract the 70,000 who have been sentenced to Council Bluffs, that means 1.37 million people live in or in the suburbs of Nebraska's two largest cities.

Nebraska's population is 1.96 million.

Lincoln/Omaha = 1,370,000 Nebraskans
Everywhere else = 590,000 Nebraskans

And isn't Falls City really just part of Missouri? Scottsbluff a part of Wyoming? South Sioux City's in Iowa, right?
 
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frostyhuskers

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Nov 19, 2019
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This whole thread sounds like a bunch of HICKS trying to decide who we are and where we are. Pretty lame theme
 

Yantzeee

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Nov 25, 2021
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Do you all think people from Albany and Buffalo relate to people from NYC?

Hell the state of Colorado is so divided they actually want to divide.

That’s just part of rural vs urban. People from rural Nebraska will say rural life is Nebraska life. While everyone else will say all Nebraska is Omaha & Lincoln. Hell it’s 70% of the population and the only area most people from other states have been too.

I mean all of the tax revenue from the state comes from Omaha/Bellevue/Lincoln. But then one probably will say they are the ones that spend it too
 
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Dec 21, 2022
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Omahole? Never in a million years. Lincoln was great until the sprawl and overpopulation happened. Small towns are definitely clique-y AF, and just as full of stupid as big towns.
I cant stand either. I just want some place far away and basically alone so I can be grumpy by myself.
 

Scat_Back

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Sep 5, 2018
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It’s the same story for any big city compared to any lowly populated area of any state. Of course it will be different. I grew up on a farm in South Dakota and have lived in Omaha for the past 17 years. I feel like a have a leg up in capitalism competing against a lot of these city folk because of my childhood, so I enjoy that part. You have to compare against other states’ big cities and Omaha is definitely Nebraska when you look at it that way.
 
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phoenix4nu

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May 10, 2009
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This is true.

I would note two things.....

1. If you spend any time outside the US, say in Asia, Africa or South America, once you walk into the terminal at Eppley and wait for your luggage......you thank God you're back in Nebraska and Omaha feels like a huge slice of heaven.

2. Small towns are VERY clicish. If you weren't born there, you ain't one of them.....even if you grew up in next small town over.

It depends where you're from and what you're comfortable with. I can see where outstate folks just don't get or like Omaha and possibly Lincoln. But the opposite is true as well.
There's a poster on here who probably wouldn't agree with No. 1.
 

Baxter48_rivals204143

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Sep 22, 2010
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I grew up in Lincoln. My mother is from Omaha and I still have relatives there. I think that there is indeed a disconnect between Lincoln/Omaha and the rest of the State. About half, if not more, of the State's entire population lives in an urban environment confined to the southeast corner of the State. My experience of Nebraska is the opposite of the OP. Growing up in Lincoln, and with relatives in Omaha, that is Nebraska to me and the vast majority of the rest of the State seems like a foreign country to me. Still... I would never say that it is not "really" Nebraska. Because of course it is. It just isn't my corner of Nebraska.
I’ve always been under the impression the most people living in Omaha and Lincoln believe that Nebraska stops at superior street, especially when they use the saying out state Nebraska referring to the rest of the state. When I was younger I enjoyed going to Lincoln and Omaha not so much anymore don’t care for all the traffic and in Lincoln the roundabouts
 

cubsker_rivals142943

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I remember as a kid when we took a trip to SD and Wyoming, but stopped in a place like Valentine. I was shocked at how Nebraskans were dressing.
 

Baxter48_rivals204143

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Do you all think people from Albany and Buffalo relate to people from NYC?

Hell the state of Colorado is so divided they actually want to divide.

That’s just part of rural vs urban. People from rural Nebraska will say rural life is Nebraska life. While everyone else will say all Nebraska is Omaha & Lincoln. Hell it’s 70% of the population and the only area most people from other states have been too.

I mean all of the tax revenue from the state comes from Omaha/Bellevue/Lincoln. But then one probably will say they are the ones that spend it too
My opinion one the reason rural and cities have a division is there have been several generations now that grandma and grandpa live in the city so there is no reason to travel to the farms or small towns especially for the holidays like they did 30 plus years ago
 
Jun 21, 2001
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My opinion one the reason rural and cities have a division is there have been several generations now that grandma and grandpa live in the city so there is no reason to travel to the farms or small towns especially for the holidays like they did 30 plus years ago

To be honest, a person doesn’t need to see grandparents on a farm to have some idea of what goes on outside of OMA/LNK. Even 40 years ago when I was in college, most of the “city” kids couldn’t name 10 towns outside of their own. Don’t think much has changed. Doesn’t make it wrong, just different.
 

Jaemekon

Senior
Apr 23, 2007
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Omahole? Never in a million years. Lincoln was great until the sprawl and overpopulation happened. Small towns are definitely clique-y AF, and just as full of stupid as big towns.
I cant stand either. I just want some place far away and basically alone so I can be grumpy by myself.