Anyone here commute from Omaha to Lincoln for work?

[Mike402]

Recently got hired for a job in Lincoln. Last week I asked where the best places to look for houses are in the Lincoln area and received good advice. With that said, it seems as though my wife and I would get more bang for our buck in the West Omaha/Millard/Gretna area. Most of my friends and family live in this area so it's something we are heavily considering. Now my next question is for those who commute from Omaha to Lincoln for work. Is it worth it or is it something to avoid? FYI, I would be taking the N. 27th St. exit if I were traveling west on I-80. I could also use the Hwy. 6 exit as well if that's an easier option. Any and all opinions are welcome. Thanks.

 

[redfanusa]

None of my business, but you asked for opinions...

Lived in Lincoln for 30 years, then moved to Texas for the last eight. Went from a 20 minute commute in Lincoln to spending two hours in my car in Texas. Based on that I will offer this:

If you don't like seeing your wife, or the kids, or spending time at home, live in Omaha and commute to Lincoln.

If you love your car, think quality of life is overrated, and get a thrill from white-knuckle driving among methed-up 18-wheelers through road construction, rain, wind, snow, ice, poor visibility, road raging commuters, car problems, detours, etc. then by all means buy in Omaha and work in Lincoln.

You have a job in Lincoln. If you wanted to live in Omaha, then quit the job and find a new one in Omaha. Simple as that. But to me it is nuts to choose a sucky situation on purpose.

Lincoln is cheap. For what I paid to live in a war zone in Texas you could have a really great house with amazing schools in Lincoln. The cost of living in Omaha is nearly identical to that in Lincoln, so I just don't buy the "more bang for buck" argument. You don't need a two hour commute, you need a better realtor.

My advice: RENT. Rent a nice apartment in Lincoln for six months, and use that time to really get out in the city. Don't just house hunt online, but go to the neighborhoods and experience them. Walk the kids or the dog in the neighborhood in the evening when people are home. Talk to the people who live there. Visit the parks and chat with people there. Talk to the coworkers, people at church, etc. about their homes. Then in six months you will have a better feeling for the town, and can make a more informed decision.

Just my $0.02.

 

[jflores]

My brother lived in West Omaha with my folks and commuted to Lincoln near the stadium until just a few months ago. He hated life.

There are a few guys on base that do the reverse, live in Lincoln and commute to Omaha, but they pretty well hate life too.

 

[BetterRed]

Eighteen years ago I started working at KLKN-TV. I was living in Omaha just off the 84th street exit. So certainly Gretna has about five or so minutes on that. But after commuting for about ten months from Omaha, I could no longer do it and had to move to Lincoln. Wear and tear and your vehicle is certainly one thing, but it's just a drag to be in your car driving to and from work for just less than two hours (assuming the speed limit). Another factor that I ran into and what ultimately made me move; traffic accidents. I got stuck in a whopper of a traffic accident on the interstate and was a few hours late one time. So those are the things to consider. So if you're going to work in Lincoln, move to Lincoln. That's what my advice would be.

 

[huskerbux]

My daughter started a job in January in Lincoln. There are about half dozen in her office that commute and they meet at the Walmart off 370/ I80 so she only "drives" once a week.
She has the luxury of transferring to the omaha office if she wants in the future so right now she's putting up with it. She and her husband live out off 144th and Giles so if she transfers to the omaha office - downtown it's not a huge time difference. Might see if there are more there from omaha for that type of carpool....makes it a little easier if think.

This post was edited on 4/16 8:10 PM by huskerbux

 

[Mike402]

Solid advice, guys. Thanks.

 

[TampaBaySkers]

Live where it makes you happy. That commute isn't bad at all. I enjoy my hour drive to work everyday... Gives me time to sip my coffee and mentally prepare for the day.

 

[loper]

Good advice on moving to a new city . Rented a house for 9 months, loved the neighborhood so talked the landlord into selling to us .

 

[HuskerNinja]

I drove from Lincoln to Omaha for 9 months a few years back. If I had to stay late at work, til 6 or so, I got home after 7, then it's dinner and a couple of hours with the family before getting to sleep and doing it all over again. It was tiring. I did not like that routine at all.

 

[HuskerTimOmaha]

We don't commute but we live in the area you mentioned, and it takes us 40 minutes tops to get from our driveway to the Pinnacle Bank Arena. Sparky made the drive a few weeks ago from the UNL campus to our house and he said it was 40 minutes.

I'm no car expert but I isn't highway mileage better than city miles?

Regardless, thank you for your service, and best of luck in your new venture!
Posted from Rivals Mobile

 

[wseattlesker]

I spent 2 years in Nebraska commuting between Lincoln & Beatrice, then 2 years stuck in NOLA traffic trying to get across the Miss. River every day (before the new bridge), then 14 years commuting between two offices that were an hour's drive apart, and then another 13 years commuting 30-45 minutes each way. How many years of my life did I spend in my car? Too many, regardless of how much "work" I could get done along the way. When I opened my own office, I found space 2 miles from my home. I can come home for lunch and bug my wife. If I have to work late, no big deal because I'm home in a couple of minutes. My advice: work as close to your home as possible. You will never regret missing out on the joys of endless hours in your car, regardless of how romantic that idea may sound at the outset.

 

[omnione]

I commuted from Omaha to Lincoln for 15 weeks one year. Hated it by the time I was done. Granted, I was living on the Creighton campus. My biggest issue would be snowy weather that would make the commute longer and more dangerous.

 

[suhnami]

It is not an enjoyable drive. There are too many F'n idiots on the road. Between the people going 5 mph under the speed limit and the semi-drivers who drive right next to each other to pass even though they're going within 1 mph of each other you're constantly switching lanes. It is a tedious and monotonous drive.

 

[litespeedhuskerfan]

With the interstate recently completed, it's apples to oranges now compared to when it was under construction. I drive to Lincoln several days a week, I also live right off the Harrison St exit in West O and because of that I am at the Waverly exit in 35 minutes and it is an easy drive. Buy a Honda or Toyota that will last you 300K to minimize the mileage on the car and it will get great mileage in the process. Or, just move to Lincoln...Hard to beat living close to family though, and if you think about all the people who live in West O and work downtown, then consider how long it takes them to get to work, the time difference is so negligible. Hardly worth worrying about. Of course living within minutes of your job is perfect, but sometimes life isn't perfect, and I know you know that. Congrats on the new job!!
This post was edited on 4/17 6:59 AM by litespeedhuskerfan

 

[Dean Pope]

Just to add on to that, you could live in Waverly or 84th & Adams/Leighton vicinity in Lincoln. You would have a short drive to work every day and when you want to visit friends & family it would be a 30-45 minute drive to visit.

 

[bigredtank72]

Several people in my office make the drive and typically don't mind it (except during snow and rain storms). Depending on where they live in the metro area, with the interstate now being 3 lanes, it takes them 40-50 minutes. Even in Lincoln, depending on where you live, and depending on what time you leave, you can have an unexpected 20-30 minute commute in a town where it should take you 10-15 tops, mainly because getting north and south in Lincoln is not an easy thing with roads being constricted. Lincoln has grown, but the road system has stayed in the 1950s. That being said, it is still extra time that one will spend on the road and you should factor in the extra fuel costs as well.

 

[leodisflowers]

It's all what floats your boat. I'm a commuter and have commuted in San Diego, LA, and now Houston (2 of them awful traffic). I see some of the points about possibly missing time, but I love the ability to listen to ESPN Radio, FOX Sports, or Howard Stern. It's a nice break if you don't have much stress while driving.

 

[janne]

Just south of Gretna to NW Lincoln every day for about 12 years. Like someone else said, it is much better now that it is three lanes and 75 mph the whole way. Many of my co-workers choose to live in south Lincoln. They have a 30 min. commute of stop and go and stoplights. I have 30 min. mostly on cruise control. My wife works in Omaha, so it was a compromise, but it's not bad at all. Not sure where your job is, but Hwy. 6 seems to flow better than 27th St. If I find myself at 27th and Cornhusker around 5, I take Cornhusker out to the Waverly on ramp. Quicker and shorter than 27th to I-80.

 

[Husker1078]

If you haven't already, look in Hickman. 20-25 minute drive to downtown Lincoln. A lot of new homes being built out that way. Moved back to Phoenix after being there for 4 years. Kinda regretting it. Very quiet, great schools, good people etc.......

 

[TrogdorNU]

Between being at work 8 1/2 hours (1/2 hour lunch) and sleeping around 6, you have about 9 1/2 hours of free time. Do you want to spend 1/8 of that driving back and forth to work that's already taking up 8 1/2 hours? My commute is 12 minutes each way and the lost time pisses me off, so I can't imagine losing 1 1/2 to 2 hours a day. blah

Only way it would make sense given your description is if you literally drive to see those family and friends in Omaha as much as you drive to work. If so, then sure pick Omaha because either way you'll be driving a long way to one destination. However, I'd bet you'll be driving to work a lot more than you'll be driving to friends' and family's houses.

As far as actual evidence, I've only had one friend who tried commuting (living in Lincoln and working in Omaha in his case). He did it for 2 weeks and then started looking for a place in Omaha.

 

[ForeverHusker]

To me it all depends on where you live in Omaha. If you live in Gretna, you are almost half of the way there. Use to consider the Platte River near the half way point for me. Gretna, Nebraska Crossing, is pretty close to the Platte. No heavy traffic or frustrating driving. Living in areas like Houston and Chicago, typically people spend much more time than that driving back and forth to work every day and it's in heavy, frustrating traffic. Guessing your drive time to the 27th street exit is closer to 30 minutes from Gretna and even less to Hy 6. Sometimes more important than the length of drive is the quality of drive, plus Interstate driving takes less fuel and wear and tear. Try it if it doesn't work move to Lincoln or Waverly. A nice area in Ashland, but then again you are almost back to Gretna. I also agree the cost of living is most definitely cheaper in Omaha. College towns always tend to be high and there is a little more to do in Omaha. Gretna might be a happy medium.

This post was edited on 4/17 1:04 PM by ForeverHusker

 

[litespeedhuskerfan]

Originally posted by TrogdorNU:
Between being at work 8 1/2 hours (1/2 hour lunch) and sleeping around 6, you have about 9 1/2 hours of free time. Do you want to spend 1/8 of that driving back and forth to work that's already taking up 8 1/2 hours? My commute is 12 minutes each way and the lost time pisses me off, so I can't imagine losing 1 1/2 to 2 hours a day. blah

Only way it would make sense given your description is if you literally drive to see those family and friends in Omaha as much as you drive to work. If so, then sure pick Omaha because either way you'll be driving a long way to one destination. However, I'd bet you'll be driving to work a lot more than you'll be driving to friends' and family's houses.

As far as actual evidence, I've only had one friend who tried commuting (living in Lincoln and working in Omaha in his case). He did it for 2 weeks and then started looking for a place in Omaha.

Most of America would love a 12 minute commute. I get what you're saying, but outside of working from home, 12 minutes is pretty freaking awesome. Anyone living west of 144th street who works in midtown area or even farther east would love to trade with you. 128th and Harrison out to Gretna (speaking of Harrison now) those guys wait for freaking ever to get to an interstate. I know other streets are bad to, that's just the area I live in, but it sounds like you have it pretty good to me.