The view from the outside
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What do Omaha and Lincoln look like to those who live a good distance from the state’s two biggest cities? We asked a few of those outstaters for their opinions; here’s what they said:
John Kingsbury, 58, president of the Bank of Dixon County in Ponca.
“I know the road to Lincoln pretty well,” said Kingsbury, who is also chairman of the State Highway Commission. He visits Lincoln once a month for highway commission meetings and generally makes it to two or three football games each year, he said.
Kingsbury, a Ponca native, also visits Omaha a handful of times each year. He said Omaha feels more like a metro area to him, and even though Lincoln is growing, it still feels like a college town.
While he enjoys visiting both, Kingsbury said he thinks residents of Nebraska’s biggest cities could spend a little more time visiting Ponca, and elsewhere.
“A lot of the people in the cities frankly could spend some energy getting to know the rest of Nebraska,” he said. “It wouldn’t hurt to say that I think the roads go both ways.”
R.J. Baker, 65, executive director of Elkhorn Valley Economic Development Council, Norfolk resident.
Baker moved to Nebraska three and a half years ago to take over as executive director of the Elkhorn Valley Economic Development Council, which is made up of four northeast Nebraska counties: Antelope, Madison, Pierce and Stanton.
“I look at (Lincoln and Omaha) as gateways, not necessarily the final destination, for all visitors,” he said.
Baker flies out of both airports frequently, he said. Plus he has family in Omaha.
As a newcomer to the state, he suspects there’s some animosity between the two towns, he said.
But so far he’s been impressed with both.
“I really think people in both cities do a fine job ... I’ve never had a bad experience.”
David Fanning, 50, business owner, Bayard
David Fanning knows the way from his home in Bayard to Lincoln — all 398 miles of it.
And he knows the 454 miles to Omaha, too.
He’ll take Lincoln.
Three reasons: Lincoln is smaller, hosts most of the high school athletic tournaments and still has live horse racing. But to the cafe owner in the community of 1,180 best known for its proximity to Chimney Rock, the difference between Lincoln and Omaha comes down to a feeling.
“Omaha seems so faster paced,” he said. “Everybody seems like they need to go somewhere fast. You go to Lincoln, you don’t feel like you have to change your personality. Omaha on the other hand, it feels like going to a big city. Traffic’s worse, people are snobby.”
Linda Taylor, 58, business owner, McCook
Linda Taylor really likes Omaha. She likes the zoo, the shopping, the restaurants and the metro atmosphere.
But read what the owner of VK Electronics in McCook has always said about Lincoln:
“If I was to move from McCook, it would be to Lincoln,” she said.
Lincoln has the university campus, Cornhusker football, good shopping, nice restaurants. And Taylor adores visiting the State Capitol.
“Lincoln has a great Nebraska feel to it.”
Maida Gotfrey, restaurant owner, 62, Dix resident. She lives 17 miles from the Colorado border and 22 from the Wyoming border.
On Lincoln: “It’s been a long time since I’ve been down there, but the first thing I think about is the school, the university. And you have some very good medical centers, and I’m impressed with that. And when I was there the last time, it was relatively easy to get around in.”
“A lot of families here have family in Lincoln, and they go down for the ballgames and things. And it doesn’t seem that far to them.”
On Omaha: “I just don’t like Omaha and I can’t necessarily give a reason why. I got lost when I was down there at the Children’s Hospital, and it’s (Omaha) hard to find your way around. It could be the stress of having been there under those circumstances.”
Clayton Shoemaker 50, an agribusinessman from Potter, with a daughter living in Lincoln.
On Lincoln: “I like Lincoln. It’s a fun place to go. Good food. Good shopping. And my wife (Linda) likes it there.
“We like the sports, so we come down to watch the football, basketball, some of that, too.”
On Omaha: “I guess I don’t have a feeling about Omaha, to be honest with you. It’s a hard place to get around in, just because I’ve never spent any time there.”
On his part of the state: “When people talk about outstate Nebraska, they mention Kearney. I don’t think they know the panhandle is even part of Nebraska.”
Does that ever get any better? “It doesn’t seem to, but they tell me the division of the population, half and half in the state, is at 28th Street in Lincoln.”
Darrel Hartman, 59, Valentine, fish production manager at the Valentine Fish Hatchery
“It’s not for me. I’m not a big city fan at all.
“I personally would probably go to Omaha because I have some relatives there, but that would be the only reason.”
Donna Ellis, Auburn, reference and interlibrary loan librarian for the Auburn Memorial Library:
On Lincoln: “I love Lincoln. Everything is so accessible and I feel very comfortable there. The people you see in the stores are friendly.”
On Omaha: “I’m just not as fond of Omaha as Lincoln. It takes too long to go anywhere. It’s not that the people there are not friendly. But when you hear about crime, it’s often in Omaha.”
But Ellis admits she might be prejudiced in favor of Lincoln. She grew up in Fairbury and has spent much more time in Lincoln over the years.
“I’ve always said that if I had to choose, I would take Lincoln over Omaha.”
— Compiled by Joe Duggan, Art Hovey, Cara Pesek and Kendra Waltke
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