Lincolnite

I read your blog, it is good info. Especially for my wife and I, we are re-locating to Lincoln from Kansas City. Quick Question- any "hidden gems" for neighborhoods to live in? We are looking at Country Club and East Campus, not really the type of people who want to move to a new suburban house out south. Any thoughts? Thanks

Thanks for writing! I'm happy to help however I can. Since you mentioned the Country Club and East Campus neighborhoods, I'm going to guess that you prefer older homes. If that's the case, you might want to take a look at the Near South. It's an area bounded (approximately) by 17th, 27th, South, and A Streets. It includes some very neat houses. Portions of the neighborhood have a very high percentage of University professors. Like all old neighborhoods, the Near South has its rough edges, but it's worth a look. If it's not so much older homes but just "non-suburbia" you're looking for, you might take a look at the area bounded by Sheridan and Pioneers Boulevards on the north and south, and 40th & 33rd Streets on the east and west. It strikes me as a relatively quiet neighborhood with good schools nearby (Rousseau Elementary, Irving Middle, Southeast High), and it features a decent mix of well-kept housing. I, for one, am partial to the College View area (draw a roughly 1/2 mile circle centered at 48th Street and Pioneers Boulevard). I consider it to be a bit of a hidden gem, but A) I grew up in the area, and B) I currently live in the area, so take that opinion with the appropriately sized grain of salt. The neighborhood schools are good (Calvert Elementary and Zeman Elementary, Pound Middle) and you'll find a real mix of housing costs and styles (and thus, residents) throughout the area. There are also a few neighborhoods around 56th & Randolph that might be considered "hidden gems", depending on your definition. I'm only vaguely familiar with the homes in that area, but my wife and I did look at a few while we were house shopping two years ago. Very quiet, lots of mature trees. And I just remembered University Place (aka Uni Place) near Nebraska Wesleyan University. It's northeast of the East Campus area, around 48th & St. Paul. As for Lincoln's "bad" neighborhoods -- well, there aren't many. To the extent that the relative cost of housing can tell you about an area, it's pretty clear which neighborhoods are in demand. I hope that helps. If you would like opinions from my readers, I'm happy to post your request for info (without your name and contact information, unless you say otherwise) on my blog. Again, thanks for contacting me. I'm gradually (very gradually) building up Lincolnite. My plans include a section for new and prospective Lincolnites to help folks with exactly these sorts of questions. Please don't hesitate to ask if there's anything else you'd like to know.