Moving for a Job, Staying for the Lifefashion: Couple Finds Contentment after Relocation from Phoenix to Omaha

Eva and Will Roberts had misgivings about transferring to Nebraska, however the job Eva was supplied in Omaha was engaging sufficient for them to present it a strive. “I had not been to Nebraska. I just thought it was an amazing job. I thought we’d live here for a couple years, and we’d move on,” mentioned Eva.

Yet inside weeks of transferring to Nebraska, Eva and Will realized their preconceptions of the state had been mistaken. “We met more neighbors within the first week of living in our rental house in Aksarben than we’d met in nine years in Phoenix. There’s just that truly genuine welcome you receive here [in Nebraska]. As we lived here longer, I came to love it so much,” mentioned Eva.

Will and Eva moved to Omaha in 2013. The couple have since bought a home, accomplished graduate faculty, and began a household in Nebraska. They even inspired Will’s dad and mom to relocate from Connecticut to Nebraska.

Moving on from the Valley of the Sun

Eva spent her childhood in Los Angeles, and Will grew up in Danbury, Connecticut. They met whereas attending Vassar College in New York. Eventually they moved to Phoenix, Arizona, after Eva landed an amazing job there.

Will and Eva had many nice experiences dwelling in Arizona, however they disliked the lengthy, scorching scorching summers. Where every of them grew up, triple-digit temperatures have been very uncommon. However, the excessive temperature in Phoenix is 100 levels or above for a median of 111 days per 12 months. “Eventually the summers just got old,” Will recalled. “It was like, ‘Oh, we’ve got to go through another summer.’”

Experiencing Omaha as greater than a vacation spot metropolis

When an thrilling profession alternative opened for Eva in Omaha, they have been each not sure what life in Nebraska can be like. Before making the transfer to Omaha, they visited one in every of Will’s family members who lives within the metropolis. He confirmed them round and emphasised Omaha’s attraction.

He identified that many individuals overlook Omaha as a result of it isn’t as well-known as vacation spot cities like Las Vegas, New York, or Miami. When fascinated by placing down roots, although, he suggested that there’s rather more to think about than a metropolis’s recognition as a vacationer hub. “It matters more that it’s a great place to live than lots of people having heard of it and vacationing there,” defined Eva.

Enjoying the various Omaha group

Stepping into Nebraska with little information concerning the state, Eva assumed it will be culturally homogenous. She was stunned by how a lot Nebraskans differ from each other—even whereas having such a robust, cohesive group. “I didn’t expect it to be so diverse, culturally and linguistically. I appreciate the diversity of opinion you find here.”

Coming from L.A. and Phoenix, she additionally feared it will snow rather more in Nebraska than it actually does. “I thought it would snow like every [winter] day, and I was really worried about that. I had not driven in the snow before. But it is not as snowy as I expected. I love the changes in the trees throughout the seasons. It allows you to pause and enjoy the moments you’re in more because you know it’s fleeting.”

Finding profession contentment

The profession alternative that initially introduced Eva and Will to Omaha was on the Buffett Early Childhood Fund, the place Eva labored for eight years. In 2021, she earned her government MBA by way of the University of Nebraska-Omaha. After finishing the diploma, she needed to pursue regionally centered social influence work in Omaha’s distinctive nonprofit ecosystem. Front Porch Investments supplied the chance to work on the intersection of philanthropy, authorities, and the personal sector by way of funding and advocacy to assist inexpensive housing growth.  

“When you think about all the amazing growth happening in Omaha, you don’t want housing costs to increase rapidly. We want people to be able to afford safe homes,” she added. Since 2022, with the assist of philanthropic and public companions, Front Porch Investments has helped finance over 2,150 inexpensive houses within the Omaha space, which helps preserve housing prices manageable.

Will additionally discovered alternatives in Omaha that aligned together with his profession pursuits. He obtained his EdD in Leadership from Creighton University and has been employed at Nebraska Methodist College for nearly ten years. Nebraska Methodist College focuses on healthcare and is without doubt one of the prime nursing faculties within the nation.

In his position, Will helps guarantee scholar success by way of knowledge evaluation. He identifies methods to enhance outcomes reminiscent of scholar retention, program effectiveness, and educational success. “We’re trying to create educated citizens and future healthcare professionals,” he mentioned. “It’s the meeting of those two things that I think are unique at our college.”

An accessible, inexpensive group for households

Eva and Will get pleasure from what number of alternatives Nebraska has for younger households. They lately attended an open home on the Hot Shops Art Center, an artwork collaborative in Omaha. “My son got to see glass blowing for the first time,” mentioned Will. “We also went to the amazing park next to the [Kiewit] Luminarium. That playground is phenomenal. Kids are learning how different things work with the water, diverting water this way and that way, and climbing up the amazing structures. Anywhere else they’d be charging to park and to visit the playground, but here it’s free. There’s free fun all over the place in Omaha!”

Eva and Will named many different family-friendly points of interest Omaha has to supply. These embrace the Big Ten Baseball Tournament and College World Series, Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, and the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. “There’s just so much to do here. It’s fun for families, and it doesn’t burn a hole in your pocket,” added Will.

An engaging, mid-sized metropolis for all ages

When his dad and mom reached retirement age, Will inspired them to maneuver away from their small city in Connecticut due to its excessive price of dwelling. Will urged that his dad and mom go to Omaha to get an thought of what sort of metropolis to decide on for retirement. “I wasn’t saying they should move to Omaha. I was just saying, ‘Why don’t you come here and see what it’s like?” he defined.

While visiting Omaha, Will’s dad and mom have been impressed by how a lot was out there at such an inexpensive value. “A couple of months later, they asked, ‘How would you feel about us moving to Omaha?’” Will mentioned. They have now lived within the Omaha metro for greater than a decade, the place they get pleasure from being close to Will and Eva and seeing their grandson develop up. They have additionally benefited from spending their retirement in a group with extra inexpensive housing, eating, and leisure.

Omaha’s many promoting factors

The ease of getting round Omaha; the town’s affordability; and its uncrowded, unhurried way of life are sturdy promoting factors to associates who go to Will and Eva. “There are fun activities here that are accessible. [People in other cities are] dealing with traffic. They’re dealing with insanely expensive real estate, no yards, no parks within walking distance, and low-performing school districts,” Will defined.

“These are not problems for us,” he continued. “We have great things here. I love our neighborhood. We have great neighbors. We have great friends. Our son has great friends. We have two parks within walking distance. We have a neighborhood pool. We can walk our child to school. I pinch myself sometimes because we just feel so lucky.”

Eva added, “I don’t personally find a lot of trade-offs to living in a city this size. You can get anywhere you want to go. Maybe the only downside is that people sort of scratch their head sometimes and ask why I live here. I just tell them, ‘If you would come visit me, you would know.’”

The Good Life Is Calling

Are you interested by studying extra about dwelling and dealing in Nebraska? Connect with the Good Life Is Calling team here. You may be taught extra about finding a career in Nebraska here.