If you have been anywhere outside of the Midwest and you share you’re from Nebraska, you may receive comments like, “Nebraska! Why would you ever live there?”

Many people consider all of Nebraska to be open farm fields – which is not necessarily a bad thing – and don’t even consider the fact that our “big city” of Omaha would be remotely bustling, culturally diverse and full of exciting entertainment. Though we are no NYC, Omaha has a great nightlife, lots of family entertainment and is less affected by the recession than most other cities in the United States.

Nebraska, as a state, was ranked number one on MainStreet.com’s Happiness Index, which used unemployment figures, foreclosures and nonmortgage debt to determine a state’s overall financial well being. Also, a smaller city in the Omaha-metro area, Papillion, was ranked last year by money magazine as the third “best place to live” in the United States due to is impressive economic state, housing affordability, top-ranking school system and job availability.

The Greater Omaha area has a population of around 838,855, consisting of Nebraska and Iowa Counties. Omaha is on the smaller side when it comes to cities so its size allows for community development and growth, where its citizens can have a voice and be involved in local events. Also, Nebraska is proud of its rich agricultural history and some of the smaller communities in the metro area have extensive farmland with crops and livestock.

Omaha’s midtown and downtown area are continually developing with restoration of its historical buildings, construction of new restaurants, shops and living communities, along with finding new ways to develop and improve the economic state through boosting entertainment value and tourist sites.

Currently, Omaha is working on improving the value of the College World Series for both the city and all the visitors it brings. Omaha is building two new baseball stadiums, one targeting the college World Series and the other targeting Omaha’s minor league team, The Royals.

In the past, the two events have shared the same venue, Rosenblatt Stadium, located near the Omaha Zoo. In order to foster economic growth and create a new space conducive to the event, Omaha is building a new downtown stadium for the College World Series and a new stadium in Papillion for The Royals.

The downtown stadium is opening opportunities for a community of small businesses and already, there are restaurants and small shops starting to populate the area – creating jobs and revenue for the local economy. The Royals’ stadium will bring economic and job growth to the metro area’s suburbs, as well.

These stadiums have been just one example of Omaha’s commitment to job and revenue development and its absolute refusal to sit and whine about the global recession. Here in Omaha, we are expanding our zoo, building convenient shopping centers with dine-in movie theaters, taking steps to increase tourism and constructing family-focused neighborhoods, entertainment and school districts.

Still not convinced you want to live in Omaha?

There are jobs, Midwest family-values and, of course, affordable homes from downtown to suburbia to everywhere in between. Seriously… you want to move here!