By ELE GEOLY and CARLY RADEMACHER
Creighton Digital Storytellers

Tess Hofstra drives over the Interstate 80 bridge into Omaha, catching a glimpse of the city skyline for the first time. Winding her way toward Creighton’s campus, Hofstra is struck at just how urban Omaha seems to be.

All she had heard in the months leading up to the move from Littleton, Colorado, to Omaha was how boring Nebraska was and how miserable she would be there. After a long day of unpacking and a warm Bluejay welcome to campus, Hofstra’s father finally finds a parking spot in Omaha’s Old Market district. As she and her family walk to a celebratory dinner at Upstream Brewery, horse-drawn carriages clomp down the cobblestone streets past them, and the sound of a street musician’s saxophone fills the air. This isn’t how she pictured the city at all, she thinks to herself. Maybe she’ll actually enjoy going to school in Omaha, Nebraska after all.

Fortune 500 businesses, the College World Series, a fantastic zoo, and delicious eateries are all things that are classic to Omaha. Chances are, though, if you go anywhere outside of Omaha, you’ll probably only hear it described one way: a city of corn and cows.

For some, this narrow conception of Omaha almost deterred them from coming in the first place. One of these people is Creighton student and California-native, Maddie Tagoloa.

“The summer after I graduated high school, after I’d made the decision to come to Creighton, I almost didn’t go, because I was so scared that there’d be nothing to do but hang out in cornfields,” Tagaloa said.

Once students arrive on campus, they come to find that this city is more than cattle and cornfields, but it can often be difficult to get their out-of-state families and friends to see that this city has so much more to offer.

Hofstra experienced this difficulty firsthand during her first visit back to Colorado.

“When I went home for Thanksgiving, I remember my Uncle kinda harassing me and being like, ‘Oh how’s all the corn? Has Nebraska turned you into a farmer yet?’ and I had to kinda defend myself and explain how cool Omaha actually is and how I actually really like going to school there,” she said.

Students can catch a Broadway show at the Orpheum, hike the bluffs located just across the river, stand in two states at once on the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge, see great live music at venues like the Slowdown and the Waiting Room, and, of course, get a bite to eat or a drink at one of Omaha’s many bars and restaurants.

Even Omaha-native Rachel Bowen, who chose to stay in Omaha for college, faces criticism from her friends who have never visited Bowen’s beloved hometown.

“My friends that live on the East Coast always joke about the cow and corn thing, and I think it’s funny” Bowen said. “They don’t know what Omaha really is like. They don’t know how friendly the people are here. Like, you really get a feel for how warm Midwestern people are here. You literally cannot walk anywhere without someone saying ‘hi’ to you.”

The next time a loved one starts to harp on Omaha, even though they’ve never seen the city for themselves, remind them that Omaha has one of the largest metro populations in the Midwest and has ranked among the top in many polls, including most affordable and business-friendly city, best place to live and work, and best place to raise a family.

And, if all else fails, just remind them that We Don’t Coast.