A Guide to Living in Elkhorn, NE
By: Ryan Renner, Realtor
I have helped many families moving to Omaha. Contact me if you have any questions about the Omaha area or need help buying a home.
Elkhorn was an independent city / municipality until it was annexed by the city of Omaha in 2005. Elkhorn is one fastest growing areas of Omaha. In the past 20 years, the population has nearly tripled.
You may still see addresses with “Elkhorn, NE” but technically Elkhorn as a town does not exist. Those addresses are now Omaha.
Where is Elkhorn?
To keep things simple, I’m going to use the map of the Elkhorn School District to determine the boundaries of Elkhorn.
Elkhorn is in West Omaha (I did a separate neighborhood page about West Omaha and most of what is written on that page applies to Elkhorn) .
The school district boundary starts at 168th St on the east and roughly borders the Elkhorn River to the west.
Elkhorn’s Explosive Growth
Elkhorn has exploded in population and development in the last 20 years. Below is the population by year of Elkhorn.
2000: 9,190
2010: 16,422
2020: 23,049
The crazy growth in population created a need for more schools – a lot more.
Elkhorn has three high schools and two of them opened in the last ten years (Elkhorn South in 2010 and Elkhorn North in 2020).
I created a separate page specifically dedicated to Elkhorn Public Schools if you want to learn more about the district.
Elkhorn is also one of the wealthiest areas of the city. The median household income was $105,957 while the city of Omaha (which Elkhorn is part of) is $60,092.
Buying a Home in Elkhorn
Be prepared to spend a little more money if you want to buy a home in Elkhorn.
In 2021, the median sales price for a home in Elkhorn was $425k.
There are cheaper homes for sale, but on average you will be spending more to live in Elkhorn.
To get a real-time idea of home prices, take a look at my other website with a current list of homes for sale in Elkhorn.
Thinking about moving to Elkhorn?
Let me help. I specialize in helping people relocate to Omaha.
Property taxes in Elkhorn are also going to be a little higher than in other parts of the Omaha area. You can attribute some of this to all the recently built schools.
And some of it is because of new subdivisions. When a home builder develops land, they need to install streets, sewers, power, etc. Builders pass these costs on to the homeowners in the subdivision. These costs show up in increased property taxes.
If you buy $500,000 home in Elkhorn, expect to pay $2,500 – $3,000 extra per year in property taxes compared to a $500,000 home midtown Omaha.
Subdivisions
The explosive population growth in Elkhorn also caused a housing boom in the area. A lot of new sub-divisions have popped up in the past 10 years.
Many of the homes and neighborhoods in Elkhorn are newer.
The Prairies is luxury home neighborhood. You’ll pay about $700k+ if you want to live here.
But, don’t let that dissuade you. There are a lot of other more affordable neighborhoods.
Day-to-Day Life in Elkhorn
It’s common for people to say life in Elkhorn is “easy” or “convenient.” What they mean by that is your day-to-day needs are close by.
To put it more bluntly, just drive a few minutes, and you will encounter a strip mall, grocery store, or Target with everything you need.
Costco fans will be happy to know that a brand new Costco opened recently in Elkhorn.
Shopping
If you are looking for a shopping mall, Village Pointe is nearby. It has Nebraska’s only Apple Store. Other popular stores include Sephora, Lululemon, Gap, Banana Republic, and more.
Commute
Omaha’s morning rush hour is from west (Elkhorn) to east (downtown) and the opposite in the evening.
If you live out west and work in downtown or midtown you may experience some slowdowns. Expect your commute to take about 20-40 minutes.
But, everything is relative. A 20-minute commute may be a blessing for some of you living in a bigger city.
Living in west Omaha (and most of Omaha for that matter) will require you to own a car. There are really no options.
Schools
Elkhorn Public Schools serves the Elkhorn area.
It is made up of 12 elementary schools, 5 middle schools, and 3 high schools.
Elkhorn South and Elkhorn High are ranked #1 and #2 as the top high schools in Nebraska according to US News and World Report.
Niche.com gives the school district an A+ rating.
GreatSchools.org gives every school in Elkhorn an above-average rating.
Hospitals
The Omaha area has amazing medical services, and in Elkhorn, there are two major hospitals nearby.
- CHI Health Lakeside is near 168th and Center (the south side of Elkhorn)
- Methodist’s Women’s Hospital is right off 192nd and West Dodge
If you are looking for a general practitioner, dentist, pediatrician, or similar, you will find a lot of options.
Alternatives to Elkhorn
If you want to explore additional options, you may consider Bennington, Gretna, or Papillion.