Omaha, Nebraska
Encyclopedia
Omaha (ˈoʊməhɑː) is the largest city in the state of Nebraska
, United States
, and is the county seat
of Douglas County
. It is located in the Midwestern United States
on the Missouri River
, about 20 miles (30 km) north of the mouth of the Platte River
. Omaha is the anchor of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area
, which includes Council Bluffs, Iowa
, across the Missouri River from Omaha.
According to the 2010 Census, Omaha's population was 408,958, making it the nation's 42nd-largest city. Including its suburbs, Omaha formed the 60th-largest metropolitan area
in the United States in 2010, with an estimated population of 865,350 residing in eight counties. There are more than 1.2 million residents within a 50-mile (80-km) radius of the city's center
, forming the Greater Omaha area.
Omaha's pioneer period began in 1854 when the city was founded by speculators from neighboring Council Bluffs, Iowa. The city was founded along the Missouri River, and a crossing called Lone Tree Ferry
earned the city its nickname, the "Gateway to the West." During the 19th century, Omaha's central location in the United States caused the city to become an important national transportation hub
. Throughout the rest of the 19th century, the transportation and jobbing
sectors were important in the city, along with its railroads
and breweries
. In the 20th century, the Omaha Stockyards, once the world's largest, and its meatpacking plants, gained international prominence.
Today, Omaha is the home to six Fortune 500
companies: ConAgra Foods
, Union Pacific Corporation, Mutual of Omaha
, Peter Kiewit and Sons, Inc., and Berkshire Hathaway
. Berkshire Hathaway is headed by local investor Warren Buffett
, who was the richest person in the world for the first half of 2008. Omaha is also the home to four Fortune 1000
headquarters, TD Ameritrade
, West Corporation
, Valmont Industries
, and Werner Enterprises
. First National Bank of Omaha
is the largest privately held bank in the United States. Headquarters for Leo A Daly
, HDR, Inc.
and DLR Group
, three of the US's top 30 architectural and engineering firms, are located in Omaha.
The modern economy of Omaha is diverse and built on skilled knowledge jobs. In 2009, Forbes
identified Omaha as the nation's number one "Best Bang-For-The Buck City" and number one on "America's Fastest-Recovering Cities" list. Tourism in Omaha
benefits the city's economy greatly, with the annual College World Series
providing important revenue and the city's Henry Doorly Zoo
serving as the top attraction in Nebraska. Omaha hosted the Olympic swim trials in 2008, and is scheduled to do so again in 2012.
A historic preservation
movement in Omaha has led to a number of historic structures and districts being designated Omaha Landmarks or listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. Since its founding, ethnic groups in the city
have clustered in enclaves
in north
, south
and downtown Omaha
. In its early days, the city's history
included a variety of crime
such as illicit gambling
and riots. Today, the diverse culture of Omaha
includes a variety of performance venues, museums, and musical heritage, including the historically-significant jazz scene in North Omaha and the modern and influential "Omaha Sound". Sports
have been important in Omaha for more than a century, and the city currently hosts three professional sports teams. Omaha also has a number of recreational trails and parks located throughout the city.
Various Native American tribes
had lived in the land that became Omaha, including since the 17th century, the Omaha
and Ponca
, Dhegian-Siouan-language people who had originated in the lower Ohio River valley and migrated west by the early 17th century; Pawnee, Otoe
, Missouri, and Ioway. The word Omaha (actually UmoNhoN or UmaNhaN) means "Dwellers on the bluff".
In 1804 the Lewis and Clark Expedition
passed by the riverbanks where the city of Omaha would be built. Between July 30 and August 3, 1804, members of the expedition, including Meriwether Lewis
and William Clark, met with Oto and Missouria tribal leaders at the Council Bluff at a point about 20 miles (30 km) north of present-day Omaha. Immediately south of that area, Americans built several fur trading outposts in succeeding years, including Fort Lisa in 1812; Fort Atkinson
in 1819; Cabanné's Trading Post
, built in 1822, and Fontenelle's Post
in 1823, in what became Bellevue
. There was fierce competition among fur traders until John Jacob Astor created the monopoly of the American Fur Company
. The Mormons
built a town called Cutler's Park
in the area in 1846. While it was temporary, the settlement provided the basis for further development in the future.
Through 26 separate treaties with the United States federal government, Native American tribes in Nebraska
gradually ceded the lands currently comprising the state. The treaty and cession involving the Omaha area occurred in 1854 when the Omaha Tribe ceded most of east-central Nebraska. Logan Fontenelle
, chief of the Omaha, played an essential role in those proceedings.
, William D. Brown
was operating the Lone Tree Ferry
to bring settlers from Council Bluffs, Iowa to the area that became Omaha. Brown is generally credited as having the first vision for a city where Omaha now sits. The passage of the Kansas–Nebraska Act in 1854 was presaged by the staking out of claims around the area to become Omaha by residents from neighboring Council Bluffs. On July 4, 1854, the city was informally established at a picnic on Capital Hill, current site of Omaha Central High School
. Soon after, the Omaha Claim Club
was formed to provide vigilante
justice for claim jumpers and others who infringed on the land of many of the city's founding fathers
. Some of this land, which now wraps around Downtown Omaha, was later used to entice Nebraska Territorial legislators
to an area called Scriptown
. The Territorial capitol was located in Omaha, but when Nebraska became a state in 1867, the capital was relocated to Lincoln
, 53 miles (85.3 km) south-west of Omaha. The U.S. Supreme Court later ruled against numerous landowners whose violent actions were condemned in Baker v. Morton
.
Many of Omaha's founding figures stayed at the Douglas House
or the Cozzens House Hotel
. Dodge Street
was important early in the city's early commercial history; North 24th Street
and South 24th Street
developed independently as business districts, as well. Early pioneers were buried in Prospect Hill Cemetery and Cedar Hill Cemetery. Cedar Hill closed in the 1860s and its graves were moved to Prospect Hill, where pioneers were later joined by soldiers from Fort Omaha
, African Americans
and early European immigrants
. There are several other historical cemeteries in Omaha, historical Jewish synagogues
and historical Christian churches
dating from the pioneer era, as well.
The economy of Omaha boomed and busted through its early years. Omaha was a stopping point for settlers and prospectors heading west, either overland or via the Missouri River. The Steamboat Bertrand
sank north of Omaha on its way to the goldfields in 1865. Its massive collection of artifacts is on display at the nearby Desoto National Wildlife Refuge
. The jobbing and wholesaling district brought new jobs, followed by the railroads
and the stockyards. Groundbreaking for the First Transcontinental Railroad
in 1863, provided an essential developmental boom for the city. The Union Pacific Railroad
was authorized by the U.S. Congress to begin building westward railways in 1862; in January 1866 it commenced construction out of Omaha.
Equally as important, the Union Stockyards
were founded in 1883. Within twenty years of the founding of the Union Stockyards in South Omaha, four of the five major meatpacking companies in the United States were located in Omaha. By the 1950s, half the city's workforce was employed in meatpacking and processing. Meatpacking, jobbing and railroads were responsible for most of the growth in the city from the late 19th century through the early decades of the 20th century.
Immigrants
soon created ethnic enclave
s throughout the city, including Irish in Sheelytown in South Omaha; Germans in the Near North Side
, joined by Eastern European Jews and black migrants from the South
; Little Italy and Little Bohemia
in South Omaha. Beginning in the late 19th century, Omaha's upper class lived in posh enclaves throughout the city, including the south and north
Gold Coast neighborhoods, Bemis Park, Kountze Place
, Field Club
and throughout Midtown Omaha
. They traveled the city's sprawling park system
on boulevards
designed by renowned landscape architect
Horace Cleveland
. The Omaha Horse Railway
first carried passengers throughout the city, as did the later Omaha Cable Tramway Company
and several similar companies. In 1888, the Omaha and Council Bluffs Railway and Bridge Company
built the Douglas Street Bridge, the first pedestrian and wagon bridge between Omaha and Council Bluffs. Gambling, drinking and prostitution were widespread in the 19th century, first rampant in the city's Burnt District
and later in the Sporting District. Controlled by Omaha's political boss
Tom Dennison
by 1890, criminal elements
enjoyed support from Omaha's "perpetual" mayor, "Cowboy Jim"
Dahlman, nicknamed for his eight terms as mayor. Calamities such as the Great Flood of 1881
did not slow down the city's violence. In 1882, the Camp Dump Strike
pitted state militia against unionized strikers, drawing national attention to Omaha's labor troubles. The Governor of Nebraska
had to call in U.S. Army troops from nearby Fort Omaha to protect strikebreakers for the Burlington Railroad, bringing along Gatling gun
s and a cannon
for defense. When the event ended, there was one man dead and several wounded. In 1891, a mob hanged Joe Coe
, an African-American porter after he was accused of raping a white girl. There were several other riots and civil unrest events in Omaha during this period, as well.
In 1898, Omaha's leaders, under the guidance of Gurdon Wattles
, held the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition, touted as a celebration of agricultural and industrial growth throughout the Midwest. The Indian Congress
, which drew more than 500 American Indians
from across the country, was held simultaneously. More than 2 million visitors attended these events, located at Kountze Park and the Omaha Driving Park
in the Kountze Place
neighborhood.
With dramatically increasing population in the 20th century, there was major civil unrest in Omaha, resulting from competition and fierce labor struggles. In 1900, Omaha was the center of a national uproar over the kidnapping of Edward Cudahy, Jr.
, the son of a local meatpacking magnate. The city's labor and management clashed in bitter strikes, racial tension
escalated as blacks were hired as strikebreakers, and ethnic strife broke out. A major riot
by ethnic whites in South Omaha destroyed the city's Greek Town in 1909, completely driving out the Greek population. The civil rights movement in Omaha
has roots that extend back to 1912, when the first chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
west of the Mississippi River
was founded in the city. The Omaha Easter Sunday Tornado of 1913
destroyed much of the city's African American
community, in addition to much of Midtown Omaha. Six years later in 1919 the city was caught up in the Red Summer riots when thousands of ethnic whites marched from South Omaha to the courthouse to lynch a black worker, Willy Brown, a suspect in an alleged rape of a white woman. The mob burned the Douglas County Courthouse to get the prisoner, causing more than $1,000,000 damage. They hung and shot Will Brown, then burned his body. Troops were called in from Fort Omaha to quell the riot, prevent more crowds gathering in South Omaha, and to protect the black community in North Omaha.
The culture of North Omaha thrived throughout the 1920s through 1950s, with several creative figures, including Tillie Olsen
, Wallace Thurman
, Lloyd Hunter
, and Anna Mae Winburn
emerging from the vibrant Near North Side. Musicians created their own world in Omaha, and also joined national bands and groups that toured and appeared in the city.
After the tumultuous Great Depression
of the 1930s, Omaha rebounded with the development of Offutt Air Force Base
just south of the city. The Glenn L. Martin Company
operated a factory there in the 1940s that produced 521 B-29 Superfortresses, including the Enola Gay
and Bockscar
used in the atomic bombing of Japan
in World War II
. The construction of Interstates 80
, 480 and 680, along with the North Omaha Freeway, spurred development. There was also controversy, particularly in North Omaha, where several neighborhoods were bisected by new routes. Creighton University
hosted the DePorres Club
, an early civil rights group whose sit-in strategies for integration of public facilities predated the national movement, starting in 1947. Following the development of the Glenn L. Martin Company bomber manufacturing plant in Bellevue
at the beginning of World War II, the relocation of the Strategic Air Command
to the Omaha suburb in 1948 provided a major economic boost to the area.
From the 1950s through the 1960s, more than 40 insurance companies were headquartered in Omaha, including Woodmen of the World
and Mutual of Omaha
. By the late 1960s, the city rivaled, but never surpassed, the United States insurance centers of Hartford, Connecticut
, New York City and Boston
, Massachusetts
. After surpassing Chicago in meat processing by the late 1950s, Omaha suffered the loss of 10,000 jobs as both the railroad and meatpacking industries restructured. The city struggled for decades to shift its economy as workers suffered. Poverty became more entrenched among families who remained in North Omaha. In the 1960s, three major race riots along North 24th Street
destroyed the Near North Side's economic base, with recovery slow for decades. In 1969, Woodmen Tower
was completed and became Omaha's tallest building and first major skyscraper at 478 feet (145.7 m), a sign of renewal.
Since the 1970s, Omaha has continued expanding and growing, mostly to available land to the west. West Omaha has become home to the majority of the city's population. North and South Omaha's populations continue to be centers of new immigrants, with economic and racial diversity. In 1975 a major tornado
, along with a major blizzard, caused more than $
100 million in damages in 1975 dollars. Downtown Omaha has since been rejuvenated in numerous ways, starting with the development of Gene Leahy Mall
and W. Dale Clark Library in the late 1970s. In the 1980s, Omaha's fruit warehouses were converted into a shopping area called the Old Market. The demolition of Jobber's Canyon in 1989 led to the creation of the ConAgra Foods
campus. Several nearby buildings, including the Nash Block
, have been converted into condominiums. The stockyards were taken down; the only surviving building is the Livestock Exchange Building, which was converted to multi-use and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
as the tallest building in Omaha as well as in the state at 638 feet (194.5 m). The creation of the city's new North Downtown
included the construction of the Qwest Center and the Slowdown
/Film Streams
development at North 14th and Webster Streets. Construction of the new TD Ameritrade Park began in 2009 and was completed in 2011, also in the North Downtown area, near the Qwest Center.
New construction has occurred throughout the city since the turn of the century. Important retail and office developments have occurred in West Omaha such as the Village Pointe shopping center and several business parks including First National Business Park
and parks for Bank of the West
and C&A Industries, Inc
and Morgan Stanley Smith Barney and several others. Downtown and Midtown Omaha have both seen the development of a significant number of condominium
s in recent years. In Midtown Omaha
significant mixed-use projects are underway. The site of the former Ak-Sar-Ben arena is being redeveloped into a mixed use development Aksarben Village
. In January 2009 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska
announced plans to build a new 10 story, $98 million headquarters, in the Aksarben Village
, to be completed in Spring 2011. The other major mixed-use development is Midtown Crossing at Turner Park
. Being developed by Mutual of Omaha
, the development includes construction of several condominium towers and retail businesses built around Omaha
's Turner Park.
The Holland Performing Arts Center
opened in 2005 near the Gene Leahy Mall
and the Union Pacific Center
opened in 2004.
There have also been several developments along the Missouri River waterfront in downtown. The Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge was opened to foot and bicycle traffic on September 28, 2008. Started in 2003, RiverFront Place Condos
first phase was completed in 2006 and is fully occupied and construction of the second tower began in 2009. The development along Omaha's riverfront is attributed with prompting the City of Council Bluffs to move their own riverfront development time line forward.
In summer 2008 the United States Olympic Team swimming trials were held in Omaha. The event was a highlight in the city's sports community, as well as a showcase for redevelopment in the downtown area.
Omaha is located at 41°15′N 96°0′W. According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 118.9 square miles (307.9 km²). 115.7 square miles (299.7 km²) of it is land and 3.2 square miles (8.2 km²) of it is water. The total area is 2.67% water. Situated in the Midwestern United States on the shore of the Missouri River in eastern Nebraska, much of Omaha is built in the Missouri River Valley
. Other significant bodies of water in the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area include Lake Manawa, Papillion Creek
, Carter Lake, Platte River and the Glenn Cunningham Lake
. The city's land has been altered considerably with substantial land grading
throughout Downtown Omaha and scattered across the city. East Omaha sits on a flood plain west of the Missouri River. The area is the location of Carter Lake, an oxbow lake
. The lake was once the site of East Omaha Island and Florence Lake, which dried up in the 1920s.
The Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area consists of eight counties; five in Nebraska and three in Iowa. now includes Harrison
, Pottawattamie
, and Mills
Counties in Iowa and Washington
, Douglas, Sarpy
, Cass
, and Saunders
Counties in Nebraska. This area was formerly referred to only as the Omaha Metropolitan Statistical Area and consisted of only five counties: Pottawattamie in Iowa, and Washington, Douglas, Cass, and Sarpy in Nebraska. The Omaha-Council Bluffs combined statistical area
comprises the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan statistical area
and the Fremont
Micropolitan statistical area
; the CSA has a population of 858,720 (2005 Census Bureau estimate). Omaha ranks as the 42nd-largest city in the United States, and is the core city of its 60th-largest metropolitan area. There are currently no consolidated city-counties
in the area; the City of Omaha
studied the possibility extensively through 2003 and concluded, "The City of Omaha and Douglas County should merge into a municipal county, work to commence immediately, and that functional consolidations begin immediately in as many departments as possible, including but not limited to parks, fleet management, facilities management, local planning
, purchasing and personnel."
Geographically, Omaha is considered as being located in the "Heartland" of the United States. Important environmental impacts on the natural habitat in the area include the spread of invasive plant species, restoring prairie
s and bur oak
savanna
habitats, and managing the whitetail deer population.
Omaha is home to several hospitals, located mostly along Dodge St (US6). Being the county seat, it is also the location of the county courthouse.
Omaha is generally divided into five geographic areas: Downtown, Midtown, North Omaha, South Omaha and West Omaha. West Omaha includes the Miracle Hills, Girls and Boys Town
, Regency, and Gateway areas. There is also a small community in East Omaha. The city has a wide range of historical and new neighborhoods and suburbs that reflect its socioeconomic diversity. Early neighborhood development happened in ethnic enclaves, including Little Italy, Little Bohemia
, Little Mexico
and Greek Town. According to U.S. Census data, five European ethnic enclaves existed in Omaha in 1880, expanding to nine in 1900.
At the turn of the 20th century. the City of Omaha annexed several surrounding communities, including Florence
, Dundee
and Benson
. At the same time, the city annexed all of South Omaha, including the Dahlman
and Burlington Road neighborhood
s. From its first annexation in 1857 (of East Omaha) to its recent and controversial annexation of Elkhorn
, Omaha has continually had an eye towards growth.
Starting in the 1950s, development of highways and new housing led to movement of middle class to suburbs in West Omaha. Some of the movement was designated as white flight
from racial unrest in the 1960s. Newer and poorer migrants lived in older housing close to downtown; those residents who were more established moved west into newer housing. Some suburbs are gated communities or have become edge cities
. Recently, Omahans have made strides to revitalize the downtown and Midtown areas with the redevelopment of the Old Market, Turner Park, Gifford Park, and the designation of the Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District
.
Omaha is home to dozens of nationally, regionally and locally significant landmarks. The city has more than a dozen historic district
s, including Fort Omaha Historic District, Gold Coast Historic District
, Omaha Quartermaster Depot Historic District
, Field Club Historic District, Bemis Park Historic District, and the South Omaha Main Street Historic District. Omaha is notorious for its 1989 demolition of 24 buildings in the Jobbers Canyon Historic District, which represents to date the largest loss of buildings on the National Register. The only original building surviving of that complex is the Nash Block
.
Omaha has almost one hundred individual properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places
, including the Bank of Florence
, Holy Family Church
, the Christian Specht Building
and the Joslyn Castle
. There are also three properties designated as National Historic Landmark
s.
Locally designated landmarks
, including residential, commercial, religious, educational, agricultural and socially significant locations across the city, honor Omaha's cultural legacy and important history. The City of Omaha
Landmarks Heritage Preservation Commission
is the government body that works with the mayor of Omaha and the Omaha City Council
to protect historic places. Important history organizations in the community include the Douglas County Historical Society
.
(Koppen
Dfa), with hot summers and cold winters. July averages 76.7 °F (24.8 °C), with moderate, but sometimes high humidity and relatively frequent thunderstorms, usually rather violent and capable of spawning severe weather or tornadoes; the January mean is 21.7 °F (-5.7 °C). The lowest temperature recorded in the city was -32 F on January 5, 1884, and the highest 114 °F (45.6 °C) on July 25, 1936. Average yearly precipitation is 30.2 inches (767.1 mm), falling mostly in the warmer months. What precipitation does fall in winter usually takes the form of snow, with average yearly snowfall being around 26.8 inches (68 cm).
, the racial composition of Omaha was as follows:
Source:
As of the census
of 2000, there are 390,007 people, 156,738 households, and 94,983 families residing within city limits. The population density
is 3,370.7 people per square mile (1,301.5/km²). There are 165,731 housing units at an average density of 1,432.4 per square mile (553.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city is 78.39% White, 13.31% African American, 0.67% Native American, 1.74% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 3.91% from other races, and 1.92% from two or more races. 7.54% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 156,738 households out of which 30.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.8% are married couples
living together, 13.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 39.4% are non-families. 31.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.42 and the average family size is 3.10. In the city the average age of the population is diverse with 25.6% under the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 92.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $
40,006, and the median income for a family is $50,821. Males have a median income of $34,301 versus $26,652 for females. The per capita income
for the city is $21,756. 11.3% of the population and 7.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 15.6% of those under the age of 18 and 7.4% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Native Americans
were the first residents in the Omaha area. The city of Omaha was established by European Americans from neighboring Council Bluffs who arrived from the Northeast United States a few years earlier. While much of the early population was of Yankee
stock, over the next 100 years numerous ethnic groups
moved to the city. Irish
immigrants in Omaha originally moved to an area in present-day North Omaha called "Gophertown", as they lived in dirt dugouts. That population was followed by Polish immigrants in the Sheelytown neighborhood, and many immigrants were recruited for jobs in South Omaha's stockyards
and meatpacking industry. The German community
in Omaha was largely responsible for founding its once-thriving beer industry, including the Metz
, Krug
, Falstaff and the Storz breweries.
In the early 20th century, Jewish
immigrants set up numerous businesses along the North 24th Street
commercial area. It suffered with the loss of industrial jobs in the 1960s and later, and the shifting of population west of the city. The commercial area is now the center of the African American community
, concentrated in North Omaha. The African-American community has maintained its social and religious base, while it is currently experiencing an economic revitalization.
Omaha's first Italian enclave
grew south of downtown, with many Italian immigrants coming to the city to work in the Union Pacific shops
. Scandinavians first came to Omaha as Mormon
settlers in the Florence neighborhood
. Czechs
had a strong political and cultural voice in Omaha, and were involved in a variety of trades and businesses, including banks, wholesale houses, and funeral homes. The Notre Dame Academy and Convent
and Czechoslovak Museum
are legacies of their residence. Today the legacy of the city's early European immigrant populations is evident in many social and cultural institutions in Downtown and South Omaha.
Mexicans
originally immigrated to Omaha to work in the rail yards. Today they compose the majority of South Omaha's Hispanic population and many have taken jobs in meat processing. Other significant early ethnic populations in Omaha included Danes
, Poles
, and Swedes
.
A growing number of African immigrants have made their homes in Omaha in the last twenty years. There are approximately 8,500 Sudan
ese living in Omaha, comprising the largest population of Sudanese refugees in the United States. Most have immigrated since 1995 because of warfare in their nation. Ten different tribes are represented, including the Nuer, Dinka
, Equatoria
ns, Maubans and Nubians. Most Sudanese people in Omaha speak the Nuer language
. Other Africans have immigrated to Omaha as well, with one-third from Nigeria
, and significant populations from Kenya
, Togo
, Cameroon
and Ghana
.
The Greek Town
Riot in 1909 flared after increased Greek immigration, Greeks' working as strikebreakers, and the killing of an Irish policeman provoked violence among earlier immigrants such as ethnic Irish. That mob violence forced the Greek
immigrant population to flee from the city. By 1910, 53.7% of Omaha’s residents and 64.2% of South Omaha’s residents were foreign born or had at least one parent born outside of America. Six years after the Greek Town Riot, in 1915, a Mexican immigrant named Juan Gonzalez was killed by a mob near Scribner
, a town in the Greater Omaha metropolitan area. The event occurred after an Omaha Police Department officer was investigating a criminal operation selling goods stolen from the nearby railroad yards. Racial profiling
targeted Gonzalez as the culprit. After escaping the city, he was trapped along the Elkhorn River
, where the mob, including several policemen from Omaha, shot him more than twenty times. Afterward it was discovered that Gonzalez was unarmed, and that he had a reliable alibi for the time of the murder. Nobody was ever indicted for his lynching. In the fall of 1919, following Red Summer, postwar social and economic tensions, the earlier hiring of blacks as strikebreakers, and job uncertainty contributed to a mob from South Omaha lynching Willy Brown and the ensuing Omaha Race Riot
. Trying to defend Brown, the city's mayor, Edward Parsons Smith
, was lynched also, surviving only after a quick rescue.
Similar to other industrial cities in the U.S., Omaha suffered severe job losses in the 1950s, more than 10,000 in total, as both the railroad and meatpacking industries restructured. Stockyards and packing plants were located closer to ranches, and union achievements were lost as wages declined in surviving jobs. Many workers left the area if they could get to other jobs. Poverty deepened in areas of the city whose residents had depended on those jobs, specifically North and South Omaha. At the same time, with reduced revenues, the city had less financial ability to respond to longstanding problems. Despair after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
in April 1968 contributed to riots in North Omaha, including one at the Logan Fontenelle Housing Project
. For some, the Civil Rights Movement in Omaha, Nebraska
evolved towards black nationalism
, as the Black Panther Party
was involved in tensions in the late 1960s. Organizations such as the Black Association for Nationalism Through Unity
became popular among the city's African-American youth. This tension culminated in the cause célèbre
trial of the Rice/Poindexter Case
, in which an Omaha Police Department officer was killed by a bomb while answering an emergency call. After 5 years of obscurity, the black population was finally able to vote.
Whites in Omaha have followed the white flight
pattern, suburbanizing to West Omaha over time. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, gang violence and incidents between the Omaha Police Department and members of the African-American community aggravated relations between groups in North and South Omaha. More recent Hispanic immigrants, concentrated in South Omaha, have struggled to earn living wages in meatpacking, adapt to a new society, and deal with discrimination.
, Omaha ranks eighth among the nation's 50 largest cities in both per-capita billionaires and Fortune 500 companies. Major employers in the area include Alegent Health System
, Omaha Public Schools
, First Data Corporation, Methodist Health System
, Mutual of Omaha
, ConAgra Foods
, Nebraska Medical Center
, Offutt Air Force Base
, and the West Corporation
. With diversification in several industries, including banking, insurance
, telecommunications, architecture/construction, and transportation, Omaha's economy has grown dramatically since the early 1990s. In 2001 Newsweek
identified Omaha as one of the Top 10 high-tech havens in the nation. Six national fiber optic networks converge in Omaha.
Omaha's most prominent businessman is Warren Buffett, nicknamed the "Oracle of Omaha", who is regularly ranked one of the richest people in the world. Five Omaha-based companies: Berkshire Hathaway
, ConAgra Foods
, Union Pacific Railroad
, Mutual of Omaha
, and Kiewit Corporation, are among the Fortune 500
.
Omaha is the headquarters of several other major corporations, including the Gallup Organization
, TD Ameritrade
, infoGROUP, Werner Enterprises
, First National Bank
and First Comp Insurance. Many large technology firms have major operations or operational headquarters in Omaha, including Bank of the West, First Data
, PayPal
and LinkedIn
. The city is also home to three of the 30 largest architecture firms in the United States, including HDR, Inc.
, DLR Group, Inc., and Leo A Daly
. Despite this progress, as of October 2007, the city of Omaha, the 42nd largest in the country, has the fifth highest percentage of low-income African Americans in the country.
Tourist attractions in Omaha include history, sports, outdoors and cultural experiences. Its principal tourist attractions are the Henry Doorly Zoo
and the College World Series
. The Old Market in Downtown Omaha
is another major attraction and is important to the city's retail economy. The city has been a tourist destination for many years. Famous early visitors included British author Rudyard Kipling
and General George Crook
. In 1883 Omaha hosted the first official performance of the Buffalo Bill
's Wild West Show for eight thousand attendees. In 1898 the city hosted more than 1,000,000 visitors from across the United States at the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition, a world's fair
that lasted for more than half the year.
Research on leisure
and hospitality
situates Omaha in the same tier for tourists as the neighboring cities of Topeka, Kansas
, Kansas City, Missouri
, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
, and Denver, Colorado
. A recent study found that investment of $1 million in cultural tourism generated approximately $83,000 in state and local taxes, and provided support for hundreds of jobs for the metropolitan area, which in turn led to additional tax revenue for government.
The city's historical
and cultural attractions have been lauded by numerous national newspapers, including the Boston Globe and The New York Times. Omaha is home to the Omaha Community Playhouse
, the largest community theater in the United States. The Omaha Symphony Orchestra
and its modern Holland Performing Arts Center
, the Opera Omaha
at the Orpheum theater, the Blue Barn Theatre
, and The Rose Theater form the backbone of Omaha's performing arts community
. Opened in 1931, the Joslyn Art Museum
has significant art collections. Since its inception in 1976, Omaha Children's Museum
has been a place where children can challenge themselves, discover how the world works and learn through play. The Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts
, one of the nation's premier urban artist colonies, was founded in Omaha in 1981, and the Durham Museum
is accredited with the Smithsonian Institution
for traveling exhibits. The city is also home to the largest singly funded mural in the nation, "Fertile Ground", by Meg Saligman
. The annual Omaha Blues, Jazz, & Gospel Festival
celebrates local music along with the Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame
.
In 1955 Omaha's Union Stockyards
overtook Chicago's stockyards as the United States' meat packing center. This legacy is reflected in the cuisine of Omaha
, with renowned steakhouses such as Gorat's
and the recently closed Mister C's
, as well as the retail chain Omaha Steaks
.
The Henry Doorly Zoo
is widely considered one of the premier zoos in the world. The zoo is home to the world's largest nocturnal exhibit and indoor swamp; the world's largest indoor rainforest, the world's largest indoor desert, and the largest geodesic dome
in the world (13 stories tall). The Zoo is Nebraska’s number one paid attendance attraction and has welcomed more than 25 million visitors over the past 40 years.
in Downtown Omaha listed on the National Register of Historical Places Today, its warehouses and other buildings house shops, restaurants, bars, and art galleries. Downtown is also the location of the Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District, which has several art galleries and restaurants as well. The Omaha Botanical Gardens
features 100 acres (40.5 ha) with a variety of landscaping, and the new Kenefick Park
recognizes Union Pacific Railroad's long history in Omaha. North Omaha has several historical cultural attractions including the Dreamland Historical Project
, Love’s Jazz and Art Center, and the John Beasley Theater. The annual River City Roundup is celebrated at Fort Omaha, and the neighborhood of Florence
celebrates its history during "Florence Days". Native Omaha Days
is a biennial event celebrating Near North Side heritage.
Religious institutions reflect the city's heritage. The city's Christian community
has several historical churches dating from the founding of the city. There are also all sizes of congregations, including small, medium and megachurch
es. Omaha hosts the only Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints temple in Nebraska
, along with a significant Jewish community
. There are 152 parishes in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha
, and several Orthodox Christian
congregations throughout the city.
's Cotton Club Boys
and Lloyd Hunter
's Seranaders. Rock and roll
pioneer Wynonie Harris
; jazz great Preston Love
; drummer Buddy Miles
; and Luigi Waites
are among the city's homegrown talent. Doug Ingle
from the late 1960s band Iron Butterfly
was born in Omaha as was indie-folk singer/songwriter Elliott Smith
, though both were raised elsewhere.
Contemporary music groups either located in or originally from Omaha include Mannheim Steamroller
, Bright Eyes, The Faint
, Cursive
, Azure Ray
, Tilly and the Wall
and 311
. During the late 1990s, Omaha became nationally known as the birthplace of Saddle Creek Records
, and the subsequent "Omaha Sound" was born from their bands' collective style.
Omaha also has a fledgling hip hop
scene. Long-time bastion Houston Alexander
, a one-time graffiti artist and professional Mixed Martial Arts
competitor, is currently a local hip-hop radio show host. Cerone Thompson, known as "Scrybe," has had a number one single on college radio stations across the United States. He has also had several number one hits on the local hip hop station respectively titled, "Lose Control" and "Do What U Do". . More recently, in 2009 Eric Scheid, also known as "Titus," released a single called "What Do You Believe" featuring Bizzy Bone from the nationally-known hip hop group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony
. The single was produced by Omaha producer J Keez. The record was released by Smashmode Publishing and Timeless Keys Music Publishing which are two Omaha-based music publishing companies. South Omaha's OTR Familia, consisting of MOC and Xpreshin aka XP, have worked with Fat Joes Terror Squad on several songs and have participated in summer concerts with Pitbull, Nicky Jam, and Aventura.
A long heritage of ethnic and cultural bands have come from Omaha. The Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame
celebrates the city's long history of African-American music and the Strathdon Caledonia Pipe Band
carries on a Scottish
legacy. Internationally renowned composer Antonín Dvořák
wrote his Ninth ("New World") Symphony
in 1893 based on his impressions of the region after visiting Omaha's robust Czech community
. In the period surrounding World War I
Valentin J. Peter
encouraged Germans in Omaha to celebrate their rich musical heritage, too. Frederick Metz
, Gottlieb Storz
and Frederick Krug
were influential brewers whose beer garden
s kept many German bands active.
The major daily newspaper in Nebraska is the Omaha World-Herald
, which is the largest employee-owned newspaper in the United States. Weeklies in the city include the Midlands Business Journal (weekly business publication), American Classifieds (Formerly Thrifty Nickel), a weekly classified newspaper, The Reader (newspaper), and Omaha Magazine, as well as The Omaha Star. Founded in 1938 in North Omaha, the Star is Nebraska's only African-American newspaper. The city is the focus of the Omaha designated market area, and is the 76th largest in the United States. Omaha's four television news stations were found not to represent the city's racial composition
in a 2007 study. Cox Communications
provides cable television
services throughout the metropolitan area.
In 1939, the world premiere of the film Union Pacific
was held in Omaha, Nebraska and the accompanying three-day celebration drew 250,000 people. A special train from Hollywood carried director Cecil B. DeMille
and stars Barbara Stanwyck
and Joel McCrea
. Omaha's Boys Town was made famous by the Spencer Tracy
and Mickey Rooney
movie Boys Town. Omaha has been featured in recent years by a handful of relatively big budget motion pictures. The city's most extensive exposure can be accredited to Omaha native Alexander Payne
, the Oscar-nominated director who shot parts of About Schmidt
, Citizen Ruth
and Election
in the city and suburbs of Papillion and LaVista.
Built in 1962, Omaha's Cinerama
was called Indian Hills Theater
. Its demolition in 2001 by the Nebraska Methodist Health System
was unpopular, with objections from local historical and cultural groups and luminaries from around the world. The Dundee Theatre
is the lone surviving single-screen movie theater in Omaha and still shows films. A recent development to the Omaha film scene was the addition of Film Streams
's Ruth Sokolof Theater in North Downtown. The two-screen theater is part of the Slowdown
facility. It features new American independents, foreign films, documentaries, classics, themed series, and director retrospectives. There are many new theaters opening in Omaha. In addition to the five Douglas Theatres
venues in Omaha, two more are opening, including Midtown Crossing Theatres, located on 32nd and Farnam Streets by the Mutual of Omaha Building
. Westroads Mall
has opened a new multiplex movie theater
with 14 screens, operated by Rave Motion Pictures
.
Songs about Omaha include "Omaha", by the indie rock band Tapes 'n Tapes
;, "Omaha Stylee" by 311; and "Omaha", a song by Moby Grape from their 1967 album Moby Grape
, "Omaha" by Counting Crows
, "Omaha Celebration" by Pat Metheny
, "Omaha" sung by Waylon Jennings
and "(Ready Or Not) Omaha Nebraska" by Bowling For Soup
.
The 1935 winner of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
was named Omaha
, and after traveling the world the horse eventually retired to a farm south of the city. The horse made promotional appearances at Ak-Sar-Ben during the 1950s and following his death in 1959 was buried at the racetrack's Circle of Champions.
Sports have a long history in Omaha. The Omaha Sports Commission is a quasi-governmental nonprofit organization that coordinates much of the professional and amateur athletic activity in the city, including the 2008 US Olympic Swimming Team Trials and the building of a new stadium in North Downtown. The University of Nebraska and the Commission co-hosted the 2008 National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA) Division One Women's Volleyball Championship
in December of that year. Another quasi-governmental board, the Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority, was created by city voters in 2000, and is responsible for maintaining the Qwest Center Omaha
. In June 2009, MECA announced that the US Olympic Swim Trials will return to Omaha, to run from June 25 through July 2, 2012. The Swim Trials will overlap with the College World Series, also to be held downtown, for 1–2 days.
Omaha's Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium
was home to the Omaha Storm Chasers (most recently known as the Omaha Royals) minor-league baseball team (the AAA affiliate of the Kansas City Royals
). Since 1950, it has hosted the annual NCAA College World Series
, or CWS, men's baseball tournament in mid-June.
After Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium closed, their tenants moved to new venues. On April 16, 2011 the Omaha Storm Chasers played their first game at the newly built Werner Park in the city of Papillion
, just south of Omaha. The CWS moved to the new downtown stadium TD Ameritrade Park in 2011.
Omaha is also home to the Omaha Diamond Spirit, a collegiate summer baseball team that plays in the MINK league.
In July 2010 Omaha hosted the inaugural TD Ameritrade College Home Run Derby at Rosenblatt Stadium. East Tennessee State University First Baseman Paul Hoilman hit 12 home runs in the final round to beat out Fresno State’s Jordan Ribera and Georgia Tech’s Matt Skole for the title.
The World-Herald will partner with the TD Ameritrade College Home Run Derby Contest on July 2, 2011 for its 27th annual fireworks display. The event will be held at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha.
On April 15, 2010, it was announced that Omaha would be home to a new expansion team in the United Football League to begin play in 2010. The team played its inaugural season at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium before moving to TD Ameritrade Park for 2011 and beyond.
Named in tribute to Omaha's meatpacking past, the Omaha Beef
indoor football team plays at the Omaha Civic Auditorium
.
The Creighton University
Bluejays
compete in a number of NCAA Division I sports. Baseball
is played at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, soccer is played at Morrison Stadium
, and basketball
is played at the 18,000 seat Qwest Center
. The Jays annually rank in the top 15 in attendance each year, averaging more than 16,000 people per game.
Ice hockey
is a popular spectator sport in Omaha. The two Omaha-area teams are the Omaha Lancers
, a United States Hockey League team that played at Aksarben until 2004, moved to neighboring city of Council Bluffs at the Mid-America Center
, and moved back to Omaha in 2009 to play at the Civic Auditorium and the University of Nebraska at Omaha
Mavericks
, an NCAA Division I team that plays at the Qwest Center. Omaha has a thriving running community and many miles of paved running and biking trails throughout the city and surrounding communities. The Omaha Marathon involves a half-marathon and a 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) race that take place annually in September.
Omaha is the birthplace of numerous important historical and modern sports figures, including 1960 Summer Olympics
gold medalist and NBA
star Bob Boozer
; Baseball Hall of Famer Bob Gibson
; 1989 American League
Rookie of the Year Gregg Olson
; NFL running back Ahman Green
; Heisman Trophy
winners Johnny Rodgers
and Eric Crouch
; Pro Football Hall of Fame
r Gale Sayers
; and champion tennis player Andy Roddick
.
The City of Omaha administers a parks and recreation department that oversees six regional parks, including Dodge Park
and Gene Leahy Mall
, and 13 community parks, including Benson Park, Miller Park and Hanscom Park
. Part of Omaha's riverfront area is now the Heartland of America Park
, including a marina, Miller's Landing, and the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge, a footbridge
crossing into Council Bluffs.
The city's historic boulevards
were originally designed by Horace Cleveland
in 1889 to work with the parks to create a seamless flow of trees, grass and flowers throughout the city. Florence Boulevard
and Fontenelle Boulevard
are among the remnants of this system. Omaha boasts more than 80 miles (129 km) of trails
for pedestrian
s, bicyclists and hikers. They include the American Discovery Trail
, which traverses the entire United States, and the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
passes through Omaha as it travels 3700 miles (5,954.6 km) westward from Illinois to Oregon. Trails throughout the area are included in comprehensive plans for the city of Omaha, the Omaha metropolitan area, Douglas County, and long-distance coordinated plans between the municipalities of southeast Nebraska.
is the largest public school district
in Nebraska, with more than 47,750 students in more than 75 schools. After a contentious period of uncertainty, in 2007 the Nebraska Legislature
approved a plan to create a learning community
for Omaha-area school districts with a central administrative board. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha
maintains numerous private Catholic schools with 21,500 students in 32 elementary schools and nine high schools. St. Cecilia Grade School at 3869 Webster St. in Midtown Omaha and St. Stephen the Martyr School at 168th and Q street in western Omaha earned national distinction when they received the U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon School
award.
There are eleven colleges and universities among Omaha's higher education
institutions, including the University of Nebraska at Omaha
. Omaha's Creighton University
is ranked the top non-doctoral regional university in the Midwestern United States
by U.S. News and World Report. Creighton maintains a 132 acre (0.53418552 km²) campus just outside of Downtown Omaha in the new North Downtown district, and the Jesuit-run institution has an enrollment of around 6,700 in its undergraduate, graduate, medical, and law schools. There are more than 10 other colleges and universities in Omaha in the Omaha metro area.
form of government
, along with a city council that is elected from seven districts across the city. The current mayor is Jim Suttle
, who was elected in May 2009. The longest serving mayor in Omaha's history was "Cowboy" Jim Dahlman
, who served 20 years over eight terms. He was regarded as the "wettest mayor in America" because of the flourishing number of bars in Omaha during his tenure. Dahlman was a close associate of political boss
Tom Dennison. During Dahlman's tenure, the city switched from its original strong-mayor form of government to a city commission government
. In 1956, the city switched back.
The elected city clerk is Buster Brown. The City of Omaha administers twelve departments, including finance, police, human rights, libraries
and planning. The Omaha City Council is the legislative branch and is made up seven members elected from districts across the city. The council enacts local ordinance
s and approves the city budget
. Government priorities and activities are established in a budget ordinance approved annually. The council takes official action through the passage of ordinances and resolutions. Nebraska’s constitution grants the option of home rule
to cities with more than 5,000 residents, meaning they may operate under their own charters. Omaha is one of only three cities in Nebraska to use this option, out of 17 eligible. The City of Omaha is currently considering consolidating
with Douglas County government.
Although registered Republicans
outnumbered Democrats
in the 2nd congressional district
, which includes Omaha, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama
opened three campaign offices in the city with 15 staff members to cover the state in fall 2008. Mike Fahey, the former Democratic mayor of Omaha, said he would do whatever it took to deliver the district's electoral vote to Obama; and the Obama campaign
considered the district "in play". Former Nebraska U.S. Senator
Bob Kerrey
and current Senator Ben Nelson
campaigned in the city for Obama, and in November 2008 Obama won the district's electoral vote. This was an exceptional win, because with Nebraska's split electoral vote system Obama became the first Democratic presidential candidate to win in Nebraska since 1964.
per 100,000 residents has been lower than the average rates of three dozen United States cities of similar size. Unlike in Omaha, violent crime overall for those cities has trended upward since 2003. Rates for property crime have decreased for both Omaha and its peer cities during the same time period. In 2006, Omaha was ranked for homicides as 46th out of the 72 cities in the United States of more than 250,000 in population.
As a major industrial city into the mid-20th century, Omaha shared in social tensions of larger cities that accompanied rapid growth and many new immigrants and migrants. By the 1950s, Omaha was a center for illegal gambling, while experiencing dramatic job losses and unemployment because of dramatic restructuring of the railroads and the meatpacking industry, as well as other sectors. Persistent poverty resulting from racial discrimination and job losses generated different crimes in the late 20th century, with drug trade and drug abuse becoming associated with violent crime rates, which climbed after 1986 as Los Angeles gangs made affiliates in the city. Gambling in Omaha has been significant throughout the city's history. From its founding in the 1850s through the 1930s, the city was known as a "wide-open" town, meaning that gambling of all sorts was accepted either openly or in closed quarters. By the mid-20th century, Omaha reportedly had more illicit gambling per capita than any other city in the nation. From the 1930s through the 1970s the city's gambling was controlled by an Italian criminal element. Today, gambling in Omaha is limited to keno
, lotteries
, and parimutuel betting
, leaving Omahans to drive across the Missouri River to Council Bluffs, Iowa, where casinos are legal and there are numerous businesses operating currently. Recently a controversial proposal by the Ponca
tribe of Nebraska was approved by the National Indian Gaming Commission
. It will allow the tribe to build a casino in Carter Lake, Iowa
, which sits geographically on the west side of the Missouri River, adjacent to Omaha, where casinos are illegal.
magazine ranked Omaha the No. 3 best city in the United States to "live, work and play." Omaha's growth has required the constant development of new urban infrastructure
that influence, allow and encourage the constant expansion of the city.
Retail natural gas and water public utilities
in Omaha are provided by the Metropolitan Utilities District
. Nebraska is the only public power state in the nation. All electric utilities are non-profit and customer-owned. Electricity
in the city is provided by the Omaha Public Power District
. Public housing
is governed by the Omaha Housing Authority
, and public transportation is provided by Metro Area Transit
. Qwest
and Cox
provide local telephone services. The City of Omaha maintains two modern sewage treatment plants.
Portions of the Enron
corporation began as Northern Natural Gas Company in Omaha. Northern currently provides three natural gas lines to Omaha. Enron formerly owned UtiliCorp United, Inc., which became Aquila, Inc.
. Peoples Natural Gas, a division of Aquila, Inc., currently serves several surrounding communities around the Omaha metropolitan area, including Plattsmouth
.
There are several hospitals in Omaha
. Research hospitals include the Boys Town National Research Hospital, the University of Nebraska Medical Center
and the Creighton University Medical Center. The Boys Town facility is well-known for world-class researchers in hearing-related research and high quality treatment. The University of Nebraska Medical Center hosts the Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases
, a world-renowned cancer treatment facility named in honor of Omahan Eugene Eppley.
decree that Council Bluffs, Iowa, be the starting point for the Union Pacific Railroad, construction began from Omaha on the eastern portion of the first transcontinental railroad. By the middle of the 20th century, Omaha was served by almost every major railroad. Today, the Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District celebrates this connection, along with the listing of the Burlington Train Station
and the Union Station
on the National Register of Historic Places. First housed in the former Herndon House
, the Union Pacific Railroad's corporate headquarters have been in Omaha since the company began. Their new headquarters, the Union Pacific Center
, was opened in Downtown Omaha in 2004. Amtrak
, the national passenger rail system, provides service through Omaha. There is Greyhound lines
in Omaha
Omaha's position as a transportation center was finalized with the 1872 opening of the Union Pacific Missouri River Bridge
linking the transcontinental railroad to the railroads terminating in Council Bluffs. In 1888, the first road bridge, the Douglas Street Bridge
, opened. In the 1890s, the Illinois Central drawbridge opened as the largest bridge of its type in the world. Omaha's Missouri River road bridges are now entering their second generation, including the Works Progress Administration
-financed South Omaha Bridge, now called Veteran's Memorial Bridge, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 2006, Omaha and Council Bluffs announced joint plans to build the Missouri River Pedestrian Bridge
, which is expected to become a city landmark at its scheduled opening in November 2008.
Today, the primary mode of transportation in Omaha is by automobile, with I-80
, I-480
, I-680
, I-29
, and U.S. Route 75
(JFK Freeway and North Freeway) providing freeway service across the metropolitan area. The expressway along West Dodge Road (U.S. Route 6
and Nebraska Link 28B
) and U.S. Route 275
has been upgraded to freeway standards from I-680 to Fremont
. City owned Metro Area Transit
provides public bus service to hundreds of locations throughout the Metro.
A 2011 study by Walk Score ranked Omaha 21st most walkable of fifty largest U.S. cities. There is an extensive trail system throughout the city for walkers, runners, bicyclists, and other pedestrian modes of transportation.
Omaha is laid out on a grid plan
, with 12 blocks to the mile with a North to South house numbering
system. Omaha is the location of a historic boulevard system
designed by H.W.S. Cleveland who sought to combine the beauty of parks with the pleasure of driving cars. The historic Florence
and Fontenelle Boulevard
s, as well as the modern Sorenson Parkway
, are important elements in this system.
Eppley Airfield
, Omaha's airport, serves the region with over 4.2 million passengers in 2006. United Airlines
, Southwest Airlines
, US Airways
, Continental Airlines
, Delta Air Lines
, American Airlines
, Frontier Airlines
, and ExpressJet Airlines
, serve the airport with direct and connecting service. Eppley is situated in East Omaha, with many users driving through Carter Lake, Iowa and getting a view of Carter Lake before getting there. General aviation
airports serving the area are the Millard Municipal Airport, North Omaha Airport
and the Council Bluffs Airport. Offutt Air Force Base continues to serve as a military airbase; it is located at the southern edge of Bellevue, which in turn lies immediately south of Omaha.
Omaha is the historic and modern birthplace and home of notable politicians, actors, musicians, business leaders, sportsmen and cultural leaders. Numerous actors, including Gabrielle Union
, Montgomery Clift
, Fred Astaire
and Adele Astaire
, Dorothy McGuire
, Marlon Brando
and Nick Nolte
, were born in Omaha. Academy Award winner Henry Fonda
also grew up in Omaha. Marlon Brando's mother encouraged Henry Fonda to pursue acting at the Omaha Community Playhouse
. His son Peter Fonda also briefly lived in Omaha. Mrs. Brando helped found the playhouse. His family's home still stands on South 33rd Street, a few blocks from the site of the first home of Gerald Ford
.
Jazz Age
magazine illustrator, Broadway scenic designer, and comic strip
artist Russell Patterson
was born in Omaha. Tennis player Andy Roddick
, former ATP ranking leader, was born in Omaha. Omaha's rich musical history produced legends such as Wynonie Harris
, Preston Love
, Buddy Miles
, Sara Olson, Calvin Keys, Eugene McDaniels and others. Members of 311
and Bright Eyes are part of the modern music scene. Chip Davis
and Mannheim Steamroller
began in and still headquarter out of Omaha.
Warren Buffett
, in 2008 the richest person in the world, lives in Omaha where he made his fortune in business. Two native sons who achieved prominence nationally were born in Omaha, with their families moving away shortly thereafter.
The Gerald Ford birthplace site
memorializes the 38th President.
African American activist and son of a Baptist
minister, Malcolm X
, first known as Malcolm Little, was also born in Omaha. Joining dozens of other important Omaha Landmarks, the Malcolm X House Site
has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Steve Borden (Sting) was born in Omaha while Ted DiBiase
billed as born in Omaha.
Gale Sayers
, a football player for the Chicago Bears
was raised in Omaha graduating from an Omaha high school.
Alexander Payne
, American film director and screenwriter was born and raised in Omaha.
Braunschweig
(Germany
) Naas
(Ireland
) Shizuoka
(Japan
) Šiauliai
(Lithuania
) Xalapa-Enriquez (Mexico
) Yantai
(China
)
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Douglas County
Douglas County, Nebraska
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 463,585 people, 182,194 households, and 115,146 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,401 people per square mile . There were 192,672 housing units at an average density of 582 per square mile...
. It is located in the Midwestern United States
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
on the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
, about 20 miles (30 km) north of the mouth of the Platte River
Platte River
The Platte River is a major river in the state of Nebraska and is about long. Measured to its farthest source via its tributary the North Platte River, it flows for over . The Platte River is a tributary of the Missouri River, which in turn is a tributary of the Mississippi River which flows to...
. Omaha is the anchor of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area
Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area
The Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area is a metropolitan area comprising the cities of Omaha, Nebraska, Council Bluffs, Iowa, and surrounding areas. The Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area has a population of 865,350 . The metropolitan area, as defined by the Office of Management and Budget,...
, which includes Council Bluffs, Iowa
Council Bluffs, Iowa
Council Bluffs, known until 1852 as Kanesville, Iowathe historic starting point of the Mormon Trail and eventual northernmost anchor town of the other emigrant trailsis a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States and is on the east bank of the Missouri River across...
, across the Missouri River from Omaha.
According to the 2010 Census, Omaha's population was 408,958, making it the nation's 42nd-largest city. Including its suburbs, Omaha formed the 60th-largest metropolitan area
Metropolitan area
The term metropolitan area refers to a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories, sharing industry, infrastructure, and housing. A metropolitan area usually encompasses multiple jurisdictions and municipalities: neighborhoods, townships,...
in the United States in 2010, with an estimated population of 865,350 residing in eight counties. There are more than 1.2 million residents within a 50-mile (80-km) radius of the city's center
Downtown Omaha
Downtown Omaha is the central business, government and social core of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, and is located in Omaha, Nebraska. The boundaries are 20th Street on the west to the Missouri River on the east and the centerline of Leavenworth Street on the south to the centerline...
, forming the Greater Omaha area.
Omaha's pioneer period began in 1854 when the city was founded by speculators from neighboring Council Bluffs, Iowa. The city was founded along the Missouri River, and a crossing called Lone Tree Ferry
Lone Tree Ferry
The Lone Tree Ferry, later known as the Council Bluffs and Nebraska Ferry Company, was the crossing of the Missouri River at Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Omaha, Nebraska, US, that was established in 1850 by William D. Brown...
earned the city its nickname, the "Gateway to the West." During the 19th century, Omaha's central location in the United States caused the city to become an important national transportation hub
Transportation in Omaha
Transportation in Omaha, Nebraska includes most major modes, such as pedestrian, bicycle, automobile, bus, train and airplane. While early transportation consisted of ferries, stagecoaches, steamboats, street railroads, and railroads, the city's transportation systems have evolved to include the...
. Throughout the rest of the 19th century, the transportation and jobbing
Wholesale
Wholesaling, jobbing, or distributing is defined as the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers, to industrial, commercial, institutional, or other professional business users, or to other wholesalers and related subordinated services...
sectors were important in the city, along with its railroads
Railroads in Omaha
Railroads in Omaha, Nebraska have been integral to the growth and development of the city, the state of Nebraska, the Western United States and the entire United States...
and breweries
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
. In the 20th century, the Omaha Stockyards, once the world's largest, and its meatpacking plants, gained international prominence.
Today, Omaha is the home to six Fortune 500
Fortune 500
The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...
companies: ConAgra Foods
ConAgra Foods
ConAgra Foods, Inc. is an American packaged foods company. ConAgra's products are available in supermarkets, as well as restaurants and food service establishments. Its headquarters are located in Omaha, Nebraska...
, Union Pacific Corporation, Mutual of Omaha
Mutual of Omaha
Mutual of Omaha is a Fortune 500 mutual insurance and financial services company based in Omaha, Nebraska. The company was founded in 1909 as Mutual Benefit Health and Accident Association.- History :...
, Peter Kiewit and Sons, Inc., and Berkshire Hathaway
Berkshire Hathaway
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is an American multinational conglomerate holding company headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, United States, that oversees and manages a number of subsidiary companies. The company averaged an annual growth in book value of 20.3% to its shareholders for the last 44 years,...
. Berkshire Hathaway is headed by local investor Warren Buffett
Warren Buffett
Warren Edward Buffett is an American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is widely regarded as one of the most successful investors in the world. Often introduced as "legendary investor, Warren Buffett", he is the primary shareholder, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. He is...
, who was the richest person in the world for the first half of 2008. Omaha is also the home to four Fortune 1000
Fortune 1000
Fortune 1000 is a reference to a list maintained by the American business magazine Fortune. The list is of the 1000 largest American companies, ranked on revenues alone...
headquarters, TD Ameritrade
TD Ameritrade
TD Ameritrade is an American online broker with over 6 million U.S. customers, and many more internationally, that has grown rapidly through acquisition to become the 746th-largest US firm in 2008. TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation is the owner of TD Ameritrade Inc...
, West Corporation
West Corporation
West Corporation is an American company that is a provider of outsourced services, including customer relationship management services, conference call services, privatized 911 service, automated business telephone systems , systems integration, help desks, business-to-business sales, responses...
, Valmont Industries
Valmont Industries
Valmont Industries, Inc. is a large, publicly-held American manufacturer of Valley center pivot and linear irrigation equipment, windmill support structures, lighting & traffic poles and steel utility poles....
, and Werner Enterprises
Werner Enterprises
Werner Enterprises, Inc. was founded in 1956 by Clarence L. Werner. It is a transportation and logistics company, headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. It ships to the USA, Canada, Mexico, Asia, Europe and South America. Werner has regional offices throughout North America, in China...
. First National Bank of Omaha
First National Bank of Omaha
First National Bank Omaha is a subsidiary of First National of Nebraska. It is recognized as the largest privately held bank in the country with $17 billion in managed assets and 5,000 employees...
is the largest privately held bank in the United States. Headquarters for Leo A Daly
Leo A Daly
LEO A DALY is the common name for the LEO A DALY Company, a global architecture, engineering, interiors, and planning firm headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. The firm was founded in 1915 by Leo A Daly, Sr. and in 2009 employed over 1,100 professional staff across more than 20 offices in the United...
, HDR, Inc.
HDR, Inc.
HDR Inc. is an employee-owned architectural, engineering and consulting firm based in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. HDR has worked on projects in all 50 U.S. states and in 60 countries, including notable projects such as the Hoover Dam Bypass, TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, and the The Roslin Institute building...
and DLR Group
DLR Group
DLR Group is an architectural design firm providing architecture, engineering, planning, and interior design to clients throughout the United States...
, three of the US's top 30 architectural and engineering firms, are located in Omaha.
The modern economy of Omaha is diverse and built on skilled knowledge jobs. In 2009, Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
identified Omaha as the nation's number one "Best Bang-For-The Buck City" and number one on "America's Fastest-Recovering Cities" list. Tourism in Omaha
Tourism in Omaha
Tourism in Omaha, Nebraska, United States offers visitors history, sports, nature and cultural experiences. Its principal tourist attractions are the Henry Doorly Zoo and the College World Series . A 2003 study by a Creighton University economist estimated that the CWS added $33.8 million to the...
benefits the city's economy greatly, with the annual College World Series
College World Series
The College World Series or CWS is an annual baseball tournament held in Omaha, Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion. The eight teams are split into two, four-team, double-elimination brackets,...
providing important revenue and the city's Henry Doorly Zoo
Henry Doorly Zoo
The Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo is a zoo in Omaha, Nebraska, located at 3701 South 10th Street.It is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Its mission is conservation, research, recreation, and education.Omaha's Henry Doorly...
serving as the top attraction in Nebraska. Omaha hosted the Olympic swim trials in 2008, and is scheduled to do so again in 2012.
A historic preservation
Historic preservation
Historic preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
movement in Omaha has led to a number of historic structures and districts being designated Omaha Landmarks or listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. Since its founding, ethnic groups in the city
Ethnic groups in Omaha, Nebraska
Various ethnic groups in Omaha, Nebraska have lived in the city since its organization by Anglo-Americans in 1854. Native Americans of various nations lived in the Omaha territory for centuries before European arrival, and some stayed in the area. The city was founded by white Anglo-Saxon...
have clustered in enclaves
Ethnic enclave
An ethnic enclave is an ethnic community which retains some cultural distinction from a larger, surrounding area, it may be a neighborhood, an area or an administrative division based on ethnic groups. Sometimes an entire city may have such a feel. Usually the enclave revolves around businesses...
in north
North Omaha, Nebraska
North Omaha is a community area in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. It is bordered by Cuming and Dodge Streets on the south, Interstate 680 on the north, North 72nd Street on the west and the Missouri River and Carter Lake, Iowa on the east, as defined by the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the Omaha...
, south
South Omaha, Nebraska
South Omaha, Nebraska is a former city and current district of Omaha, Nebraska. During its initial development phase the town's nickname was "The Magic City" because of the seemingly overnight growth due to the rapid development of the Union Stockyards. Annexed by the City of Omaha in 1915, the...
and downtown Omaha
Downtown Omaha
Downtown Omaha is the central business, government and social core of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, and is located in Omaha, Nebraska. The boundaries are 20th Street on the west to the Missouri River on the east and the centerline of Leavenworth Street on the south to the centerline...
. In its early days, the city's history
History of Omaha, Nebraska
The history of Omaha, Nebraska began before the settlement of the city, with speculators from neighboring Council Bluffs, Iowa staking land across the Missouri River illegally as early as the 1840s. Before it was legal to claim land in Indian Country, William D. Brown was operating the Lone Tree...
included a variety of crime
Crime in Omaha
Crime in Omaha, Nebraska has varied widely, ranging from the city's early years as a frontier town with typically widespread gambling and prostitution, to civic expectation of higher standards as the city grew, and contemporary concerns about violent crimes related to gangs and dysfunctions of...
such as illicit gambling
Gambling in Omaha, Nebraska
Gambling in Omaha, Nebraska has been significant throughout the city's history. From its founding in the 1850s through the 1930s, the city was known as a "wide-open" town, meaning that gambling of all sorts was accepted either openly or in closed quarters. By the mid-20th century, Omaha reportedly...
and riots. Today, the diverse culture of Omaha
Culture of Omaha, Nebraska
The culture of Omaha, Nebraska has been partially defined by music and college sports, as well as local cuisine and community theatre. The city has a long history of improving and expanding on its cultural offerings. In the 1920s, the Omaha Bee newspaper wrote, "The cultural future of Omaha seems...
includes a variety of performance venues, museums, and musical heritage, including the historically-significant jazz scene in North Omaha and the modern and influential "Omaha Sound". Sports
Sports in Omaha, Nebraska
Sports in Omaha, Nebraska are supported by a high attendance at events and tax support from the City of Omaha. Omaha is home to several professional sports teams and modern sports venues. The city has hosted a number of important sporting events...
have been important in Omaha for more than a century, and the city currently hosts three professional sports teams. Omaha also has a number of recreational trails and parks located throughout the city.
History
Native American tribes in Nebraska
Native American tribes in the U.S. state of Nebraska have been Plains Indians, who have a history of varying cultures occupying the area for thousands of years. More than 15 tribes have been identified as having lived in, hunted in, or otherwise occupied territory within the current state boundaries...
had lived in the land that became Omaha, including since the 17th century, the Omaha
Omaha (tribe)
The Omaha are a federally recognized Native American nation which lives on the Omaha Reservation in northeastern Nebraska and western Iowa, United States...
and Ponca
Ponca
The Ponca are a Native American people of the Dhegihan branch of the Siouan-language group. There are two federally recognized Ponca tribes: the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska and the Ponca Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma...
, Dhegian-Siouan-language people who had originated in the lower Ohio River valley and migrated west by the early 17th century; Pawnee, Otoe
Otoe tribe
The Otoe or Oto are a Native American people. The Otoe language, Chiwere, is part of the Siouan family and closely related to that of the related Iowa and Missouri tribes.-History:...
, Missouri, and Ioway. The word Omaha (actually UmoNhoN or UmaNhaN) means "Dwellers on the bluff".
In 1804 the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, or ″Corps of Discovery Expedition" was the first transcontinental expedition to the Pacific Coast by the United States. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson and led by two Virginia-born veterans of Indian wars in the Ohio Valley, Meriwether Lewis and William...
passed by the riverbanks where the city of Omaha would be built. Between July 30 and August 3, 1804, members of the expedition, including Meriwether Lewis
Meriwether Lewis
Meriwether Lewis was an American explorer, soldier, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition also known as the Corps of Discovery, with William Clark...
and William Clark, met with Oto and Missouria tribal leaders at the Council Bluff at a point about 20 miles (30 km) north of present-day Omaha. Immediately south of that area, Americans built several fur trading outposts in succeeding years, including Fort Lisa in 1812; Fort Atkinson
Fort Atkinson (Nebraska)
Fort Atkinson was the first United States Army post to be established west of the Missouri River in the unorganized region of the Louisiana Purchase of the United States. Located just east of present-day Fort Calhoun, Nebraska, the fort was erected in 1819 and abandoned in 1827...
in 1819; Cabanné's Trading Post
Cabanne's Trading Post
Cabanne's Trading Post was established in 1822 by the American Fur Company as Fort Robidoux near present-day Dodge Park in North Omaha, Nebraska. It was named for influential fur trapper Joseph Robidoux...
, built in 1822, and Fontenelle's Post
Fontenelle's Post
Fontenelle's Post, first known as Pilcher's Post, and the site of the later city of Bellevue, was built in 1822 in the Nebraska Territory by Joshua Pilcher, then president of the Missouri Fur Company. Located on the Missouri River, it developed as one of the first European-American settlements in...
in 1823, in what became Bellevue
Bellevue, Nebraska
Bellevue is a city in Sarpy County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 50,137 at the 2010 census. Eight miles south of Omaha, Bellevue is part of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area. Originally settled in the 1830s, It was the first state capitol. Bellevue was incorporated in...
. There was fierce competition among fur traders until John Jacob Astor created the monopoly of the American Fur Company
American Fur Company
The American Fur Company was founded by John Jacob Astor in 1808. The company grew to monopolize the fur trade in the United States by 1830, and became one of the largest businesses in the country. The company was one the first great trusts in American business...
. The Mormons
Mormons
The Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, a religion started by Joseph Smith during the American Second Great Awakening. A vast majority of Mormons are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while a minority are members of other independent churches....
built a town called Cutler's Park
Cutler's Park
Cutler's Park was briefly the headquarter camp of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints established by 2500 members as they were making their way westward to the Rocky Mountains...
in the area in 1846. While it was temporary, the settlement provided the basis for further development in the future.
Through 26 separate treaties with the United States federal government, Native American tribes in Nebraska
Native American tribes in Nebraska
Native American tribes in the U.S. state of Nebraska have been Plains Indians, who have a history of varying cultures occupying the area for thousands of years. More than 15 tribes have been identified as having lived in, hunted in, or otherwise occupied territory within the current state boundaries...
gradually ceded the lands currently comprising the state. The treaty and cession involving the Omaha area occurred in 1854 when the Omaha Tribe ceded most of east-central Nebraska. Logan Fontenelle
Logan Fontenelle
Logan Fontenelle , also known as Shon-ga-ska , was a trader of French and Omaha ancestry, who served for years as an interpreter to the US Indian agent at the Bellevue Agency in Nebraska...
, chief of the Omaha, played an essential role in those proceedings.
Pioneer Omaha
Before it was legal to claim land in Indian CountryIndian Country
Indian country is a term used to describe the many self-governing Native American communities throughout the United States. This usage is reflected in many places, both legal and colloquial...
, William D. Brown
William D. Brown
William D. Brown was the first pioneer to envision building a city where Omaha, Nebraska sits today. Many historians attribute Brown to be the founder of Omaha, although this has been disputed since the late nineteenth century. Alfred D...
was operating the Lone Tree Ferry
Lone Tree Ferry
The Lone Tree Ferry, later known as the Council Bluffs and Nebraska Ferry Company, was the crossing of the Missouri River at Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Omaha, Nebraska, US, that was established in 1850 by William D. Brown...
to bring settlers from Council Bluffs, Iowa to the area that became Omaha. Brown is generally credited as having the first vision for a city where Omaha now sits. The passage of the Kansas–Nebraska Act in 1854 was presaged by the staking out of claims around the area to become Omaha by residents from neighboring Council Bluffs. On July 4, 1854, the city was informally established at a picnic on Capital Hill, current site of Omaha Central High School
Omaha Central High School
Omaha Central High School, originally known as Omaha High School, was founded in 1859.The current building, located in Downtown Omaha, Nebraska, was designed by John Latenser, Sr. and built between 1900 and 1912...
. Soon after, the Omaha Claim Club
Omaha Claim Club
The Omaha Claim Club, also called the Omaha Township Claim Association and the Omaha Land Company, was organized in 1854 for the purpose of "encouraging the building of a city" and protecting members' claims in the area platted for Omaha City in the Nebraska Territory. At its peak the club included...
was formed to provide vigilante
Vigilante
A vigilante is a private individual who legally or illegally punishes an alleged lawbreaker, or participates in a group which metes out extralegal punishment to an alleged lawbreaker....
justice for claim jumpers and others who infringed on the land of many of the city's founding fathers
Founding figures of Omaha, Nebraska
The following people were founding figures of Omaha, Nebraska. Their period of influence ranges from 1853 through 1900. Many in this group were members of the Old Settlers' Association and/or the Omaha Claim Club...
. Some of this land, which now wraps around Downtown Omaha, was later used to entice Nebraska Territorial legislators
Nebraska Territorial Legislature
The Nebraska Territorial Legislature was held from January 16, 1855 until 1865 in Omaha City, Nebraska Territory.- Slavery :In 1854 the Kansas-Nebraska Act created the Nebraska Territory, overturning the Missouri Compromise by allowing legislatures of the Nebraska and Kansas territories to...
to an area called Scriptown
Scriptown
Scriptown was the name of the first subdivision in the history of Omaha, which at the time was located in Nebraska Territory. It was called "Scriptown" because scrip was used as payment, similar to how a company would pay employees when regular money was unavailable...
. The Territorial capitol was located in Omaha, but when Nebraska became a state in 1867, the capital was relocated to Lincoln
Lincoln, Nebraska
The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
, 53 miles (85.3 km) south-west of Omaha. The U.S. Supreme Court later ruled against numerous landowners whose violent actions were condemned in Baker v. Morton
Baker v. Morton
Baker v. Morton, , was the first "serious" court case to come out of Omaha, Nebraska Territory, prior to statehood. In the trial a claim jumper fought against local land barons to stake out a homestead in the area that was to become the city of Omaha...
.
Many of Omaha's founding figures stayed at the Douglas House
Douglas House (Omaha)
The Douglas House was the second hotel in Omaha, Nebraska. Located in present-day Downtown Omaha on the southwest corner of 13th and Harney Streets, the hotel housed influential politicians, speculators, and the first court trial in the Nebraska Territory. A two-story frame structure, it...
or the Cozzens House Hotel
Cozzens House Hotel
The Cozzens House Hotel, later known as the Canfield House, was a pioneer hotel located at 9th & Harney Streets in downtown Omaha, Nebraska. Constructed in by Union Pacific promoter George Francis Train, the 120 room hotel cost $60,000 to build in 1867...
. Dodge Street
Dodge Street
Dodge Street is the main east–west street in Omaha, Nebraska. Numbered as U.S. Route 6, the street starts in Downtown Omaha and connects to West Dodge Road around 78th Street. From there it continues westward through the remainder of Douglas County....
was important early in the city's early commercial history; North 24th Street
North 24th Street
North 24th Street is a two-way street that runs south-north in the North Omaha area of Omaha, Nebraska. With the street beginning at Dodge Street, the historically significant section of the street runs from Cuming Street to Ames Avenue...
and South 24th Street
South Omaha Main Street Historic District
The South Omaha Main Street Historic District is located along South 24th Street between M and O Streets in South Omaha, Nebraska. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989...
developed independently as business districts, as well. Early pioneers were buried in Prospect Hill Cemetery and Cedar Hill Cemetery. Cedar Hill closed in the 1860s and its graves were moved to Prospect Hill, where pioneers were later joined by soldiers from Fort Omaha
Fort Omaha
Fort Omaha, originally known as Sherman Barracks and then Omaha Barracks, is an Indian War-era United States Army supply installation. Located at 5730 North 30th Street, with the entrance at North 30th and Fort Streets in modern-day North Omaha, Nebraska, the facility is primarily occupied by ...
, African Americans
African Americans in Omaha, Nebraska
African Americans in Omaha, Nebraska are central to the development and growth of the 43rd largest city in the United States. The first free black settler in the city arrived in 1854, the year the city was incorporated....
and early European immigrants
Ethnic groups in Omaha, Nebraska
Various ethnic groups in Omaha, Nebraska have lived in the city since its organization by Anglo-Americans in 1854. Native Americans of various nations lived in the Omaha territory for centuries before European arrival, and some stayed in the area. The city was founded by white Anglo-Saxon...
. There are several other historical cemeteries in Omaha, historical Jewish synagogues
Jews and Judaism in Omaha, Nebraska
The history of the Jews in Omaha, Nebraska goes back to the mid-1850s.The Jewish community in Omaha, Nebraska has made significant cultural, economic and social contributions to the city. The first Jewish settlers came to the city shortly after it was founded in 1856. The most numerous Jewish...
and historical Christian churches
Christianity in Omaha, Nebraska
Christianity in Omaha, Nebraska has been integral to the growth and development of the city since its founding in 1854. In addition to providing Christian religious and social leadership, individually and collectively the city's churches have also led a variety of political campaigns throughout the...
dating from the pioneer era, as well.
19th century
Steamboat Bertrand
The Steamboat Bertrand was owned by the J.J. Roe and Company in St. Louis, Missouri. Loaded with cargo heading for remote Virginia City, Montana Territory, the steamboat sank on April 1, 1865, after hitting a log in the Missouri River north of Omaha, Nebraska. Half of its cargo was recovered 100...
sank north of Omaha on its way to the goldfields in 1865. Its massive collection of artifacts is on display at the nearby Desoto National Wildlife Refuge
DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge
|DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge, created in 1958, is located along the banks of the Missouri River in the U.S. states of Iowa and Nebraska. The 8,362-acre refuge preserves an area that would had been otherwise lost to cultivation...
. The jobbing and wholesaling district brought new jobs, followed by the railroads
Railroads in Omaha
Railroads in Omaha, Nebraska have been integral to the growth and development of the city, the state of Nebraska, the Western United States and the entire United States...
and the stockyards. Groundbreaking for the First Transcontinental Railroad
First Transcontinental Railroad
The First Transcontinental Railroad was a railroad line built in the United States of America between 1863 and 1869 by the Central Pacific Railroad of California and the Union Pacific Railroad that connected its statutory Eastern terminus at Council Bluffs, Iowa/Omaha, Nebraska The First...
in 1863, provided an essential developmental boom for the city. The Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
was authorized by the U.S. Congress to begin building westward railways in 1862; in January 1866 it commenced construction out of Omaha.
Equally as important, the Union Stockyards
Union Stockyards (Omaha)
The Union Stockyards of Omaha, Nebraska were founded in 1883 in South Omaha by the Union Stock Yards Company of Omaha. A fierce rival of Chicago's Union Stock Yards, the Omaha Union Stockyards were third in the nation for production by 1890. In 1947 they were second to Chicago in the world...
were founded in 1883. Within twenty years of the founding of the Union Stockyards in South Omaha, four of the five major meatpacking companies in the United States were located in Omaha. By the 1950s, half the city's workforce was employed in meatpacking and processing. Meatpacking, jobbing and railroads were responsible for most of the growth in the city from the late 19th century through the early decades of the 20th century.
Immigrants
Ethnic groups in Omaha, Nebraska
Various ethnic groups in Omaha, Nebraska have lived in the city since its organization by Anglo-Americans in 1854. Native Americans of various nations lived in the Omaha territory for centuries before European arrival, and some stayed in the area. The city was founded by white Anglo-Saxon...
soon created ethnic enclave
Ethnic enclave
An ethnic enclave is an ethnic community which retains some cultural distinction from a larger, surrounding area, it may be a neighborhood, an area or an administrative division based on ethnic groups. Sometimes an entire city may have such a feel. Usually the enclave revolves around businesses...
s throughout the city, including Irish in Sheelytown in South Omaha; Germans in the Near North Side
Near North Side (Omaha, Nebraska)
The Near North Side of Omaha, Nebraska is the neighborhood immediately north of downtown. It forms the nucleus of the city's African-American community, and its name is often synonymous with the entire North Omaha area...
, joined by Eastern European Jews and black migrants from the South
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
; Little Italy and Little Bohemia
Little Bohemia (Omaha, Nebraska)
Little Bohemia, or Bohemian Town, is a historic neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska. Starting in the 1880s, Czech immigrants settled in this highly concentrated area, also called "Praha" or "Bohemian Town", bounded by South 10th Street on the east, South 16th Street on the west, Pierce Street on the...
in South Omaha. Beginning in the late 19th century, Omaha's upper class lived in posh enclaves throughout the city, including the south and north
Gold Coast Historic District (Omaha, Nebraska)
The Gold Coast Historic District is located in Midtown Omaha, Nebraska. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997, this historic district covers approximately a 30 block area roughly bounded by 36th, 40th, Jones, and Cuming Streets...
Gold Coast neighborhoods, Bemis Park, Kountze Place
Kountze Place
The Kountze Place neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska is a historically significant community on the city's north end. Today the neighborhood is home to several buildings and homes listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is located between North 16th Avenue on the east to North 30th...
, Field Club
Field Club
Field Club is a neighborhood located in Midtown Omaha, Nebraska. Roughly bounded by Pacific Street, 32nd Avenue, Center St., and 36th Street, the neighborhood was placed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district on November 15, 2000. Field Club is the location of dozens of...
and throughout Midtown Omaha
Midtown Omaha
Midtown is a geographic area of Omaha, Nebraska that is a culturally, socially and economically important area of the city. It is home to major research centers, national corporations, several historic districts, and a number of historic residences.-About:...
. They traveled the city's sprawling park system
Parks in Omaha, Nebraska
This is a list of parks in Omaha, Nebraska. It includes cemeteries and golf courses. Most parks in Omaha are governed by the City of Omaha Parks and Recreation Department.-History:In 1854 Alfred D. Jones drew four parks on the original map of Omaha City...
on boulevards
Boulevards in Omaha
Boulevards in Omaha are part of a park and boulevard system originally designed in 1889 by Horace Cleveland. There are more than one hundred and fifty kilometers of boulevards throughout the city of Omaha, Nebraska today...
designed by renowned landscape architect
Landscape architect
A landscape architect is a person involved in the planning, design and sometimes direction of a landscape, garden, or distinct space. The professional practice is known as landscape architecture....
Horace Cleveland
Horace Cleveland
Horace William Shaler Cleveland was a noted American landscape architect, sometimes considered second only to Frederick Law Olmsted...
. The Omaha Horse Railway
Omaha Horse Railway
The Omaha Horse Railway was a private transportation company in early Omaha, Nebraska. The company was founded in 1867 by Omaha pioneers Ezra Millard, Andrew J. Hanscom and Augustus Kountze to provide horsecar service in the city...
first carried passengers throughout the city, as did the later Omaha Cable Tramway Company
Omaha Cable Tramway Company
The Cable Tramway Company of Omaha, Nebraska started in 1884 and ended in 1895. was the only cable car line ever built in Omaha, and had only four lines of tracks in operation.-History:...
and several similar companies. In 1888, the Omaha and Council Bluffs Railway and Bridge Company
Omaha and Council Bluffs Railway and Bridge Company
The Omaha and Council Bluffs Railway and Bridge Company, known as O&CB, was incorporated in 1886 in order to connect Omaha, Nebraska with Council Bluffs, Iowa over the Missouri River...
built the Douglas Street Bridge, the first pedestrian and wagon bridge between Omaha and Council Bluffs. Gambling, drinking and prostitution were widespread in the 19th century, first rampant in the city's Burnt District
Burnt District
The Burnt District was the original red light district in Omaha, Nebraska in the late 19th century. The area was located east of Creighton University from Douglas Street six blocks north to Cass Street and from the Missouri River west to Sixteenth Street. It was the location of several notorious...
and later in the Sporting District. Controlled by Omaha's political boss
Political boss
A boss, in politics, is a person who wields the power over a particular political region or constituency. Bosses may dictate voting patterns, control appointments, and wield considerable influence in other political processes. They do not necessarily hold public office themselves...
Tom Dennison
Tom Dennison (political boss)
Tom Dennison, aka Pickhandle, Old Grey Wolf, was the early-20th century political boss of Omaha, Nebraska. A politically savvy, culturally astute gambler, Dennison was in charge of the city's wide crime rings, including prostitution, gambling and bootlegging in the 1920s...
by 1890, criminal elements
Crime in Omaha
Crime in Omaha, Nebraska has varied widely, ranging from the city's early years as a frontier town with typically widespread gambling and prostitution, to civic expectation of higher standards as the city grew, and contemporary concerns about violent crimes related to gangs and dysfunctions of...
enjoyed support from Omaha's "perpetual" mayor, "Cowboy Jim"
James Dahlman
James Charles Dahlman , also known as Jim Dahlman, Cowboy Jim and Mayor Jim, was elected to eight terms as mayor of Omaha, Nebraska, serving the city for 20 years over a 23-year-period. A German-American and an agnostic, Dahlman grew up in a ranching area and started working as a Texas cowboy...
Dahlman, nicknamed for his eight terms as mayor. Calamities such as the Great Flood of 1881
Great Flood of 1881
The Great Flood of 1881 refers to flooding events on the Missouri River during the spring of 1881. The flood struck Omaha, Nebraska and Council Bluffs, Iowa between April 1, 1881 and April 27, 1881...
did not slow down the city's violence. In 1882, the Camp Dump Strike
Camp Dump Strike
The Camp Dump Strike was a labor dispute that began on March 9, 1882 at the Burlington Yards in Omaha, Nebraska. The event pitted state militia against unionized strikers...
pitted state militia against unionized strikers, drawing national attention to Omaha's labor troubles. The Governor of Nebraska
Governor of Nebraska
The Governor of Nebraska holds the "supreme executive power" of the State of Nebraska as provided by the fourth article of the Nebraska Constitution. The current Governor is Dave Heineman, a Republican, who assumed office on January 20, 2005 upon the resignation of Mike Johanns . He won a full...
had to call in U.S. Army troops from nearby Fort Omaha to protect strikebreakers for the Burlington Railroad, bringing along Gatling gun
Gatling gun
The Gatling gun is one of the best known early rapid-fire weapons and a forerunner of the modern machine gun. It is well known for its use by the Union forces during the American Civil War in the 1860s, which was the first time it was employed in combat...
s and a cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
for defense. When the event ended, there was one man dead and several wounded. In 1891, a mob hanged Joe Coe
Joe Coe
Joe Coe, also known as George Smith, was an African-American laborer who was lynched on October 18, 1891 in Omaha, Nebraska. Overwhelmed by a mob of one thousand at the Douglas County Courthouse, the twelve city police officers stood by without intervening...
, an African-American porter after he was accused of raping a white girl. There were several other riots and civil unrest events in Omaha during this period, as well.
In 1898, Omaha's leaders, under the guidance of Gurdon Wattles
Gurdon Wattles
Gurdon Wallace Wattles was an early businessman, banker and civic leader in Omaha, Nebraska who became responsible for bankrolling much of early Hollywood...
, held the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition, touted as a celebration of agricultural and industrial growth throughout the Midwest. The Indian Congress
Indian Congress
The Indian Congress occurred from August 4 to October 31, 1898 in Omaha, Nebraska, in conjunction with the Trans-Mississippi International Exposition. Occurring within a decade of the end of the Indian Wars, the Indian Congress was the largest gathering of American Indian tribes of its kind to that...
, which drew more than 500 American Indians
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
from across the country, was held simultaneously. More than 2 million visitors attended these events, located at Kountze Park and the Omaha Driving Park
Omaha Driving Park
The Omaha Driving Park, later called Sunset Driving Park, was located in North Omaha, Nebraska, USA. It was an important recreational and sports venue in the history of Omaha.- History :...
in the Kountze Place
Kountze Place
The Kountze Place neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska is a historically significant community on the city's north end. Today the neighborhood is home to several buildings and homes listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is located between North 16th Avenue on the east to North 30th...
neighborhood.
20th century
Edward Cudahy, Jr.
Edward Aloysius Cudahy, Jr. , also known as Eddie Cudahy, was kidnapped on December 18, 1900 in Omaha, Nebraska. Edward Cudahy, Sr. was the wealthy owner of the Cudahy Packing Company, which helped build the Omaha Stockyards to world renown through the 1950s. The kidnapping caused a national uproar...
, the son of a local meatpacking magnate. The city's labor and management clashed in bitter strikes, racial tension
Racial tension in Omaha, Nebraska
Racial tension in Omaha, Nebraska occurred mostly because of the city's volatile mixture of high numbers of new immigrants from southern and eastern Europe and African-American migrants from the Deep South. While racial discrimination existed at several levels, the violent outbreaks were within...
escalated as blacks were hired as strikebreakers, and ethnic strife broke out. A major riot
Greek Town Riot
The Greek Town Riot was a race riot in South Omaha, Nebraska on February 21, 1909. According to the New York Times, 3,000 men were responsible for killing one boy, displacing the entire population of Greek Town, and burning down the Greek neighborhood in South Omaha.- Background :In February 1909,...
by ethnic whites in South Omaha destroyed the city's Greek Town in 1909, completely driving out the Greek population. The civil rights movement in Omaha
Civil rights movement in Omaha, Nebraska
The Civil rights movement in Omaha, Nebraska has roots that extend back until at least 1912. With a history of racial tension that starts before the founding of the city, Omaha has been the home of numerous overt efforts related to securing civil rights for African Americans since at least the...
has roots that extend back to 1912, when the first chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to...
west of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
was founded in the city. The Omaha Easter Sunday Tornado of 1913
Omaha Easter Sunday Tornado (1913)
The Omaha Easter Sunday Tornado struck Omaha, Nebraska at approximately 6:00 p.m. on 23 March 1913. A massive tornado-producing storm ripped its way through Nebraska, and through the thriving city of Omaha...
destroyed much of the city's African American
African Americans in Omaha, Nebraska
African Americans in Omaha, Nebraska are central to the development and growth of the 43rd largest city in the United States. The first free black settler in the city arrived in 1854, the year the city was incorporated....
community, in addition to much of Midtown Omaha. Six years later in 1919 the city was caught up in the Red Summer riots when thousands of ethnic whites marched from South Omaha to the courthouse to lynch a black worker, Willy Brown, a suspect in an alleged rape of a white woman. The mob burned the Douglas County Courthouse to get the prisoner, causing more than $1,000,000 damage. They hung and shot Will Brown, then burned his body. Troops were called in from Fort Omaha to quell the riot, prevent more crowds gathering in South Omaha, and to protect the black community in North Omaha.
The culture of North Omaha thrived throughout the 1920s through 1950s, with several creative figures, including Tillie Olsen
Tillie Olsen
Tillie Lerner Olsen was an American writer associated with the political turmoil of the 1930s and the first generation of American feminists.-Biography:...
, Wallace Thurman
Wallace Thurman
Wallace Henry Thurman was an American novelist during the Harlem Renaissance. He is best known for his novel The Blacker the Berry: A Novel of Negro Life, which explores discrimination among black people based on skin color.-Early life:...
, Lloyd Hunter
Lloyd Hunter
Lloyd Hunter was a trumpeter and big band leader from North Omaha, Nebraska. He led band across the Midwest from 1923 until his death. Hunter had also worked with Jessie Stone in Kansas City, Missouri.-Biography:...
, and Anna Mae Winburn
Anna Mae Winburn
Anna Mae Winburn, née Darden was an African American vocalist and jazz bandleader who flourished beginning in the mid 1930s...
emerging from the vibrant Near North Side. Musicians created their own world in Omaha, and also joined national bands and groups that toured and appeared in the city.
After the tumultuous Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
of the 1930s, Omaha rebounded with the development of Offutt Air Force Base
Offutt Air Force Base
Offutt Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force installation near Omaha, and lies adjacent to Bellevue in Sarpy County, Nebraska. It is the headquarters of the U.S...
just south of the city. The Glenn L. Martin Company
Glenn L. Martin Company
The Glenn L. Martin Company was an American aircraft and aerospace manufacturing company that was founded by the aviation pioneer Glenn L. Martin. The Martin Company produced many important aircraft for the defense of the United States and its allies, especially during World War II and the Cold War...
operated a factory there in the 1940s that produced 521 B-29 Superfortresses, including the Enola Gay
Enola Gay
Enola Gay is a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, named after Enola Gay Tibbets, mother of the pilot, then-Colonel Paul Tibbets. On August 6, 1945, during the final stages of World War II, it became the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb as a weapon of war...
and Bockscar
Bockscar
Bockscar, sometimes called Bock's Car or Bocks Car, is the name of the United States Army Air Forces B-29 bomber that dropped the "Fat Man" nuclear weapon over Nagasaki on 9 August 1945, the second atomic weapon used against Japan....
used in the atomic bombing of Japan
Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
During the final stages of World War II in 1945, the United States conducted two atomic bombings against the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, the first on August 6, 1945, and the second on August 9, 1945. These two events are the only use of nuclear weapons in war to date.For six months...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The construction of Interstates 80
Interstate 80
Interstate 80 is the second-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, following Interstate 90. It is a transcontinental artery running from downtown San Francisco, California to Teaneck, New Jersey in the New York City Metropolitan Area...
, 480 and 680, along with the North Omaha Freeway, spurred development. There was also controversy, particularly in North Omaha, where several neighborhoods were bisected by new routes. Creighton University
Creighton University
Creighton University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. The university is accredited by...
hosted the DePorres Club
DePorres Club
The DePorres Club was an early pioneer organization in the Civil Rights Movement in Omaha, Nebraska, whose "goals and tactics foreshadowed the efforts of civil rights activists throughout the nation in the 1960s." The club was an affiliate of CORE.-History:...
, an early civil rights group whose sit-in strategies for integration of public facilities predated the national movement, starting in 1947. Following the development of the Glenn L. Martin Company bomber manufacturing plant in Bellevue
Bellevue, Nebraska
Bellevue is a city in Sarpy County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 50,137 at the 2010 census. Eight miles south of Omaha, Bellevue is part of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area. Originally settled in the 1830s, It was the first state capitol. Bellevue was incorporated in...
at the beginning of World War II, the relocation of the Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
to the Omaha suburb in 1948 provided a major economic boost to the area.
From the 1950s through the 1960s, more than 40 insurance companies were headquartered in Omaha, including Woodmen of the World
Woodmen of the World
Woodmen of the World is a fraternal organization based in Omaha, Nebraska, United States, that operates a large privately held insurance company for its members....
and Mutual of Omaha
Mutual of Omaha
Mutual of Omaha is a Fortune 500 mutual insurance and financial services company based in Omaha, Nebraska. The company was founded in 1909 as Mutual Benefit Health and Accident Association.- History :...
. By the late 1960s, the city rivaled, but never surpassed, the United States insurance centers of Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
, New York City and Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. After surpassing Chicago in meat processing by the late 1950s, Omaha suffered the loss of 10,000 jobs as both the railroad and meatpacking industries restructured. The city struggled for decades to shift its economy as workers suffered. Poverty became more entrenched among families who remained in North Omaha. In the 1960s, three major race riots along North 24th Street
North 24th Street
North 24th Street is a two-way street that runs south-north in the North Omaha area of Omaha, Nebraska. With the street beginning at Dodge Street, the historically significant section of the street runs from Cuming Street to Ames Avenue...
destroyed the Near North Side's economic base, with recovery slow for decades. In 1969, Woodmen Tower
Woodmen Tower
The Woodmen Tower is a 478-ft high-rise building at 1700 Farnam Street in downtown Omaha, Nebraska, and is the headquarters of the Woodmen of the World insurance company. Originally completed in 1969, the Woodmen rises 30 stories...
was completed and became Omaha's tallest building and first major skyscraper at 478 feet (145.7 m), a sign of renewal.
Since the 1970s, Omaha has continued expanding and growing, mostly to available land to the west. West Omaha has become home to the majority of the city's population. North and South Omaha's populations continue to be centers of new immigrants, with economic and racial diversity. In 1975 a major tornado
Omaha Tornado of 1975
The 1975 Omaha tornado is a violent tornado that hit the Omaha, Nebraska metropolitan area. It was part of a two-day outbreak that struck the Midwest and Southern United States on May 6–7, 1975, ending in the very early hours of May 8 across Louisiana. South Dakota, Iowa, Texas and Mississippi were...
, along with a major blizzard, caused more than $
Dollar sign
The dollar or peso sign is a symbol primarily used to indicate the various peso and dollar units of currency around the world.- Origin :...
100 million in damages in 1975 dollars. Downtown Omaha has since been rejuvenated in numerous ways, starting with the development of Gene Leahy Mall
Gene Leahy Mall
Gene Leahy Mall, also known locally as Central Park or The Mall, is a park located at 1302 Farnam on the Mall in Downtown Omaha, Nebraska and bordered by South 10th Street. The Mall is encircled by a long pathway that wraps around a large lagoon. There are also waterfalls, two huge slides, a...
and W. Dale Clark Library in the late 1970s. In the 1980s, Omaha's fruit warehouses were converted into a shopping area called the Old Market. The demolition of Jobber's Canyon in 1989 led to the creation of the ConAgra Foods
ConAgra Foods
ConAgra Foods, Inc. is an American packaged foods company. ConAgra's products are available in supermarkets, as well as restaurants and food service establishments. Its headquarters are located in Omaha, Nebraska...
campus. Several nearby buildings, including the Nash Block
Nash Block
The Nash Block, also known as the McKesson-Robbins Warehouse and currently as The Greenhouse, is located at 902-912 Farnam Street in Omaha, Nebraska. Designed by Thomas R. Kimball and built in 1907, the building is the last remnant of Downtown Omaha's Jobbers Canyon...
, have been converted into condominiums. The stockyards were taken down; the only surviving building is the Livestock Exchange Building, which was converted to multi-use and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
21st century
Around the turn of the 21st century, several new downtown skyscrapers and cultural institutions were built. One First National Center was completed in 2002, replacing the Woodmen TowerWoodmen Tower
The Woodmen Tower is a 478-ft high-rise building at 1700 Farnam Street in downtown Omaha, Nebraska, and is the headquarters of the Woodmen of the World insurance company. Originally completed in 1969, the Woodmen rises 30 stories...
as the tallest building in Omaha as well as in the state at 638 feet (194.5 m). The creation of the city's new North Downtown
Nodo
Nodo may refer to:*NASA Orbital Debris Observatory, a telescope and astronomical survey operated by NASA from 1995 to 2002*NoDo, an area of downtown Omaha, Nebraska*No-Do, late 20th century Spanish newsreels*NoDo, the first update to Windows Phone 7...
included the construction of the Qwest Center and the Slowdown
Slowdown (venue)
Slowdown is an entertainment venue located at 729 North 14 Street in NoDo, a new development near the Near North Side neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska. A combination of a live music venue, shops, restaurants and apartments, the venue was developed by Saddle Creek Records as a direct competitor to...
/Film Streams
Film Streams
Film Streams is a nonprofit arts organization dedicated to enhancing the cultural environment of Omaha, Nebraska in the United States of America, and the surrounding region through the presentation and discussion of film.-About:...
development at North 14th and Webster Streets. Construction of the new TD Ameritrade Park began in 2009 and was completed in 2011, also in the North Downtown area, near the Qwest Center.
New construction has occurred throughout the city since the turn of the century. Important retail and office developments have occurred in West Omaha such as the Village Pointe shopping center and several business parks including First National Business Park
First National Business Park
First National Business Park is located at 144th & Dodge Streets, just north of Boys Town in West Omaha. CB Richard Ellis regards the park as Omaha's "most prestigious location"...
and parks for Bank of the West
Bank of the West
Bank of the West, is a commercial bank which sponsors the Bank of the West Classic professional tennis tournament, a U.S. Open series event.-History:Bank of the West began as Farmers National Gold Bank of San Jose, California, in 1874...
and C&A Industries, Inc
C&A Industries, Inc
C&A Industries is the parent company of a portfolio of specialized staffing and recruiting firms, based in Omaha, Nebraska. The company currently employs over 450 internally in its corporate and regional offices, including Omaha, Nebraska ; Lincoln, Nebraska; Kansas City, Missouri; and Des Moines,...
and Morgan Stanley Smith Barney and several others. Downtown and Midtown Omaha have both seen the development of a significant number of condominium
Condominium
A condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...
s in recent years. In Midtown Omaha
Midtown Omaha
Midtown is a geographic area of Omaha, Nebraska that is a culturally, socially and economically important area of the city. It is home to major research centers, national corporations, several historic districts, and a number of historic residences.-About:...
significant mixed-use projects are underway. The site of the former Ak-Sar-Ben arena is being redeveloped into a mixed use development Aksarben Village
Aksarben Village
Aksarben Village is a new million sq ft mixed-use development located on the land of the old Ak-sar-ben coliseum and horse track in Midtown Omaha, Nebraska. There is over of space for research and business office and of retail and entertainment space. There are over 500 housing units and a 135...
. In January 2009 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska
Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association
The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association is a federation of 39 separate health insurance organizations and companies in the United States. Combined, they directly or indirectly provide health insurance to over 100 million Americans. The history of Blue Cross dates back to 1929, while the history of...
announced plans to build a new 10 story, $98 million headquarters, in the Aksarben Village
Aksarben Village
Aksarben Village is a new million sq ft mixed-use development located on the land of the old Ak-sar-ben coliseum and horse track in Midtown Omaha, Nebraska. There is over of space for research and business office and of retail and entertainment space. There are over 500 housing units and a 135...
, to be completed in Spring 2011. The other major mixed-use development is Midtown Crossing at Turner Park
Midtown Crossing at Turner Park
Midtown Crossing at Turner Park is a million square-foot, seven-building, mixed-use development located in Midtown Omaha, Nebraska. Its borders are 31st to 33rd streets and Dodge to Harney streets...
. Being developed by Mutual of Omaha
Mutual of Omaha
Mutual of Omaha is a Fortune 500 mutual insurance and financial services company based in Omaha, Nebraska. The company was founded in 1909 as Mutual Benefit Health and Accident Association.- History :...
, the development includes construction of several condominium towers and retail businesses built around Omaha
Omaha
Omaha may refer to:*Omaha , a Native American tribe that currently resides in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Nebraska-Places:United States* Omaha, Nebraska* Omaha, Arkansas* Omaha, Georgia* Omaha, Illinois* Omaha, Texas...
's Turner Park.
The Holland Performing Arts Center
Holland Performing Arts Center
The Holland Performing Arts Center is a performing arts facility located on 13th and Douglas Streets in downtown Downtown Omaha, Nebraska, Nebraska in the United States; it opened in October 2005. Designed by Omaha architectural firm HDR, Inc...
opened in 2005 near the Gene Leahy Mall
Gene Leahy Mall
Gene Leahy Mall, also known locally as Central Park or The Mall, is a park located at 1302 Farnam on the Mall in Downtown Omaha, Nebraska and bordered by South 10th Street. The Mall is encircled by a long pathway that wraps around a large lagoon. There are also waterfalls, two huge slides, a...
and the Union Pacific Center
Union Pacific Center
The Union Pacific Center at 1400 Douglas Street is one of downtown Omaha, Nebraska's newest high-rise buildings. It houses the headquarters of the Union Pacific Railroad and its parent company, the Union Pacific Corporation. It officially opened in June 2004 and rises 317 ft making it the fourth...
opened in 2004.
There have also been several developments along the Missouri River waterfront in downtown. The Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge was opened to foot and bicycle traffic on September 28, 2008. Started in 2003, RiverFront Place Condos
RiverFront Place Condos
RiverFront Place Condos is a new condo development located along the riverfront in Downtown Omaha, Nebraska. It consists of two condo towers anchored by two rows of town homes. Tower one, completed in 2006, is 12 stories tall and holds 36 units. Tower two began construction in 2009 and will be 15...
first phase was completed in 2006 and is fully occupied and construction of the second tower began in 2009. The development along Omaha's riverfront is attributed with prompting the City of Council Bluffs to move their own riverfront development time line forward.
In summer 2008 the United States Olympic Team swimming trials were held in Omaha. The event was a highlight in the city's sports community, as well as a showcase for redevelopment in the downtown area.
Geography
- See also: Geography of OmahaGeography of OmahaThe geography of Omaha, Nebraska is characterized by its riverfront position alongside the Missouri River. The city's geography, with its proximity to the river was a factor in making Omaha the "Gateway of the West" from which thousands of settlers traveled into the American West during the 19th...
, Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan areaOmaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan areaThe Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area is a metropolitan area comprising the cities of Omaha, Nebraska, Council Bluffs, Iowa, and surrounding areas. The Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area has a population of 865,350 . The metropolitan area, as defined by the Office of Management and Budget,...
.
Omaha is located at 41°15′N 96°0′W. According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 118.9 square miles (307.9 km²). 115.7 square miles (299.7 km²) of it is land and 3.2 square miles (8.2 km²) of it is water. The total area is 2.67% water. Situated in the Midwestern United States on the shore of the Missouri River in eastern Nebraska, much of Omaha is built in the Missouri River Valley
Missouri River Valley
The Missouri River Valley outlines the journey of the Missouri River from its headwaters where the Madison, Jefferson and Gallatin Rivers flow together in Montana to its confluence with the Mississippi River in the State of Missouri. At long the valley drains one-sixth of the United States, and is...
. Other significant bodies of water in the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area include Lake Manawa, Papillion Creek
Papillion Creek
Papillion Creek is a tributary of the Missouri River in Nebraska. Its watershed lies in Washington, Douglas and Sarpy counties, including parts of the city of Omaha. The main branch of Papillion Creek is known as Big Papillion Creek...
, Carter Lake, Platte River and the Glenn Cunningham Lake
Glenn Cunningham Lake
Glenn Cunningham Lake is located in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. The park is located along 96th Street with entrances at State Highway 36, State Street, 96th Street and Rainwood Road. The lake is a part of Little Papillion Creek, which is part of the Papillion Creek watershed.Glenn Cunningham...
. The city's land has been altered considerably with substantial land grading
Land grading
Grading in civil engineering and construction is the work of ensuring a level base, or one with a specified slope, for a construction work such as a foundation, the base course for a road or a railway, or landscape and garden improvements, or surface drainage...
throughout Downtown Omaha and scattered across the city. East Omaha sits on a flood plain west of the Missouri River. The area is the location of Carter Lake, an oxbow lake
Oxbow lake
An oxbow lake is a U-shaped body of water formed when a wide meander from the main stem of a river is cut off to create a lake. This landform is called an oxbow lake for the distinctive curved shape, named after part of a yoke for oxen. In Australia, an oxbow lake is called a billabong, derived...
. The lake was once the site of East Omaha Island and Florence Lake, which dried up in the 1920s.
The Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area consists of eight counties; five in Nebraska and three in Iowa. now includes Harrison
Harrison County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 14,928 in the county, with a population density of . There were 6,731 housing units, of which 5,987 were occupied.-2000 census:...
, Pottawattamie
Pottawattamie County, Iowa
Pottawattamie County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 93,158 in the 2010 census, an increase from 87,704 in the 2000 census and is the second largest county by area in Iowa. The Pottawattamie county seat is located at Council Bluffs. It is one of three Iowa...
, and Mills
Mills County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 15,059 in the county, with a population density of . There were 6,109 housing units, of which 5,605 were occupied.-2000 census:...
Counties in Iowa and Washington
Washington County, Nebraska
-National protected areas:*Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge*DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 18,780 people, 6,940 households, and 5,149 families residing in the county. The population density was 48 people per square mile . There were 7,408...
, Douglas, Sarpy
Sarpy County, Nebraska
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 122,595 people, 43,426 households, and 33,220 families residing in the county. The population density was 510 people per square mile . There were 44,981 housing units at an average density of 187 per square mile...
, Cass
Cass County, Nebraska
-Other Geographical notes:Due to its proximity to Cass County, Iowa, and because both of those counties receive most of their broadcasts from Omaha, Nebraska, references to 'Cass County' must be frequently disambiguated, or result in confusion.-Demographics:...
, and Saunders
Saunders County, Nebraska
-History:Saunders County was established by an 1856 act of the Nebraska Territorial Legislature; its boundaries were redefined in 1858. The county was originally named after John C...
Counties in Nebraska. This area was formerly referred to only as the Omaha Metropolitan Statistical Area and consisted of only five counties: Pottawattamie in Iowa, and Washington, Douglas, Cass, and Sarpy in Nebraska. The Omaha-Council Bluffs combined statistical area
Combined Statistical Area
The United States Office of Management and Budget defines micropolitan and metropolitan statistical areas. Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas consist of one or more counties...
comprises the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan statistical area
United States metropolitan area
In the United States a metropolitan statistical area is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are not legally incorporated as a city or town would be, nor are they legal administrative divisions like...
and the Fremont
Fremont, Nebraska
Fremont is a city in and the county seat of Dodge County, Nebraska, United States, near Omaha in the eastern part of the state. The population was 26,397 at the 2010 census....
Micropolitan statistical area
United States micropolitan area
United States Micropolitan Statistical Areas , as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget, are urban areas in the United States based around a core city or town with a population of 10,000 to 49,999. The micropolitan area designation was created in 2003...
; the CSA has a population of 858,720 (2005 Census Bureau estimate). Omaha ranks as the 42nd-largest city in the United States, and is the core city of its 60th-largest metropolitan area. There are currently no consolidated city-counties
Consolidated city-county
In United States local government, a consolidated city–county is a city and county that have been merged into one unified jurisdiction. As such it is simultaneously a city, which is a municipal corporation, and a county, which is an administrative division of a state...
in the area; the City of Omaha
Government of Omaha
The government of the City of Omaha, Nebraska consists of the Mayor of Omaha, the Omaha City Council and various departments of the City of Omaha, which in located in Douglas County, Nebraska. The city of Omaha was founded in 1854 and incorporated in 1857....
studied the possibility extensively through 2003 and concluded, "The City of Omaha and Douglas County should merge into a municipal county, work to commence immediately, and that functional consolidations begin immediately in as many departments as possible, including but not limited to parks, fleet management, facilities management, local planning
Urban planning
Urban planning incorporates areas such as economics, design, ecology, sociology, geography, law, political science, and statistics to guide and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities....
, purchasing and personnel."
Geographically, Omaha is considered as being located in the "Heartland" of the United States. Important environmental impacts on the natural habitat in the area include the spread of invasive plant species, restoring prairie
Prairie
Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...
s and bur oak
Bur oak
Quercus macrocarpa, the Bur Oak, sometimes spelled Burr Oak, is a species of oak in the white oak section Quercus sect. Quercus, native to North America in the eastern and midwestern United States and south-central Canada...
savanna
Savanna
A savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses.Some...
habitats, and managing the whitetail deer population.
Omaha is home to several hospitals, located mostly along Dodge St (US6). Being the county seat, it is also the location of the county courthouse.
Neighborhoods
Girls and Boys Town
Boys Town, formerly Girls and Boys Town and Father Flanagan's Boys' Home, is a non-profit organization dedicated to caring for its children and families, with national headquarters in the village of Boys Town, Nebraska...
, Regency, and Gateway areas. There is also a small community in East Omaha. The city has a wide range of historical and new neighborhoods and suburbs that reflect its socioeconomic diversity. Early neighborhood development happened in ethnic enclaves, including Little Italy, Little Bohemia
Little Bohemia (Omaha, Nebraska)
Little Bohemia, or Bohemian Town, is a historic neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska. Starting in the 1880s, Czech immigrants settled in this highly concentrated area, also called "Praha" or "Bohemian Town", bounded by South 10th Street on the east, South 16th Street on the west, Pierce Street on the...
, Little Mexico
Little Mexico
Little Mexico is a former neighborhood in Dallas, Texas, encompassing the area bordered by Maple Avenue, McKinney Avenue and the MKT Railroad. Formerly a Polish Jewish neighborhood, it grew into Little Mexico starting from the 1910s until the 1980s...
and Greek Town. According to U.S. Census data, five European ethnic enclaves existed in Omaha in 1880, expanding to nine in 1900.
At the turn of the 20th century. the City of Omaha annexed several surrounding communities, including Florence
Florence, Nebraska
Florence is a neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska on the city's north end and originally one of the oldest cities in Nebraska. It was incorporated by the Nebraska Territorial Legislature on March 10, 1857. The site of Winter Quarters for Mormon migrants traveling west, it has the oldest cemetery for...
, Dundee
Dundee, Nebraska
The Dundee-Happy Hollow Historic District is located west of Midtown Omaha, Nebraska. It covers the area between Leavenworth Street on the south, Hamilton Street on the north, Happy Hollow Boulevard on the west, and 46th Street on the east. The "heart" of Dundee is located at 50th and Underwood...
and Benson
Benson, Nebraska
Benson is a historic neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska. Now a pocket within North Omaha, Benson Place was originally platted in 1887 and was annexed into the City of Omaha in 1917.-History:...
. At the same time, the city annexed all of South Omaha, including the Dahlman
Dahlman neighborhood
The Dahlman neighborhood is located south of downtown Omaha, Nebraska. One of the oldest neighborhoods in the city, it was originally platted in 1856. It was later named after "Cowboy" James Dahlman, an eight-term mayor of Omaha.-History:...
and Burlington Road neighborhood
Burlington Road neighborhood
The Burlington Road neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska is bordered by South 42nd Street on the west, L Street on the south, Interstate 80 on the north and Dahlman Avenue on the east...
s. From its first annexation in 1857 (of East Omaha) to its recent and controversial annexation of Elkhorn
Elkhorn, Nebraska
Elkhorn was a city in Douglas County, Nebraska, United States and is a present-day neighborhood on the western edge of Omaha. The population was 6,062 at the 2000 census and was estimated by the Census Bureau at 8,192 in 2005...
, Omaha has continually had an eye towards growth.
Starting in the 1950s, development of highways and new housing led to movement of middle class to suburbs in West Omaha. Some of the movement was designated as white flight
White flight
White flight has been a term that originated in the United States, starting in the mid-20th century, and applied to the large-scale migration of whites of various European ancestries from racially mixed urban regions to more racially homogeneous suburban or exurban regions. It was first seen as...
from racial unrest in the 1960s. Newer and poorer migrants lived in older housing close to downtown; those residents who were more established moved west into newer housing. Some suburbs are gated communities or have become edge cities
Edge city
"Edge city" is an American term for a concentration of business, shopping, and entertainment outside a traditional urban area in what had recently been a residential suburb or semi-rural community...
. Recently, Omahans have made strides to revitalize the downtown and Midtown areas with the redevelopment of the Old Market, Turner Park, Gifford Park, and the designation of the Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District
Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District
The Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District, roughly bounded by Jackson, 15th, and 8th Streets, as well as the Union Pacific main line, is located in downtown Omaha, Nebraska...
.
Landmark preservation
Historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries, historic districts receive legal protection from development....
s, including Fort Omaha Historic District, Gold Coast Historic District
Gold Coast Historic District (Omaha, Nebraska)
The Gold Coast Historic District is located in Midtown Omaha, Nebraska. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997, this historic district covers approximately a 30 block area roughly bounded by 36th, 40th, Jones, and Cuming Streets...
, Omaha Quartermaster Depot Historic District
Omaha Quartermaster Depot Historic District
The Omaha Quartermaster Depot Historic District, including several brick structures built in Italianate and other styles, was built for the U.S. Army between 1881 and 1894...
, Field Club Historic District, Bemis Park Historic District, and the South Omaha Main Street Historic District. Omaha is notorious for its 1989 demolition of 24 buildings in the Jobbers Canyon Historic District, which represents to date the largest loss of buildings on the National Register. The only original building surviving of that complex is the Nash Block
Nash Block
The Nash Block, also known as the McKesson-Robbins Warehouse and currently as The Greenhouse, is located at 902-912 Farnam Street in Omaha, Nebraska. Designed by Thomas R. Kimball and built in 1907, the building is the last remnant of Downtown Omaha's Jobbers Canyon...
.
Omaha has almost one hundred individual properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, including the Bank of Florence
Bank of Florence
The Bank of Florence was an early wildcat bank located at 8502 North 30th Street in Florence, Nebraska Territory. After originally opening in the 1850s, it closed and reopened in 1904. Today the building that housed the bank is the Bank of Florence Museum...
, Holy Family Church
Holy Family Catholic Church (Omaha, Nebraska)
Holy Family Church was built in 1883 at 1715 Izard Street, at the intersections of 18th and Izard Streets in North Omaha, Nebraska. It is the oldest existing Catholic Church in Omaha, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.-History:...
, the Christian Specht Building
Christian Specht Building
The Christian Specht Building is located at 1110 Douglas Street in downtown Omaha, Nebraska. It is the only existing building with a cast iron facade known in Nebraska today, and one of the few ever built in the state...
and the Joslyn Castle
Joslyn Castle
The George and Sarah Joslyn Home , is a folly located at 3902 Davenport Street in the Gold Coast Historic District of Omaha, Nebraska, USA. Built in the Scottish Baronial style in 1903, the Castle was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972...
. There are also three properties designated as National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
s.
Locally designated landmarks
Omaha Landmarks
This article covers Landmarks in Omaha, Nebraska designated by the City of Omaha Landmark Heritage Preservation Commission. In addition, it includes structures or buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places and those few designated as National Historic Landmarks, indicating their...
, including residential, commercial, religious, educational, agricultural and socially significant locations across the city, honor Omaha's cultural legacy and important history. The City of Omaha
Government of Omaha
The government of the City of Omaha, Nebraska consists of the Mayor of Omaha, the Omaha City Council and various departments of the City of Omaha, which in located in Douglas County, Nebraska. The city of Omaha was founded in 1854 and incorporated in 1857....
Landmarks Heritage Preservation Commission
Landmarks Heritage Preservation Commission
The City of Omaha Landmarks Heritage Preservation Commission, established in 1977, is a the Omaha city government's a nine-member board responsible for recommending official Omaha Landmarks to the Omaha City Council...
is the government body that works with the mayor of Omaha and the Omaha City Council
Omaha City Council
The City Council of Omaha, Nebraska is elected every four years on a nonpartisan basis. The next election will occur in 2009. Omaha has a strong mayor form of government. Members are elected by district...
to protect historic places. Important history organizations in the community include the Douglas County Historical Society
Douglas County Historical Society
The Douglas County Historical Society, or DCHS, is located at 5730 North 30th Street in the General Crook House at Fort Omaha in north Omaha, Nebraska...
.
Climate
Omaha, due to its latitude of 41.26˚N and location far from moderating bodies of water or mountain ranges, displays a humid continental climateHumid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot summers and cold winters....
(Koppen
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
Dfa), with hot summers and cold winters. July averages 76.7 °F (24.8 °C), with moderate, but sometimes high humidity and relatively frequent thunderstorms, usually rather violent and capable of spawning severe weather or tornadoes; the January mean is 21.7 °F (-5.7 °C). The lowest temperature recorded in the city was -32 F on January 5, 1884, and the highest 114 °F (45.6 °C) on July 25, 1936. Average yearly precipitation is 30.2 inches (767.1 mm), falling mostly in the warmer months. What precipitation does fall in winter usually takes the form of snow, with average yearly snowfall being around 26.8 inches (68 cm).
Demographics
According to the 2006–2008 American Community SurveyAmerican Community Survey
The American Community Survey is an ongoing statistical survey by the U.S. Census Bureau, sent to approximately 250,000 addresses monthly . It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the decennial census...
, the racial composition of Omaha was as follows:
- WhiteWhite AmericanWhite Americans are people of the United States who are considered or consider themselves White. The United States Census Bureau defines White people as those "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa...
: 76.7% (Non-Hispanic WhitesNon-Hispanic WhitesNon-Hispanic Whites or White, Not Hispanic or Latino are people in the United States, as defined by the Census Bureau, who are of the White race and are not of Hispanic or Latino origin/ethnicity. Hence the designation is exclusive in the sense that it defines who is not included as opposed to who is...
: 71.1%) - Black or African AmericanAfrican AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
: 12.8% - Native AmericanNative Americans in the United StatesNative Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
: 0.4% - AsianAsian AmericanAsian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
: 2.1% - Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific IslanderPacific Islander AmericanPacific Islander Americans, also known as Oceanian Americans, are residents of the United States with original ancestry from Oceania. They represent the smallest racial group counted in the United States census of 2000. They numbered 874,000 people or 0.3 percent of the United States population...
: 0.1% - Some other race: 5.1%
- Two or more racesMultiracial AmericanMultiracial Americans, US residents who identify themselves as of "two or more races", were numbered at around 9 million, or 2.9% of the population, in the census of 2010. However there is considerable evidence that the real number is far higher. Prior to the mid-20th century many people hid their...
: 2.8%
- Hispanic or LatinoHispanic and Latino AmericansHispanic or Latino Americans are Americans with origins in the Hispanic countries of Latin America or in Spain, and in general all persons in the United States who self-identify as Hispanic or Latino.1990 Census of Population and Housing: A self-designated classification for people whose origins...
: 11.4%
Source:
As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there are 390,007 people, 156,738 households, and 94,983 families residing within city limits. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
is 3,370.7 people per square mile (1,301.5/km²). There are 165,731 housing units at an average density of 1,432.4 per square mile (553.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city is 78.39% White, 13.31% African American, 0.67% Native American, 1.74% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 3.91% from other races, and 1.92% from two or more races. 7.54% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 156,738 households out of which 30.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.8% are married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 13.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 39.4% are non-families. 31.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.42 and the average family size is 3.10. In the city the average age of the population is diverse with 25.6% under the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 92.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
40,006, and the median income for a family is $50,821. Males have a median income of $34,301 versus $26,652 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city is $21,756. 11.3% of the population and 7.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 15.6% of those under the age of 18 and 7.4% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
People
Native American tribes in Nebraska
Native American tribes in the U.S. state of Nebraska have been Plains Indians, who have a history of varying cultures occupying the area for thousands of years. More than 15 tribes have been identified as having lived in, hunted in, or otherwise occupied territory within the current state boundaries...
were the first residents in the Omaha area. The city of Omaha was established by European Americans from neighboring Council Bluffs who arrived from the Northeast United States a few years earlier. While much of the early population was of Yankee
Yankee
The term Yankee has several interrelated and often pejorative meanings, usually referring to people originating in the northeastern United States, or still more narrowly New England, where application of the term is largely restricted to descendants of the English settlers of the region.The...
stock, over the next 100 years numerous ethnic groups
Ethnic groups in Omaha, Nebraska
Various ethnic groups in Omaha, Nebraska have lived in the city since its organization by Anglo-Americans in 1854. Native Americans of various nations lived in the Omaha territory for centuries before European arrival, and some stayed in the area. The city was founded by white Anglo-Saxon...
moved to the city. Irish
Irish in Omaha, Nebraska
The Irish in Omaha, Nebraska have constituted a major ethnic group throughout the history of the city, and continue to serve as important religious and political leaders. They compose a large percentage of the local population....
immigrants in Omaha originally moved to an area in present-day North Omaha called "Gophertown", as they lived in dirt dugouts. That population was followed by Polish immigrants in the Sheelytown neighborhood, and many immigrants were recruited for jobs in South Omaha's stockyards
Union Stockyards (Omaha)
The Union Stockyards of Omaha, Nebraska were founded in 1883 in South Omaha by the Union Stock Yards Company of Omaha. A fierce rival of Chicago's Union Stock Yards, the Omaha Union Stockyards were third in the nation for production by 1890. In 1947 they were second to Chicago in the world...
and meatpacking industry. The German community
Germans in Omaha, Nebraska
Germans in Omaha immigrated to the city in Nebraska from its earliest days of founding in 1854, in the years after the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states. They continued to immigrate to Omaha in large numbers later in the 19th century, when many came from Bavaria and southern Germany...
in Omaha was largely responsible for founding its once-thriving beer industry, including the Metz
Metz Brewery
The Metz Brothers Brewing Company was among the first brewers in the U.S. state of Nebraska, having been established in the city of Omaha in 1859. It was among the earliest manufacturers in the city. After originally opening as the McCumbe Brewery, the facility was sold several times until brothers...
, Krug
Krug Brewery
The Fred Krug Brewery was located at 2435 Deer Park Boulevard in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded in 1859, Krug Brewery was the first brewery in the city. Krug was one of the "Big 4" brewers located in Omaha, which also included the Storz, Willow Springs and Metz breweries...
, Falstaff and the Storz breweries.
In the early 20th century, Jewish
Jews and Judaism in Omaha, Nebraska
The history of the Jews in Omaha, Nebraska goes back to the mid-1850s.The Jewish community in Omaha, Nebraska has made significant cultural, economic and social contributions to the city. The first Jewish settlers came to the city shortly after it was founded in 1856. The most numerous Jewish...
immigrants set up numerous businesses along the North 24th Street
North 24th Street
North 24th Street is a two-way street that runs south-north in the North Omaha area of Omaha, Nebraska. With the street beginning at Dodge Street, the historically significant section of the street runs from Cuming Street to Ames Avenue...
commercial area. It suffered with the loss of industrial jobs in the 1960s and later, and the shifting of population west of the city. The commercial area is now the center of the African American community
African Americans in Omaha, Nebraska
African Americans in Omaha, Nebraska are central to the development and growth of the 43rd largest city in the United States. The first free black settler in the city arrived in 1854, the year the city was incorporated....
, concentrated in North Omaha. The African-American community has maintained its social and religious base, while it is currently experiencing an economic revitalization.
Omaha's first Italian enclave
Little Italy (Omaha)
Little Italy is a neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. Historically the home to the city's Italian population, Little Italy was the source for much of Omaha's bootlegging during Prohibition, many laborers for the Union Pacific railroad, and the Santa Lucia Procession, which started in 1924 and...
grew south of downtown, with many Italian immigrants coming to the city to work in the Union Pacific shops
Union Pacific Railroad Omaha Shops Facility
The Union Pacific Railroad Omaha Shops Facility was a shop for the trains of the Union Pacific located at North 9th and Webster in Downtown Omaha. With the first locomotives arriving in 1865, it took until the 1950s for the facility to become the major overhaul and maintenance facility for the...
. Scandinavians first came to Omaha as Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
settlers in the Florence neighborhood
Florence, Nebraska
Florence is a neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska on the city's north end and originally one of the oldest cities in Nebraska. It was incorporated by the Nebraska Territorial Legislature on March 10, 1857. The site of Winter Quarters for Mormon migrants traveling west, it has the oldest cemetery for...
. Czechs
Czechs in Omaha, Nebraska
Czechs in Omaha, Nebraska have made significant contributions to the political, social and cultural development of the city since the first immigrants arrived in 1868.-About:In the 1860s many Czechs, primarily from Bohemia and Moravia, immigrated to Nebraska...
had a strong political and cultural voice in Omaha, and were involved in a variety of trades and businesses, including banks, wholesale houses, and funeral homes. The Notre Dame Academy and Convent
Notre Dame Academy and Convent
The Notre Dame Academy and Convent is located at 3501 State Street in the Florence neighborhood on the north end of Omaha, Nebraska. It is significant for its ethnic association with the Czech population in Nebraska as the only school and convent of the Czechoslovakian School Sisters de Notre Dame ...
and Czechoslovak Museum
Czechoslovak Museum
The Czechoslovak Museum is located at 2021 U Street in South Omaha, Nebraska.-History:The original Sokol Hall was established in 1911. It did not contain a Czech museum at that time, but was specifically a social hall for the Sokol organization. In the 1980s the museum was added to the building...
are legacies of their residence. Today the legacy of the city's early European immigrant populations is evident in many social and cultural institutions in Downtown and South Omaha.
Mexicans
Mexicans in Omaha, Nebraska
Mexicans in Omaha are people living in Omaha, Nebraska, United States who have citizenship or ancestral connections to the country Mexico. They have contributed to the economic, social and cultural well-being of Omaha for more than a century. Mexicans, or Latino people identified incorrectly as...
originally immigrated to Omaha to work in the rail yards. Today they compose the majority of South Omaha's Hispanic population and many have taken jobs in meat processing. Other significant early ethnic populations in Omaha included Danes
Danes in Omaha, Nebraska
The Danish people in Omaha, Nebraska were a predominant ethnic group in the city in the 1920s, and were notable for that compared to other cities across the United States...
, Poles
Poles in Omaha
Poles in Omaha, Nebraska arrived relatively early in the city's history. The first Polish immigrants came in the 1870s, and the community grew past 1000 in the late 1890s. By the 1930s there were 10,000 of Polish descent, and Omaha claimed the largest such community of the Great Plains...
, and Swedes
Swedes in Omaha, Nebraska
The Swedes in Omaha, Nebraska are a long-standing ethnic group in the city with important economic, social, and political ties.- History :The first Swedes in Omaha came through Florence at the Winter Quarters of the Mormons...
.
A growing number of African immigrants have made their homes in Omaha in the last twenty years. There are approximately 8,500 Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
ese living in Omaha, comprising the largest population of Sudanese refugees in the United States. Most have immigrated since 1995 because of warfare in their nation. Ten different tribes are represented, including the Nuer, Dinka
Dinka
The Dinka is an ethnic group inhabiting the Bahr el Ghazal region of the Nile basin, Jonglei and parts of southern Kordufan and Upper Nile regions. They are mainly agro-pastoral people, relying on cattle herding at riverside camps in the dry season and growing millet and other varieties of grains ...
, Equatoria
Equatoria
Equatoria is a region in the south of present-day South Sudan along the upper reaches of the White Nile. Originally a province of Egypt, it also contained most of Northern part of present day Uganda including Albert Lake...
ns, Maubans and Nubians. Most Sudanese people in Omaha speak the Nuer language
Nuer language
The Nuer language is a Nilo-Saharan language of the Western Nilotic group. It is spoken by the Nuer people of South Sudan and in western Ethiopia. Nuer is one of eastern and central Africa's most widely spoken languages. The Nuer nation is one of the largest in South Sudan.Nuer language has a...
. Other Africans have immigrated to Omaha as well, with one-third from Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, and significant populations from Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, Togo
Togo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
, Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
and Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
.
Race relations
With the expansion of railroad and industrial jobs in meatpacking, Omaha attracted many new immigrants and migrants. As the major city in Nebraska, it has historically been more racially and ethnically diverse than the rest of the state. At times rapid population change, overcrowded housing and job competition have aroused racial and ethnic tensions. Around the turn of the 20th century, violence towards new immigrants in Omaha often erupted out of suspicions and fears.The Greek Town
Greeks in Omaha, Nebraska
The community of Greeks in Omaha, Nebraska has a history that extends back to the 1880s. After they originally moved to the city following work with the railroads, the community quickly grew and founded a substantial neighborhood in South Omaha that was colloquially referred to as "Greek Town." The...
Riot in 1909 flared after increased Greek immigration, Greeks' working as strikebreakers, and the killing of an Irish policeman provoked violence among earlier immigrants such as ethnic Irish. That mob violence forced the Greek
Greeks in Omaha, Nebraska
The community of Greeks in Omaha, Nebraska has a history that extends back to the 1880s. After they originally moved to the city following work with the railroads, the community quickly grew and founded a substantial neighborhood in South Omaha that was colloquially referred to as "Greek Town." The...
immigrant population to flee from the city. By 1910, 53.7% of Omaha’s residents and 64.2% of South Omaha’s residents were foreign born or had at least one parent born outside of America. Six years after the Greek Town Riot, in 1915, a Mexican immigrant named Juan Gonzalez was killed by a mob near Scribner
Scribner, Nebraska
Scribner is a city in Dodge County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 971 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Scribner is located at ....
, a town in the Greater Omaha metropolitan area. The event occurred after an Omaha Police Department officer was investigating a criminal operation selling goods stolen from the nearby railroad yards. Racial profiling
Racial profiling
Racial profiling refers to the use of an individual’s race or ethnicity by law enforcement personnel as a key factor in deciding whether to engage in enforcement...
targeted Gonzalez as the culprit. After escaping the city, he was trapped along the Elkhorn River
Elkhorn River
The Elkhorn River originates in the eastern Sandhills of Nebraska and is one of the largest tributaries of the Platte River, flowing and joining the Platte just southwest of Omaha, approximately 1 mile south and 3 miles west of Gretna.Located in northeast and north-central Nebraska, the Elkhorn...
, where the mob, including several policemen from Omaha, shot him more than twenty times. Afterward it was discovered that Gonzalez was unarmed, and that he had a reliable alibi for the time of the murder. Nobody was ever indicted for his lynching. In the fall of 1919, following Red Summer, postwar social and economic tensions, the earlier hiring of blacks as strikebreakers, and job uncertainty contributed to a mob from South Omaha lynching Willy Brown and the ensuing Omaha Race Riot
Omaha Race Riot of 1919
The Omaha Race Riot occurred in Omaha, Nebraska, on September 28–29, 1919. The race riot resulted in the brutal lynching of Will Brown, a black worker; the death of two white men; the attempted hanging of the mayor Edward Parsons Smith; and a public rampage by thousands of whites who set fire to...
. Trying to defend Brown, the city's mayor, Edward Parsons Smith
Edward Parsons Smith
Edward Parsons Smith was the mayor of Omaha, Nebraska from 1918 to 1921.-Biography:Smith was born September 30, 1860. He beat incumbent Mayor "Cowboy" Jim Dahlman in 1918 on a reform ticket aiming to defeat Tom Dennison's political machine, which at that point had run Omaha for at least 15 years...
, was lynched also, surviving only after a quick rescue.
Similar to other industrial cities in the U.S., Omaha suffered severe job losses in the 1950s, more than 10,000 in total, as both the railroad and meatpacking industries restructured. Stockyards and packing plants were located closer to ranches, and union achievements were lost as wages declined in surviving jobs. Many workers left the area if they could get to other jobs. Poverty deepened in areas of the city whose residents had depended on those jobs, specifically North and South Omaha. At the same time, with reduced revenues, the city had less financial ability to respond to longstanding problems. Despair after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
in April 1968 contributed to riots in North Omaha, including one at the Logan Fontenelle Housing Project
Logan Fontenelle Housing Project
The Logan Fontenelle Housing Project was a historic public housing site located from 20th to 24th Streets, and from Paul to Seward Streets in the historic Near North Side neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska, United States. It was built in 1938 by the Public Works Administration for housing working...
. For some, the Civil Rights Movement in Omaha, Nebraska
Civil rights movement in Omaha, Nebraska
The Civil rights movement in Omaha, Nebraska has roots that extend back until at least 1912. With a history of racial tension that starts before the founding of the city, Omaha has been the home of numerous overt efforts related to securing civil rights for African Americans since at least the...
evolved towards black nationalism
Black nationalism
Black nationalism advocates a racial definition of indigenous national identity, as opposed to multiculturalism. There are different indigenous nationalist philosophies but the principles of all African nationalist ideologies are unity, and self-determination or independence from European society...
, as the Black Panther Party
Black Panther Party
The Black Panther Party wasan African-American revolutionary leftist organization. It was active in the United States from 1966 until 1982....
was involved in tensions in the late 1960s. Organizations such as the Black Association for Nationalism Through Unity
Black Association for Nationalism Through Unity
The Black Association for Nationalism Through Unity, or BANTU, was a youth activism group focused on black power and nationalism in Omaha, Nebraska in the 1960s....
became popular among the city's African-American youth. This tension culminated in the cause célèbre
Cause célèbre
A is an issue or incident arousing widespread controversy, outside campaigning and heated public debate. The term is particularly used in connection with celebrated legal cases. It is a French phrase in common English use...
trial of the Rice/Poindexter Case
Rice/Poindexter Case
David Rice and Edward Poindexter were charged and convicted of the murder of Omaha Police Officer Larry Minard. Minard died when a suitcase containing dynamite exploded in a North Omaha home on August 17, 1970...
, in which an Omaha Police Department officer was killed by a bomb while answering an emergency call. After 5 years of obscurity, the black population was finally able to vote.
Whites in Omaha have followed the white flight
White flight
White flight has been a term that originated in the United States, starting in the mid-20th century, and applied to the large-scale migration of whites of various European ancestries from racially mixed urban regions to more racially homogeneous suburban or exurban regions. It was first seen as...
pattern, suburbanizing to West Omaha over time. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, gang violence and incidents between the Omaha Police Department and members of the African-American community aggravated relations between groups in North and South Omaha. More recent Hispanic immigrants, concentrated in South Omaha, have struggled to earn living wages in meatpacking, adapt to a new society, and deal with discrimination.
Economy
According to USA TodayUSA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, Omaha ranks eighth among the nation's 50 largest cities in both per-capita billionaires and Fortune 500 companies. Major employers in the area include Alegent Health System
Alegent Health System
Alegent Health System is a non-profit faith based health organization with headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska.- Hospitals :Alegent Health is made up of nine acute care hospitals, five of which are located in the Omaha metro area. Bergan Mercy Medical Center, Immanuel Medical Center, Lakeside Hospital,...
, Omaha Public Schools
Omaha Public Schools
Omaha Public Schools is the largest school district in the state of Nebraska. This public school district serves a diverse community of more than 46,000 students at over 80 elementary and secondary schools in Omaha, Nebraska...
, First Data Corporation, Methodist Health System
Nebraska Methodist Health System
The Nebraska Methodist Health System, also known as Bestcare, is a nonprofit Nebraskan healthcare organization that was founded in 1982. Its headquarters are located at 8511 West Dodge Road in Omaha, Nebraska. The two major facilities in the system, Jennie Edmundson Hospital and Methodist Hospital,...
, Mutual of Omaha
Mutual of Omaha
Mutual of Omaha is a Fortune 500 mutual insurance and financial services company based in Omaha, Nebraska. The company was founded in 1909 as Mutual Benefit Health and Accident Association.- History :...
, ConAgra Foods
ConAgra Foods
ConAgra Foods, Inc. is an American packaged foods company. ConAgra's products are available in supermarkets, as well as restaurants and food service establishments. Its headquarters are located in Omaha, Nebraska...
, Nebraska Medical Center
Nebraska Medical Center
The Nebraska Medical Center is a complex of hospitals, medical clinics, and health care colleges located in Omaha, Nebraska. It was formed by the merger of Clarkson Hospital and the adjacent University of Nebraska Medical Center in 1997...
, Offutt Air Force Base
Offutt Air Force Base
Offutt Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force installation near Omaha, and lies adjacent to Bellevue in Sarpy County, Nebraska. It is the headquarters of the U.S...
, and the West Corporation
West Corporation
West Corporation is an American company that is a provider of outsourced services, including customer relationship management services, conference call services, privatized 911 service, automated business telephone systems , systems integration, help desks, business-to-business sales, responses...
. With diversification in several industries, including banking, insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
, telecommunications, architecture/construction, and transportation, Omaha's economy has grown dramatically since the early 1990s. In 2001 Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
identified Omaha as one of the Top 10 high-tech havens in the nation. Six national fiber optic networks converge in Omaha.
Omaha's most prominent businessman is Warren Buffett, nicknamed the "Oracle of Omaha", who is regularly ranked one of the richest people in the world. Five Omaha-based companies: Berkshire Hathaway
Berkshire Hathaway
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is an American multinational conglomerate holding company headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, United States, that oversees and manages a number of subsidiary companies. The company averaged an annual growth in book value of 20.3% to its shareholders for the last 44 years,...
, ConAgra Foods
ConAgra Foods
ConAgra Foods, Inc. is an American packaged foods company. ConAgra's products are available in supermarkets, as well as restaurants and food service establishments. Its headquarters are located in Omaha, Nebraska...
, Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
, Mutual of Omaha
Mutual of Omaha
Mutual of Omaha is a Fortune 500 mutual insurance and financial services company based in Omaha, Nebraska. The company was founded in 1909 as Mutual Benefit Health and Accident Association.- History :...
, and Kiewit Corporation, are among the Fortune 500
Fortune 500
The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...
.
Omaha is the headquarters of several other major corporations, including the Gallup Organization
The Gallup Organization
The Gallup Organization, is primarily a research-based performance-management consulting company. Some of Gallup's key practice areas are - Employee Engagement, Customer Engagement and Well-Being. Gallup has over 40 offices in 27 countries. World headquarters are in Washington, D.C. Operational...
, TD Ameritrade
TD Ameritrade
TD Ameritrade is an American online broker with over 6 million U.S. customers, and many more internationally, that has grown rapidly through acquisition to become the 746th-largest US firm in 2008. TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation is the owner of TD Ameritrade Inc...
, infoGROUP, Werner Enterprises
Werner Enterprises
Werner Enterprises, Inc. was founded in 1956 by Clarence L. Werner. It is a transportation and logistics company, headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. It ships to the USA, Canada, Mexico, Asia, Europe and South America. Werner has regional offices throughout North America, in China...
, First National Bank
First National of Nebraska
First National of Nebraska is a privately held, interstate bank holding company based in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. The largest banking subsidiaries are First National Bank of Omaha, First National Bank Colorado, First National Bank Kansas and First National Bank South Dakota. First National of...
and First Comp Insurance. Many large technology firms have major operations or operational headquarters in Omaha, including Bank of the West, First Data
First Data
First Data Corporation is an American payment processing company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. First Data is a provider of electronic commerce and payment solutions...
, PayPal
PayPal
PayPal is an American-based global e-commerce business allowing payments and money transfers to be made through the Internet. Online money transfers serve as electronic alternatives to paying with traditional paper methods, such as checks and money orders....
and LinkedIn
LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a business-related social networking site. Founded in December 2002 and launched in May 2003, it is mainly used for professional networking. , LinkedIn reports more than 120 million registered users in more than 200 countries and territories. The site is available in English, French,...
. The city is also home to three of the 30 largest architecture firms in the United States, including HDR, Inc.
HDR, Inc.
HDR Inc. is an employee-owned architectural, engineering and consulting firm based in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. HDR has worked on projects in all 50 U.S. states and in 60 countries, including notable projects such as the Hoover Dam Bypass, TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, and the The Roslin Institute building...
, DLR Group, Inc., and Leo A Daly
Leo A Daly
LEO A DALY is the common name for the LEO A DALY Company, a global architecture, engineering, interiors, and planning firm headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. The firm was founded in 1915 by Leo A Daly, Sr. and in 2009 employed over 1,100 professional staff across more than 20 offices in the United...
. Despite this progress, as of October 2007, the city of Omaha, the 42nd largest in the country, has the fifth highest percentage of low-income African Americans in the country.
Henry Doorly Zoo
The Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo is a zoo in Omaha, Nebraska, located at 3701 South 10th Street.It is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Its mission is conservation, research, recreation, and education.Omaha's Henry Doorly...
and the College World Series
College World Series
The College World Series or CWS is an annual baseball tournament held in Omaha, Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion. The eight teams are split into two, four-team, double-elimination brackets,...
. The Old Market in Downtown Omaha
Downtown Omaha
Downtown Omaha is the central business, government and social core of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, and is located in Omaha, Nebraska. The boundaries are 20th Street on the west to the Missouri River on the east and the centerline of Leavenworth Street on the south to the centerline...
is another major attraction and is important to the city's retail economy. The city has been a tourist destination for many years. Famous early visitors included British author Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
and General George Crook
George Crook
George R. Crook was a career United States Army officer, most noted for his distinguished service during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars.-Early life:...
. In 1883 Omaha hosted the first official performance of the Buffalo Bill
Buffalo Bill
William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody was a United States soldier, bison hunter and showman. He was born in the Iowa Territory , in LeClaire but lived several years in Canada before his family moved to the Kansas Territory. Buffalo Bill received the Medal of Honor in 1872 for service to the US...
's Wild West Show for eight thousand attendees. In 1898 the city hosted more than 1,000,000 visitors from across the United States at the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition, a world's fair
World's Fair
World's fair, World fair, Universal Exposition, and World Expo are various large public exhibitions held in different parts of the world. The first Expo was held in The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, United Kingdom, in 1851, under the title "Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All...
that lasted for more than half the year.
Research on leisure
Leisure
Leisure, or free time, is time spent away from business, work, and domestic chores. It is also the periods of time before or after necessary activities such as eating, sleeping and, where it is compulsory, education....
and hospitality
Hospitality
Hospitality is the relationship between guest and host, or the act or practice of being hospitable. Specifically, this includes the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers, resorts, membership clubs, conventions, attractions, special events, and other services for travelers...
situates Omaha in the same tier for tourists as the neighboring cities of Topeka, Kansas
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
, Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
, and Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
. A recent study found that investment of $1 million in cultural tourism generated approximately $83,000 in state and local taxes, and provided support for hundreds of jobs for the metropolitan area, which in turn led to additional tax revenue for government.
Culture
History of Omaha, Nebraska
The history of Omaha, Nebraska began before the settlement of the city, with speculators from neighboring Council Bluffs, Iowa staking land across the Missouri River illegally as early as the 1840s. Before it was legal to claim land in Indian Country, William D. Brown was operating the Lone Tree...
and cultural attractions have been lauded by numerous national newspapers, including the Boston Globe and The New York Times. Omaha is home to the Omaha Community Playhouse
Omaha Community Playhouse
The Omaha Community Playhouse, located at 6915 Cass Street in Omaha, Nebraska, United States, is a nationally recognized community theater.Founded in 1924, the Playhouse's first president was Alan McDonald, architect of the Joslyn Art Museum, and its first play, directed by Greg Foley in April...
, the largest community theater in the United States. The Omaha Symphony Orchestra
Omaha Symphony Orchestra
The Omaha Symphony Orchestra is a community-based orchestra performing numerous concerts annually in Omaha, Nebraska and throughout the region. Originally established in 1921, the orchestra has continued yearly.-About:...
and its modern Holland Performing Arts Center
Holland Performing Arts Center
The Holland Performing Arts Center is a performing arts facility located on 13th and Douglas Streets in downtown Downtown Omaha, Nebraska, Nebraska in the United States; it opened in October 2005. Designed by Omaha architectural firm HDR, Inc...
, the Opera Omaha
Opera Omaha
Opera Omaha is an opera company in Omaha, Nebraska. It is well known for premiering Wakonda's Dream, a contemporary opera about Native Americans set in the Niobrara....
at the Orpheum theater, the Blue Barn Theatre
Blue Barn Theatre
The Blue Barn Theatre, located at 614 S 11th Street in Omaha, Nebraska, is a nationally recognized theater.Begun in 1989, the theater was founded by a group of recent graduates from the theater program at Purchase College: Kevin Lawler, Hughston Walkinshaw, and Nils Haaland...
, and The Rose Theater form the backbone of Omaha's performing arts community
Theatre in Omaha
Theatre in Omaha has existed since the founding of the city in 1856. Nationally notable actors have come from the city. There are active community theatres, and some theatres and acting companies have reached national prominence.-Theatres:...
. Opened in 1931, the Joslyn Art Museum
Joslyn Art Museum
The Joslyn Art Museum is the principal fine arts museum in the state of Nebraska, United States of America. Located in Omaha, it is the only museum in the state with a comprehensive permanent collection...
has significant art collections. Since its inception in 1976, Omaha Children's Museum
Omaha Children's Museum
The Omaha Children's Museum is a nonprofit learning and exploration space for young people located at 500 South 20th Street in downtown Omaha, Nebraska. The museum has received a national award from the Association of Science and Technology Museums., Association of Science and Technology Museums...
has been a place where children can challenge themselves, discover how the world works and learn through play. The Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts
Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts
The Bemis Center for Contemporary Art is located at 724 South 12th Street in the Old Market Historic District of downtown Omaha, Nebraska. The Bemis was founded by artists Jun Kaneko, Tony Hepburn, Lorne Falke and Ree Schonlau in 1981. The spirit and programs of the Bemis Center for Contemporary...
, one of the nation's premier urban artist colonies, was founded in Omaha in 1981, and the Durham Museum
Durham Museum
The Durham Museum is located at 801 South 10th Street in downtown Omaha, Nebraska. The museum is dedicated to preserving and displaying the history of the United States' western region...
is accredited with the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
for traveling exhibits. The city is also home to the largest singly funded mural in the nation, "Fertile Ground", by Meg Saligman
Meg Saligman
Meg Saligman is a mural artist. Saligman has painted more than fifty murals all over the world including Philadelphia PA, Shreveport, LA, Mexico City, and many other places. Meg has a way of mixing the classical and contemporary aspects of painting together....
. The annual Omaha Blues, Jazz, & Gospel Festival
Omaha Blues, Jazz, & Gospel Festival
The Omaha Blues, Jazz, & Gospel Festival is an annual event of blues, jazz and gospel music that has been held at Rosenblatt Stadium in South Omaha and Fort Omaha in North Omaha, Nebraska in August...
celebrates local music along with the Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame
Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame
The Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame, or the OBMHoF, is a nonprofit organization founded in 2005 to celebrate, document and honour the legacy of the many top vocalists and musicians whose musical careers began in the metropolitan area of Omaha, Nebraska...
.
In 1955 Omaha's Union Stockyards
Union Stockyards (Omaha)
The Union Stockyards of Omaha, Nebraska were founded in 1883 in South Omaha by the Union Stock Yards Company of Omaha. A fierce rival of Chicago's Union Stock Yards, the Omaha Union Stockyards were third in the nation for production by 1890. In 1947 they were second to Chicago in the world...
overtook Chicago's stockyards as the United States' meat packing center. This legacy is reflected in the cuisine of Omaha
Cuisine of Omaha
The cuisine of Omaha reflects the heritage and culture of Omaha, Nebraska.-About:Omaha has unusual steakhouses, several of which are Sicilian in origin or adjacent to the Omaha Stockyards. Mister C's was a renowned steakhouse in North Omaha founded by one of the Caniglia brothers. After operating...
, with renowned steakhouses such as Gorat's
Gorat's
Gorat's Steak House is a restaurant in Omaha, Nebraska, at 4917 Center Street.It is best known as billionaire Warren Buffett's favorite steakhouse, where he annually holds dinners for the largest investors in his company, Berkshire Hathaway, and entertains business colleagues and CEOs, including...
and the recently closed Mister C's
Mister C's
Mister C's Steak House was a landmark Italian restaurant located at 5319 North 30th Street in North Omaha, Nebraska. After operating for almost 55 years, the restaurant closed September 30, 2007. The mayor of Omaha and Omaha City Council declared September 18, 2007, "Mister C and Mary Caniglia Day"...
, as well as the retail chain Omaha Steaks
Omaha Steaks
is a direct marketer of meat, food seasonings, cookbooks and pet food in the USA. Founded in 1917 as a single butcher shop in Omaha, Nebraska, Omaha Steaks is a fifth-generation, privately held family business, that is now one of America’s largest marketers of beef...
.
Henry Doorly Zoo
Henry Doorly Zoo
The Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo is a zoo in Omaha, Nebraska, located at 3701 South 10th Street.It is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Its mission is conservation, research, recreation, and education.Omaha's Henry Doorly...
is widely considered one of the premier zoos in the world. The zoo is home to the world's largest nocturnal exhibit and indoor swamp; the world's largest indoor rainforest, the world's largest indoor desert, and the largest geodesic dome
Geodesic dome
A geodesic dome is a spherical or partial-spherical shell structure or lattice shell based on a network of great circles on the surface of a sphere. The geodesics intersect to form triangular elements that have local triangular rigidity and also distribute the stress across the structure. When...
in the world (13 stories tall). The Zoo is Nebraska’s number one paid attendance attraction and has welcomed more than 25 million visitors over the past 40 years.
Old Market
The Old Market is a major historic districtHistoric district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries, historic districts receive legal protection from development....
in Downtown Omaha listed on the National Register of Historical Places Today, its warehouses and other buildings house shops, restaurants, bars, and art galleries. Downtown is also the location of the Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District, which has several art galleries and restaurants as well. The Omaha Botanical Gardens
Omaha Botanical Gardens
Omaha Botanical Gardens , officially known as Lauritzen Gardens, Omaha's Botanical Center, are a botanical gardens and an arboretum located at 100 Bancroft Street, Omaha, Nebraska. The gardens are open daily during business hours; an admission fee is charged.-About:The gardens began in 1982,...
features 100 acres (40.5 ha) with a variety of landscaping, and the new Kenefick Park
Kenefick Park
Kenefick Park is located at 100 Bancroft Street in South Omaha, Nebraska. Located next to the Lauritzen Gardens, Omaha's botanical gardens, the park features "two of the greatest locomotives ever to power Union Pacific Railroad."-About:...
recognizes Union Pacific Railroad's long history in Omaha. North Omaha has several historical cultural attractions including the Dreamland Historical Project
Jewell Building
The Jewell Building is a city landmark in North Omaha, Nebraska. Built in 1923, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Located at 2221 North 24th Street, the building was home to the Dreamland Ballroom for more than 40 years, and featured performances by many jazz and blues...
, Love’s Jazz and Art Center, and the John Beasley Theater. The annual River City Roundup is celebrated at Fort Omaha, and the neighborhood of Florence
Florence, Nebraska
Florence is a neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska on the city's north end and originally one of the oldest cities in Nebraska. It was incorporated by the Nebraska Territorial Legislature on March 10, 1857. The site of Winter Quarters for Mormon migrants traveling west, it has the oldest cemetery for...
celebrates its history during "Florence Days". Native Omaha Days
Native Omaha Days
Native Omahan Days is a bi-annual event in North Omaha, Nebraska celebrating the community's historical and cultural legacies. Held since 1976, the Native Omaha Days include picnics, family reunions, class reunions and a large parade...
is a biennial event celebrating Near North Side heritage.
Religious institutions reflect the city's heritage. The city's Christian community
Christianity in Omaha, Nebraska
Christianity in Omaha, Nebraska has been integral to the growth and development of the city since its founding in 1854. In addition to providing Christian religious and social leadership, individually and collectively the city's churches have also led a variety of political campaigns throughout the...
has several historical churches dating from the founding of the city. There are also all sizes of congregations, including small, medium and megachurch
Megachurch
A megachurch is a church having 2,000 or more in average weekend attendance. The Hartford Institute's database lists more than 1,300 such Protestant churches in the United States. According to that data, approximately 50 churches on the list have attendance ranging from 10,000 to 47,000...
es. Omaha hosts the only Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints temple in Nebraska
Winter Quarters Nebraska Temple
The Winter Quarters Nebraska Temple is the 104th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is located in Florence, now a neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska, USA, and formerly an independent city.-About:...
, along with a significant Jewish community
Jews and Judaism in Omaha, Nebraska
The history of the Jews in Omaha, Nebraska goes back to the mid-1850s.The Jewish community in Omaha, Nebraska has made significant cultural, economic and social contributions to the city. The first Jewish settlers came to the city shortly after it was founded in 1856. The most numerous Jewish...
. There are 152 parishes in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha is a particular church of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the midwestern region of the United States. Archbishop Elden Francis Curtiss...
, and several Orthodox Christian
Orthodox Christianity
The term Orthodox Christianity may refer to:* the Eastern Orthodox Church and its various geographical subdivisions...
congregations throughout the city.
Music
Omaha's rich history in rhythm and blues, and jazz gave rise to a number of influential bands, including Anna Mae WinburnAnna Mae Winburn
Anna Mae Winburn, née Darden was an African American vocalist and jazz bandleader who flourished beginning in the mid 1930s...
's Cotton Club Boys
Cotton Club Boys
The Cotton Club Boys was a territory band based in North Omaha, Nebraska in the 1930s. It was initially fronted by Anna Mae Winburn.-About:Personnel in the swing band included a variety of players. Trumpets players included Lloyd Hunter, Park King, Willie Long and Raymond Byron. The reed section...
and Lloyd Hunter
Lloyd Hunter
Lloyd Hunter was a trumpeter and big band leader from North Omaha, Nebraska. He led band across the Midwest from 1923 until his death. Hunter had also worked with Jessie Stone in Kansas City, Missouri.-Biography:...
's Seranaders. Rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
pioneer Wynonie Harris
Wynonie Harris
Wynonie Harris , born in Omaha, Nebraska, was an American blues shouter and rhythm and blues singer of upbeat songs, featuring humorous, often ribald lyrics. With fifteen Top 10 hits between 1946 and 1952, Harris is generally considered one of rock and roll's forerunners, influencing Elvis Presley...
; jazz great Preston Love
Preston Love
Preston Haines Love was a renowned alto saxophonist, bandleader and songwriter from Omaha, Nebraska.-Biography:Preston Love grew up in North Omaha and graduated from North High....
; drummer Buddy Miles
Buddy Miles
George Allen Miles, Jr. , known as Buddy Miles, was an American rock and funk drummer, most known as a founding member of The Electric Flag in 1967, then as a member of Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys from 1969 through to January 1970.-Early life:George Allen Miles was born in Omaha, Nebraska on...
; and Luigi Waites
Luigi Waites
Luigi Waites was a jazz drummer and vibraphonist from Omaha, Nebraska. He performed weekly gigs in the Omaha area both solo and with ensembles such as Luigi, Inc. He served the Omaha music community for over 60 years. He toured Europe twice and performed with jazz legends such as Sarah Vaughan,...
are among the city's homegrown talent. Doug Ingle
Doug Ingle
Doug Ingle is a founding member and former organist, vocalist and primary composer for the band Iron Butterfly. He also had a short stint with the pop group Stark Naked and the Car Thieves in the early 1970s after he left Iron Butterfly.- Biography :Ingle's father Lloyd, a church organist,...
from the late 1960s band Iron Butterfly
Iron Butterfly
Iron Butterfly is a US psychedelic rock band best known for the 1968 hit "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida".Their heyday was the late 1960s, but the band has been reincarnated with various members. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is the 31st best-selling album in the world, selling more than 25 million copies.-History:The...
was born in Omaha as was indie-folk singer/songwriter Elliott Smith
Elliott Smith
Steven Paul "Elliott" Smith was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and resided for a significant portion of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he first gained popularity...
, though both were raised elsewhere.
Contemporary music groups either located in or originally from Omaha include Mannheim Steamroller
Mannheim Steamroller
Mannheim Steamroller is an American music group founded by Chip Davis and Jackson Berkey, known primarily for its modern recordings of Christmas music. The group has sold 28 million albums in the U.S. alone.-Beginnings:...
, Bright Eyes, The Faint
The Faint
The Faint is an American indie rock band. Formed in Omaha, Nebraska, the band consists of Todd Fink, Jacob Thiele, Dapose, Joel Petersen and Clark Baechle. The Faint was originally known as Norman Bailer and included Conor Oberst...
, Cursive
Cursive (band)
Cursive is an American indie rock band from Omaha, Nebraska, on Saddle Creek Records.-History:The band was formed in 1995 by Tim Kasher, Matt Maginn, Steve Pedersen , and drummer Clint Schnase. In 1997, they released Such Blinding Stars for Starving Eyes. After a couple years of touring, the band...
, Azure Ray
Azure Ray
Azure Ray is an American dream pop duo, consisting of musicians Maria Taylor and Orenda Fink. The pair met at the age of 15 at the Alabama School of Fine Arts...
, Tilly and the Wall
Tilly and the Wall
Tilly and the Wall is an indie pop group from Omaha, Nebraska. Their name originated from a children's book called Tillie and the Wall, written by Leo Lionni...
and 311
311 (band)
311 is an American rock band from Omaha, Nebraska. The band was formed in 1988 by vocalist/rhythm guitarist Nick Hexum, lead guitarist Jim Watson , bassist Aaron "P-Nut" Wills and drummer Chad Sexton...
. During the late 1990s, Omaha became nationally known as the birthplace of Saddle Creek Records
Saddle Creek Records
Saddle Creek Records is an American record label based in Omaha, Nebraska. Started as a college class project on entrepreneurship, the label was founded by Conor Oberst and Justin Oberst in 1993 . Conor soon turned over his role in the company to Robb Nansel...
, and the subsequent "Omaha Sound" was born from their bands' collective style.
Omaha also has a fledgling hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
scene. Long-time bastion Houston Alexander
Houston Alexander
Houston Alexander is an American professional mixed martial artist, who fights as a light heavyweight and heavyweight. He also works as a DJ in North Omaha, Nebraska...
, a one-time graffiti artist and professional Mixed Martial Arts
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
competitor, is currently a local hip-hop radio show host. Cerone Thompson, known as "Scrybe," has had a number one single on college radio stations across the United States. He has also had several number one hits on the local hip hop station respectively titled, "Lose Control" and "Do What U Do". . More recently, in 2009 Eric Scheid, also known as "Titus," released a single called "What Do You Believe" featuring Bizzy Bone from the nationally-known hip hop group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony
Bone Thugs-n-Harmony
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony is an American Hip-Hop/R'n'B band from Cleveland, Ohio formed in 1991. It originally consisted of rappers Layzie Bone, Flesh-n-Bone, Bizzy Bone, Krayzie Bone, and Wish Bone. Rapper Eazy-E of the group N.W.A signed Bone Thugs-N-Harmony to Ruthless Records in 1994, when Bone...
. The single was produced by Omaha producer J Keez. The record was released by Smashmode Publishing and Timeless Keys Music Publishing which are two Omaha-based music publishing companies. South Omaha's OTR Familia, consisting of MOC and Xpreshin aka XP, have worked with Fat Joes Terror Squad on several songs and have participated in summer concerts with Pitbull, Nicky Jam, and Aventura.
A long heritage of ethnic and cultural bands have come from Omaha. The Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame
Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame
The Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame, or the OBMHoF, is a nonprofit organization founded in 2005 to celebrate, document and honour the legacy of the many top vocalists and musicians whose musical careers began in the metropolitan area of Omaha, Nebraska...
celebrates the city's long history of African-American music and the Strathdon Caledonia Pipe Band
Strathdon Caledonia Pipe Band
The Strathdon Caledonia Pipe Band is the only grade three pipe band in Omaha,Nebraska, USA. SCPB regularly competes in Highland Games competitions sanctioned by the Midwest Pipe Band Association in the United States...
carries on a Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
legacy. Internationally renowned composer Antonín Dvořák
Antonín Dvorák
Antonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many...
wrote his Ninth ("New World") Symphony
Symphony No. 9 (Dvorák)
The Symphony No. 9 in E Minor "From the New World", Op. 95, B. 178 , popularly known as the New World Symphony, was composed by Antonín Dvořák in 1893 during his visit to the United States from 1892 to 1895. It is by far his most popular symphony, and one of the most popular in the modern repertoire...
in 1893 based on his impressions of the region after visiting Omaha's robust Czech community
Czechs in Omaha, Nebraska
Czechs in Omaha, Nebraska have made significant contributions to the political, social and cultural development of the city since the first immigrants arrived in 1868.-About:In the 1860s many Czechs, primarily from Bohemia and Moravia, immigrated to Nebraska...
. In the period surrounding World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
Valentin J. Peter
Valentin J. Peter
Valentin J. Peter was a Bavarian-born publisher of a German language newspaper called the Omaha Tribüne and the president of the Nebraska chapter of the National German-American Alliance.-About:...
encouraged Germans in Omaha to celebrate their rich musical heritage, too. Frederick Metz
Frederick Metz
Frederick Metz founded and owned the Metz Brewery in Omaha, Nebraska, for forty years. He was also a two-time representative in the Nebraska Legislature, and an influential member of Omaha society.-Biography:...
, Gottlieb Storz
Gottlieb Storz
Gottlieb Storz was a pioneer entrepreneur in Omaha, Nebraska. Born in Benningen, Wurttemberg, Germany, Storz was the founder of the Storz Brewery. He was an important member of Omaha's German immigrant community, and an important businessman in Omaha history...
and Frederick Krug
Frederick Krug
Frederick Krug was the German-immigrant founder of the Frederick Krug Brewing Company of Omaha, Nebraska. Krug is often cited as one of the founders of Omaha...
were influential brewers whose beer garden
Beer garden
Beer garden is an open-air area where beer, other drinks and local food are served. The concept originates from and is most common in Southern Germany...
s kept many German bands active.
Media and popular culture
Omaha World-Herald
The Omaha World-Herald, based in Omaha, Nebraska, is the primary daily newspaper of Nebraska, as well as portions of southwest Iowa. For decades it circulated daily throughout Nebraska, and in parts of Kansas, South Dakota, Missouri, Colorado and Wyoming. In 2008, distribution was reduced to the...
, which is the largest employee-owned newspaper in the United States. Weeklies in the city include the Midlands Business Journal (weekly business publication), American Classifieds (Formerly Thrifty Nickel), a weekly classified newspaper, The Reader (newspaper), and Omaha Magazine, as well as The Omaha Star. Founded in 1938 in North Omaha, the Star is Nebraska's only African-American newspaper. The city is the focus of the Omaha designated market area, and is the 76th largest in the United States. Omaha's four television news stations were found not to represent the city's racial composition
Ethnic groups in Omaha, Nebraska
Various ethnic groups in Omaha, Nebraska have lived in the city since its organization by Anglo-Americans in 1854. Native Americans of various nations lived in the Omaha territory for centuries before European arrival, and some stayed in the area. The city was founded by white Anglo-Saxon...
in a 2007 study. Cox Communications
Cox Communications
Cox Communications is a privately owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises providing digital cable television, telecommunications and wireless services in the United States...
provides cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
services throughout the metropolitan area.
In 1939, the world premiere of the film Union Pacific
Union Pacific (film)
Union Pacific is a 1939 American dramatic western film directed by Cecil B. DeMille, and starring Barbara Stanwyck and Joel McCrea. Based on the novel Trouble Shooter by Western fiction author Ernest Haycox, the film is about the building of the railroad across the American West.-Plot:The 1862...
was held in Omaha, Nebraska and the accompanying three-day celebration drew 250,000 people. A special train from Hollywood carried director Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil Blount DeMille was an American film director and Academy Award-winning film producer in both silent and sound films. He was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies...
and stars Barbara Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyck was an American actress. She was a film and television star, known during her 60-year career as a consummate and versatile professional with a strong screen presence, and a favorite of directors including Cecil B. DeMille, Fritz Lang and Frank Capra...
and Joel McCrea
Joel McCrea
Joel Albert McCrea was an American actor whose career spanned 50 years and appearances in over 90 films.-Early life:...
. Omaha's Boys Town was made famous by the Spencer Tracy
Spencer Tracy
Spencer Bonaventure Tracy was an American theatrical and film actor, who appeared in 75 films from 1930 to 1967. Tracy was one of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, ranking among the top ten box office draws for almost every year from 1938 to 1951...
and Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney is an American film actor and entertainer whose film, television, and stage appearances span nearly his entire lifetime. He has won multiple awards, including an Honorary Academy Award, a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award...
movie Boys Town. Omaha has been featured in recent years by a handful of relatively big budget motion pictures. The city's most extensive exposure can be accredited to Omaha native Alexander Payne
Alexander Payne
Alexander Payne, born Alexander Constantine Papadopoulos is an American film director and screenwriter. His films are noted for their dark humor and satirical depictions of contemporary American society.- Early life :...
, the Oscar-nominated director who shot parts of About Schmidt
About Schmidt
About Schmidt is a 2002 American comedy-drama film directed by Alexander Payne, starring Jack Nicholson in the title role. It is loosely based on the 1996 novel of the same title by Louis Begley. Many of the scenes were filmed on location, especially in Omaha, Nebraska and Denver, Colorado...
, Citizen Ruth
Citizen Ruth
Citizen Ruth is a 1996 film that tells a story of a poor, irresponsible and pregnant woman who unexpectedly attracts attention from those involved in the debate about the morality and legality of abortion. The film stars Laura Dern, Swoosie Kurtz, Mary Kay Place, Kurtwood Smith and Kelly Preston,...
and Election
Election (1999 film)
Election is a 1999 American comedy film adapted from a 1998 novel of the same title by Tom Perrotta. The plot revolves around a three-way election race in high school, and satirizes both suburban high school life and politics...
in the city and suburbs of Papillion and LaVista.
Built in 1962, Omaha's Cinerama
Cinerama
Cinerama is the trademarked name for a widescreen process which works by simultaneously projecting images from three synchronized 35 mm projectors onto a huge, deeply-curved screen, subtending 146° of arc. It is also the trademarked name for the corporation which was formed to market it...
was called Indian Hills Theater
Indian Hills Theater
The Indian Hills Theater in Omaha, Nebraska, USA, was built in 1962 as a movie theater showcasing films in the Cinerama wide-screen format. The theater's screen was the largest of its type in the United States...
. Its demolition in 2001 by the Nebraska Methodist Health System
Nebraska Methodist Health System
The Nebraska Methodist Health System, also known as Bestcare, is a nonprofit Nebraskan healthcare organization that was founded in 1982. Its headquarters are located at 8511 West Dodge Road in Omaha, Nebraska. The two major facilities in the system, Jennie Edmundson Hospital and Methodist Hospital,...
was unpopular, with objections from local historical and cultural groups and luminaries from around the world. The Dundee Theatre
Dundee Theatre
The Dundee Theatre is an historic 475-seat movie theater located at 4952 Dodge Street in Omaha, Nebraska USA. The Dundee is the last active single-screen movie theater in Omaha.-History:...
is the lone surviving single-screen movie theater in Omaha and still shows films. A recent development to the Omaha film scene was the addition of Film Streams
Film Streams
Film Streams is a nonprofit arts organization dedicated to enhancing the cultural environment of Omaha, Nebraska in the United States of America, and the surrounding region through the presentation and discussion of film.-About:...
's Ruth Sokolof Theater in North Downtown. The two-screen theater is part of the Slowdown
Slowdown
A slowdown is an industrial action in which employees perform their duties but seek to reduce productivity or efficiency in their performance of these duties. A slowdown may be used as either a prelude or an alternative to a strike, as it is seen as less disruptive as well as less risky and...
facility. It features new American independents, foreign films, documentaries, classics, themed series, and director retrospectives. There are many new theaters opening in Omaha. In addition to the five Douglas Theatres
Douglas Theatre Company
Douglas Theatre Company was once the largest movie theater chain in Nebraska, USA, operating in both Lincoln and Omaha. It was the 38th largest cinema chain in North America....
venues in Omaha, two more are opening, including Midtown Crossing Theatres, located on 32nd and Farnam Streets by the Mutual of Omaha Building
Mutual of Omaha Building
The Mutual of Omaha Building is a 285-ft , 14-story skyscraper in midtown Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Built in 1970, it is currently the sixth tallest building in Omaha...
. Westroads Mall
Westroads Mall
Westroads Mall is an enclosed shopping mall with over 135 stores located in Omaha, Nebraska at the intersection of 100th and Dodge Streets. It is the largest mall in the state of Nebraska, with 14.5 million customer visits annually....
has opened a new multiplex movie theater
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
with 14 screens, operated by Rave Motion Pictures
Rave Motion Pictures
Rave Cinemas, formerly known as "Rave Motion Pictures," often called Rave and owned by Rave Cinemas, LLC, is a movie theater brand founded in 1999. It is formerly headed by Thomas W. Stephenson, Jr., former CEO of Hollywood Theaters, and currently headed by Rolando B. Rodriguez, former Vice...
.
Songs about Omaha include "Omaha", by the indie rock band Tapes 'n Tapes
Tapes 'n Tapes
-History:Formed in the winter of 2003 at Carleton College, the band has released four albums. First came the self-released Tapes 'n Tapes EP in 2004, followed by the full-length release, The Loon, on Ibid Records in 2005. The band signed to XL Recordings and re-released The Loon on July 25, 2006...
;, "Omaha Stylee" by 311; and "Omaha", a song by Moby Grape from their 1967 album Moby Grape
Moby Grape (album)
Moby Grape is the rock band Moby Grape's eponymous 1967 debut album. Coming from the San Francisco scene, their reputation quickly grew to immense proportions, leading to a bidding war and a contract with Columbia Records...
, "Omaha" by Counting Crows
Counting Crows
Counting Crows is an American rock band originating from Berkeley, California. Formed in 1991, the group gained popularity following the release of its debut album in 1993, August and Everything After, which featured the hit single "Mr. Jones"...
, "Omaha Celebration" by Pat Metheny
Pat Metheny
Patrick Bruce "Pat" Metheny is an American jazz guitarist and composer.One of the most successful and critically acclaimed jazz musicians to come to prominence in the 1970s and '80s, he is the leader of the Pat Metheny Group and is also involved in duets, solo works and other side projects...
, "Omaha" sung by Waylon Jennings
Waylon Jennings
Waylon Arnold Jennings was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Jennings began playing at eight. He began performing at twelve, on KVOW radio. Jennings formed a band The Texas Longhorns. Jennings worked as a D.J on KVOW, KDAV and KLLL...
and "(Ready Or Not) Omaha Nebraska" by Bowling For Soup
Bowling for Soup
Bowling for Soup is an American pop-punk band which originally formed in Wichita Falls, Texas in 1994...
.
The 1935 winner of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing consists of three races for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses. Winning all three of these Thoroughbred horse races is considered the greatest accomplishment of a Thoroughbred racehorse...
was named Omaha
Omaha (horse)
Omaha was a United States thoroughbred horse racing champion.Foaled at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky, he was the son of 1930 U.S. Triple Crown winner Gallant Fox and the mare Flambino. Omaha was the third horse to win the Triple Crown having won as a three-year-old in 1935.Omaha was an...
, and after traveling the world the horse eventually retired to a farm south of the city. The horse made promotional appearances at Ak-Sar-Ben during the 1950s and following his death in 1959 was buried at the racetrack's Circle of Champions.
Sports and recreation
Sports have a long history in Omaha. The Omaha Sports Commission is a quasi-governmental nonprofit organization that coordinates much of the professional and amateur athletic activity in the city, including the 2008 US Olympic Swimming Team Trials and the building of a new stadium in North Downtown. The University of Nebraska and the Commission co-hosted the 2008 National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
(NCAA) Division One Women's Volleyball Championship
NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship
The NCAA has contested team championships in women's volleyball since 1981. The following is a list of the champions of each division with their record for the year in which they won the championship, and the runner up, city, site and other final four participants for division I...
in December of that year. Another quasi-governmental board, the Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority, was created by city voters in 2000, and is responsible for maintaining the Qwest Center Omaha
Qwest Center Omaha
CenturyLink Center is an arena and convention center facility in the North Downtown neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska. The 1.1 million ft² facility has an 18,300-seat arena, a 194,000-ft² exhibition hall and 62,000 ft² of meeting space....
. In June 2009, MECA announced that the US Olympic Swim Trials will return to Omaha, to run from June 25 through July 2, 2012. The Swim Trials will overlap with the College World Series, also to be held downtown, for 1–2 days.
Omaha's Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium
Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium
Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium is a baseball stadium in Omaha, Nebraska, the former home to the annual NCAA Division I College World Series and the minor league Omaha Royals, now known as the Omaha Storm Chasers...
was home to the Omaha Storm Chasers (most recently known as the Omaha Royals) minor-league baseball team (the AAA affiliate of the Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
). Since 1950, it has hosted the annual NCAA College World Series
College World Series
The College World Series or CWS is an annual baseball tournament held in Omaha, Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion. The eight teams are split into two, four-team, double-elimination brackets,...
, or CWS, men's baseball tournament in mid-June.
After Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium closed, their tenants moved to new venues. On April 16, 2011 the Omaha Storm Chasers played their first game at the newly built Werner Park in the city of Papillion
Papillion
Papillion may refer to:*Papillion, Nebraska, U.S.**Papillion-La Vista Public Schools**Papillion-La Vista Senior High School**Papillion Junior High*Papillion Creek, Nebraska, U.S....
, just south of Omaha. The CWS moved to the new downtown stadium TD Ameritrade Park in 2011.
Omaha is also home to the Omaha Diamond Spirit, a collegiate summer baseball team that plays in the MINK league.
In July 2010 Omaha hosted the inaugural TD Ameritrade College Home Run Derby at Rosenblatt Stadium. East Tennessee State University First Baseman Paul Hoilman hit 12 home runs in the final round to beat out Fresno State’s Jordan Ribera and Georgia Tech’s Matt Skole for the title.
The World-Herald will partner with the TD Ameritrade College Home Run Derby Contest on July 2, 2011 for its 27th annual fireworks display. The event will be held at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha.
On April 15, 2010, it was announced that Omaha would be home to a new expansion team in the United Football League to begin play in 2010. The team played its inaugural season at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium before moving to TD Ameritrade Park for 2011 and beyond.
Named in tribute to Omaha's meatpacking past, the Omaha Beef
Omaha Beef
The Omaha Beef are a professional indoor football team. They are a member of the Indoor Football League . They play their home games at Omaha Civic Auditorium, which was also once the home of the AHL's Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights and is now the home of the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey...
indoor football team plays at the Omaha Civic Auditorium
Omaha Civic Auditorium
The Omaha Civic Auditorium is a multi-purpose convention center in Omaha, Nebraska. Opened in 1954, it surpassed the Ak-Sar-Ben Coliseum as the largest convention/entertainment complex in the city, until the completion of CenturyLink Center Omaha in 2003....
.
The Creighton University
Creighton University
Creighton University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. The university is accredited by...
Bluejays
Creighton Bluejays
The Creighton Bluejays, or Jays, are the athletic teams of Creighton University, a Jesuit/Catholic University located in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Creighton competes in NCAA Division I athletics, competing in the Missouri Valley Conference...
compete in a number of NCAA Division I sports. Baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
is played at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, soccer is played at Morrison Stadium
Morrison Stadium
Michael G. Morrison, S.J., Stadium is a 6,000-seat soccer-specific stadium located at 2500 California Plaza in the NoDo neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska. The stadium is home to the Creighton Bluejays men's and women's soccer teams.-History:...
, and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
is played at the 18,000 seat Qwest Center
Qwest Center Omaha
CenturyLink Center is an arena and convention center facility in the North Downtown neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska. The 1.1 million ft² facility has an 18,300-seat arena, a 194,000-ft² exhibition hall and 62,000 ft² of meeting space....
. The Jays annually rank in the top 15 in attendance each year, averaging more than 16,000 people per game.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
is a popular spectator sport in Omaha. The two Omaha-area teams are the Omaha Lancers
Omaha Lancers
The Omaha Lancers are a Tier 1 junior ice hockey team playing in the West Division of the United States Hockey League .From 2002-2009, the Lancers' home ice was the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa, across the Missouri River from Omaha. Until the 2001-2002 season, the Lancers played at...
, a United States Hockey League team that played at Aksarben until 2004, moved to neighboring city of Council Bluffs at the Mid-America Center
Mid-America Center
The Mid-America Center is an arena and convention center located in Council Bluffs, Iowa, just five minutes from downtown Omaha, Nebraska. The arena's maximum capacity is about 8,000 for concerts and 6,700 for ice hockey and arena football. The arena continues to provide free parking.It is the...
, and moved back to Omaha in 2009 to play at the Civic Auditorium and the University of Nebraska at Omaha
University of Nebraska at Omaha
The University of Nebraska at Omaha is a four-year state university located in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. Founded in 1908 as Omaha University, the institution became the public Municipal University of Omaha in 1931. It assumed its current name in 1968 following a merger into the University...
Mavericks
UNO Mavericks
The Nebraska–Omaha Mavericks are the sports teams of the University of Nebraska at Omaha. They participate in the NCAA's Division II and in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association, except in ice hockey. The hockey program competes in Division I as a member of the Western Collegiate...
, an NCAA Division I team that plays at the Qwest Center. Omaha has a thriving running community and many miles of paved running and biking trails throughout the city and surrounding communities. The Omaha Marathon involves a half-marathon and a 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) race that take place annually in September.
Omaha is the birthplace of numerous important historical and modern sports figures, including 1960 Summer Olympics
1960 Summer Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...
gold medalist and NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
star Bob Boozer
Bob Boozer
Robert Louis "Bob" Boozer is a retired American professional basketball player. Boozer was born and raised in North Omaha, Nebraska and graduated from Tech High in Omaha....
; Baseball Hall of Famer Bob Gibson
Bob Gibson
Robert "Bob" Gibson is a retired American professional baseball player. Nicknamed "Hoot" and "Gibby", he was a right-handed pitcher who played his entire 17-year Major League Baseball career with St. Louis Cardinals...
; 1989 American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
Rookie of the Year Gregg Olson
Gregg Olson
Greggory Olson is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played with the Baltimore Orioles , Atlanta Braves , Cleveland Indians , Kansas City Royals , Detroit Tigers , Houston Astros , Minnesota Twins , Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers...
; NFL running back Ahman Green
Ahman Green
Ahman Rashad Green is a retired American football running back. He is the all-time leading rusher for the Green Bay Packers. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the 3rd round of the 1998 NFL Draft...
; Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winners Johnny Rodgers
Johnny Rodgers
Johnny Steven Rodgers is a former American college football player voted the University of Nebraska's "Player of the Century" and the winner of the 1972 Heisman Trophy.-College career:...
and Eric Crouch
Eric Crouch
Eric Eugene Crouch is an American quarterback for the Omaha Nighthawks. He also is a TV sports analyst and recreational equipment vendor....
; Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
r Gale Sayers
Gale Sayers
Gale Eugene Sayers also known as "The Kansas Comet", is a former professional football player in the National Football League who spent his entire career with the Chicago Bears....
; and champion tennis player Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
.
Dodge Park
N.P. Dodge Memorial Park, or simply Dodge Park, is a recreational area located at 11001 John J. Pershing Drive in North Omaha, Nebraska. Located on the Missouri River, the park is a haven for fishing, water skiing, and boating, as well as hiking throughout its riparian forests. Baseball fields,...
and Gene Leahy Mall
Gene Leahy Mall
Gene Leahy Mall, also known locally as Central Park or The Mall, is a park located at 1302 Farnam on the Mall in Downtown Omaha, Nebraska and bordered by South 10th Street. The Mall is encircled by a long pathway that wraps around a large lagoon. There are also waterfalls, two huge slides, a...
, and 13 community parks, including Benson Park, Miller Park and Hanscom Park
Hanscom Park
Hanscom Park is a historic neighborhood in Midtown Omaha, Nebraska. Its namesake public park is one of the oldest parks in Omaha, donated to the City in 1872. U.S. President Gerald R. Ford was born in a house in the Hanscom Park neighborhood...
. Part of Omaha's riverfront area is now the Heartland of America Park
Heartland of America Park
The Heartland of America Park is a public park located at 800 Douglas Street in downtown Omaha, Nebraska USA. The park is situated between Interstate 80 and the Missouri River, and is adjacent to Gene Leahy Mall and the Old Market and connects to Lewis & Clark Landing.-History:The area where the...
, including a marina, Miller's Landing, and the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge, a footbridge
Footbridge
A footbridge or pedestrian bridge is a bridge designed for pedestrians and in some cases cyclists, animal traffic and horse riders, rather than vehicular traffic. Footbridges complement the landscape and can be used decoratively to visually link two distinct areas or to signal a transaction...
crossing into Council Bluffs.
The city's historic boulevards
Boulevards in Omaha
Boulevards in Omaha are part of a park and boulevard system originally designed in 1889 by Horace Cleveland. There are more than one hundred and fifty kilometers of boulevards throughout the city of Omaha, Nebraska today...
were originally designed by Horace Cleveland
Horace Cleveland
Horace William Shaler Cleveland was a noted American landscape architect, sometimes considered second only to Frederick Law Olmsted...
in 1889 to work with the parks to create a seamless flow of trees, grass and flowers throughout the city. Florence Boulevard
Florence Boulevard
Florence Boulevard, originally known as the Prettiest Mile in Omaha Boulevard, is a boulevard-type north-south street in the north Omaha, Nebraska. With the start of construction in 1892, Florence Boulevard was the first roadway in Omaha's boulevard system designed by Horace Cleveland...
and Fontenelle Boulevard
Fontenelle Boulevard
Fontenelle Boulevard is a roadway in the Omaha boulevard system located on the north end of Omaha, Nebraska. The boulevard shares its namesake Logan Fontenelle with several local institutions and fixtures, including Fontenelle Elementary School and Fontenelle Park.-About:Originally called Boulevard...
are among the remnants of this system. Omaha boasts more than 80 miles (129 km) of trails
Trails in Omaha
Trails in Omaha, Nebraska include of paved trails as well as unpaved trails and paths for recreational usage throughout the city. Popular among bicyclists, runners, hikers and recreational walkers, these trails are included in comprehensive plans for the city of Omaha, the Omaha metro area,...
for pedestrian
Pedestrian
A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, whether walking or running. In some communities, those traveling using roller skates or skateboards are also considered to be pedestrians. In modern times, the term mostly refers to someone walking on a road or footpath, but this was not the case...
s, bicyclists and hikers. They include the American Discovery Trail
American Discovery Trail
The American Discovery Trail is a coast-to-coast hiking and biking trail across the mid-tier of the United States. It starts on the Delmarva Peninsula on the Atlantic Ocean and ends on the northern California coast on the Pacific Ocean, and is signed on over of trail. This includes the doubled...
, which traverses the entire United States, and the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail is a route across the United States commemorating the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804 to 1806. It is part of the National Trails System of the United States...
passes through Omaha as it travels 3700 miles (5,954.6 km) westward from Illinois to Oregon. Trails throughout the area are included in comprehensive plans for the city of Omaha, the Omaha metropolitan area, Douglas County, and long-distance coordinated plans between the municipalities of southeast Nebraska.
| Professional sports in Omaha | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Sport | League | Venue | Championships |
| Omaha Storm Chasers | Baseball Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond... |
Pacific Coast League Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The... |
Rosenblatt Stadium (2010), Werner Park (2011+) | 1969, 1970, 1978, 1990 |
| Omaha Nighthawks Omaha Nighthawks The Omaha Nighthawks are a professional American football team based in Omaha, Nebraska, which plays in the United Football League, joining the league as an expansion team in 2010. For their first season, the Nighthawks played their home games at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium before moving to TD... |
American football American football American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by... |
United Football League | Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium is a baseball stadium in Omaha, Nebraska, the former home to the annual NCAA Division I College World Series and the minor league Omaha Royals, now known as the Omaha Storm Chasers... (2010) TD Ameritrade Park |
|
| Omaha Beef Omaha Beef The Omaha Beef are a professional indoor football team. They are a member of the Indoor Football League . They play their home games at Omaha Civic Auditorium, which was also once the home of the AHL's Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights and is now the home of the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey... |
Indoor football | Indoor Football League Indoor Football League The Indoor Football League began in 1999 as an offshoot of the troubled Professional Indoor Football League. Keary Ecklund, the owner of the Green Bay Bombers and Madison Mad Dogs, left the PIFL after its first, financially-troubled, season to start his own league. Unlike the PIFL, the IFL was an... |
Omaha Civic Auditorium Omaha Civic Auditorium The Omaha Civic Auditorium is a multi-purpose convention center in Omaha, Nebraska. Opened in 1954, it surpassed the Ak-Sar-Ben Coliseum as the largest convention/entertainment complex in the city, until the completion of CenturyLink Center Omaha in 2003.... |
|
| Omaha Lancers Omaha Lancers The Omaha Lancers are a Tier 1 junior ice hockey team playing in the West Division of the United States Hockey League .From 2002-2009, the Lancers' home ice was the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa, across the Missouri River from Omaha. Until the 2001-2002 season, the Lancers played at... |
Ice hockey Ice hockey Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take... |
United States Hockey League United States Hockey League The United States Hockey League is the top junior ice hockey league in the United States. The USHL has 16 member teams located in the Midwestern United States, consisting of players who are 20 years of age and younger... |
Omaha Civic Auditorium Omaha Civic Auditorium The Omaha Civic Auditorium is a multi-purpose convention center in Omaha, Nebraska. Opened in 1954, it surpassed the Ak-Sar-Ben Coliseum as the largest convention/entertainment complex in the city, until the completion of CenturyLink Center Omaha in 2003.... |
|
| Omaha Rollergirls | Roller derby Roller derby Roller derby is a contact sport played by two teams of five members roller skating in the same direction around a track. Game play consists of a series of short matchups in which both teams designate a scoring player who scores points by lapping members of the opposing team... |
Omaha Rollergirls | Mid America Center | |
| Omaha Vipers Omaha Vipers The Omaha Vipers are a PASL-Pro team that began play in the MISL in the 2010-11 season. Based in Omaha, Nebraska, the Vipers play their home games at the Omaha Civic Auditorium. The move from the MISL to the PASL-Pro was announced on May 5, 2011.... |
Indoor Soccer Indoor soccer Indoor soccer or arena soccer, or six-a-side football in the United Kingdom, is a game derived from association football adapted for play in an indoor arena such as a turf-covered hockey arena or skating rink. The most important difference in play is that the indoor field is surrounded by a wall... |
Major Indoor Soccer League | Omaha Civic Auditorium Omaha Civic Auditorium The Omaha Civic Auditorium is a multi-purpose convention center in Omaha, Nebraska. Opened in 1954, it surpassed the Ak-Sar-Ben Coliseum as the largest convention/entertainment complex in the city, until the completion of CenturyLink Center Omaha in 2003.... |
|
Education
Education in Omaha is provided by many private and public institutions. Omaha Public SchoolsOmaha Public Schools
Omaha Public Schools is the largest school district in the state of Nebraska. This public school district serves a diverse community of more than 46,000 students at over 80 elementary and secondary schools in Omaha, Nebraska...
is the largest public school district
School district
School districts are a form of special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools.-United States:...
in Nebraska, with more than 47,750 students in more than 75 schools. After a contentious period of uncertainty, in 2007 the Nebraska Legislature
Nebraska Legislature
The Nebraska Legislature is the supreme legislative body of the State of Nebraska, in the Great Plains region of the United States. The Legislature meets at the Nebraska State Capitol in the City of Lincoln, Lancaster County....
approved a plan to create a learning community
Learning community
A learning community is a group of people who share common emotions, values or beliefs, are actively engaged in learning together from each other, and by habituation. Such communities have become the template for a cohort-based, interdisciplinary approach to higher education...
for Omaha-area school districts with a central administrative board. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha is a particular church of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the midwestern region of the United States. Archbishop Elden Francis Curtiss...
maintains numerous private Catholic schools with 21,500 students in 32 elementary schools and nine high schools. St. Cecilia Grade School at 3869 Webster St. in Midtown Omaha and St. Stephen the Martyr School at 168th and Q street in western Omaha earned national distinction when they received the U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon School
Blue Ribbon Schools Program
The Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States government program created in 1981 to honor schools which have achieved high levels of performance or significant improvements with emphasis on schools serving disadvantaged students. The program centers around a self-assessment conducted by the...
award.
There are eleven colleges and universities among Omaha's higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
institutions, including the University of Nebraska at Omaha
University of Nebraska at Omaha
The University of Nebraska at Omaha is a four-year state university located in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. Founded in 1908 as Omaha University, the institution became the public Municipal University of Omaha in 1931. It assumed its current name in 1968 following a merger into the University...
. Omaha's Creighton University
Creighton University
Creighton University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. The university is accredited by...
is ranked the top non-doctoral regional university in the Midwestern United States
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
by U.S. News and World Report. Creighton maintains a 132 acre (0.53418552 km²) campus just outside of Downtown Omaha in the new North Downtown district, and the Jesuit-run institution has an enrollment of around 6,700 in its undergraduate, graduate, medical, and law schools. There are more than 10 other colleges and universities in Omaha in the Omaha metro area.
Government and politics
Omaha has a strong mayorMayor-council government
The mayor–council government system, sometimes called the mayor–commission government system, is one of the two most common forms of local government for municipalities...
form of government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
, along with a city council that is elected from seven districts across the city. The current mayor is Jim Suttle
Jim Suttle
James H. "Jim" Suttle is the 50th and current mayor of Omaha, Nebraska.-Earlier career:Suttle held the position of vice chairman of the Board of Directors for the Omaha-based engineering and design firm HDR, Inc. He also served as executive vice president and director of corporate development for...
, who was elected in May 2009. The longest serving mayor in Omaha's history was "Cowboy" Jim Dahlman
James Dahlman
James Charles Dahlman , also known as Jim Dahlman, Cowboy Jim and Mayor Jim, was elected to eight terms as mayor of Omaha, Nebraska, serving the city for 20 years over a 23-year-period. A German-American and an agnostic, Dahlman grew up in a ranching area and started working as a Texas cowboy...
, who served 20 years over eight terms. He was regarded as the "wettest mayor in America" because of the flourishing number of bars in Omaha during his tenure. Dahlman was a close associate of political boss
Political boss
A boss, in politics, is a person who wields the power over a particular political region or constituency. Bosses may dictate voting patterns, control appointments, and wield considerable influence in other political processes. They do not necessarily hold public office themselves...
Tom Dennison. During Dahlman's tenure, the city switched from its original strong-mayor form of government to a city commission government
City commission government
City commission government is a form of municipal government which once was common in the United States, but many cities which were formerly governed by commission have since switched to the council-manager form of government...
. In 1956, the city switched back.
The elected city clerk is Buster Brown. The City of Omaha administers twelve departments, including finance, police, human rights, libraries
Omaha Public Library
Omaha Public Library is a public library system for the city of Omaha, Nebraska. Originally founded in 1857, the library struggled for many years before formally forming in 1877. In 1895, the library became one of the first six in the nation to create a children's section...
and planning. The Omaha City Council is the legislative branch and is made up seven members elected from districts across the city. The council enacts local ordinance
Local ordinance
A local ordinance is a law usually found in a municipal code.-United States:In the United States, these laws are enforced locally in addition to state law and federal law.-Japan:...
s and approves the city budget
Budget
A budget is a financial plan and a list of all planned expenses and revenues. It is a plan for saving, borrowing and spending. A budget is an important concept in microeconomics, which uses a budget line to illustrate the trade-offs between two or more goods...
. Government priorities and activities are established in a budget ordinance approved annually. The council takes official action through the passage of ordinances and resolutions. Nebraska’s constitution grants the option of home rule
Home rule
Home rule is the power of a constituent part of a state to exercise such of the state's powers of governance within its own administrative area that have been devolved to it by the central government....
to cities with more than 5,000 residents, meaning they may operate under their own charters. Omaha is one of only three cities in Nebraska to use this option, out of 17 eligible. The City of Omaha is currently considering consolidating
Consolidated city-county
In United States local government, a consolidated city–county is a city and county that have been merged into one unified jurisdiction. As such it is simultaneously a city, which is a municipal corporation, and a county, which is an administrative division of a state...
with Douglas County government.
Although registered Republicans
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
outnumbered Democrats
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
in the 2nd congressional district
Nebraska's 2nd congressional district
Nebraska's 2nd congressional district encompasses the core of the Omaha metropolitan area. It includes all of Douglas County, which includes Omaha, and the urbanized areas of Sarpy County...
, which includes Omaha, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
opened three campaign offices in the city with 15 staff members to cover the state in fall 2008. Mike Fahey, the former Democratic mayor of Omaha, said he would do whatever it took to deliver the district's electoral vote to Obama; and the Obama campaign
Barack Obama presidential campaign, 2008
Barack Obama, then junior United States Senator from Illinois, announced his candidacy for the presidency of the United States in Springfield, Illinois, on February 10, 2007. On August 27, 2008, he was declared nominee of the Democratic Party for the 2008 presidential election...
considered the district "in play". Former Nebraska U.S. Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Bob Kerrey
Bob Kerrey
Joseph Robert "Bob" Kerrey was the 35th Governor of Nebraska from 1983 to 1987 and a U.S. Senator from Nebraska . Having served in the Vietnam War, earning the Medal of Honor for his actions, he moved into politics. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1992...
and current Senator Ben Nelson
Ben Nelson
Earl Benjamin "Ben" Nelson is the senior U.S. Senator from Nebraska. He is a member of the Democratic Party and was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2000....
campaigned in the city for Obama, and in November 2008 Obama won the district's electoral vote. This was an exceptional win, because with Nebraska's split electoral vote system Obama became the first Democratic presidential candidate to win in Nebraska since 1964.
Crime
Omaha's rate of violent crimesUnited States cities by crime rate
The following table of United States cities by crime rate is based on Federal Bureau of Investigation Uniform Crime Reports statistics. The population numbers are based on U.S. Census estimates for the year end. The number of murders includes nonnegligent manslaughter. This list is based on the...
per 100,000 residents has been lower than the average rates of three dozen United States cities of similar size. Unlike in Omaha, violent crime overall for those cities has trended upward since 2003. Rates for property crime have decreased for both Omaha and its peer cities during the same time period. In 2006, Omaha was ranked for homicides as 46th out of the 72 cities in the United States of more than 250,000 in population.
As a major industrial city into the mid-20th century, Omaha shared in social tensions of larger cities that accompanied rapid growth and many new immigrants and migrants. By the 1950s, Omaha was a center for illegal gambling, while experiencing dramatic job losses and unemployment because of dramatic restructuring of the railroads and the meatpacking industry, as well as other sectors. Persistent poverty resulting from racial discrimination and job losses generated different crimes in the late 20th century, with drug trade and drug abuse becoming associated with violent crime rates, which climbed after 1986 as Los Angeles gangs made affiliates in the city. Gambling in Omaha has been significant throughout the city's history. From its founding in the 1850s through the 1930s, the city was known as a "wide-open" town, meaning that gambling of all sorts was accepted either openly or in closed quarters. By the mid-20th century, Omaha reportedly had more illicit gambling per capita than any other city in the nation. From the 1930s through the 1970s the city's gambling was controlled by an Italian criminal element. Today, gambling in Omaha is limited to keno
Keno
Keno is a lottery or bingo gambling game often played at modern casinos, and is also offered as a game in some state lotteries. A traditional live casino keno game uses a circular glass enclosure called a "bubble" containing 80 balls which determine the ball draw result. Each ball is imprinted...
, lotteries
Lottery
A lottery is a form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize.Lottery is outlawed by some governments, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of regulation of lottery by governments...
, and parimutuel betting
Parimutuel betting
Parimutuel betting is a betting system in which all bets of a particular type are placed together in a pool; taxes and the "house-take" or "vig" is removed, and payoff odds are calculated by sharing the pool among all winning bets...
, leaving Omahans to drive across the Missouri River to Council Bluffs, Iowa, where casinos are legal and there are numerous businesses operating currently. Recently a controversial proposal by the Ponca
Ponca
The Ponca are a Native American people of the Dhegihan branch of the Siouan-language group. There are two federally recognized Ponca tribes: the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska and the Ponca Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma...
tribe of Nebraska was approved by the National Indian Gaming Commission
National Indian Gaming Commission
The National Indian Gaming Commission is an independent federal regulatory agency within the Department of the Interior. Congress established this agency through the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act in 1988. The agency has the duty to "promulgate such regulations and guidelines as it deems...
. It will allow the tribe to build a casino in Carter Lake, Iowa
Carter Lake, Iowa
Carter Lake is a city in Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The population was 3,248 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Carter Lake is located at ....
, which sits geographically on the west side of the Missouri River, adjacent to Omaha, where casinos are illegal.
Infrastructure
In 2008 Kiplinger's Personal FinanceKiplinger's Personal Finance
Kiplinger's Personal Finance is a magazine that has been continuously published, on a monthly basis, from 1947 to the present day. It was the nation's first personal finance magazine, and claims to deliver "sound, unbiased advice in clear, concise language"...
magazine ranked Omaha the No. 3 best city in the United States to "live, work and play." Omaha's growth has required the constant development of new urban infrastructure
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
that influence, allow and encourage the constant expansion of the city.
Retail natural gas and water public utilities
Public utility
A public utility is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service . Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and regulation ranging from local community-based groups to state-wide government monopolies...
in Omaha are provided by the Metropolitan Utilities District
Metropolitan Utilities District
The Metropolitan Utilities District, or M.U.D., is the political subdivision and public corporation of the State of Nebraska that operates the drinking water and natural gas systems for Omaha, Nebraska and surrounding areas. M.U.D...
. Nebraska is the only public power state in the nation. All electric utilities are non-profit and customer-owned. Electricity
Electrical power industry
The electric power industry provides the production and delivery of electric energy, often known as power, or electricity, in sufficient quantities to areas that need electricity through a grid connection. The grid distributes electrical energy to customers...
in the city is provided by the Omaha Public Power District
Omaha Public Power District
Omaha Public Power District, or OPPD, is a public electric utility in the State of Nebraska. It is one of the largest publicly owned electric utilities in the United States, serving more than 340,000 customers in 13 southeast Nebraska counties. OPPD was formed in 1946 as a political subdivision of...
. Public housing
Public housing
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. Social housing is an umbrella term referring to rental housing which may be owned and managed by the state, by non-profit organizations, or by a combination of the...
is governed by the Omaha Housing Authority
Omaha Housing Authority
Omaha Housing Authority, or OHA, is the government agency responsible for providing public housing in Omaha, Nebraska. It is the parent organization of Housing in Omaha, Inc., a nonprofit housing developer for low-income housing.-About:...
, and public transportation is provided by Metro Area Transit
Metro Area Transit
Metro , previously known as Metro Area Transit is the local mass transportation provider in Omaha, Nebraska. Metro currently operates around 135 buses throughout the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, including the communities of Bellevue, Ralston, LaVista and Papillion in Nebraska, as well as...
. Qwest
Qwest
Qwest Communications International, Inc. was a large United States telecommunications carrier. Qwest provided local service in 14 western U.S. states: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.On April...
and Cox
Cox Communications
Cox Communications is a privately owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises providing digital cable television, telecommunications and wireless services in the United States...
provide local telephone services. The City of Omaha maintains two modern sewage treatment plants.
Portions of the Enron
Enron
Enron Corporation was an American energy, commodities, and services company based in Houston, Texas. Before its bankruptcy on December 2, 2001, Enron employed approximately 22,000 staff and was one of the world's leading electricity, natural gas, communications, and pulp and paper companies, with...
corporation began as Northern Natural Gas Company in Omaha. Northern currently provides three natural gas lines to Omaha. Enron formerly owned UtiliCorp United, Inc., which became Aquila, Inc.
Aquila, Inc.
Aquila, Inc. was an electricity and natural gas distribution network headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri in the United States. The company also owned and operated power generation assets...
. Peoples Natural Gas, a division of Aquila, Inc., currently serves several surrounding communities around the Omaha metropolitan area, including Plattsmouth
Plattsmouth, Nebraska
Plattsmouth is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, Nebraska, United States, which was founded in 1855. The population was 6,887 at the 2000 census.-History:...
.
There are several hospitals in Omaha
Hospitals in Omaha, Nebraska
Hospitals in Omaha, Nebraska have been integral to the city's growth since its founding in 1857. The city has a number of hospitals that were founded by religious groups, as well as the only hospital in the United States that had a nuclear reactor.-History:...
. Research hospitals include the Boys Town National Research Hospital, the University of Nebraska Medical Center
University of Nebraska Medical Center
The University of Nebraska Medical Center is a public academic health sciences center located on 42nd and Emile Streets in Midtown Omaha, Nebraska. UNMC is the only public academic health science center in Nebraska.-Academics and rankings:...
and the Creighton University Medical Center. The Boys Town facility is well-known for world-class researchers in hearing-related research and high quality treatment. The University of Nebraska Medical Center hosts the Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases
Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases
The Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases is a research institute at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.A....
, a world-renowned cancer treatment facility named in honor of Omahan Eugene Eppley.
Transportation
Omaha's central role in the history of transportation across America earned it the nickname "Gate City of the West." Despite President Lincoln'sAbraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
decree that Council Bluffs, Iowa, be the starting point for the Union Pacific Railroad, construction began from Omaha on the eastern portion of the first transcontinental railroad. By the middle of the 20th century, Omaha was served by almost every major railroad. Today, the Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District celebrates this connection, along with the listing of the Burlington Train Station
Burlington Train Station
The Burlington Train Station, located at 925 South 10th Street in downtown Omaha, Nebraska is a historically and culturally significant landmark, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. When it was opened in 1898, this Italianate style building, designed by Thomas Rogers Kimball,...
and the Union Station
Union Station (Omaha)
The Union Station, at 801 South 10th Street in Omaha, Nebraska, known also as Union Passenger Terminal, is "one of the finest examples of Art Deco architecture in the Midwest." Designated an Omaha Landmark in 1978, it was listed as "Union Passenger Terminal" on the National Register of Historic...
on the National Register of Historic Places. First housed in the former Herndon House
Herndon House
The Herndon House, later known as the International Hotel and then the Union Pacific Headquarters, was an early hotel located at Ninth and Farnam Streets in present-day Downtown Omaha, Nebraska. Built in 1858 by Omaha pioneer Dr. George L. Miller along with several associates, it was financed by...
, the Union Pacific Railroad's corporate headquarters have been in Omaha since the company began. Their new headquarters, the Union Pacific Center
Union Pacific Center
The Union Pacific Center at 1400 Douglas Street is one of downtown Omaha, Nebraska's newest high-rise buildings. It houses the headquarters of the Union Pacific Railroad and its parent company, the Union Pacific Corporation. It officially opened in June 2004 and rises 317 ft making it the fourth...
, was opened in Downtown Omaha in 2004. Amtrak
Omaha (Amtrak station)
The Omaha Amtrak station is a train station in Omaha, Nebraska, United States served by Amtrak, the national railroad passenger system. It is served daily by the California Zephyr....
, the national passenger rail system, provides service through Omaha. There is Greyhound lines
Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines, Inc., based in Dallas, Texas, is an intercity common carrier of passengers by bus serving over 3,700 destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico, operating under the well-known logo of a leaping greyhound. It was founded in Hibbing, Minnesota, USA, in 1914 and...
in Omaha
Union Pacific Missouri River Bridge
The Union Pacific Missouri River Bridge is a rail truss bridge across the Missouri River connecting Council Bluffs, Iowa with Omaha, Nebraska.-History:...
linking the transcontinental railroad to the railroads terminating in Council Bluffs. In 1888, the first road bridge, the Douglas Street Bridge
Ak-Sar-Ben Bridge
The Ak-Sar-Ben Bridge was a truss bridge that was the first road bridge to cross the Missouri River connecting Omaha, Nebraska and Council Bluffs, Iowa...
, opened. In the 1890s, the Illinois Central drawbridge opened as the largest bridge of its type in the world. Omaha's Missouri River road bridges are now entering their second generation, including the Works Progress Administration
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
-financed South Omaha Bridge, now called Veteran's Memorial Bridge, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 2006, Omaha and Council Bluffs announced joint plans to build the Missouri River Pedestrian Bridge
Missouri River Pedestrian Bridge
The Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge is a footbridge across the Missouri River between Council Bluffs, Iowa and Omaha, Nebraska. It opened on 28 September 2008....
, which is expected to become a city landmark at its scheduled opening in November 2008.
Today, the primary mode of transportation in Omaha is by automobile, with I-80
Interstate 80 in Nebraska
In the U.S. state of Nebraska, Interstate 80 runs west from Omaha to the Wyoming state border, ultimately terminating in San Francisco, California. When it completed construction of the stretch of Interstate 80 spanning the state on October 19, 1974, Nebraska was the first state in the nation to...
, I-480
Interstate 480 (Iowa-Nebraska)
Interstate 480 is an auxiliary Interstate Highway, a mere long, that connects Interstate 80 in downtown Omaha, Nebraska, with Interstate 29 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The portion of I-480 in Nebraska has been named the Gerald R. Ford Freeway, named in honor of the former President, who was a...
, I-680
Interstate 680 (Iowa-Nebraska)
Interstate 680 in Nebraska and Iowa is the northern bypass freeway for the Omaha, Nebraska-Council Bluffs, Iowa metropolitan area. I-680 spans from its western terminus in western Omaha to its eastern terminus near Neola, Iowa. For a stretch, I-680 is co-signed with Interstate 29...
, I-29
Interstate 29
Interstate 29 is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern United States. I-29 runs from Kansas City, Missouri, at a junction with Interstate 35 and Interstate 70 to the Canadian border near Pembina, North Dakota, where it connects with Manitoba Highway 75 via the short Manitoba Highway 29.-Route...
, and U.S. Route 75
U.S. Route 75
U.S. Route 75 is a north–south U.S. Highway. The highway's northern terminus is in Kittson County, Minnesota, at the Canadian border, where it continues as Manitoba Highway 75 on the other side of a closed border crossing. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 30 and Interstate 45 in Dallas,...
(JFK Freeway and North Freeway) providing freeway service across the metropolitan area. The expressway along West Dodge Road (U.S. Route 6
U.S. Route 6
U.S. Route 6 , also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, a name that honors an American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the U.S. Highway system, running east-northeast from Bishop, California to Provincetown, Massachusetts. Until 1964, it continued south from Bishop to...
and Nebraska Link 28B
Nebraska Link 28B
Nebraska Link 28B is a connecting link highway which connects U.S. Route 275 west of Omaha to U.S. Route 6 in Omaha. The highway is a long part of a freeway which stretches to Fremont from Omaha.-Route description:...
) and U.S. Route 275
U.S. Route 275
U.S. Route 275 is a north–south United States highway. It is a branch of US 75, originally terminating at that route in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The highway's northern terminus is in O'Neill, Nebraska, at an intersection with U.S. Highway 20 and U.S. Highway 281. Its southern terminus is near...
has been upgraded to freeway standards from I-680 to Fremont
Fremont, Nebraska
Fremont is a city in and the county seat of Dodge County, Nebraska, United States, near Omaha in the eastern part of the state. The population was 26,397 at the 2010 census....
. City owned Metro Area Transit
Metro Area Transit
Metro , previously known as Metro Area Transit is the local mass transportation provider in Omaha, Nebraska. Metro currently operates around 135 buses throughout the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, including the communities of Bellevue, Ralston, LaVista and Papillion in Nebraska, as well as...
provides public bus service to hundreds of locations throughout the Metro.
A 2011 study by Walk Score ranked Omaha 21st most walkable of fifty largest U.S. cities. There is an extensive trail system throughout the city for walkers, runners, bicyclists, and other pedestrian modes of transportation.
Grid plan
The grid plan, grid street plan or gridiron plan is a type of city plan in which streets run at right angles to each other, forming a grid...
, with 12 blocks to the mile with a North to South house numbering
House numbering
House numbering is the system of giving a unique number to each building in a street or area, with the intention of making it easier to locate a particular building. The house number is often part of a postal address....
system. Omaha is the location of a historic boulevard system
Boulevards in Omaha
Boulevards in Omaha are part of a park and boulevard system originally designed in 1889 by Horace Cleveland. There are more than one hundred and fifty kilometers of boulevards throughout the city of Omaha, Nebraska today...
designed by H.W.S. Cleveland who sought to combine the beauty of parks with the pleasure of driving cars. The historic Florence
Florence Boulevard
Florence Boulevard, originally known as the Prettiest Mile in Omaha Boulevard, is a boulevard-type north-south street in the north Omaha, Nebraska. With the start of construction in 1892, Florence Boulevard was the first roadway in Omaha's boulevard system designed by Horace Cleveland...
and Fontenelle Boulevard
Fontenelle Boulevard
Fontenelle Boulevard is a roadway in the Omaha boulevard system located on the north end of Omaha, Nebraska. The boulevard shares its namesake Logan Fontenelle with several local institutions and fixtures, including Fontenelle Elementary School and Fontenelle Park.-About:Originally called Boulevard...
s, as well as the modern Sorenson Parkway
Sorenson Parkway
The Sorensen Parkway is a modern link in the boulevard system in Omaha, Nebraska. The Parkway flows west from North 30th Street to North 90th Street, and has been viewed as the northern boundary that defines the area called North Omaha.-About:...
, are important elements in this system.
Eppley Airfield
Eppley Airfield
Eppley Airfield is a medium hub primary airport located three miles northeast of the central business district of Omaha, a city in Douglas County, Nebraska, United States. It is the largest airport in the state of Nebraska...
, Omaha's airport, serves the region with over 4.2 million passengers in 2006. United Airlines
United Airlines
United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental...
, Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines Co. is an American low-cost airline based in Dallas, Texas. Southwest is the largest airline in the United States, based upon domestic passengers carried,...
, US Airways
US Airways
US Airways, Inc. is a major airline based in the U.S. city of Tempe, Arizona. The airline is an operating unit of US Airways Group and is the sixth largest airline by traffic and eighth largest by market value in the country....
, Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines was a major American airline now merged with United Airlines. On May 3, 2010, Continental Airlines, Inc. and UAL, Inc. announced a merger via a stock swap, and on October 1, 2010, the merger closed and UAL changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc...
, Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...
, American Airlines
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
, Frontier Airlines
Frontier Airlines
Frontier Airlines, Inc., is an American airline headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The carrier, which is a subsidiary and operating brand of Republic Airways Holdings, operates flights to 83 destinations throughout the United States, Mexico, and Costa Rica and maintains hubs at...
, and ExpressJet Airlines
ExpressJet Airlines
ExpressJet Airlines, Inc. is an American regional airline based in the A-Tech Center in College Park, Georgia. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Atlantic Southeast Airlines which is in turn a subsidiary of the airline holding company SkyWest, Inc., parent company of the air carrier SkyWest...
, serve the airport with direct and connecting service. Eppley is situated in East Omaha, with many users driving through Carter Lake, Iowa and getting a view of Carter Lake before getting there. General aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
airports serving the area are the Millard Municipal Airport, North Omaha Airport
North Omaha Airport
North Omaha Airport is a privately-owned, public-use airport located seven nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Omaha, a city in Douglas County, Nebraska, United States.- Facilities and aircraft :...
and the Council Bluffs Airport. Offutt Air Force Base continues to serve as a military airbase; it is located at the southern edge of Bellevue, which in turn lies immediately south of Omaha.
Notable people
Gabrielle Union
Gabrielle Monique Union is an American actress and former model. Among her notable roles is as the cheerleader opposite Kirsten Dunst in the film Bring it On. Union starred opposite Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in the blockbuster film Bad Boys II and played a medical doctor in the CBS drama...
, Montgomery Clift
Montgomery Clift
Edward Montgomery Clift was an American film and stage actor. The New York Times’ obituary noted his portrayal of "moody, sensitive young men"....
, Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute...
and Adele Astaire
Adele Astaire
Lady Charles Cavendish , better known as Adele Astaire, was an American dancer and entertainer. She was Fred Astaire's elder sister. Her birthdate was often given as 1897 or 1898, but the 1900 U.S...
, Dorothy McGuire
Dorothy McGuire
Dorothy Hackett McGuire was an American actress.-Career:Born in Omaha, Nebraska, she began her acting career on the stage at the Omaha Community Playhouse...
, Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
and Nick Nolte
Nick Nolte
Nicholas King "Nick" Nolte is an American actor whose career has spanned over five decades, peaking in the 1990s when his commercial success made him one of the most popular celebrities of that decade.-Early life:...
, were born in Omaha. Academy Award winner Henry Fonda
Henry Fonda
Henry Jaynes Fonda was an American film and stage actor.Fonda made his mark early as a Broadway actor. He also appeared in 1938 in plays performed in White Plains, New York, with Joan Tompkins...
also grew up in Omaha. Marlon Brando's mother encouraged Henry Fonda to pursue acting at the Omaha Community Playhouse
Omaha Community Playhouse
The Omaha Community Playhouse, located at 6915 Cass Street in Omaha, Nebraska, United States, is a nationally recognized community theater.Founded in 1924, the Playhouse's first president was Alan McDonald, architect of the Joslyn Art Museum, and its first play, directed by Greg Foley in April...
. His son Peter Fonda also briefly lived in Omaha. Mrs. Brando helped found the playhouse. His family's home still stands on South 33rd Street, a few blocks from the site of the first home of Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
.
Jazz Age
Jazz Age
The Jazz Age was a movement that took place during the 1920s or the Roaring Twenties from which jazz music and dance emerged. The movement came about with the introduction of mainstream radio and the end of the war. This era ended in the 1930s with the beginning of The Great Depression but has...
magazine illustrator, Broadway scenic designer, and comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
artist Russell Patterson
Russell Patterson
Russell Patterson was a celebrated and prolific American cartoonist, illustrator and scenic designer. Patterson’s art deco magazine illustrations helped promote the idea of the 1920s and 1930s fashion style known as the flapper.Patterson was born in Omaha, Nebraska...
was born in Omaha. Tennis player Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
, former ATP ranking leader, was born in Omaha. Omaha's rich musical history produced legends such as Wynonie Harris
Wynonie Harris
Wynonie Harris , born in Omaha, Nebraska, was an American blues shouter and rhythm and blues singer of upbeat songs, featuring humorous, often ribald lyrics. With fifteen Top 10 hits between 1946 and 1952, Harris is generally considered one of rock and roll's forerunners, influencing Elvis Presley...
, Preston Love
Preston Love
Preston Haines Love was a renowned alto saxophonist, bandleader and songwriter from Omaha, Nebraska.-Biography:Preston Love grew up in North Omaha and graduated from North High....
, Buddy Miles
Buddy Miles
George Allen Miles, Jr. , known as Buddy Miles, was an American rock and funk drummer, most known as a founding member of The Electric Flag in 1967, then as a member of Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys from 1969 through to January 1970.-Early life:George Allen Miles was born in Omaha, Nebraska on...
, Sara Olson, Calvin Keys, Eugene McDaniels and others. Members of 311
311 (band)
311 is an American rock band from Omaha, Nebraska. The band was formed in 1988 by vocalist/rhythm guitarist Nick Hexum, lead guitarist Jim Watson , bassist Aaron "P-Nut" Wills and drummer Chad Sexton...
and Bright Eyes are part of the modern music scene. Chip Davis
Chip Davis
Louis F. "Chip" Davis, Jr. is the founder and leader of the music group Mannheim Steamroller.He also wrote the music for C.W. McCall, including the 1975 hit "Convoy".-Biography:...
and Mannheim Steamroller
Mannheim Steamroller
Mannheim Steamroller is an American music group founded by Chip Davis and Jackson Berkey, known primarily for its modern recordings of Christmas music. The group has sold 28 million albums in the U.S. alone.-Beginnings:...
began in and still headquarter out of Omaha.
Warren Buffett
Warren Buffett
Warren Edward Buffett is an American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is widely regarded as one of the most successful investors in the world. Often introduced as "legendary investor, Warren Buffett", he is the primary shareholder, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. He is...
, in 2008 the richest person in the world, lives in Omaha where he made his fortune in business. Two native sons who achieved prominence nationally were born in Omaha, with their families moving away shortly thereafter.
The Gerald Ford birthplace site
Gerald R. Ford Birthsite and Gardens
The Gerald R. Ford Birthsite and Gardens in Omaha, Nebraska marks the location of the house at 3202 Woolworth Avenue where U.S. President Gerald R. Ford lived for a couple of weeks after his birth in July 1913...
memorializes the 38th President.
African American activist and son of a Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
minister, Malcolm X
Malcolm X
Malcolm X , born Malcolm Little and also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz , was an African American Muslim minister and human rights activist. To his admirers he was a courageous advocate for the rights of African Americans, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its...
, first known as Malcolm Little, was also born in Omaha. Joining dozens of other important Omaha Landmarks, the Malcolm X House Site
Malcolm X House Site
The Malcolm X House Site located at 3448 Pinkney Street in North Omaha, Nebraska, marks the place where Malcolm X first lived with his family. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984 and is also on the Nebraska list of heritage sites.-History:Malcolm Little was born...
has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Steve Borden (Sting) was born in Omaha while Ted DiBiase
Ted DiBiase
Theodore Marvin "Ted" DiBiase, Sr. is a retired professional wrestler, manager, ordained minister and color commentator. DiBiase achieved championship success in a number of wrestling promotions, holding thirty titles during his professional wrestling career...
billed as born in Omaha.
Gale Sayers
Gale Sayers
Gale Eugene Sayers also known as "The Kansas Comet", is a former professional football player in the National Football League who spent his entire career with the Chicago Bears....
, a football player for the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
was raised in Omaha graduating from an Omaha high school.
Alexander Payne
Alexander Payne
Alexander Payne, born Alexander Constantine Papadopoulos is an American film director and screenwriter. His films are noted for their dark humor and satirical depictions of contemporary American society.- Early life :...
, American film director and screenwriter was born and raised in Omaha.
Sister cities
Omaha has six sister cities:Braunschweig
Braunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
(Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) Naas
Naas
Naas is the county town of County Kildare in Ireland. With a population of just over twenty thousand, it is also the largest town in the county. Naas is a major commuter suburb, with many people residing there and working in Dublin...
(Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
) Shizuoka
Shizuoka, Shizuoka
is the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, and the prefecture's second-largest city in terms of both population and area. It became one of Japan's 19 "designated cities" in 2005.-Geography:...
(Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
) Šiauliai
Šiauliai
Šiauliai , is the fourth largest city in Lithuania, with a population of 133,900. It is the capital of Šiauliai County. Unofficially, the city is the capital of Northern Lithuania.-Names:...
(Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
) Xalapa-Enriquez (Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
) Yantai
Yantai
Yantai is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Shandong province, People's Republic of China. Located on the southern coast of the Bohai Sea and the eastern coast of the Laizhou Bay, Yantai borders the cities of Qingdao and Weihai to the southwest and east respectively.The largest fishing...
(China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
)
External links
- City of Omaha Official Website
- Omaha Convention & Visitors Bureau
- http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=&geo_id=16000US3137000&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US31%7C16000US3137000&_street=&_county=Omaha&_cityTown=Omaha&_state=04000US31&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=160&_submenuId=factsheet_1&ds_name=null&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null%AE=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry=Omaha profile – American Community Survey, U.S. Census Bureau]
- Omaha profile – QuickFacts, U.S. Census Bureau
- Greater Omaha Economic Development Partnership Web site
- A guide to Omaha, Nebraska – The Stories, The People, The Place
- Omaha Real Estate
- Omaha Fine Dining
- Omaha Pride