Omaha's pioneer period began in 1854, when the city was founded along theMissouri River by speculators from neighboringCouncil Bluffs, Iowa. It originally comprised a crossing calledLone Tree Ferry earning the city its nickname, the "Gateway to the West". Omaha introduced this new West to the world in 1898, when it played host to the World's Fair, dubbed theTrans-Mississippi Exposition. During the 19th century, Omaha's central location in the United States spurred the city to become an important nationaltransportation hub. Throughout the rest of the 19th century, the transportation andjobbing sectors were important in the city, along with itsrailroads andbreweries. In the 20th century, theOmaha Stockyards, once the world's largest, and itsmeatpacking plants gained international prominence.
Through 26 separate treaties with the United States federal government,Native American tribes in Nebraska gradually ceded the lands that now make up the state. The treaty and cession involving the Omaha area occurred in 1854 when theOmaha Tribe ceded most of east-central Nebraska.[22]Logan Fontenelle, an interpreter for the Omaha and signatory to the 1854 treaty, played an essential role in those proceedings.
Before it was legal to claim land inIndian Country,William D. Brown operated theLone Tree Ferry that brought 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.[23] The passage of theKansas–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 ofOmaha Central High School.[24] Soon after, theOmaha Claim Club was formed to providevigilante justice forclaim jumpers and others who infringed on the land of many ofthe city's founding fathers.[25] Some of this land, which now wraps around Downtown Omaha, was later used to enticeNebraska Territorial legislators to an area calledScriptown.[26] The Territorial capitol was in Omaha, but when Nebraska became a state in 1867, the capital was relocated toLincoln, 53 mi (85 km) southwest of Omaha.[27] TheU.S. Supreme Court later ruled against numerous landowners whose violent actions were condemned inBaker v. Morton.[28]
Theeconomy of Omaha boomed and busted through its early years. In 1858, theOmaha Daily Republican was founded by theOmaha Printing Company (rebranded Aradius Group, 2016), it was Nebraska's first regional newspaper–founded before Nebraska claimed statehood. Omaha was a stopping point for settlers and prospectors heading west, either overland or by the Missouri River. The steamboatBertrand sank north of Omaha on its way to the goldfields in 1865. Its massive collection of artifacts is on display at the nearbyDesoto National Wildlife Refuge. Thejobbing and wholesaling district brought new jobs, followed by therailroads and the stockyards.[33] Groundbreaking for theFirst transcontinental railroad in 1863, provided an essential developmental boom for the city.[34] In 1862, theU.S. Congress allowed theUnion Pacific Railroad to begin building westward railways;[35][36] in January 1866 it commenced construction out of Omaha.[37]
TheUnion Stockyards, another important part of the city's development, were founded in South Omaha in 1883.[38] Within 20 years, Omaha had four of the five majormeatpacking companies in the United States. 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.[39]
With dramatically increasing population in the 20th century, competition and fierce labor struggles led to major civil unrest.[51] In 1900, Omaha was the center of a national uproar over thekidnapping ofEdward Cudahy, Jr., the son of a localmeatpacking magnate.[52]
The city's labor and management clashed in bitter strikes,racial tension escalated as blacks were hired as strikebreakers, and ethnic strife broke out.[53] Amajor riot by earlier immigrants in South Omaha destroyed the city'sGreek Town in 1909, completely driving out the Greek population.[54]
Six years later, in 1919, the city was caught up in theRed Summer riots when thousands of 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 theDouglas County Courthouse to get the prisoner, causing more than $1 million damage. They hanged and shot Will Brown, then burned his body.[59] 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.[60]
The construction ofInterstates80,480 and680, along with theNorth Omaha Freeway, spurred development. There was also controversy, particularly in North Omaha, where new routes bisected several neighborhoods.[64]Creighton University hosted theDePorres Club, an early civil rights group whose use of sit-in strategies for integration of public facilities predated the national movement.[65]
Following the development of the Glenn L. Martin Company bomber manufacturing plant inBellevue at the beginning of World War II, the relocation of theStrategic Air Command to the Omaha suburb in 1948 provided a major economic boost to the area.[66]
From the 1950s through the 1960s, more than 40 insurance companies were headquartered in Omaha, includingWoodmen of the World andMutual of Omaha. By the late 1960s, the city rivaled, but never surpassed, the United States insurance centers ofHartford, Connecticut, New York City andBoston.[67]
After surpassing Chicago inmeat 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 alongNorth 24th Street destroyed the Near North Side's economic base, with recovery slow for decades.[68] In 1969,Woodmen Tower was completed and became Omaha's tallest building and first major skyscraper at 478 ft (146 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 amajor tornado, along with amajor blizzard, caused more than$100 million in damages in 1975 dollars.[69]
Downtown Omaha has since been rejuvenated in numerous ways, starting with the development ofGene Leahy Mall[70] andW. Dale Clark Library[71] in the late 1970s. In the 1980s, Omaha's fruit warehouses were converted into a shopping area called theOld Market.
The demolition ofJobber's Canyon in 1989 led to the creation of theConAgra Foods campus.[72] Several nearby buildings, including theNash Block, have been converted into condominiums. The stockyards were taken down; the only surviving building is theLivestock Exchange Building, which was converted to multi-use and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[73]
Ahistoric preservation movement in Omaha has led to a number of historic structures and districts being designatedOmaha Landmarks or listed on theNational Register of Historic Places. Much of the push toward preservation came after Omaha gained the notorious designation of having, in 1989, demolished the largest-everNational Register historic district in the United States, a record that still stands as of 2013. TheJobbers Canyon Historic District, along the Missouri River, was felled for a new headquarters campus for ConAgra Foods, a company which threatened to relocate if Omaha did not allow them to raze the city's historic district. The Jobber's Canyon warehouses had before then been allowed to deteriorate and were the scene of several fires set by the homeless population that had come to live in the abandoned buildings. At the time, there were no plans in place for revitalizing the buildings.[74][75][76]
In the 1980s and 1990s, Omaha also saw major company headquarters leave the city, includingEnron, founded in the city in 1930 and taken to Houston in 1987 by the now-notoriousKenneth Lay.First Data Corporation, a large credit-card processor, also was founded in Omaha in 1969; as of 2009, its headquarters are in Atlanta.
Inacom, founded in Omaha in 1991, was a technology company that customized computer systems for large businesses, and was on the Fortune 500 list from 1997 until 2000, when it filed for bankruptcy.Northwestern Bell, theBell System affiliate for Northwestern states, had its headquarters in Omaha from its founding in 1896 until it moved to Denver in 1991 asUS West.Level 3 Communications, a largeTier 1 network provider, was founded in Omaha in 1985 as Kiewit Diversified Group, a division ofKiewit Corporation, a Fortune 500 construction and mining company still headquartered in Omaha; Level 3 moved to Denver in 1998.World Com was founded by a merger with Omaha's MFS Communications, started asMetropolitan Fiber Systems in 1993. MFS, backed byKiewit Corporation CEOWalter Scott Jr. andWarren Buffett, purchasedUUNET, one of the largest Internet backbones in the world, for $2 billion in 1996. The now-infamousBernie Ebbers purchased the much larger MFS for $14.3 billion in 1997 under hisWorld Com. He moved headquarters of the merged company from Omaha to Mississippi.[77]
Important retail and office developments occurred in West Omaha, such as the Village Pointe shopping center and several business parks.[80] The site of the formerAk-Sar-Ben arena was redeveloped into amixed-use developmentAksarben Village. In January 2009,Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska announced plans to build a 10 story, $98 million headquarters in theAksarben Village which it completed in Spring 2011.[81] Another major mixed-use development to come to Omaha wasMidtown Crossing at Turner Park. Developed byMutual of Omaha, the development includes several condominium towers and retail businesses built around Omaha's Turner Park.[82][83]
There have also been several developments along the Missouri River waterfront near downtown. TheBob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge was opened to foot and bicycle traffic on September 28, 2008.[84] Started in 2003,[85]RiverFront Place Condos first phase was completed in 2006 and the second phase was opened in 2011. The development along Omaha's riverfront is attributed with prompting the City of Council Bluffs to move their own riverfront development time line forward.[86]
In the summers of 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2021 theUnited States Olympic Team swimming trials were held in Omaha, at the Qwest/Century Link Center.[87][88] These events were highlights inthe city's sports community,[89] as well as a showcase for redevelopment in the downtown area.
In the 2020s, a number of large projects have been either completed or planned in an attempt to revitalize downtown Omaha.[90] These include the redevelopment of theGene Leahy Mall, a large park near Omaha's Riverfront,[91] and theOmaha Streetcar, a nearly $500 million system of public transit.[92] A new skyscraper, theMutual of Omaha Headquarters Tower, at 677 feet (206 m), will be the newtallest building in Omaha andthe state upon its completion in 2026.
Douglas County treasurerJohn Ewing waselected mayor in 2025, ending Stothert's 12-year long administration. He is the first black mayor of Omaha.[93]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 130.58 sq mi (338.20 km2), of which 127.09 sq mi (329.16 km2) is land and 3.49 sq mi (9.04 km2) is water.[94] Situated in the Midwestern United States on the bank of theMissouri River in eastern Nebraska, much of Omaha is built in theMissouri River Valley. Other significant bodies of water in the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area include Lake Manawa,Papillion Creek,Carter Lake, Platte River and theGlenn Cunningham Lake. The city's land has been altered considerably with substantialland grading throughout Downtown Omaha and scattered across the city.[95]East Omaha sits on aflood plain west of the Missouri River. The area is the location of Carter Lake, anoxbow 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.[96] The metropolitan area now includesHarrison,Pottawattamie, andMills Counties in Iowa andWashington, Douglas,Sarpy,Cass, andSaunders 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.[97] The Omaha-Council Bluffscombined statistical area comprises the Omaha-Council Bluffsmetropolitan statistical area and theFremontMicropolitan statistical area; the CSA has a population of 858,720 (2005 Census Bureau estimate). Omaha ranks as the41st-most populous city in the United States, and is the core city of its 60th-largest metropolitan area.[98] There are noconsolidated city-counties in the area; theCity 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."[99]
Geographically, Omaha is considered as being in the "Heartland" of the United States. Important environmental impacts on the natural habitat in the area include the spread ofinvasive plant species, restoringprairies andbur oaksavanna habitats, and managing thewhitetail deer population.[100]
Omaha is home to several hospitals, mostly along Dodge Street (US6). Being the county seat, it is also the location of the county courthouse.
Downtown: lime, Midtown: blue-gray, North: red, South: pink, West: lavenderView from above West Omaha
Omaha is generally divided into six geographic areas: Downtown, Midtown, North Omaha, South Omaha, West Omaha, and East Omaha. West Omaha includes the Miracle Hills,Boys Town, Regency, and Gateway areas.[83] The city has a wide range of historical and new neighborhoods and suburbs that reflect itssocioeconomic diversity. Early neighborhood development happened in ethnic enclaves,[101] includingLittle Italy,Little Bohemia, Little Mexico andGreek Town.[102] According to U.S. Census data, five European ethnic enclaves existed in Omaha in 1880, expanding to nine in 1900.[103]
Around the start of the 20th century. the City of Omaha annexed several surrounding communities, includingFlorence,Dundee andBenson. At the same time, the city annexed all of South Omaha, including theDahlman andBurlington Road neighborhoods. From its first annexation in 1857 (of East Omaha) to its controversial annexation ofElkhorn in 2007, Omaha has continually had an eye towards growth.[104]
Starting in the 1950s, development of highways and new housing led to the movement of the middle class tosuburbs in West Omaha. Some of the movement was designated aswhite flight from racial unrest in the 1960s.[105] Newer and poorer migrants lived in older housing close to downtown; those residents who were more established moved west into newer housing. Some suburbs aregated communities or have becomeedge cities.[106] 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 theOmaha Rail and Commerce Historic District.[107]
Omaha, due to its latitude of 41.26˚ N and location far from moderating bodies of water or mountain ranges, displays a hot-summerhumid continental climate (Köppen:Dfa).[108][109] July averages 76.7 °F (24.8 °C), with average relative humidity around 70% which then leads to relatively frequent thunderstorms. Temperatures reach 90 °F (32 °C) on 29 days and 100 °F (38 °C) on 1.7 days annually. The January daily average is 23.5 °F (−4.7 °C), with lows reaching 0 °F (−18 °C) on 11 days annually. The lowest temperature recorded in the city was −32 °F (−35.6 °C) on January 5, 1884,[110] and the highest 114 °F (45.6 °C) onJuly 25, 1936.[111] Average yearly precipitation is 30.6 in (777 mm), falling mostly in the warmer months. Snow is the most common precipitation in winter, with average seasonal snowfall being 28.7 in (72.9 cm).
Omaha, Nebraska – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
The2020 United States census[125] counted 486,051 people, 189,922 households, and 113,245 families in Omaha. The population density was 3,406.8 per square mile (1,315.4/km2). There were 203,215 housing units, at an average density of 1,424.4 per square mile (550.0/km2). The racial makeup (including Hispanics in the racial counts) was 65.47% (318,218)white, 12.4% (60,280)black or African-American, 1.12% (5,426)Native American, 4.6% (22,377)Asian, 0.09% (461)Pacific Islander, 7.25% (35,233) fromother races, and 9.06% (44,056) from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race was 14.0% (67,715) of the population.[120]
Map of racial distribution in Omaha, 2010 U.S. Census. Each dot is 25 people:⬤ White⬤ Black⬤ Asian⬤ Hispanic⬤ Other
Of the 189,922 households, 28.3% had children under the age of 18; 43.0% were married couples living together; 29.2% had a female householder with no husband present. 33.2% of households consisted of individuals and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.5 and the average family size was 3.2.
24.5% of the population was under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.9 years. For every 100 females, the population had 97.1 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 95.0 males.
The 2016–2020 5-yearAmerican Community Survey[126] estimates show that the median household income was $62,213 (with a margin of error of +/- $969) and the median family income $80,956 (+/- $1,380). Males had a median income of $41,528 (+/- $592) versus $31,295 (+/- $490) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $36,290 (+/- $532). Approximately, 8.0% of families and 12.0% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 15.6% of those under the age of 18 and 7.8% of those ages 65 or over.
As of thecensus[127] of 2010, there were 408,958 people, 162,627 households, and 96,477 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,217.9/sq mi (1,242.4/km2). There were 177,518 housing units, at an average density of 1,396.8/sq mi (539.3/km2). The city's racial makeup was 73.1%White, 13.7%African American, 0.8%Native American, 2.4%Asian, 0.1%Pacific Islander, 6.9% fromother races, and 3.0% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino people of any race were 13.1% of the population.Non-Hispanic Whites were 68.0% of the population.[120]
There were 162,627 households, of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.6% were married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.7% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.3% had someone living alone who was at least 65 years old. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.14.
The median age in the city was 33.5 years. 25.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 11.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.9% were from 25 to 44; 24.4% were from 45 to 64; and 11.4% were 65 years of age or older. The city's gender makeup was 49.2% male and 50.8% female.
The median household income (in 2017 dollars) from 2013 to 2017 was $53,789.[128]
As a major industrial city into the mid-20th century, Omaha shared in social tensions that came with rapid growth and the arrival of large numbers of immigrants and migrants. Persistent poverty resulting from racial discrimination and job losses generated different crimes in the late 20th century, with the drug trade and drug abuse becoming associated with violent crime rates, which climbed after 1986 as Los Angeles gangs made affiliates in the city.[129]
Gambling in Omaha has been an important part of the city's history. From its founding in the 1850s through the 1930s, the city was known as a "wide-open" town where gambling of all sorts was openly accepted. By the 1950s, at the same time large-scale restructuring of the railroads, the meatpacking industry and other sectors caused widespread job losses and unemployment, Omaha reportedly had more illicit gambling than any other city in the nation.[130] From the 1930s through the 1970s, a Mafia-based criminal element controlled gambling in the city.[131]
As most forms of gambling are currently restricted in Nebraska, gambling in Omaha is limited tokeno,lotteries, andparimutuel betting. This leaves Omahans to drive across the Missouri River to Council Bluffs, Iowa, where casinos are legal and many businesses operate. Recently, theNational Indian Gaming Commission approved a controversial proposal made by thePonca tribe of Nebraska. It will allow the tribe to build a casino inCarter Lake, Iowa, which sits on the west side of the Missouri River, adjacent to Omaha, where casinos are illegal.[132][133][134]
Native Americans were the first residents of the Omaha area. The city of Omaha was established by white settlers from neighboring Council Bluffs who arrived from theMid-Atlantic states a few years earlier. While much of the early population was ofUpland Southern stock, over the next 100 years numerousethnic groups moved to the city. In 1910, the Census Bureau reported Omaha's population as 96.4% White and 3.6% Black.[135]Irish immigrants in Omaha originally moved to an area in present-day North Omaha calledGophertown, as they lived in dug-outsod houses.[48] That population was followed byPolish immigrants in theSheelytown neighborhood, and many immigrants were recruited for jobs in South Omaha'sstockyards and meatpacking industry.[136] TheGerman community in Omaha was largely responsible for founding its once-thriving beer industry,[137] including theMetz,Krug,Falstaff andStorz breweries.
In the early 20th century,Jewish immigrants set up many businesses along theNorth 24th Street commercial area. It suffered with the loss of industrial jobs in the 1960s and, later, the shifting of population west of the city. The commercial area is now the center of theAfrican-American community, concentrated in North Omaha.[138] The African American community has maintained its social and religious base, while it is experiencing an economic revitalization.
TheLittle Italy neighborhood grew south of downtown, as many Italian immigrants came to the city to work in theUnion Pacific shops.[139] Scandinavians first came to Omaha asMormon settlers in theFlorence neighborhood.[140][141]Czechs had a strong political and cultural voice in Omaha,[142] and were involved in a variety of trades and businesses, including banks, wholesale houses, and funeral homes. TheNotre Dame Academy and Convent andCzechoslovak Museum are legacies of their residence.[143] 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 account for most of South Omaha's Hispanic population and many have taken jobs inmeat processing.[144] Other large early ethnic populations in Omaha includedDanes,Poles, andSwedes.
A growing number of African immigrants have made their homes in Omaha in the last twenty years.[when?] There are approximately 8,500Sudanese living in Omaha, including the largest population ofSudanese refugees in the United States. Most have immigrated since 1995 because ofwarfare in Sudan. They represent ten ethnic groups, including theNuer,Dinka,Equatorians,Maubans andNubians. Most Sudanese people in Omaha speak theNuer language.[145] Other Africans have immigrated to Omaha as well, with one-third fromNigeria, and large populations fromKenya,Togo,Cameroon andGhana.[146][147][148]
With the expansion of railroad and industrial jobs in meatpacking, Omaha attracted many immigrants and migrants. As the major city in Nebraska, it has historically been more racially and ethnically diverse than the rest of the state.[149] At times rapid population change, overcrowded housing and job competition have arousedracial and ethnic tensions. Around the start of the 20th century, violence towards new immigrants in Omaha often erupted out of suspicion and fear.[150]
In 1909, anti-Greek sentiment flared after increased Greek immigration, and worsened their tendency to becomestrikebreakers. The killing of a policeman of Irish descent enraged the Irish community; an angry mob violently stormed the Greek neighborhood in Omaha in what would become known as theGreek Town Riot.[151] That mob violence forced theGreek immigrant population to flee from the city.[152][153] 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.[154]
Six years after the Greek Town Riot, in 1915, a mob killed Juan Gonzalez, a Mexican immigrant, nearScribner, a town in the Greater Omaha metropolitan area. The event occurred after anOmaha Police Department officer investigated a criminal operation that sold goods stolen from the nearby railroad yards.Racial profiling targeted Gonzalez as the culprit. After escaping the city, he was trapped along theElkhorn River, where the mob, including several policemen from Omaha, shot him more than twenty times. It was discovered Gonzalez was unarmed, and he had a reliable alibi for the time of the murder. No one was ever indicted for his killing.[155]
In the fall of 1919, followingRed Summer, postwar social and economic tensions, the earlier hiring of African Americans as strikebreakers, and job uncertainty contributed to a mob from South Omaha lynchingWilly Brown and the ensuingOmaha Race Riot. Trying to defend Brown, the city's mayor,Edward Parsons Smith, was lynched also, surviving only after a quick rescue.[48]
Like other industrial cities in the U.S., Omaha suffered severe job losses in the 1950s, more than 10,000 in all, as 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.[156] Many workers left the area if they could get to other jobs. Poverty deepened in areas of the city whose residents 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.
Whites in Omaha have followed thewhite flight pattern,suburbanizing to West Omaha.[158] In the late 1990s and early 2000s, gang violence and incidents between theOmaha Police and Black residents undermined relations between groups in North and South Omaha.[159]
With diversification in several industries, including banking, insurance, telecommunications, architecture/construction, and transportation, Omaha's economy has grown since the early 1990s,[160] and six national fiber optic networks converge in Omaha.[161]
In 1955, Omaha'sUnion Stockyards overtook Chicago's stockyards as the United States' meat packing center. This legacy is reflected in thecuisine of Omaha, with renowned steakhouses such asGorat's and the recently closedMister C's, as well as the retail chainOmaha Steaks.
TheHenry Doorly Zoo is widely considered a premier zoo.[180] 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,[181] and the largestgeodesic dome in the world (13 stories tall).[182][183] The zoo is Nebraska's number-one paid attendance attraction and has welcomed more than 25 million visitors over the past 40 years.[184]
TheOld Market is a majorhistoric district in Downtown Omaha listed on the National Register of Historical Places. Today, its warehouses and other buildings house shops, restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and art galleries.[185] Downtown is also the location of the Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District, which has several art galleries and restaurants.Lauritzen Gardens features 100 acres (40 ha) with a variety of landscaping, and the newKenefick Park recognizes Union Pacific Railroad's long history in Omaha.[186] North Omaha has several historicalcultural attractions including theDreamland Historical Project, Love's Jazz and Art Center, and the John Beasley Theater.[187] The annual River City Roundup is celebrated at Fort Omaha, and the neighborhood ofFlorence celebrates its history during "Florence Days".Native Omaha Days is a biennial event celebrating Near North Side heritage.[188]
Lauritzen Gardens is abotanical garden located nearSouth Omaha. The garden contains several largegreenhouses, and outdoor plant exhibits. Covering over 100 acres of land, Lauritzen Gardens welcomes over 200,000 guests annually, making it one of the most popular attractions in Omaha.[191]
Today, the diverseculture 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".[192][193]
Omaha also has a fledglinghip hop scene. Long-time bastionHouston Alexander, a one-time graffiti artist and professionalMixed Martial Arts competitor, is a local hip-hop radio show host.[196][197] 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".[198] Other notable artists include Stylo of Mastered Trax Latino who holds a strong following in South Omaha and Mexico / Latin America.[198]
Omaha is home to dozens of nationally, regionally and locally significant landmarks.[200] The city has more than a dozenhistoric districts, includingFort 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.[201] The only original building surviving of that complex is theNash Block.
Built in 1962, Omaha'sCinerama was calledIndian Hills Theater. Its demolition in 2001 by theNebraska Methodist Health System was unpopular, with objections from local historical and cultural groups and luminaries from around the world.[204] TheDundee Theatre is the lone surviving single-screen movie theater in Omaha and still shows films.[205] A recent development to the Omaha film scene was the addition ofFilm Streams's Ruth Sokolof Theater in North Downtown. The two-screen theater is part of theSlowdown facility. It features American independents, foreign films, documentaries, classics, themed series, and director retrospectives. In addition to the fiveDouglas Theatres venues in Omaha, two more are opening, includingMidtown Crossing Theatres, on 32nd and Farnam Streets near theMutual of Omaha Building.Westroads Mall has a modern multiplexmovie theater with 14 screens, operated byRave Cinemas.[206]
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, 2012 and 2016 US Olympic Swimming Team Trials and the building of anew stadium in North Downtown.[209][210][211] TheUniversity of Nebraska–Lincoln and the Commission co-hosted the 2008National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)Division One Women's Volleyball Championship in December of that year.[212] The 2016 Big 10 Baseball Championship was also played at the College World Series Stadium. Another quasi-governmental board, the Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority (MECA), was created by city voters in 2000,[213] and is responsible for maintaining theCHI Health Center Omaha (formerly CenturyLink Center Omaha).[214]
The Omaha Storm Chasers play atWerner Park.[217] They won seven championships (in 1969, 1970, 1978, 1990, 2011, 2013, and 2014).Omaha is also home to the Omaha Diamond Spirit, a collegiate summer baseball team that plays in the MINK league.
TheOmaha Supernovas are a professionalindoor volleyball team based in Omaha, Nebraska. The team competes in thePro Volleyball Federation (PVF). The Supernovas began play in the league's inaugural2024 season. The team plays their home games atCHI Health Center Omaha. The Supernovas won the inaugural championship in May 2024.[218] During its championship run in the inaugural PVF season, Omaha and the Supernovas became the league's shining star, hosting 134,969 fans across the 15 matches held at the CHI Health Center. That includes a whopping 9,656 average mark for the 12 Supernovas’ home matches, plus the 19,094 spectators who attended the PVF Semifinals and Championship.
The Supernovas erased any doubt that professional volleyball could happen in the United States with their 9,656 match average the No. 1 mark amongst professional volleyball teams in the world.
Omaha broke many of its own attendance records across its historic season, starting with 11,624 fans attending the first-ever PVF match on Jan. 24 between Omaha and theAtlanta Vibe. That mark was broken a few weeks later on Sunday, Feb. 18 as 11,918 fans showed up to watch the Supernovas take on the Orlando Valkyries. The newest and most current attendance record was set on Saturday, March 16 with 12,090 spectators packing into the CHI Health Center to see the Supernovas beat theValkyries in four sets.[216]
Union Omaha, a professional minor league soccer team, is a member ofUSL League One and began play in the2020 season. Their home games are played at Werner Park, which it shares with the Storm Chasers.[219] The team, nicknamed the Owls, won the league championship in 2021.[220] Union then made a deep run to the quarterfinals of the2022 U.S. Open Cup, defeating twoMajor League Soccer teams in the process.[221] The team announced plans in 2024 to build a 7,000-seatsoccer-specific stadium near Downtown Omaha.[222]
TheKansas City-Omaha Kings, anNBA franchise, played in both cities from 1972 to 1978,[226] before decamping solely to Kansas City until 1985, when the team moved to its current home ofSacramento.
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 km (6.2 mi) race that takes place annually in September.[227] Omaha also has a history ofcurling, including multiple junior national champions.[228]The city's historicboulevards were originally designed byHorace 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.[229] Omaha boasts more than 80 mi (129 km) oftrails forpedestrians,bicyclists andhikers.[230] They include theAmerican Discovery Trail, which traverses the entire United States, and theLewis and Clark National Historic Trail passes through Omaha as it travels 3,700 mi (5,950 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. The city also has a park dedicated to pollinating bees and insects called 'Pacific Preserve'[231]
Omaha has astrong mayor form ofgovernment, along with a city council elected from seven districts across the city. Themayor isJohn Ewing Jr., who was elected in May 2025. 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.[232] Dahlman was a close associate ofpolitical boss Tom Dennison.[233] During Dahlman's tenure, the city switched from its original strong-mayor form of government to acity commission government.[234] In 1956, the city switched back.[235]
Thecity clerk is Elizabeth Butler.[236] The City of Omaha administers twelve departments, including finance,police, human rights,libraries and planning.[237] The Omaha City Council is the legislative branch and has seven members elected from districts across the city. The council enactslocal ordinances and approves the citybudget. 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 ofhome 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.[238] The City of Omaha is consideringconsolidating with Douglas County government.[239]
Although registeredRepublicans outnumberedDemocrats in the2nd congressional district, which includes Omaha, Democratic presidential candidateBarack Obama opened three campaign offices in the city with 15 staff members to cover the state in fall 2008.[240] Mike Fahey, the Democratic mayor of Omaha, said he would do whatever it took to deliver the district's electoral vote to Obama; and theObama campaign considered the district "in play".[241] Former NebraskaU.S. SenatorBob Kerrey and then-U.S. SenatorBen Nelson campaigned in the city for Obama,[242] and in November 2008 Obama won the district's electoral vote. This was an historical win, as Obama became the first Democratic presidential candidate to win an electoral vote in Nebraska since 1964, only made possible byNebraska's split electoral vote system.[243]
In 2011, Nebraska lawmakers moved Offutt Air Force Base and the town of Bellevue—an area with a large minority population—out of the Omaha-based 2nd district and shifted in the Republican-heavy Omaha suburbs in Sarpy County. The move is expected to dilute the city's urban Democratic vote.[244]
The 2nd district sent its single electoral vote forJoe Biden in the 2020 election.[245] Biden's victory, by more than 20,000 votes, shows Omaha's and the 2nd district's continuing trend toward Democratic politics in recent years.[246]
Omaha has many public and private educational institutions, includingOmaha Public Schools, the largestpublicschool district in Nebraska, which serves more than 47,750 students in more than 75 schools.[247] After a contentious period of uncertainty, in 2007 theNebraska Legislature approved a plan to create alearning community for Omaha-area school districts with a central administrative board.[248]
TheWestside Community Schools, also known as District 66, is a district in the heart of Omaha. It serves students in pre-kindergarten through the 12th grade and recorded a district enrollment of 6,123 students K-12 for the 2015–16 school year.[249]Through annexations Omaha also has theMillard Public Schools andElkhorn Public Schools. Omaha is also home toBrownell-Talbot School, Nebraska's only preschool through grade 12, independent college preparatory school.
Omaha's largest private university isCreighton University. It is a Jesuit institution that is ranked the top non-doctoral regional university in theMidwestern United States. Its campus is just outside Downtown Omaha in the new North Downtown district. The university has a combined 6,700 students in its undergraduate, graduate, medical, and law schools.
Omaha is also home to a number of smaller colleges and universities.Clarkson College is a small private college focusing on health sciences and affiliated with theEpiscopal Church.Nebraska Methodist College is a small private school focusing on health careers and education. TheCollege of Saint Mary is a Catholic woman's school known for its healthcare offerings.Bellevue University is a mid-size private university.Doane University is the oldest private university in Nebraska, with campuses in Crete and Lincoln. Its residential campus is in Crete with a smaller campus in Omaha.
The major daily newspaper in Nebraska is theOmaha World-Herald, formerly the largest employee-owned newspaper in the United States.[253] Weeklies in the city include the Midlands Business Journal (weekly business publication);American Classifieds (formerlyThrifty Nickel), a weekly classified newspaper;The Reader, as well asThe Omaha Star. Founded in 1938 in North Omaha, theStar is Nebraska's only African-American newspaper.[254]
Omaha's three television news stations include:KETV 7 (ABC- branded NewsWatch 7),KMTV-TV 3 (CBS- branded 3 News Now), andWOWT 6 (NBC Omaha).KPTM 42 (FOX 42/CW 15) andKXVO 15 (TBD) do not air local news content.Cox Communications provides cable television services throughout the metropolitan area.[255]Prism TV, offered throughCenturyLink, is a broadband TV option also available throughout the Omaha area. Satellite providers such asDirecTV andDish Network and the local programming they offer are also available throughout the metropolitan area.
Omaha's growth has required the constant development of new urbaninfrastructure that influence, allow and encourage the constant expansion of the city.
Portions of theEnron corporation began asNorthern Natural Gas Company in Omaha. Northern provides three natural gas lines to Omaha. Enron formerly owned UtiliCorp United, Inc., which becameAquila, Inc. Peoples Natural Gas, a division of Aquila, Inc., serves several surrounding communities around the Omaha metropolitan area, includingPlattsmouth.[259]
Omaha's central role in the history of transportation across America earned it the nickname "Gate City of the West".[1] DespitePresident Lincoln's decree thatCouncil Bluffs, Iowa, be the starting point for the Union Pacific Railroad, construction began from Omaha on the eastern portion of the first transcontinental railroad.[262] By the middle of the 20th century, nearly every major railroad served Omaha.
Today, the Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District celebrates this connection, along with the listing of theBurlington Train Station and theUnion Station on the National Register of Historic Places. First housed in the formerHerndon House, the Union Pacific Railroad's corporate headquarters have been in Omaha since the company began.[263] Their new headquarters, theUnion Pacific Center, opened in Downtown Omaha in 2004.
Omaha's position as a transportation center was finalized with the 1872 opening of theUnion Pacific Missouri River Bridge that linked the transcontinental railroad to the railroads terminating in Council Bluffs.[264] In 1888, the first road bridge, theDouglas Street Bridge, opened. In the 1890s, theIllinois 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 theWorks Progress Administration-financedSouth 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 theMissouri River Pedestrian Bridge, which opened in 2008.[265]
The primary mode of transportation in Omaha is by automobile, withI-80,I-480,I-680,I-29, andU.S. Route 75 (JFK Freeway and North Freeway) providingfreeway service across the metropolitan area.[266] The expressway along West Dodge Road (U.S. Route 6 andNebraska Link 28B) andU.S. Route 275 has been upgraded to freeway standards from I-680 toFremont. City-ownedMetro Transit, formerly MAT Metro Area Transit, provides public bus service to hundreds of locations throughout the Metro.
A 2017 study byWalk Score ranked Omaha 26th most walkable of fifty largest U.S. cities.[267] Of the top 50 most walkable cities only one, Omaha, Nebraska, saw itsWalk Score decline, and it only decreased 0.3 points from last year.[268] There is an extensivetrail system throughout the city for walkers, runners, bicyclists, and other pedestrian modes of transportation.
^Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the expected highest and lowest temperature readings at any point during the year or given month) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.
^Official records for Omaha kept at the Weather Bureau Office from January 1871 to May 1935 and at Eppley Airfield since June 1935 except for June 1977 thru December 1993 when the official station was Omaha WSFO.[113]
^(1987) "Fort Atkinson Chronology",NEBRASKAland Magazine. p. 34–35.
^Morton, J. S., Watkins, A. andMiller, G.L. (1911) "Fur trade",Illustrated History of Nebraska: A History of Nebraska from the Earliest Explorations of the Trans-Mississippi Region, with Steel Engravings, Photogravures, Copper Plates, Maps and Tables. Western Publishing and Engraving Company. p. 53.
^Royce, C.C. (1899) "Indian Land Cessions in the United States", in Powell, J.W.18th Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1896–97, Part 2, Washington, D.C.:Government Printing Office.
^Baumann, L. Martin, C., Simpson, S. (1990)Omaha's Historic Prospect Hill Cemetery: A History of Prospect Hill Cemetery with Biographical Notes on Over 1400 People Interred Therein. Prospect Hill Cemetery Historical Development Foundation.
^Federal Writers' Project. (1939)Nebraska. Nebraska State Historical Society. p. 239.
^Nebraska Territory Legislative Assembly. (1858)House Journal of the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Nebraska. Volume 5. p. 113.
^Morton, J.S. and Watkins, A. (1918) "Chapter XXXV: Greater Omaha",History of Nebraska: From the Earliest Explorations of the Trans-Mississippi Region. Lincoln, Nebraska: Western Publishing and Engraving Company. p. 831.
^Gratz, R.B. (1996)Living City: How America's Cities Are Being Revitalized by Thinking Small in a Big Way. John Wiley and Sons. p. V.
^National Trust for Historic Preservation and Zagars, J. (1997)Preservation Yellow Pages: The Complete Information Source for Homeowners, Communities, and Professionals. John Wiley and Sons. p. 80.
^"Station: Omaha Eppley Airfield, NE".U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991–2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived fromthe original on January 10, 2024. RetrievedNovember 11, 2021.
^United States Congress Senate Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Constitutional Rights. (1974)Criminal Justice Data Banks 1974: Hearings Before the Subcommittee on Constitutional Rights of the Committee on the Judiciary. Government Printing Office. p 411.
^Peattie, E.W. "How they live at Sheely: Pen picture of a strange settlement and its queer set of inhabitants", March 31, 1895. in (2005)Impertinences: Selected Writings of Elia Peattie, a Journalist in the Gilded Age. University of Nebraska Press. p. 31.
^Sullenger, T.E. (1937) "Problems of Ethnic Assimilation in Omaha",Social Forces. 15(3) pp. 402–410.
^Federal Writers' Project. (1936)Omaha: A Guide to the City and Environs. American Guide Series. p. 161.
^Matteson, E. and Matteson, J. "Mormon Influence on Scandinavian Settlement in Nebraska", in Larsen, B.F., Bender, H. and Veien, K. (eds) (1993)On Distant Shores: Proceedings of the Marcus Lee Hansen Immigration Conference; Aalborg, Denmark June 29 – July 1, 1992. Aalborg, Denmark: Danes Worldwide Archives and Danish Society for Emigration History.
^Nelson, O.N. (1899)History of the Scandinavians and Successful Scandinavians in the United States: parts 1 & 2. O. N. Nelson & Company. p. 44, 237, 502.
^Capek, T. (August 27, 1898) "Bohemia past and present."Omaha Bee.
^Sisson, R., Zacher, C.K. and Cayton, A.R.L. (2007)The American Midwest: An Interpretive Encyclopedia.Indiana University Press. p. 235.
^T. Earl Sullenger, (1929) "The Mexican Population of Omaha",Journal of Applied Sociology, VIII. May–June. p. 289.
^Burbach, C. "Rally features Sudanese vice president",Omaha World-Herald. July 22, 2006.
^Greater Omaha Economic Partnership. (2007) p. 18.
^Laliotou, I. (2004)Transatlantic Subjects: Acts of Migration and Cultures of Transnationalism Between Greece and America. University of Chicago Press. p. 185.
^Burgess, T. (1913)Greeks in America: An Account of Their Coming, Progress, Customs, Living, and Aspirations; with an Historical Introduction and the Stories of Some Famous American-Greeks. Sherman-French Publishers. p. 163.
^Wishart, D. (2004) "Omaha, Nebraska", inEncyclopedia of the Great Plains. University of Nebraska Press. p. 177.
^De La Garza, M. (2004) "The Lynching of Juan Gonzalez",Nebraska History. 85. (Spring). p. 24–35.
^Luebtke, F.C. (2005)Nebraska: An Illustrated History. University of Nebraska Press. p. 334.
^French, K. (2002) "Ethnic Groups in the Urban Fringe: An Analysis of Residential Patterns in Four Midland Cities, 1960 to 2000." University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
^Zaslow, J. (2006) "Moving On: You Can Go Home Again: Buffalo Tries To Reclaim Its Native Sons and Daughters",Wall Street Journal. August 17, 2006.
^Skolnik, F. and Berenbaum, M. (eds). (1978)Encyclopaedia Judaica. Keter Publishing House. p. 303.
^Larsen, L.H., Cottrell, B.J., Dalstrom, H.A. and Dalstrom, K.C. (2007)Upstream Metropolis: An Urban Biography of Omaha and Council Bluffs. University of Nebraska Press. p. 167.
^Ridley and Associates (1997)"Chapter One,"Archived December 14, 2007, at theWayback MachineNebraska's Electric Utility Industry: Final Report. Nebraska Legislature L.R. 455 Phase I Study. Retrieved 8/17/07.
^Larsen, L.H. and Cottrell, B.J. (1997)The Gate City: A history of Omaha. University of Nebraska Press. p. 24.
^Larsen, L.H., Cottrell, B.J., Dalstrom, H.A. (2007)Upstream Metropolis: An Urban Biography of Omaha and Council Bluffs. University of Nebraska Press. p. 65.
^Larsen, L.H., Cottrell, B.J., Dalstrom, H.A. (2007)Upstream Metropolis: An Urban Biography of Omaha and Council Bluffs. University of Nebraska Press. p. 101.
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