Omaha, Nebraska.html

Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County.⁴ 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, with Council Bluffs, Iowa sitting adjacent to Omaha across the Missouri River. According to the 2008 estimate by the United States Census Bureau, Omaha's population was 432,921. The city is the nation's 42nd-largest, according to 2007 U.S. Census Bureau estimates; along with its suburbs Omaha formed the 60th-largest metropolitan area in the United States in 2000, with an estimated population of 829,890 residing in eight counties. There are more than 1.2 million residents within a 50 mile (80 km) radius of the city's center.

Omaha's pioneer period began in 1854 when the city was founded by speculators from neighboring Kanesville, 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 and meatpacking plants gained local and national prominence.

The city is the home to five Fortune 500 companies: ConAgra Foods, Union Pacific Corporation, Peter Kiewit and Sons, Inc., Mutual of Omaha Companies, and Berkshire Hathaway, the company headed by legendary investor and so-called Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffett, the richest person in the world according to Forbes Magazine in 2008. ⁵ The Gallup Organization, TD Ameritrade, PayPal and LinkedIn all have major operations or headquarters in Omaha. The city also is the home to three of the top 30 architectural and engineering firms in the world: Leo A. Daly Co., HDR, Inc. and DLR Group.

Today the economy of Omaha is diverse and built on skilled knowledge jobs. 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. 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.

The historic preservation movement in the city has led to a number of historic structures and districts being designated Omaha Landmarks or listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The city has a number of ethnic groups represented in its population. Race relations in the city have included a number of riots, lynchings, and recently, gang violence. 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 four professional sports teams. Omaha also has a number of recreational trails and parks located throughout the city.

Omaha Public Schools is the largest public school district in Nebraska, and the city has a number of Catholic schools. 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 college in the Midwestern United States by U.S. News and World Report.

History

Main article: History of Omaha, Nebraska

See also: History of North Omaha, Nebraska

Logan Fontenelle, chief of the Omaha Tribe that ceded land to the U.S. government which became the city of Omaha

Since the 1600s a number of Native American tribes have variously occupied the land that became Omaha, including the Omaha, Pawnee, Otoe, the Missouri, the Ponca and Ioway. The word "Omaha" (actually UmoNhoN or UmaNhaN) means "Dwellers on the bluff".⁶ The Lewis and Clark Expedition passed by the riverbanks that would later become the city of Omaha in 1804. 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.⁷ Immediately south of that area several fur trading outposts were built in succeeding years, including Fort Lisa in 1812;⁸ Fort Atkinson in 1819;⁹ Cabanné's Trading Post, built in 1822, and Fontenelle's Post in 1823, in what became Bellevue.¹⁰ 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 1846,¹¹ and while it was temporary the settlement provided the basis for further development in the future.¹²

Through 26 separate treaties with the federal government, Native American tribes in Nebraska gradually ceded the lands currently comprising the state. One treaty and cession directly affected the Omaha area. That occurred in 1854 when the Omaha Tribe ceded most of east-central Nebraska.¹³ Logan Fontenelle, chief of the Omaha, played an essential role in those proceedings.

Pioneer Omaha

Before it was legal to claim land in Indian Country, William D. Brown was operating the Lone Tree Ferry to bring settlers from Council Bluffs to the area that became Omaha. Brown is generally credited as having the first vision for a city where Omaha now sits.¹⁴ The passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854 was presaged by the staking out of claims around the area that was to become Omaha by residents from neighboring Council Bluffs, Iowa. On July 4, 1854 the city was informally established at a picnic on Capital Hill, current site of Omaha Central High School.¹⁵ 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.¹⁶ Some of this land, which now wraps around Downtown Omaha, was later used to entice Nebraska Territory legislators in an area called Scriptown.¹⁷ The U.S. Supreme Court later ruled against numerous landowners whose violent actions were condemned in Baker v. Morton.¹⁸

Many of Omaha's founding figures stayed at the Douglas House or the Cozzens House Hotel.¹⁹ 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. Most early pioneers were buried in Prospect Hill Cemetery, next to soldiers from Fort Omaha, early European immigrants and African Americans.²⁰ There are several other historical cemeteries in Omaha, historical Jewish synagogues and historical Christian churches.

19th century

The Hotel Fontenelle, formerly located in downtown Omaha

The economy of Omaha boomed and busted through its early years. First the jobbing and wholesaling district brought new jobs, followed by the railroads and the stockyards.²¹ Groundbreaking for the First Transcontinental Railroad in 1863, providing an essential developmental boom for the city.²² The Union Pacific Railroad was authorized by the U.S. Congress to begin building westward railways in 1862;²³²⁴ in January 1866 it commenced construction out of Omaha.²⁵

Equally as important, the Omaha Stockyards were founded in 1883.²⁶ 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.²⁷

Immigrants soon created ethnic enclaves 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; and Little Italy and Little Bohemia in South Omaha.²⁸ Beginning in the late 1800s, 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.²⁹ 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.³⁰

Gambling, drinking and prostitution were widespread in the 19th century, first rampant in the city's Burnt District and later in the Sporting District.³¹ 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.³²³³ Calamities such as the Great Flood of 1881 did not slow down the city's violence.³⁴ 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 guns and a cannon for defense. When the event ended there was one man dead and several wounded.³⁵ In 1891 a mob hanged an African-American porter named Joe Coe after he was accused of raping a white girl.³⁶ 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.³⁷ The Indian Congress, which drew more than 500 American Indians from across the country, was held simultaneously. More than 2,000,000 visitors attended these events, located at Kountze Park and the Omaha Driving Park in the Kountze Place neighborhood.³⁸

20th century

The Enola Gay was built in the Omaha metropolitan area.

With dramatically increasing population in the 20th century, there was major civil unrest in Omaha resulting from competition and fierce labor struggles.³⁹ In 1900 Omaha was the center of a national uproar over the kidnapping of Edward Cudahy, Jr., the son of a local meatpacking magnate.⁴⁰ The city's labor and management clashed in bitter strikes, racial tension escalated as blacks were hired as strikebreakers, and ethnic strife broke out.⁴¹ A major riot by ethnic whites in South Omaha destroyed the city's Greek Town in 1909, completely driving out the Greek population.⁴² 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.⁴³ The Omaha Easter Sunday Tornado of 1913 destroyed much of the city's African American community, in addition to much of Midtown Omaha.⁴⁴ 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.⁴⁵ 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.⁴⁶

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.⁴⁷ Musicians created their own world in Omaha, and also joined national bands and groups that toured and appeared in the city.⁴⁸

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 bombing of Japan in WWII.⁴⁹ 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.⁵⁰ 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 1947.⁵¹ 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.⁵²

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 insurance centers of Hartford, Connecticut, New York City and Boston, Massachusetts.⁵³ 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 and workers suffered, losing jobs and hard won gains in wages. 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.⁵⁴ 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.⁵⁵ In 1975 a major tornado, along with a major blizzard, caused more than $100 million in damages in 1975 dollars.⁵⁶ Downtown Omaha has been rejuvenated in numerous ways, starting with the development of Gene Leahy Mall⁵⁷ and W. Dale Clark Library⁵⁸ 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 campus.⁵⁹ Several nearby buildings, including the Nash Block, have been converted into condominiums. The stockyards were taken down and the only surviving building is the Livestock Exchange Building, which was converted to multi-use and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.⁶⁰

21st century

The new Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge over the Missouri River

Around the turn of the century several new downtown skyscrapers and cultural institutions were built.⁶¹ One First National Center was completed in 2002, replacing the Woodmen Tower as the tallest building in Omaha at 638 ft (194 m). The creation of the city's new North Downtown, also called "NoDo", included the construction of the Qwest Center and the Slowdown/Film Streams development at North 14th and Webster Streets.⁶² New construction has occurred throughout the city, with important developments throughout West Omaha and on the site of the former Ak-Sar-Ben arena.⁶³ Downtown and Midtown Omaha have both seen the development of a significant number of condominiums in recent years.⁶⁴⁶⁵ "Midtown Crossing at Turner Park" is a development in Midtown being developed by Mutual of Omaha.⁶⁶⁶⁷ A 373 ft (114 m), 32 story tall skyscraper called WallStreet Tower Omaha is being constructed on the site of the second Union Pacific headquarters. The completion of the tower date is slated for late 2011.

There have also been several developments along the Missouri River waterfront. The Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge was recently completed and opened to foot and bicycle traffic on September 28, 2008.⁶⁸ Started in 2003,⁶⁹ Riverfront Place is planned to have two towers, with tower one recently completed and tower two breaking ground 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.⁷⁰

The 2008 United States Olympic Team Trials were in Omaha held from June 29 to July 6. Two people in each individual discipline participated, along with up to six people for the 4x100 freestyle relays and 4x200 freestyle relay swimming events.⁷¹⁷² The event was a highlight in the city's sports community,⁷³ as well as a showcase for redevelopment in the downtown area.

Geography

Image:Omaha0025.jpg

A night-time view of Omaha

See also: Geography of Omaha, Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area.

Omaha is located at 41°15′N 96°0′W / 41.25, -96. 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.⁷⁴ 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.⁷⁵ 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.⁷⁶ 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.⁷⁷ 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."⁷⁸

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 prairies and bur oak savanna habitats, and managing the whitetail deer population.⁷⁹

Neighborhoods

Main article: Neighborhoods of Omaha, Nebraska

Downtown-lime, Midtown-blue-gray, North-red, South-pink, West-lavender

Omaha is generally divided into five geographic areas: Downtown, Midtown, North Omaha, South Omaha and West Omaha. West Omaha includes the Crossroads, Miracle Hills, Girls and Boys Town, and Gateway areas.⁸⁰ There is also small community in East Omaha. The city has a wide range of historical and new neighborhoods and suburbs that reflect its socioeconomic diversity.⁸¹ Early neighborhood development happened in ethnic enclaves,⁸² including Little Italy, Little Bohemia and Greek Town.⁸³ In 1989 U.S. Census data was used to identify five European ethnic enclaves in 1880 and nine ethnic enclaves in 1900.⁸⁴

At the turn of the 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 neighborhoods. From its first annexation in 1857 (of East Omaha) to its recent and controversial annexation of Elkhorn, Omaha has constantly had an eye towards growth.⁸⁵

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.⁸⁶ Newer and poorer migrants lived in older housing close to downtown; those residents who were more established moved west into newer housing. Some suburbs have evolved to gated communities and edge cities.⁸⁷ Recently, Omahans have made strides to revitalize the downtown area with the redevelopment of the Old Market and the designation of the Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District.

Landmark preservation

Main article: Landmarks in Omaha, Nebraska

Main article: List of Registered Historic Places in Douglas County, Nebraska

The Joslyn Castle is home to a nonprofit environmental organization.

Omaha is home to dozens of nationally, regionally and locally significant landmarks.⁸⁸ The city has more than a dozen historic districts, 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.⁸⁹ 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 Landmarks.⁹⁰

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.⁹¹

Climate

Though located at approximately the same latitude as Rome, Omaha, by virtue of its location near the center of North America far from large bodies of water or mountain ranges, has a humid continental climate (Koppen climate classification Dfa), with hot summers and cold winters. Average July maximum and minimum temperatures are 88 °F (31 °C) and 66 °F (19 °C) respectively, with moderate humidity and relatively frequent thunderstorms, usually rather violent and capable of spawning severe weather or tornadoes; the January counterparts are 31 °F (-1 °C) and 11 °F (-12 °C). The maximum temperature recorded in the city is 114 °F (46 °C), the minimum -32 °F (-36 °C). Average yearly precipitation is 30 in (76 cm), falling mostly in the warmer months. What precipitation does fall in winter usually takes the form of snow, with average yearly snowfall being around 30 in (76 cm).

Omaha has had its share of natural disasters by water and wind. The city's Carter Lake was formed by a massive flood which altered the course of the Missouri River. The Great Flood of 1881 filled Omaha and Council Bluffs with water for almost a month, causing two fatalities and millions of dollars in damage.⁹² As many as 1,000 people were displaced by a flood in 1943, which sent the Missouri River, Carter Lake, and the old Florence Lake into homes and businesses throughout East Omaha. The flood of April 13, 1952 led to 40,000 people being evacuated from East Omaha and Carter Lake. President Harry S. Truman personally visited the scene of the flooding in Omaha and officially declared it a disaster area.⁹³

Several neighborhoods in central Omaha and North Omaha were severely damaged by the Easter Sunday tornado of 1913, which destroyed many businesses and neighborhoods. More than 200 people died during the event.⁹⁴⁹⁵ The Omaha Tornado of 1975 cut through 10 miles of streets and residences, crossing the city's busiest intersection at 72nd and Dodge. Three people were killed and 133 were reported injured.⁹⁶

Weather averages for Omaha
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	69 (21)	78 (26)	91 (33)	96 (36)	103 (39)	107 (42)	114 (46)	111 (44)	104 (40)	96 (36)	83 (28)	72 (22)	114 (46)
Average high °F (°C)	31.3 (-0)	37.1 (3)	49.4 (10)	63.8 (18)	74.0 (23)	83.7 (29)	87.9 (31)	85.2 (30)	76.5 (25)	65.6 (19)	49.3 (10)	34.6 (1)	63.2 (17)
Average low °F (°C)	10.9 (-12)	16.7 (-9)	27.7 (-2)	39.9 (4)	50.9 (10)	60.4 (16)	65.9 (19)	62.9 (17)	53.6 (12)	41.2 (5)	28.7 (-2)	15.6 (-9)	39.5 (4)
Record low °F (°C)	-32 (-36)	-26 (-32)	-16 (-27)	5 (-15)	25 (-4)	39 (4)	44 (7)	43 (6)	28 (-2)	8 (-13)	-14 (-26)	-25 (-32)	-32 (-36)
Precipitation inches (mm)	0.74 (18.8)	0.77 (19.6)	2.04 (51.8)	2.66 (67.6)	4.52 (114.8)	3.87 (98.3)	3.51 (89.2)	3.24 (82.3)	3.72 (94.5)	2.28 (57.9)	1.49 (37.8)	1.02 (25.9)	29.86 (758.4)
Source: ⁹⁷ 2008-01-07
Source #2: ⁹⁸ 2008-01-07

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1860	1,883	—
1870	16,083	754.1%
1880	30,518	89.8%
1890	140,452	360.2%
1900	102,555	−27%
1910	124,096	21%
1920	191,061	54%
1930	214,006	12%
1940	223,844	4.6%
1950	251,117	12.2%
1960	301,598	20.1%
1970	346,929	15%
1980	313,939	−9.5%
1990	335,795	7%
2000	390,007	16.1%
Est. 2007	432,921	11%

As of the census² 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/sq mi (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.⁹⁹

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.¹⁰⁰

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.¹⁰¹

People

Main article: Ethnic groups in Omaha, Nebraska

View of 24th and Lake Streets in North Omaha, site of many notable events in Omaha's African American community

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 first population was from the northern tier and of Yankee stock, over the next 100 years numerous ethnic groups have enriched the city. Irish immigrants in Omaha originally moved to an area in present-day North Omaha called "Gophertown", as they lived in dirt dugouts.¹⁰² That population was succeeded by Polish immigrants in the Sheelytown neighborhood. Most immigrants were recruited for jobs in the Omaha Stockyards and meatpacking industry.¹⁰³

The German community in Omaha was largely responsible for founding its once-thriving beer industry,¹⁰⁴ including the Metz, Krug and the Storz breweries. 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.¹⁰⁵

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 Americans community, concentrated in North Omaha.¹⁰⁶ Omaha's first Italian enclave grew south of downtown, with many Italian immigrants coming to the city to work in the Union Pacific shops.¹⁰⁷ Scandinavians first came to Omaha as Mormon settlers in the Florence neighborhood.¹⁰⁸¹⁰⁹ Czechs had a strong political and cultural voice in Omaha,¹¹⁰ 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.¹¹¹

In 1909 mob violence forced the Greek immigrant population to flee from the city.¹¹²¹¹³ Around the turn of the 20th century, violence towards new immigrants often erupted out of suspicions and fears.¹¹⁴ 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 reliable alibi during the time of the murder. Nobody was ever indicted in his case.¹¹⁵

Today the legacy of the city's early European immigrant populations is evident in many social and cultural institutions in Downtown and South Omaha. The African-American community has maintained its social and religious base, while it is currently experiencing an economic revitalization.

A growing number of African immigrants have made their homes in Omaha in the last twenty years. There are approximately 8,500 Sudanese 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, Equatorians, Maubans and Nubians. Most Sudanese people in Omaha speak the Nuer language.¹¹⁶ Other Africans have immigrated to Omaha as well, with one-third from Nigeria, and significant populations from Kenya, Togo, Cameroon and Ghana.¹¹⁷¹¹⁸¹¹⁹

Race relations

Main article: Racial Tension in Omaha, Nebraska

Further information: Civil Rights Movement in Omaha, Nebraska

The Webster Telephone Exchange Building, home of the Great Plains Black History Museum

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.¹²⁰¹²¹ At times rapid population change, overcrowded housing and job competition have aroused racial and ethnic tensions. 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.¹²²¹²³ By 1910, 53.7 percent of Omaha’s residents and 64.2 percent of South Omaha’s residents were foreign born or had at least one parent born outside of America.¹²⁴ 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. The city's mayor, Edward Parsons Smith, was lynched also, surviving only after a quick rescue.¹²⁵¹²⁶

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 plants were located closer to ranches, and union achievements were lost as wages declined in surviving jobs.¹²⁷ 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.¹²⁸ 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.

Whites in Omaha have followed the white flight pattern, suburbanizing to West Omaha over time.¹²⁹ 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.¹³⁰

Economy

Main article: Economy of Omaha, Nebraska

The Woodmen Tower and the Brandeis building in downtown

According to USA Today, Omaha ranks eighth among the nation's 50 largest cities in both per-capita billionaires and Fortune 500 companies.¹³¹ Major employers in the area include Alegent Health, Omaha Public Schools, First Data Corporation, Methodist Health System, Mutual of Omaha, ConAgra Foods, Nebraska Health System, Offutt Air Force Base, and the West Corporation.¹³² 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.¹³³ Six national fiber optic networks converge in Omaha.¹³⁴

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 500.¹³⁵

Omaha is the headquarters of several other major corporations, including the Gallup Organization, TD Ameritrade, infoUSA Werner Enterprises and First National Bank. 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 Co..¹³⁶ Despite this progress, as of October of 2007, the city of Omaha, the 42nd largest in the country, has the fifth highest percentage of low-income African Americans in the country.¹³⁷