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Wikipedia - Omaha, Nebraska
| City of Omaha | |||
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| Nickname(s): Gateway to the West[1] | |||
| Motto: Fortiter in Re (Latin) "Courageously in every enterprise" |
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| Coordinates: | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Country | United States | ||
| State | Nebraska | ||
| County | Douglas | ||
| Founded | 1854 | ||
| Incorporated | 1857 | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Michael Fahey (D) | ||
| - City Clerk | Buster Brown | ||
| - City Council |
Members list
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| Area | |||
| - City | 118.9 sq mi (307.9 km²) | ||
| - Land | 115.7 sq mi (299.7 km²) | ||
| - Water | 3.2 sq mi (8.2 km²) | ||
| Elevation | 1,090 ft (332 m) | ||
| Population (2000) | |||
| - City | 432,921 | ||
| - Density | 3,370.7/sq mi (1,301.5/km²) | ||
| - Urban | 767,041 | ||
| - Metro | 829,890 | ||
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) | ||
| ZIP codes | 68022, 68101-68164 | ||
| Area code(s) | 402 | ||
| FIPS code | 31-37000[2] | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 0835483[3] | ||
| Website: www.ci.omaha.ne.us | |||
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.
The city was founded by speculators from neighboring Kanesville, Iowa in 1854. 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." Its central location in the United States caused the city to become a transportation hub from the mid- to late 1800s. Transportation and jobbing were important in the city in its early years; later, its railroads, breweries, stockyards and meatpacking plants gained prominence. Today the economy of Omaha is diverse and built on skilled knowledge jobs. 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 investment vehicle of legendary investor and so-called "Oracle of Omaha" Warren Buffett. 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. 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. 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 has a cultural scene that includes a historically-significant jazz scene in North Omaha, as well as the "Omaha Sound" promoted by Saddle Creek Records.
Contents |
[edit] History
- See also: History of North Omaha, Nebraska
Since the 1600s, the Omaha, Pawnee, Otoe, the Missouri, the Ponca and Ioway all variously occupied the land that became Omaha. The word "Omaha" (actually UmoNhoN or UmaNhaN) means "Dwellers on the bluff".[5] 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.[6] Immediately south of that area several fur trading outposts were built in succeeding years, including Fort Lisa in 1812;[7] Fort Atkinson in 1819;[8] Cabanné's Trading Post, built in 1822, and Fontenelle's Post in 1823, in what became Bellevue.[9] 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,[10] and while it was temporary the settlement provided the basis for further development in the future.[11]
Through 18 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.[12] Logan Fontenelle, chief of the Omaha, played an essential role in those proceedings.
[edit] 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.[13] 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.[14] 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.[15] Some of this land, which now wraps around Downtown Omaha, was later used to entice Nebraska Territory legislators in an area called Scriptown.[16] The U.S. Supreme Court later ruled against numerous landowners whose violent actions were condemned in Baker v. Morton.[17]
Many of Omaha's founding figures stayed at the Douglas House or the Cozzens House Hotel.[18] 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.[19] There are several other historical cemeteries in Omaha, historical Jewish synagogues and historical Christian churches.
[edit] 19th century
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.[20] Groundbreaking for the First Transcontinental Railroad in 1863, providing an essential developmental boom for the city.[21] The Union Pacific Railroad was founded in Omaha in 1867.[22] Equally as important, the Omaha Stockyards were founded in 1883.[23] Within twenty years of the founding of the Stockyards in South Omaha, four of the five major meatpacking companies in the United States were located in Omaha, and by the 1950s half the 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.[24]
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.[25] 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.[26] 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.[27]
Gambling, drinking and prostitution were widespread in the 19th century, first rampant in the city's Burnt District and later in the Sporting District.[28] 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.[29][30] Calamities such as the Great Flood of 1881 did not slow down the city's violence.[31] 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.[32] In 1891 a mob hanged an African-American porter named Joe Coe after he was accused of raping a white girl.[33] 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.[34] 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.[35]
[edit] 20th century
With dramatically increasing population in the 20th century, there was major civil unrest in Omaha resulting from competition and fierce labor struggles.[36] In 1900 Omaha was the center of a national uproar over the kidnapping of Edward Cudahy, Jr., the son of a local meatpacking magnate.[37] The city's labor and management clashed in bitter strikes, racial tension escalated as blacks were hired as strikebreakers, and ethnic strife broke out.[38] A major riot by ethnic whites in South Omaha destroyed the city's Greek Town in 1909, completely driving out the Greek population.[39] 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.[40] The Omaha Easter Sunday Tornado of 1913 destroyed much of the city's African American community, in addition to much of Midtown Omaha.[41] 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.[42] 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.[43]
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.[44] Musicians created their own world in Omaha, and also joined national bands and groups that toured and appeared in the city.[45]
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.[46] 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.[47] 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.[48] 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 suburb of Bellevue in 1948 provided a major economic boost to the area.[49]
After surpassing Chicago in meatprocessing 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 hardwon 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.[50] 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.[51] In 1975 a major tornado, along with a major blizzard, demolished more than $100 million in damage in 1975 dollars.[52] Downtown Omaha has been rejuvenated in numerous ways, starting with the development of Gene Leahy Mall and W. Dale Clark Library in the late 1970s.[53][54] 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.[55] 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.[56]
[edit] 21st century
Around the turn of the century several new downtown skyscrapers and cultural institutions were built.[57] 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 NoDo included the construction of the Qwest Center and the Slowdown/Film Streams development at North 14th and Webster Streets.[58] New construction has occurred throughout the city, with important developments throughout West Omaha and on the site of the former Ak-Sar-Ben arena.[59] Downtown and Midtown Omaha have both seen the development of a significant number of condominiums in recent years.[60][61] "Midtown Crossing at Turner Park" is a development in Midtown being developed by Mutual of Omaha.[62][63] A 373-ft, 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 is expected to open to foot and bycicle trafic in late September to early October.[64] Started in 2003,[65] 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 timeline forward.[66]
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 relays.[67][68] The event was a highlight in the city's sports community,[69] as well as a showcase for redevelopment in the downtown area.
[edit] Cityscape
[edit] Metropolitan area
The Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area consists of eight counties; five in Nebraska and three in Iowa.[70][71] 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.[72]
[edit] Neighborhoods
Omaha is generally divided into five geographic areas: Downtown, Midtown, North Omaha, South Omaha and West Omaha. There is also small community in East Omaha.[73] The city has a wide range of historical and new neighborhoods and suburbs that reflect its socioeconomic diversity.[74] Early neighborhood development happened in ethnic enclaves,[75] including Little Italy, Little Bohemia and Greek Town.[76] 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.[77]
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.[78] 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.[79] 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.
[edit] Landmark preservation
Omaha is home to dozens of nationally, regionally and locally significant landmarks.[80] 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.[81] 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.[82]
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.[83]
[edit] Culture
The city's historical and cultural attractions have been lauded by numerous national newspapers, including the Boston Globe[84] and The New York Times.[85] Omaha is home to the Omaha Community Playhouse, the largest community theater in the United States.[86][87] The Omaha Symphony Orchestra and its modern Holland Performing Arts Center[88], 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.[89] 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 largest urban artists' colony in the world, the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, was founded in Omaha in 1981,[90] and the Durham Western Heritage Museum is accredited with the Smithsonian Institution for traveling exhibits.[91] 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, and this legacy is reflected in Omaha's renowned steakhouses. These include Gorat's and the recently closed Mister C's, and the retail chain Omaha Steaks.
The Henry Doorly Zoo is widely considered one of the premier zoos in the world.[92][93][94] The zoo is home to the world's largest nocturnal exhibit and indoor swamp;[95] the world's largest indoor rainforest, the world's largest indoor desert,[96] and the largest geodesic dome in the world.[97][98] The Zoo is Nebraska’s number one paid attendance attraction and has welcomed more than 25 million visitors over the past 40 years.[99]
The Old Market is a major historic district in Downtown Omaha listed on the National Register of Historical Places. Today its warehouses and other buildings house shops, restaurants, bars, and art galleries.[100] 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 hectares) with a variety of landscaping, and the new Kenefick Park recognizes Union Pacific Railroad's long history in Omaha.[101] North Omaha has several historical cultural attractions including the Dreamland Historical Project, Love’s Jazz and Art Center, and the John Beasley Theater.[102] 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.[103]
Religious institutions reflect the city's heritage.[104] 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 megachurches. Omaha hosts the only LDS 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.[105]
[edit] Sports
- Further information: Trails in Omaha
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 NoDo.[106][107][108] The University of Nebraska and the Commission are co-hosting the 2008 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championships in December.[109], and the Commission has considered bidding to host the 2012 trials, as well.[110] Another quasi-governmental board, the Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority, was created by city voters in 2000,[111] and is responsible for maintaining the Qwest Center Omaha.[112]
Omaha's Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium is home to 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 men's baseball tournament in mid-June.[113] There are plans to move the CWS downtown to a new stadium, and for the Royals to leave the city.[114][115]
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 and soccer are played at Morrison Stadium, while basketball is played at the Qwest Center. Ice hockey is a popular spectator sport in Omaha. The two Omaha-area teams are the Omaha Lancers, a USHL team that plays in the neighboring city of Council Bluffs at the Mid-America Center[116] 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 kilometer race that take place annually in September.[117]
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 Famer Gale Sayers; and champion tennis player Andy Roddick.[118]
| Professional Sports in Omaha | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Sport | League | Venue | Championships |
| Omaha Royals | Baseball | AAA minor league | Rosenblatt Stadium | |
| Omaha Beef | Indoor football | United Indoor Football | Omaha Civic Auditorium | |
| Omaha Lancers | Hockey | United States Hockey League Western Division | Mid-America Center | |
| Nebraska Extreme | Semi-professional football | American Professional Football League | Unknown | |
[edit] Music
Omaha's rich history in rhythm and blues, and jazz gave rise to a number of influential bands, including Anna Mae Winburn'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 is also from Omaha. 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. The late indie-folk singer/songwriter Elliott Smith w