Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in
Nebraska. It is the
county seat of
Douglas County6.\nAs of the
2000 census, the city had a total population of 390,007. Located on the eastern edge of Nebraska, it is on the
Missouri River, just north of where the
Platte River runs into the
Missouri. Omaha has several small suburbs (including
Bellevue,
Papillion, and
La Vista) which brings the year 2000 metro area population to just over 600,000 (not counting the 58,000 that live just across the river in
Council Bluffs, Iowa).
History
The Trans-Mississippi Exposition was held in Omaha from June 1 to November 1, 1898. The exposition drew over 2 million visitors and involved construction of attractions spanning over 100 city blocks including a shipworthy lagoon, bridges and magnificent buildings.
A devastating tornado ripped through Omaha in 1913 and has become known as the Easter Sunday Tornado.
The Omaha Riot occurred in 1919.
The Omaha Tornado of 1975 is another grim day in Omaha's past.
U.S. President Gerald Ford was born in Omaha. However, he only spent his early childhood there; he was adopted by a family in Michigan and grew up there. Omaha was also the birthplace of Malcolm X, but his family moved to Milwaukee when he was one year old.
Arts, culture and attractions
Omaha has one of the best-endowed community theaters in the United States, and is home to Boys Town (lately renamed "Girls and Boys Town"); its Henry Doorly Zoo is widely considered one of the premier zoos in the world.
A portion of Omaha's renovated Downtown area is known as the Old Market. It it home to a myriad of shops, restaurants, bars and art galleries. There one may find uneven brick roads, horse drawn carriages and street performers.
Major music groups include the Omaha Symphony, Opera Omaha, Mannheim Steamroller and 311. The Joslyn Art Museum has significant collections, particularly of Native American art and art works relating to the early European exploration of western North America.
Omaha continues to earn mention in many popular songs: see Songs about Omaha.
An increasing number of movies about Omaha have also been made.
Media
Radio Stations
AM
\n*1110 KFAB (Clear Channel affiliate) proudly broadcasts 50KW worth of talk radio every day, slight conservative slant, though features liberal shows as well.\n*1290 KKAR a highly conservative News-Talk station.
FM
\n*Z-92, 92.3 FM, is home of the famously coarse radio jockeys Todd-n-Tyler.\n*Q98.5, 98.5 FM, features modern popular music.
Television Stations
\n*KMTV 3 Local CBS affiliate\n*WOWT 6 Local NBC affiliate\n*KETV 7 Local ABC affiliate\n*KPTM 42 Local Fox affiliate
Print
\n* Omaha World Herald, the primary local newspaper\n* The Reader is an independant weekly newspaper quicky gaining popularity\n* Omaha Magazine
Economy
\n
Although Nebraska's economy is based on farming, Omaha's economy is growing at an astounding rate and is based largely on banking and technology.
Omaha is the home of the headquarters of a number of major corporations, including:\n*Ameritrade\n*Berkshire Hathaway\n*ConAgra Foods\n*First National Bank of Omaha\n*Mutual of Omaha\n*Omaha Steaks\n*Union Pacific Railroad\n*Woodmen of the World
Military
\nThe city is home to Offutt Air Force Base, which was the location of the Strategic Air Command (SAC) during the Cold War and is the current home of the U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM).\nSports
\nOmaha's Rosenblatt Stadium is home to the Omaha Royals minor-league baseball team and hosts the annual NCAA College World Series.
The Omaha Beef Arena Football team is also gaining in popularity.
Education
School Districts
\n* District 66, a small school district whose only high school is Westside\n* Millard School District, serving the Millard area; its high schools are Millard North, Millard West, and Millard South\n* Omaha Public Schools, the primary city school district; its high schools include Central, Burke, North, Northwest, and South\n* Papillion-La Vista Public Schools\n* Ralston Public Schools, another small school district, mainly serves Ralston, with several grade schools, one middle school Ralston Middle School, and one high school, Ralston High School\n* Omaha has a number of Catholic and parochial high schools, including Skutt, Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart, and Creighton Preparatory School\n* Brownell-Talbot School, Omaha's only independent school, intended to provide a college preparatory education; offers all grades, including preschool and K-12; the state's oldest school, founded in 1863
Colleges and Universities
\n*University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO)\n*Metropolitan Community College
Law and Government
Geography
\nOmaha is located at 41°15'38" North, 96°0'47" West (41.260482, -96.012990)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 307.9 km² (118.9 mi²). 299.7 km² (115.7 mi²;) of it is land and 8.2 km² (3.2 mi²;) of it is water. The total area is 2.67% water.
Communities and Neighborhoods
\n*Bellevue\n*Chalco\n*Florence\n*La Vista\n*Millard\n*Papillion
Transportation
\nFlying in to Omaha at night is a beautiful sight. Landing in Eppley Airfield is a welcome change from larger city airports. Eppley is situated near the Oxbow Lake Carter Lake, which is actually Iowa land, cut off by the Missouri River on March 16, 1877.
Omaha is most definitely a car town, though public transportation is popular as well. Metro Area Transit performs bus services while several Taxi Cab companies pick up the rest.
People
Demographics
\nAs of the census of 2000, there are 390,007 people, 156,738 households, and 94,983 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,301.5/km² (3,370.7/mi²). There are 165,731 housing units at an average density of 553.1/km² (1,432.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 78.39% White, 13.31% African American, 0.67% Native American, 1.74% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 3.91% from other races, and 1.92% from two or more races. 7.54% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 156,738 households out of which 30.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.8% are married couples living together, 13.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 39.4% are non-families. 31.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.42 and the average family size is 3.10.
In the city the population is spread out with 25.6% under the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 92.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $40,006, and the median income for a family is $50,821. Males have a median income of $34,301 versus $26,652 for females. The per capita income for the city is $21,756. 11.3% of the population and 7.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 15.6% are under the age of 18 and 7.4% are 65 or older.
Famous people from Omaha
\n*Conor Oberst, singer-songwriter\n*Henry Fonda, actor\n*Warren Buffett, billionaire\n*Gerald R. Ford, U.S. president\n*Malcolm X, militant civil rights activist\n*Chip Davis, founder of Mannheim Steamroller\n*Marlon Brando, actor\n*Nick Nolte, actor
External links
\n*City of Omaha Official Website\n*Omaha World Herald
Category:Nebraska
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