About Omaha

Omaha is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is the county seat of Douglas County. Located on the eastern edge of Nebraska, it is on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River. Omaha is the anchor of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area. Council Bluffs, Iowa lies directly across the Missouri River from Omaha. The city and its suburbs formed the 60th-largest metropolitan area in the United States in 2000, with a population residing in eight counties or about 1.2 million within a 50-mile radius.

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History

What was once a vast expanse of prairie land and home to the native Omaha, Otoe, Pawnee and Ponca tribes is now one of the fastest growing urban areas in the Midwest. One of the first documented explorers in the area was Sieur de La Salle, a Frenchman who traveled the wilderness in the late 1600s. He named the area Louisiana and claimed the entire region, including Nebraska, in the name of France. For years, possession of the land shuffled between France and Spain, with ownership eventually granted to France by the Treaty of San Ildefonso in 1800.

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Fast Facts

City Population: 716,998

Male: 49.07%
Female: 50.93%
Median Age: 33.7

Ethnic Make-up:

African American: 8.30%
Asian: 1.50%
Hispanic: 5.50%
Native American: 0.50%
White/Caucasian: 85.20%

Housing Units: 291,001
Cost of Living Index: 105.3
Cultural Index: 107.0

Neighborhoods

Downtown
Central
West Central
North Omaha
Northwest Omaha
South Omaha
Southwest Omaha/Bellevue
Southwest

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Where To Stay

Downtown
Eppley Airport
Central
Southwest/West Central/Northwest

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By Car

Getting around Omaha is an easy task. The streets are divided into North and South by Dodge Street (West Dodge Road), and the city is divided East and West by 72nd Street. Where Dodge and 72nd Street meet is considered the “Crossroads.”

Omaha is strategically located at the intersection of Interstate Highways 29 and 80. This excellent Interstate access is complimented by the convergence in Omaha of four U.S. and eight state highways.

Interstate 80 connects New York City and San Francisco via Omaha. Interstate 29 provides Omahans with access to Canada and Texas (via I-35). Other U.S. highways that pass through Omaha include U.S. 75 (Winnipeg, Canada to Houston, TX), U.S. 30 (Atlantic City, NJ to Portland, OR), U.S. 275 (Rockport, MO/Valentine, NE) and U.S. 6 (Bishop, CA to Provincetown, MA).

Public Transportation

Metro Area Transit
(402) 341-0800

Currently, MAT has 130 buses, 71 percent lift equipped, providing service on 28 fixed routes and 10 express routes. MAT’s service area includes the cities of Omaha, Council Bluffs, Bellevue, Ralston, Papillion, and LaVista. MAT buses travel over six million miles annually and provide transportation for over 12 million customers.

Ten different ride ticket booklets can be purchased at grocery stores and many other business establishments in Omaha. Some employers provide the service as a courtesy to their employees. Transit information centers and 124 passenger waiting shelters are conveniently located throughout the metropolitan area. There are 91 wheelchair accessible buses on regular routes. MAT also provides service at reduced rates for elderly persons and curb-to-curb service for elderly and disabled individuals who cannot use regular bus service.

Inter-City Transportation
Amtrak (800) 872-7245
Greyhound Bus (800) 231-2222

Service from City to numerous locations throughout the United States.

Air Transportation

Eppley Airfield
(402) 422-6817
4501 Abbott Drive
Omaha, NE 68110

Eppley Airfield is five minutes northeast of downtown Omaha and only 20 to 25 minutes from all other points in the metro area. Eleven major airlines provide Omahans with an efficient means of reaching distant destinations, with approximately 200 flights daily. In addition, three commuter airlines provide several flights daily to and from midwestern communities.

Rental Cars
Advantage
(800)777-5500

Alamo
(800) 462-5266
www.alamo.com

Avis
(800) 331-1212
www.avis.com

Budget
(800) 527-0700
www.budget.com

Dollar
(800) 800-4000
www.dollar.com

Enterprise
(800) 736-8222
www.enterprise.com

Hertz
(800) 654-3131
www.hertz.com

National
(800) 227-7368
www.nationalcar.com

Thrifty
(800) 367-2277
www.thrifty.com

These rental car counters are located near door #3, with the ready car spaces located on the first level of the surface parking structure, via covered walkway.

Television

Radio

Newspapers

Omaha World-Herald
(402) 444-1000
1334 Dodge Street
Omaha, NE 68102
www.omaha.com

Omaha World-Herald, the city’s major newspaper, as The Omaha World Herald is the largest employee-owned newspaper in the United States, and also has one of the highest “penetration rates” —the percentage of the population that subscribes to the newspaper—in the country.

The Omaha Star
(402) 346-4041
P.O. Box 11128
Omaha, Nebraska 68110-0128
www.omahastarinc.com

Omaha’s only black newspaper, the Omaha Star was founded by the late Mildred D. Brown in 1938. She is believed to be the first female, certainly the first African American woman, to have found a newspaper in the nation’s history.

The Reader
(402) 341-7323
5015 Underwood Avenue, Suite 101
Omaha, NE 68132
www.thereader.com

The leader of alternative news in the Omaha.

Dining & Nightlife

If there’s one thing Omahans love to do, it’s eat. You’ll find more restaurants per capita in Omaha than in any other U.S. city. Most visitors come looking for steak, and they don’t go away disappointed. But Omaha is more than a beef town, as the city also boasts excellent Italian, Mexican, Thai, Indian and Continental cuisine.

Downtown
If you find yourself downtown at mealtime, head to the Old Market, where you’ll find everything from fine French dining to a corner hot dog stand. If you’re looking for an outstanding steak dinner, try Omaha Prime, where you’ll select your steak from a tableside array of cuts. For eclectic Italian, try Vivace, where big plates of homemade pasta, irresistible risottos and an extensive Italian wine list are the order of the day. M’s Pub, one of Omaha’s favorite spots, offers an outstanding array of options.

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Art

Visual art is alive and well in Omaha. Whether your tastes run toward Impressionism or Realism, you’ll find an artistic feast in the many museums and galleries that dot the Midwestern landscape. All creative roads lead to the Joslyn Art Museum, an extraordinary facility with works ranging from antiquity to the present. Breathtaking collections of 19th- and 20th-century European and American art, exciting traveling exhibits, Degas’ Little Dancer Aged Fourteen sculpture and a newly acquired, 35-foot-tall, multi-colored glass “tornado” by world-renowned sculptor Dale Chihuly are just a few reasons to visit this world-class museum.

The Durham Western Heritage Museum celebrates Omaha’s past with an unforgettable collection of photos, artifacts and sculptures depicting River City in days gone by. The African-American experience in the Heartland is celebrated in photos and other art forms at the Great Plains Black Museum.

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Live Music

Live music has always been an Omaha mainstay. The Omaha Symphony, lead by world-renowned music director Victor Yampolsky, consistently offers a season packed with classic symphonic fare and popular favorites. The Super Pops Series is always a sell-out, having featured such well-known artists as Bernadette Peters, Burt Bacharach, Rosemary Clooney and Garrison Keillor. National touring acts including Elton John, Melissa Etheridge, Prince and Jackson Browne have also visited Omaha in recent years; these big names appear at the Civic Auditorium, AKSAR-BEN and the Omaha Music Hall. For local and regional acts, check the schedule at the Ranch Bowl, The Music Box, Harvey’s Casino or Ameristar Casino.

Jazz on the Green
(402) 342-3300
2200 Dodge Street
Omaha, NE 68102-1208
www.joslyn.org

Omaha Civic Auditorium
(402) 422-1212
1804 Capitol Avenue
Omaha, NE, 68102
www.omahacivic.com

Performing Arts

Theater
Omahans love theater. Comedies, dramas, musicals, interactive theater, mysteries and children’s theater: Omaha has it all. Splashy, Broadway-style touring productions find temporary homes at the Orpheum Theater and the Omaha Music Hall, but although it’s always exciting to welcome a Phantom or some Cats to town, the shows produced in Omaha often rival the best of the Great White Way. The granddaddy of local theater is the Omaha Community Playhouse, the largest community theater in the nation. If you’re in town during the holidays, the Playhouse’s annual production of A Christmas Carol is a must see. Other community theaters worth a peek include the Blue Barn Theater, the Bellevue Little Theatre, SNAP Productions, the Brigit St. Brigit Theatre Company and the Shelterbelt.

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Shopping

Downtown
No trip to Omaha is complete without a visit to the Old Market, the city’s most popular leisure-time destination. Several blocks of old brick buildings that once housed bustling produce markets and warehouses now play host to some of the hottest shops, restaurants, bars, art galleries and theaters in the area. The best way to get around is on foot, so park the car and hit the sidewalk.

Old Market
(402) 341-7151
1000 Howard Street
Omaha, NE 68102-2815
www.omahaoldmarket.com

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Outdoors

Henry Doorly Zoo
www.omahazoo.com
(402) 733-8401
3701 South 10th Street
Omaha, NE 68107-2299

The Henry Doorly Zoo is one of the best zoos in the country.  In 2004, Reader’s Digest voted it the #1 zoo in America.  It covers 130 acres and thousands of different species.  The zoo also boasts the worlds largest indoor rainforest and an IMAX theater

I-80/Ashland
The I-80/Ashland interchange is 30 miles southwest of Omaha, halfway between Omaha and Lincoln. Here you’ll find Eugene T. Mahoney State Park, the Strategic Air Command (SAC) Museum, the Lee Simmons Wildlife Safari Park, Quarry Oaks Golf Course and more, all located just minutes from the interstate. These attractions are so large that you will have to use your car to get from one to the other. If this area sounds like fun to you, plan on reserving a room or a cabin at Mahoney State Park and spend a few days enjoying the many activities available here.

For Kids

The Rose Theater
(402) 345-4849
2001 Farnam Street
Omaha, Nebraska 68102
www.rosetheater.org

If you’re looking for an afternoon to occupy the kids, the Omaha Theater Company for Young People is a great stop.  The performers are extremely talented and put on shows the whole family will enjoy. The theater is located inside The Rose, an historic vaudeville palace built in 1927.

Omaha Children’s Museum
(402) 342-6164
500 South 20th Street
Omaha, NE 68102-2508
www.ocm.org

After the show, walk a few blocks south and spend the remainder of the afternoon at the Omaha Children’s Museum, where displays ranging from Humpty Dumpty’s Puzzle Land to the Science of the Wizard of Oz will delight the entire family.

Historical Sites

For a bit of history, head north to Freedom Park, located just off Abbott Drive between Eppley Airfield and downtown Omaha. Here you’ll see naval and military artifacts, a WWII military mine sweeper, a training submarine and one of the few amphibious landing ships on display in the world. Continuing north by car (these spots are too spread out to do on foot), you’ll find the Malcolm X Birthsite, the Great Plains Black History Museum, and the Mormon Pioneer Cemetery and Visitors Center.

Freedom Park Navy Museum
(402) 345-1959
2497 Freedom Park Road
Omaha, NE 68110-2745

Heartland of America Park
(402) 444-6362
800 Douglas Street
Omaha, NE 68102

Mormon Pioneer Cemetery
(402) 453-9372
3215 State Street
Omaha, NE 68112-1703

Sports

Major sporting events such as the Omaha Cox Classic PGA Tournament and the NCAA College World Series draw people by the thousands to Omaha. Hockey has burst onto the Omaha sports scene and UNO and Creighton basketball bring home fast-paced and affordable excitement. A member of the Indoor Professional Football League, the Omaha Beef gives its fans quick passes, hard hitting defense and a lot of scoring at the Omaha Civic Auditorium.

This brand of football may not remind you of the Miami Dolphins or the Dallas Cowboys, but it is still loads of fun!

Cox Classic Tournament
(402) 399-180
4445 S. 140th Street
Omaha, NE 68137

NCAA College World Series
(402) 554-4404
1202 Burt Murphy Avenue
Omaha, NE 68107-2253
www.cwsomaha.com

Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights
(402) 344-4625
Omaha Civic Auditorium
1804 Capitol Avenue
Omaha, NE, 68102

Omaha Beef Arena Football
(402) 444-3353
1804 Capitol Avenue
Omaha, NE 68102-4906
www.beeffootball.com

Education

Public Schools

There are several school districts that serve the Omaha metropolitan area.

Nebraska Board of Education
(402) 471-2295
302 Centennial Mall South
P.O. Box 94987
Lincoln, NE 68509

Bellevue Public Schools
(402) 293-4880
13204 S 29th St
Bellevue 68123 – 1928
www.bellevuepublicschools.org

Elkhorn Public Schools
(402) 289-1727
20214 Veterans Dr
Elkhorn, NE 68022 – 6900

Millard Public Schools
(402) 691-1170
14755 Grover St
Omaha, NE 68144 – 3239
www.mpsomaha.org

Omaha Public Schools
(402) 557-2222
3215 Cuming Street
Omaha, NE 68131-2024
www.ops.org

Papillion-La Vista Public Schools
(402) 537-9998
420 S. Washington Street
Papillion, NE 68046

Westside Community Schools
(402) 390-2100
909 South 76th Street
Omaha, NE 68114
www.westside66.org