Omaha, Nebraska

The city of Omaha is one of the principal cities of Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area. Omaha is particularly famous for its vivacious business communities; there are several Fortune 500 organizations operating in this city.

The Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area includes 8 counties, 5 of which (Douglas, Cass, Sarpy, Washington and Saunders) are located in the state of Nebraska and the other 3 (Mils, Harrison and Pottawattamie) are in Iowa. Omaha, the biggest city of Nebraska was founded in the year 1854 and is now a part of Douglas County. The other principal city of the Omaha-Council Bluffs MSA is Council Bluffs.

The city of Omaha is segmented into 5 geographic regions namely West Omaha, South Omaha, North Omaha, Midtown and Downtown. The city houses both new and historic suburbs and neighborhoods; this feature makes the city an epitome of socioeconomic diversity.

Omaha is one of the best US cities for settling down. It has an impressive education system supported by a reputed school district like Omaha Public Schools and schools run by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha. For individuals in search of the right institution for completing their higher education, the city houses universities like Creighton University and University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Omaha is an attractive city for both local residents as well as tourists. The city also has a bustling nightlife, various places to eat, places to see and can also offer you a great shopping experience. The city is known for its ambient social atmosphere and its lively residents.

Omaha History

Omaha, NE was originally included in Louisiana Purchase (completed in the year 1803). It was first inhabited by Native Americans, which included tribes like Sioux, Pawnee and Otoe. Early in the 18th century, people belonging to an Indian tribe called Omaha Indians started to live in the region, where we currently have the city of Omaha.

During the month of July, 1804 Meriwether Lewis and William Clarke explored the region and found that the land was perfect for establishing fortification and trading outposts. The backbone of the initial development of this region was fur trade. The region that now houses the city of Omaha got its first non-native settlement of Mormons. However, the challenging climate, infectious environment, lack of enough food and unhealthy living conditions of the area resulted in many deaths among travelers coming to this part of the world.

Eventually, on the 4th of July, 1854, the city was named as the 'Omaha City'. The name was proposed by Jesse Lowe, a celebrated entrepreneur. In 1854, the famous Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed and the terrain on Missouri River's west bank was opened for settlement. It was only after the passage of this act, the developers started to show interest in including the region in their work plans. However, it took 3 more years for getting the region legally surveyed. In the year 1857, the land got surveyed by Alfred Jones for the state's Ferry Company and Council Bluffs. The region that now has Capitol Avenue was plotted by Jones.

The most noteworthy industry of Omaha during the mid 19th century was land speculation. During the 1857 economic panic, the city saw decline of almost all the banks, which left the majority of the land speculators of the city drowned in losses. The next most flourishing industry of the city was the freight industry. The emergence of freight traffic in Omaha also started during the mid 19th century. Certain steps like planned construction of the telegraph lines in and around Omaha helped the freight industry to grow even more rapidly.

The city of Omaha experienced the most momentous event during its initial developing period in1862, when the much awaited Pacific Railroad Act was passed. Following the verdict of this new act, intercontinental railroads were constructed to connect Omaha with other parts of the country. There were several financial and political controversies associated with the construction of rail lines; nevertheless, the job was finally completed on the 10th of May, 1869.

About Omaha, Nebraska

Omaha, NE is home to a number of tempting tourist destinations. Omaha is located far from any moderating water body and mountain range; this gives the city a humid continental weather characterized by hot summers (the hottest month is July with an average temperature of 76.7 degrees F ) and typically cold winters (the lowest temperature is mostly registered in January when the city’s mean temperature remains 21.7 degrees F). Omaha experiences an average annual precipitation of 30.2 inches, a large share of which falls during warmer months. The average annual snowfall experienced by Omaha is approximately 26.8 inches.

The city of Omaha is primarily served by the domestic airport Eppley Airfield Airport; 5 minutes from downtown Omaha. The city also has the service of Amtrak through California Zephyr. The train runs from Emeryville to Chicago and has a number of stops in between. Earlier, Omaha used to house a Union Station just like Chicago; however, that station has now been transformed into a museum.

The two primary bus services of the city are Megabus and Greyhound. Greyhound offers daily trips to cities like Chicago, Denver, Minneapolis and Kansas City; Megabus has routes to Chicago, Iowa City and Des Moines. Another option is shuttle services offered by Eppley Express for going to other chief cities of Nebraska (Grand Island, Kearney, Lincoln Hastings, and York).  Taxis are also available, but not in large numbers like other major American cities.

Two of the most popular events hosted by Omaha during the summer months are Shakespeare on the Green and Jazz on the Green. The city’s most visited attractions, on the other hand, include names like Memorial Park, Lauritzen Gardens, Elmwood Park etc.

About Douglas County, Nebraska

The city of Omaha is a part of the Douglas County (Omaha is also the biggest city of the county), which was incorporated in the year 1855. Douglas County is a part of one of the principal metropolitan areas of America; it includes cities and villages situated on the bank of Missouri River. The name of the county was derived from the name of Stephen Douglas, a member of the United States House of Representatives and a celebrated speaker of the country.

Douglas County has a reputation of being one of the economic centers of USA. The county is home to extremely powerful service, manufacturing and trading sectors. Douglas County is also a major telemarketing and insurance center of USA. Thus, the employment opportunities available in the county are worth mentioning. For several decades the unemployment rate of Douglas County has consistently stayed low.

Besides Omaha, the county has three more cities. The first city is Bennington. Bennington covers a total area of 1 square km and is famous for housing the Farmer’s Market. The city hosts an annual event called Bennington Daze in the month of June that attracts people from all corners of the country.

The second city, Ralston, has one of the best schools of Nebraska, the Ralston High School. This school was founded in the year 1954. During the early years, the school building was located in Lakeview Drive; but currently the Ralston High School is situated in Park Drive. The old building is now transformed into a middle school. The total area covered by this city is 4.4 km squared.

The other city situated in the Douglas County is Valley. The city covers an area of 4.0 square km, of which only 0.1 square km is covered by water bodies. The city is known for being the hometown of the famous author Gail Rock.