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Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 10 mi (15 km) north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 40th-most populous city, Omaha's 2020 census population was 486,051. Omaha is the anchor of the eight-county, a bi-state Omaha–Council Bluffs metropolitan area.
- Downtown Omaha
View of Downtown Omaha looking north from the 10th Street...
- List of People From Omaha, Nebraska
This is a list of people from Omaha, Nebraska, in the United...
- Hotel Fontenelle
The Hotel Fontenelle in Omaha, Nebraska, designed by Thomas...
- Education in Omaha, Nebraska
Education in Omaha, Nebraska is provided by many private and...
- Henry Doorly Zoo
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium is a zoo in Omaha,...
- Eppley Airfield
Eppley Airfield (IATA: OMA, ICAO: KOMA, FAA LID: OMA), also...
- First National Bank Tower
The First National Bank Tower is a 45-story office...
- Downtown Omaha
- Overview
- History
Omaha, city, seat (1855) of Douglas county, eastern Nebraska, U.S. It is situated on the west bank of the Missouri River opposite Council Bluffs, Iowa. Omaha is Nebraska’s biggest city and a regional manufacturing, transportation, trade, and service hub. From the 1890s through the mid-20th century Omaha emerged as one of the top livestock markets i...
Omaha was founded in 1854 in an area that had been visited by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark in 1804 on their exploratory journey to the Pacific coast and where the pioneer fur trader Manuel Lisa established a trading post during the War of 1812. Westward-bound Mormons spent the winter of 1846–47 there at an encampment that they named Winter Quarters, later called Florence, which was subsequently annexed by Omaha. From 1847 to 1848 Winter Quarters witnessed the beginning of the Mormon migration to what became the state of Utah, but because the west side of the Missouri River was closed to permanent “white” settlement, the Mormons moved the point for subsequent departures to the nearby community of Kanesville, Iowa (renamed Council Bluffs in 1853).
By the time the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 opened the area to settlement, Kanesville had become the largely non-Mormon community of Council Bluffs, where a group of entrepreneurs created a company for developing Omaha City, Nebraska Territory. The promoters wanted the capital of the newly created territory to be located directly across the Missouri River, in part at least to influence the builders of the then-projected transcontinental railroad to lay their tracks through or near the new city. Omaha’s backers won the territorial capital for their town, despite the aspirations of Bellevue, a long-established trading post, mission, and Native American agency just south of Omaha.
St. Louis-based steamboats carrying passengers and cargo up the Missouri River linked Omaha to the East. By the 1860s stage lines extended in various directions from the city. Freight wagon trains to Denver and other western points contributed to Omaha’s emerging stature as a transportation and supply centre. In 1863 Pres. Abraham Lincoln essentially designated Omaha–Council Bluffs the eastern terminus of the first transcontinental railroad, which, when completed in 1869, placed Omaha at the eastern end of the country’s first rail link to the West and enhanced its stature as an emerging urban centre. Incorporated as a city in 1857, Omaha had 1,883 residents by the eve of the American Civil War. By 1870 the frontier community had a population of 16,083, a figure that nearly doubled a decade later.
Although Omaha lost its capital status to Lincoln after Nebraska entered the union in 1867, during the next two decades more railroads were built through the city. The bridging of the Missouri River in 1872 helped integrate Omaha–Council Bluffs into a national rail network. Smelting, wholesaling, and other enterprises diversified the economy. The establishment of the Union Stock Yards in 1884 soon brought major meat packers to the suburban community of South Omaha, linking the urban area to a vast rural hinterland. In 1888 a traffic bridge linked Omaha and Council Bluffs, and by 1889 electric streetcar service had been established in and between both cities, further integrating the metropolitan area that was developing on both sides of the Missouri River.
In the 1880s Omaha’s population tripled, but a blizzard in 1888, followed by a succession of drought years and a national depression, halted population growth. Hopes lifted, though, when Omaha was selected as the site to host the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition of 1898, an event that was meant to revive the region’s economy and alleviate the financial panic of the 1890s. The exposition attracted more than two million people to the city from June to September. Moreover, in August 1898 an Indian congress—uniting hundreds of Native Americans from more than 30 tribes—was also held in Omaha. In the late 1890s, prosperity had returned to Omaha, and by the turn of the century Omaha had a population of about 100,000, while South Omaha had about 26,000 residents. During 1915–17 several suburban communities, including South Omaha, were annexed.
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Start Planning. Visit Omaha, Nebraska and discover what makes it such a great destination. Explore the best restaurants, hotels, attractions and things to do in Omaha.
- Henry Doorly Zoo And Aquarium. One of the largest and most highly-rated zoos in the world, it’s no wonder Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium is the most-visited attraction in the state.
- The Botanical Center. Segueing from fauna to flora, a visit to the Lauritzen Gardens is another one of the best things to do in Omaha. Stroll past millions of tulips and daffodils in the spring, breathe in fragrant roses in the summer, and enjoy a final splash of fall color as winter starts to move in.
- Omaha’s Union Station And The Durham Museum. When Omaha’s Union Station opened in January 1931, it bustled with activity. But as Americans increasingly opted to travel by plane or car, the trains stopped running and the building fell into disrepair.
- Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel. Originally the Blackstone Hotel — a legendary hotel that achieved icon status during the Roaring Twenties and remained one of the country’s most successful small hotels through the 1970s — the Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel pairs Omaha history with modern luxury.
Diverse. Delicious. Historic. Make time to experience every facet of Nebraska's largest city. Omaha's "largest city" distinction guarantees you a well-rounded itinerary. Tour a collection of museums celebrating creativity, diversity and history, from the Joslyn Art Museum to the Great Plains Black History Museum to the Durham Museum.
Omaha is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 10 mi (15 km) north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 40th-most populous city, Omaha's 2020 census population was 486,051.
Apr 12, 2023 · The Old Market. Vinton Street Commercial Historic District. Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge. Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District. Joslyn Castle & Gardens. Fort Omaha. First National Bank Of Omaha. Lauritzen Gardens/Kenefick Park. Ackerhurst Dairy Barn. Omaha Children's Museum. Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium. Freedom Park.
