Omaha

Omaha, the largest city of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County, is on the Missouri River about midway between the northern and southern boundaries of the state and opposite Council Bluffs, Iowa, with which it is connected by several bridges. It is 55 miles from Lincoln, 500 miles west of Chicago and 600 miles east by north of Denver. Omaha is one of the great railway and distributing centers of the country and about one-third of the transcontinental freight and passenger transportation passes through it. It is served by fourteen lines of railway including the Chicago & Northwestern, the Chicago Great Western, the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul, the Rock Island, the Burlington, the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha and the Union Pacific.

The railroad yards, factories and business establishments are found along the river. Most of the residences are located on the bluffs, and Omaha is noted for its homes. The city has twenty-one public parks, whose combined area is about 1,400 acres. They are so located as to be within easy reach of different parts of the city, and are connected by boulevards. The important public buildings include the Federal Building, the Douglas County courthouse, the City Hall, the Auditorium, the Roman Catholic Cathedral, and a high school, costing $1,500,000. Omaha is the first city in the production of butter; the second live stock market in the world; the third agricultural implement center; the second corn market, and the first city in the production of pig lead. The shops of the Union Pacific Railroad are here.

Among the institutions for higher education are Creighton University, (Roman Catholic), the University of Omaha, Bellevue College, Brownell Hall and the Medical School of the University of Nebraska.

A fur-trading station was established here in 1825, but the first permanent settlement was not made until 1854. The city was incorporated in 1857 and was the capital of the territory and state until 1864. When gold was discovered in Colorado, Omaha became the outfitting point for miners. The completion of the Union Pacific Railroad in 1854 greatly advanced the city's interest. Population in 1920, 191,600.

Rev 2000-02-18