Omaha Neighborhoods
Downtown Central South Omaha North Omaha North Hills Northwest West Central Southwest Ralston/LaVista/Papillion Bellevue/Sarpy County Council Bluffs Surrounding Areas Back to Omaha
Downtown Omaha topnext
Settlers ferried across the Missouri River to set up a fledgling city where downtown Omaha now sits. Downtown's popular Old Market area reflects the city's early life. Brick warehouses are now trendy apartments, condominiums, restaurants, shops and artists' lofts. Lining the brick streets are artists, musicians and horse-drawn carriages. Kite flying, walking in the parks, and enjoying a latté in an outdoor café are popular activities. People flock to art gallery openings.
Downtown residents are living in the midst of Omaha's cultural center. Among facilities there are the Orpheum Theater, Durham Western Heritage Museum, Omaha Children's Museum, Civic Auditorium/Music Hall, and the Rose Blumkin Performing Arts Center. Joslyn Art Museum, the internationally-known Bemis Center for Contemporary Art, and Creighton University's Lied Education Center for the Arts are downtown arts centers.
Companies such as ConAgra, Inc. and Union Pacific Railroad maintain their headquarters downtown. Towering new buildings sit next to historical office buildings such as the 1910 Orpheum Towers and the 1879 Burlington Building. A $1.8 billion redevelopment underway is turning a 33-block area of downtown Omaha into a tree-lined business park. First National Bank has built a 40-story tower. In 1999 a new $67 million federal courthouse was completed.
Smaller homes and apartments in fringe neighborhoods in part of the central city offer affordable housing. Access is via I-80, I-480, the North Freeway and I-29. School District: Omaha Public
Central Omaha
There are stability and hidden treasures in Omaha's older neighborhoods. On the National Register of Historic Places are the Bemis, Gold Coast, and Blackstone neighborhoods. Dundee, the city's oldest suburb, and areas like the Field Club area are "Norman Rockwell neighborhoods" with porches for visiting with friendly neighbors and sidewalks for children to play on. East of Field Club is the Gerald R. Ford birthplace monument.
Elegant, stately homes are found in the Fairacres, Loveland and Happy Hollow neighborhoods. Some are mansions. Inexpensive housing and apartments also are available in central Omaha. The Keystone Trail draws people from throughout the city for recreation.
Bordering Elmwood Park, Memorial Park and the University of Nebraska at Omaha campus are lushly treed neighborhoods. The university's new technology campus is going up in the Ak-Sar-Ben neighborhood.
Also in central Omaha are five hospitals and the University of Nebraska Medical Center campus. Mutual of Omaha, the Crossroads Mall, Omaha Community Playhouse, the College of Saint Mary, two golf courses and indoor-outdoor tennis centers are found here. Historic St. Cecilia Cathedral looms over the Cathedral neighborhood. School Districts: Westside Community and Omaha Public.
South Omaha This is where immigrants landed when they first arrived in Omaha. Italian and Irish, Polish and Czech and others settled near jobs in south Omaha. Now the tradition continues with Asian and Hispanic, the fastest-growing ethnic groups in Omaha.
Small, well-kept cottages sit next to larger, newer homes in South Omaha. Some homes have wonderful woodwork and elaborate Victorian exteriors that have been well maintained. Low-cost housing abounds.
The Henry Doorly Zoo, the Hitchcock Park and Ice Arena, and Rosenblatt Stadium, home of the NCAA College World Series, are popular south Omaha spots.
Also in south Omaha are Mount Vernon Gardens, the Chicano Awareness Center, El Museo Latino, the Omaha Livestock Market and Exchange Building, Sokol Hall, Grace University, and the city's new Botanical Gardens.
South Omaha was a separate city before annexation earlier this century. A downtown area still provides shopping and restaurants with an ethnic flavor. School District: Omaha Public.
North Omaha
Older homes with porches, surrounded by mature trees, are found in this historical area of Omaha. Residents are drawn by low-cost housing. New homes are being built in some parts of north Omaha through the New Community Development Corp., Holy Name Housing Corp. and Omaha Habitat for Humanity.
History is found almost everywhere: Miller Park where the golf course is more than a century old. The Mormon Visitors Center and cemetery in the historical Florence area. Fort Omaha, a military post built in 1878, and now the main campus for Metropolitan Community College.
The Great Plains Black Museum, Malcolm X historical marker, and the Urban League Family Resource Center are near downtown Omaha. Creighton University, founded in 1878, borders downtown.
Also in north Omaha are Kountze Park, site of a world's fair in 1898, and the Jewell Building, which once housed Dreamland Ballroom, a stop for top black musicians from the 1920s to 1960s. Belvedere Point provides a sweeping view of the Missouri River.
Far north is the new World Communications Park, home to high-tech companies. Carter Lake and Eppley Airfield border the east edge. Access is via I-680, the North Freeway and Sorensen Parkway. School District: Omaha Public.
North Hills Country living with city conveniences is enjoyed by many residents in homes on rolling terrain edging the northeast side of Omaha. Breathtaking views are rewards for many residents in new developments, small communities, on farm land, and forested river bluffs.
Sitting on the shores of Lake Cunningham is a small city marina with rental sailboats, canoes and fishing boats. Ponca Hills is a popular area for riding horses. N.P. Dodge Park sports soccer fields and a large Missouri River marina.
The area covers the entire northern section of Douglas County and parts of Washington County. Eppley Airfield and the North Omaha Airport are within a 15-minute drive. Interstate 680 runs past north Omaha. School Districts: Omaha Public, Fort Calhoun in Washington County.
Northwest Omaha
Some developers see a possibility of much of the metro area's development taking place over a decade in this area from Interstate 680 to about 168th street. It is a spacious region of lakes, recreation and homes in a range of prices.
The Eagle Run complex is an example of an area of newer homes near swimming pools, theaters and shopping areas. Families enjoy soccer, hiking and golf in their own neighborhoods. The 18-hole private Champions Club is here. Tranquility Park is popular for ice rink and soccer fields. Standing Bear and Cunningham lakes provide sailing, fishing and nearby bicycle-jogging trails. School Districts: Omaha Public, Millard, Elkhorn.
West Central Omaha Large, lovely homes, a business-shopping area, and a lake and tennis club sit in Regency, Omaha's first planned community. Two private golf courses, Highland and Happy Hollow, attract upscale homeowners. The Jewish Community Center serves the city from the area.
Shopping malls are abundant. They include Westroads, Old Mill, Rockbrook Village, One Pacific Place, Countryside Village and Regency Court. Boys Town, a village with family homes for 500 youth, is on the western edge. School Districts: Omaha Public, Westside Community, Millard Public, Boys Town
Southwest Omaha
A community of trees, well-kept homes and families with children, southwest Omaha also has jobs. An industrial area along L Street hosts large companies such as Lucent Technologies and Oriental Trading. Companies find nearby Millard Airport convenient.
Neighborhoods come in old and new developments and in a variety of prices and styles, including apartments. Recreation is found at Zorinksy and Wehrspann lakes, both created within the last decade. They provide public boating, fishing, jogging, bicycling and soccer fields. Neighborhood shopping malls include Westwood Plaza, Bel Air Plaza, Orchard Plaza, Baker Square and, the largest, Oak View Mall. School Districts: Omaha Public and Millard Public.
Omaha Public Ralston/LaVista/Papillion These suburban communities offer homes ranging from starters to upscale, in both newer and older developments, all within a quick drive to downtown Omaha. Also in the area are shopping areas, apartments and townhomes.Papillion is the Sarpy County seat, a fast-growing area for both business and homes. Parks, picnic areas and recreational facilities attract residents. Proximity to Offutt Air Force Base draws many military families. School Districts: Ralston Public, Papillion/LaVista Public.
Bellevue/Sarpy County
Bellevue's history goes back to its days as a river town fur-trading post. Today it is a diverse community of businesses and residential areas. Olde Town's main street contrasts with the area's high-tech office parks and industrial sites, home to a number of Fortune 500 companies.
Predictions are that this county south of Omaha will have the highest growth rate through the year 2010 of any county in the state. Bellevue in Sarpy County is now Nebraska's third largest city. One reason for recent growth is the opening of Kennedy Freeway and the widening of Highway 370 to four lanes, making Sarpy County very accessible. Commuters can zip to downtown Omaha in minutes from homes that range from modest starters to executive houses by a golf course.
Edging the backyards of some of those homes is Fontenelle Forest, with miles of trails for hiking and nature studies. Rural acreages in woods, near lakes, and along the Platte and Missouri rivers are available. The U.S. Strategic Command is located at Offutt Air Force Base in Sarpy County, and military families live in many nearby neighborhoods. School District: Bellevue Public
Council Bluffs, Iowa Council Bluffs sits immediately east of downtown Omaha across the Missouri River, which is the border between Iowa and Nebraska. The historic river town features trees, rolling hills, and neighborhoods where people find plenty to do: biking, hiking or riding horses on the Wabash Trace Nature Trail. Fishing, sailboating, motorboating or water skiing on Lake Manawa. Some rural homes are located in the beautiful Loess Hills. School District: Council Bluffs.
Surrounding Communities
Living on the edge of metropolitan Omaha's five-county area means a peaceful, rural life for many people. Yet they are rarely more than 30 minutes from downtown Omaha. Many homeowners enjoy the privacy of an acreage, a view of a river valley, or the fun of living in a small town.
School districts in communities surrounding Omaha include Arlington, Bennington, Blair, Elkhorn, Fort Calhoun, Gretna, Valley, Waterloo, and some districts in Iowa.
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