[star_gazer]

Okay... another Omaha freak here. I certainly wouldn't claim that Omaha deserves to be compared side by side with America's great, large cities. I do think it's a great smaller city... and to try to fix some of the damage caused by some of my fellow Omaha enthusiats... I share a photo tour of some of Omaha. Not world class... but a great small city with a bigger city vibe.

Anyway... so here's a sampling of various images from around the city...

Approaching downtown from the airport which is located just 3 miles to the north. Eppley by the way, handles almost 4.5 million passengers annually, which is more traffic than airports in larger cities such as Louisville and Oklahoma City... drawing heavily from the surrounding rural areas of South Dakota and Iowa.

http://www.hustonfamily.com/skyline/pic10.jpg (broken link)

Heartland of America Park (and 300 ft fountain, one of the nations highest) sits on Omaha's riverfront

http://www.hustonfamily.com/omaha/gallery/heartland/pic3.jpg (broken link)

Gene Leahy Mall in the center of downtown... a great urban green space

http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/buildings/8/pic4.jpg (broken link)

http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/buildings/8/pic6.jpg (broken link)

New Holland Performing Arts Center, sitting on the Gene Leahy Mall

http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/buildings/97/pic9.jpg (broken link)

http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/buildings/97/pic5.jpg (broken link)

Downtown and midtown (right 1/3rd of photo) skylines seen from the bluffs of Council Bluffs

http://www.hustonfamily.com/skyline/skyline1.jpg (broken link)

Downtown Old Market district

http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/oldmarket/pic24.jpg (broken link)

http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/oldmarket/pic27.jpg (broken link)

http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/oldmarket/pic7.jpg (broken link)

Riverfront

http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/lclanding/pic6.jpg (broken link)

http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/lclanding/pic1.jpg (broken link)

http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/lclanding/pic2.jpg (broken link)

Pioneer Courage Park

http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/buildings/103/pic4.jpg (broken link)

Qwest Center, this year hosting NCAA regionals, final 4 womens volleyball, US Olympic swim trials, and much more (top 10 in US concert ticket sales according to Pollstar)

http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/buildings/58/cc/pic11.jpg (broken link)

Home to Creighton Bluejays... which draw in the top 15 in NCAA basketball attendance (not too shabby for a school of 7,000).



Rosenblatt Stadium (to be replaced by a new downtown stadium)... home of a AAA affiliate and the College World Series... also the largest minor league ballpark in the nation

http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/rosenblatt/pic41.jpg (broken link)

http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/royals/1/pic8a.jpg (broken link)

A sampling of Omaha's urban neighborhoods, Omaha has a surprisingly large amount of older historic urban neighborhoods... it was 'once' a much larger city... just prior to the 20th century in fact, it boasted a larger population than it's neighbor Kansas City to the south. A severe drought and market panic led to Omaha's population growth becoming 'stunted' compared to other midwestern cities... otherwise it may well have been larger and better known today.

Midtown
http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/midtown/2/pic4.jpg (broken link)

Mutual of Omaha's headquarters building, one of 5 Fortune 500 companies headquartered in the city of Omaha (more than much larger KC).
http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/midtown/4/pic4.jpg (broken link)

Benson (burgeoning arts district)
http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/districts/9/pic25.jpg (broken link)

http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/districts/9/pic32.jpg (broken link)

Park East
http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/midtown/parkeast/pic11.jpg (broken link)

http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/midtown/parkeast/pic14.jpg (broken link)

South Omaha
http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/districts/southo/2/pic8.jpg (broken link)

http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/districts/southo/2/pic4.jpg (broken link)

Dundee
http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/districts/5/pic3.jpg (broken link)

http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/districts/5/pic6.jpg (broken link)

Vinton Street
http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/districts/6/pic16.jpg (broken link)

http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/districts/6/pic22.jpg (broken link)

North 24th
http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/districts/12/pic6.jpg (broken link)

http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/districts/12/pic2.jpg (broken link)

South 13th
http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/districts/11/pic17.jpg (broken link)

http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/districts/11/pic5.jpg (broken link)

Council Bluffs
http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/cb/downtown/pic4.jpg (broken link)

http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/cb/downtown/pic15.jpg (broken link)

A sampling of our historic neighborhoods

Mercer Park
http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/districts/4/pic4.jpg (broken link)

http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/districts/4/pic9.jpg (broken link)

Field Club
http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/districts/1/pic1.jpg (broken link)

http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/districts/1/pic4.jpg (broken link)

Hanscom Park
http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/districts/8/pic8.jpg (broken link)

http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/districts/8/pic9.jpg (broken link)

Gold Coast
http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/districts/2/pic4.jpg (broken link)

http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/districts/2/pic1.jpg (broken link)

Omaha has two medical schools (the only metro under 1 million which can make that claim)... Creighton and the University of Nebraska-Medical Center... the latter has a fairly impressive campus in Midtown... with an emerging skyline all it's own.

Durham Research Center... a 2nd identical tower is nearing completion
http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/unmc/pic5.jpg (broken link)

Lied Transplant Center... a world leader in solid organ transplantation
http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/unmc/pic13.jpg (broken link)

Creighton University
http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/creighton/2/pic17.jpg (broken link)

Creighton's own medical center campus
http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/hospitals/1/pic4.jpg (broken link)

Some of Omaha's more prominent developments going on today...

Midtown Crossing at Turner Park, 600 condos/apartments, 200k sq ft of retail/entertainment
http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/develop/154/pic3.jpg (broken link)

Wallstreet Tower (2nd from left in rendering), 373 feet
http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/develop/163/pic2.jpg (broken link)

Aksarben Village, 750k sq ft of office/250k retail,entertainment, 500 residential units


Missouri River spanning pedestrian bridge
http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/develop/4/pic7.jpg (broken link)

Riverfront Place, phase II (tower on left)
http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/develop/69/pic5.jpg (broken link)

Downtown street car system
http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/develop/195/pic3.jpg (broken link)

80 Dodge mixed use tower development
http://www.omaha.com/neo-images/photos/large/021207kc80dodge2.jpg (broken link)

New downtown baseball park with 25 year contract to hose NCAA College World Series



A sampling of some attractions...

Henry Doorly Zoo (definitely world class)
http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/zoo/jungle/pic3.jpg (broken link)

http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/zoo/aquarium/pic2.jpg (broken link)

Strategic Air and Space Museum
http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/airmuseum/pic1.jpg (broken link)

http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/airmuseum/pic2.jpg (broken link)

Lauritzen Botanical Gardens
http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/botanical/1/pic5.jpg (broken link)

http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/botanical/6/pic34.jpg (broken link)

Durham Museum (Omaha's old Union Station)
http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/buildings/19/pic13.jpg (broken link)

http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/buildings/19/hall/pic6.jpg (broken link)

Boystown, a city all it's own
http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/boystown/pic2.jpg (broken link)

Joslyn Art Museum
http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/buildings/6/pic9.jpg (broken link)

The Rose Children's Theatre
http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/buildings/24/pic1.jpg (broken link)

Orpheum Theatre, hosting broadway/stage productions
http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/buildings/25/pic1.jpg (broken link)

Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts
http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/buildings/57/pic2.jpg (broken link)

Omaha's Childrens Museum
http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/childrens/childrensmus.jpg (broken link)

Nation's largest community playhouse
http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/ocp/pic2.jpg (broken link)



Parting shot of the beautiful First National Center
http://www.hustonfamily.com/gallery/buildings/11/pic18.jpg (broken link)

[lammius]

Wow. Apart from the pic of the basketball game, is everyone white?

[star_gazer]

Not exactly... here are the figures from the 2000 census...

White 78.4%
Black 13.3%
Asian 1.7%

Hispanic 7.5% (spread across multiple races)


A couple of factoids: Omaha is the smallest city (in a state not bordering Mexico) to have a Mexican Consulate... and has the largest population of Sudanese refugees in the nation.

And here are some native 'black' Omahans... you may or may not have heard of...

Malcom Little (aka 'X')
Bob Gibson (Hall of Fame pitcher)
Bob Boozer (NBA great)
John Beasley (actor, now runs a theatre in Omaha)
Ahman Green (NFL running back)
Gale Sayers (Chicago Bear great)
Gabrielle Union (actress)
Preston Love (jazz legend)

[oilpainter]

OHH...I thought you meant an 'Obama' photo tour...

[gold dust]

wow, beautiful! I never knew....!!!

[LaMadden]

All my family is in Omaha. It is such a joy and fun time when I come home. What a neat city it is.

[WILWRadio]

Gale Sayers is a native Kansan but he did spend many of his formative years in Omaha.

Originally Posted by star_gazer

Not exactly... here are the figures from the 2000 census...

White 78.4%
Black 13.3%
Asian 1.7%

Hispanic 7.5% (spread across multiple races)


A couple of factoids: Omaha is the smallest city (in a state not bordering Mexico) to have a Mexican Consulate... and has the largest population of Sudanese refugees in the nation.

And here are some native 'black' Omahans... you may or may not have heard of...

Malcom Little (aka 'X')
Bob Gibson (Hall of Fame pitcher)
Bob Boozer (NBA great)
John Beasley (actor, now runs a theatre in Omaha)
Ahman Green (NFL running back)
Gale Sayers (Chicago Bear great)
Gabrielle Union (actress)
Preston Love (jazz legend)

[goozer]

As someone who is a little perplexed by all the pro-Omaha posts that have been popping up on this forum as of late, I have to say that I am impressed with some of these pictures. Omaha seems to be a more interesting place than I would have guessed. Reminds me a bit of Louisville and Kansas City in terms of a midwestern city that has a warehouse district undergoing a renaissance.

[WILWRadio]

At least the OP of this string has the ability to see Omaha more for what it is rather than trying to puff it up into something it is not.

All these pro Omaha posts are from people that suffer from a serious inferiority complex about their region and they are attempting to show the rest of the country how much better the place allegedly is when compared to other metro areas. Most of the time they let their feelings get in the way of the facts or reality.

[2Adam29]

Originally Posted by WILWRadio

At least the OP of this string has the ability to see Omaha more for what it is rather than trying to puff it up into something it is not.

All these pro Omaha posts are from people that suffer from a serious inferiority complex about their region and they are attempting to show the rest of the country how much better the place allegedly is when compared to other metro areas. Most of the time they let their feelings get in the way of the facts or reality.

don't. you can't just shut your mouth can you? If you knew what was good for everyone you'd stop bringing up a sore topic.
I've said time and time again that I don't need people to love Omaha, merely recognise it. I've said that it doesn't need to be best city in the world or #1, and outside of that, this thread ignores the negatives of the city more than I have, so stop acting like I'm dilusional.


Great pics BTW.