About Omaha

Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States. It is the county seat of Douglas County.6 As of the 2000 census, the city had a population of 390,007. According to the 2006 census estimate, Omaha's population rose to 427,872, which includes an extra population count of approximately 8,300 people by annexing the smaller city of Elkhorn. Located on the eastern edge of Nebraska, it is on the Missouri River, about 20 miles (30 km) north of the mouth of the Platte River. Omaha is the anchor of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area. Council Bluffs, Iowa lies directly across the Missouri River from Omaha. The city and its suburbs formed the 60th-largest metropolitan area in the United States in 2000, with an estimated population of 822,549 (2006) residing in eight counties or about 1.2 million within a 50 mile (80 km) radius.

The city grew on the Missouri River, with the first settlement extending from the Lone Tree Ferry crossing from Kanesville, Iowa in the early 1850s. Omaha earned its nickname, the "Gateway to the West", because of its central location as a transportation hub for the United States in the late 1800s.

Today Omaha has a rich cultural background, including the Joslyn Art Museum, the Durham Western Heritage Museum, the Holland Performing Arts Center, and the Omaha Community Playhouse. The city's historical and cultural attractions have been lauded by numerous national newspapers, including the Boston GlobeDaniel, D. (2005) [http://www.boston.com/travel/articles/2005/09/28/unexpected_omaha/ "Unexpected Omaha: 'Mystery tour' travelers are surprised at what they find,"] Boston Globe. 10/28/05. Retrieved 8/22/07. and the New York Times.

Along with headquarters for such companies as Berkshire Hathaway, Union Pacific Railroad, Valmont Industries, and Conagra, Omaha is known for its history with Mutual of Omaha. In 2001 Newsweek identified the city as one of the Top 10 high-tech havens, showing how much the local economy had changed. Music in Omaha has always been important to the city, with North Omaha's music scene being historically important and in modern times, the "Omaha Sound", defining an important trend across the nation.