Editing Omaha, Nebraska (section)

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|align=Right
|1860= 1883
|1870= 16083
|1880= 30518
|1890= 140452
|1900= 102555
|1910= 124096
|1920= 191061
|1930= 214006
|1940= 223844
|1950= 251117
|1960= 301598
|1970= 346929
|1980= 313939
|1990= 335795
|2000= 390007
|2010= 408958
|2020= 486051
|estyear=2024
|estimate=489265
|estref=<ref name="QF2023">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/omahacitynebraska/RHI225223|title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Omaha city, Nebraska |access-date=July 16, 2024 }}</ref>
|footnote=Source:<ref>Moffatt, Riley. ''Population History of Western U.S. Cities & Towns, 1850–1990''. [[Lanham, Maryland|Lanham]]: Scarecrow, 1996, 149.</ref><br />U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|author=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=July 15, 2014|archive-date=April 26, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150426102944/http://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|url-status=live }}</ref>{{failed verification|date=July 2024|reason=No mention of Omaha at the given link}}<br />2010–2020<ref name="QuickFacts" />
}}
{{Graph:Chart
 | width=220
 | height=220
 | xAxisTitle=
 | yAxisTitle=%percentage
 | xAxisAngle = -40
 | legend=Demographics
 | interpolate = bundle
 | size = 77
 | xType = date
 | y1Title=White
 | y2Title=Hispanic or Latino
 | y3Title=Black
 | y4Title=Asian
 | y5Title=Native American/Alaska Native
 | type=line
 |xGrid=
 | x= 1940, 1970, 1990, 2010, 2020
 | y1= 
94.5, 89.4, 83.9, 73.1, 77.5 
 | y2= 
, 1.9, 3.1, 13.1, 13.9 
 | y3=
5.4, 9.9, 13.1, 13.7, 12.3
 | y4=
0.1, 0.2, 1.0, 2.4, 3.8
 | y5=
,, 0.7, 0.8, 0.6
 | colors = #ff0000, #FF7F00, #0000FF, #00FF00, #FFDA29
 | showSymbols = 1, 1
 | yGrid = true
 | linewidth = 2.0
}}
{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible mw-collapsed" style="font-size: 90%;"
|-
! Historical Racial composition 
!2020!! 2010<ref name="census1"/> !! 1990<ref name="census">{{cite web |title=Nebraska - Race and Hispanic Origin for Selected Cities and Other Places: Earliest Census to 1990 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812191959/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html |archive-date=August 12, 2012}}</ref> !! 1970<ref name="census"/> !! 1940<ref name="census"/>
|-
| [[White American|White]] 
|65.5%|| 73.1% || 83.9% || 89.4% || 94.5%
|-
| [[African American|Black]]
|12.4%|| 13.7% || 13.1% || 9.9% || 5.4%
|-
|Native American/Alaska Native
|1.1%
|0.8%
|0.7%
|
|
|-
| [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (of any race) 
|14.0%|| 13.1% || 3.1% || 1.9%{{efn|name="fifteen"}} || n/a
|-
| [[Asian American|Asian]] 
|4.6%|| 2.4% || 1.0% || 0.2% || 0.1%
|-
| Non-Hispanic White 
|66.6%|| 68.0% || 82.3% || 87.5%{{efn|name="fifteen"|From 15% sample}} || n/a
|-
|Two or More Races
|9.1%
|3.0%
|
|
|
|}
{{clear}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+'''Omaha, Nebraska – Racial and ethnic composition'''<br><small>{{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}}</small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(''NH = Non-Hispanic'')</small>
!Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Omaha city, Nebraska |url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=160XX00US3137000&tid=DECENNIALSF12000.P004|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Omaha city, Nebraska  |url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US3137000&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!{{partial|Pop 2020}}<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Omaha city, Nebraska |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US3137000&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!% 2000
!% 2010
!{{partial|% 2020}}
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|293,876
|278,172
|style='background: #ffffe6; |302,548
|75.35%
|68.02%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |62.25%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|51,427
|55,128
|style='background: #ffffe6; |59,347
|13.19%
|13.48%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |12.21%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|2,238
|2,263
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,419
|0.57%
|0.55%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.50%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|6,685
|9,889
|style='background: #ffffe6; |22,184
|1.71%
|2.42%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.56%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|192
|253
|style='background: #ffffe6; |379
|0.05%
|0.06%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.08%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Other race]] alone (NH)
|448
|806
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,999
|0.11%
|0.20%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.41%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed race or Multiracial]] (NH)
|5,744
|8,894
|style='background: #ffffe6; |21,612
|1.47%
|2.17%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.45%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|29,397
|53,553
|style='background: #ffffe6; |75,563
|7.54%
|13.09%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |15.55%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''390,007'''
|'''408,958'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''486,051'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%'''
|}

The [[2020 United States census]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov| access-date=December 18, 2023 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref> counted 486,051 people, 189,922 households, and 113,245 families in Omaha. The population density was 3,406.8 per square mile (1,315.4/km{{sup|2}}). There were 203,215 housing units, at an average density of 1,424.4 per square mile (550.0/km{{sup|2}}). The racial makeup (including Hispanics in the racial counts) was 65.47% (318,218) [[White (U.S. Census)|white]], 12.4% (60,280) [[African American (U.S. Census)|black or African-American]], 1.12% (5,426) [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 4.6% (22,377) [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.09% (461) [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 7.25% (35,233) from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 9.06% (44,056) from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race was 14.0% (67,715) of the population.<ref name="census1" />[[File:Race and ethnicity 2010- Omaha (5560454122).png|thumb|Map of racial distribution in Omaha, 2010 U.S. Census. Each dot is 25 people: {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=#ff0000|White}} {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=#0000ff|Black}} {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=#00ffaa|Asian}} {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=#ffa600|Hispanic}} {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=#ffff07|Other}}]]

Of the 189,922 households, 28.3% had children under the age of 18; 43.0% were married couples living together; 29.2% had a female householder with no husband present. 33.2% of households consisted of individuals and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.5 and the average family size was 3.2.

24.5% of the population was under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.9 years. For every 100 females, the population had 97.1 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 95.0 males.

The 2016–2020 5-year [[American Community Survey]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov|access-date=December 18, 2023|website=data.census.gov}}</ref> estimates show that the median household income was $62,213 (with a margin of error of +/- $969) and the median family income $80,956 (+/- $1,380). Males had a median income of $41,528 (+/- $592) versus $31,295 (+/- $490) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $36,290 (+/- $532). Approximately, 8.0% of families and 12.0% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 15.6% of those under the age of 18 and 7.8% of those ages 65 or over.

===2010 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="wwwcensusgov">{{cite web |title=U.S. Census website |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=June 24, 2012 |archive-date=July 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709054630/https://www.census.gov/ |url-status=live }}</ref> of 2010, there were 408,958 people, 162,627 households, and 96,477 families residing in the city. The population density was {{cvt|3217.9|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 177,518 housing units, at an average density of {{cvt|1396.8|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The city's racial makeup was 73.1% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 13.7% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.8% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 2.4% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.1% [[Race (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 6.9% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 3.0% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] people of any race were 13.1% of the population. [[Non-Hispanic Whites]] were 68.0% of the population.<ref name="census1">{{cite web |url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/31/3137000.html |title=Omaha (city), Nebraska |work=State & County QuickFacts |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080514002916/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/31/3137000.html |archive-date=May 14, 2008 }}</ref>

There were 162,627 households, of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.6% were married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.7% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.3% had someone living alone who was at least 65 years old. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.14.

The median age in the city was 33.5 years. 25.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 11.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.9% were from 25 to 44; 24.4% were from 45 to 64; and 11.4% were 65 years of age or older. The city's gender makeup was 49.2% male and 50.8% female.

The median household income (in 2017 dollars) from 2013 to 2017 was $53,789.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/omahacitynebraska/PST045218 |title=QuickFacts |access-date=April 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190418230850/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/omahacitynebraska/PST045218 |archive-date=April 18, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Crime===
{{Main|Crime in Omaha, Nebraska}}
{{further|Gambling in Omaha, Nebraska}}

Omaha's [[United States cities by crime rate|rate of violent crimes]] per 100,000 residents has been lower than the average rates of three dozen United States cities of similar size. Unlike Omaha, those cities have experienced an increase in violent crime overall since 2003. Rates for property crime have decreased for both Omaha and its peer cities during the same time period.<ref>[http://www.selectgreateromaha.com/Living-in-Greater-Omaha-Crime.aspx Crime in Omaha] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090218235210/http://www.selectgreateromaha.com/Living-in-Greater-Omaha-Crime.aspx |date=February 18, 2009 }}, Greater Omaha Economic Development Council. Retrieved 5/13/08.</ref> In 2006, Omaha was ranked for homicides as 46th out of the 72 cities in the United States of more than 250,000 in population.<ref>[https://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/index.html FBI 2006 Universal Crime Rate] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209230523/http://www2.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/index.html |date=February 9, 2014 }}, Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved 11/20/08.</ref>

As a major industrial city into the mid-20th century, Omaha shared in social tensions that came with rapid growth and the arrival of large numbers of immigrants and migrants. Persistent poverty resulting from racial discrimination and job losses generated different crimes in the late 20th century, with the drug trade and drug abuse becoming associated with violent crime rates, which climbed after 1986 as Los Angeles gangs made affiliates in the city.<ref>Hull, J. (1993) [https://web.archive.org/web/20070930090529/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,978960-3,00.html "A Boy and his Gun"], ''Time'' magazine. Retrieved 8/17/07.</ref>

Gambling in Omaha has been an important part of the city's history. From its founding in the 1850s through the 1930s, the city was known as a "wide-open" town where gambling of all sorts was openly accepted. By the 1950s, at the same time large-scale restructuring of the railroads, the meatpacking industry and other sectors caused widespread job losses and unemployment, Omaha reportedly had more illicit gambling than any other city in the nation.<ref>[http://www.netnebraska.org/extras/statewide/pers/transcripts/Omaha%20Gambling%20History.pdf Transcript to "Nebraska's gambling history"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081014040343/http://www.netnebraska.org/extras/statewide/pers/transcripts/Omaha%20Gambling%20History.pdf|date=October 14, 2008}}, Nebraska ETV. Retrieved 11/20/08.</ref> From the 1930s through the 1970s, a Mafia-based criminal element controlled gambling in the city.<ref>United States Congress Senate Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Constitutional Rights. (1974) ''Criminal Justice Data Banks 1974: Hearings Before the Subcommittee on Constitutional Rights of the Committee on the Judiciary.'' Government Printing Office. p 411.</ref>

As most forms of gambling are currently restricted in Nebraska, gambling in Omaha is limited to [[keno]], [[lottery|lotteries]], and [[parimutuel betting]]. This leaves Omahans to drive across the Missouri River to Council Bluffs, Iowa, where casinos are legal and many businesses operate. Recently, the [[National Indian Gaming Commission]] approved a controversial proposal made by the [[Ponca]] tribe of Nebraska. It will allow the tribe to build a casino in [[Carter Lake, Iowa]], which sits on the west side of the Missouri River, adjacent to Omaha, where casinos are illegal.<ref>[http://www.wowt.com/home/headlines/27078104.html "Pottawattamie County May Join Suit Against Casino: Nebraska trying to stop planned Carter Lake casino"] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090107103556/http://www.wowt.com/home/headlines/27078104.html |date=January 7, 2009 }}, [[WOWT]]. August 17, 2008. Retrieved 2/11/09.</ref><ref>[http://www.gamblingwiththegoodlife.com/ Official website] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204031606/http://www.gamblingwiththegoodlife.com/ |date=December 4, 2008 }}. Gambling With The Good Life. Retrieved 11/20/08.</ref><ref>Elfrink, T. and Morton, J. [https://web.archive.org/web/20080121031403/http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10236972 "Casino near Omaha would join booming Indian gambling industry"], ''Omaha World-Herald''. January 20, 2008. Retrieved 2/11/09.</ref>

===People===
{{Main|Ethnic groups in Omaha, Nebraska}}
[[File:OmahaNE StCecilia.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Saint Cecilia Cathedral]]]]

[[Native American tribes in Nebraska|Native Americans]] were the first residents of the Omaha area. The city of Omaha was established by white settlers from neighboring Council Bluffs who arrived from the [[Mid-Atlantic states]] a few years earlier. While much of the early population was of [[Upland South|Upland Southern]] stock, over the next 100 years numerous [[Ethnic groups in Omaha, Nebraska|ethnic groups]] moved to the city. In 1910, the Census Bureau reported Omaha's population as 96.4% White and 3.6% Black.<ref>{{cite web |title=Race and Hispanic Origin for Selected Cities and Other Places: Earliest Census to 1990 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html |access-date=April 21, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812191959/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html |archive-date=August 12, 2012}}</ref> [[Irish in Omaha, Nebraska|Irish]] immigrants in Omaha originally moved to an area in present-day North Omaha called [[Gophertown]], as they lived in dug-out [[sod house]]s.<ref name="Bristow 2000" /> That population was followed by [[Poles in Omaha, Nebraska|Polish immigrants]] in the [[Sheelytown]] neighborhood, and many immigrants were recruited for jobs in South Omaha's [[Union Stockyards (Omaha)|stockyards]] and meatpacking industry.<ref>Peattie, E.W. "How they live at Sheely: Pen picture of a strange settlement and its queer set of inhabitants", March 31, 1895. in (2005) ''Impertinences: Selected Writings of Elia Peattie, a Journalist in the Gilded Age''. University of Nebraska Press. p. 31.</ref> The [[Germans in Omaha, Nebraska|German community]] in Omaha was largely responsible for founding its once-thriving beer industry,<ref>Sullenger, T.E. (1937) "Problems of Ethnic Assimilation in Omaha", ''Social Forces. 15''(3) pp. 402–410.</ref> including the [[Metz Brewery|Metz]], [[Krug Brewery|Krug]], [[Falstaff Brewing Corporation|Falstaff]] and [[Storz Brewery|Storz]] breweries.

Since its founding, [[Ethnic groups in Omaha, Nebraska|ethnic groups in the city]] have clustered in [[Ethnic enclave|enclaves]] in [[North Omaha, Nebraska|north]], [[South Omaha, Nebraska|south]] and [[downtown Omaha]]. In its early days, the [[History of Omaha, Nebraska|sometimes lawless nature of a new frontier city]] included [[Crime in Omaha|crime]], such as [[Gambling in Omaha, Nebraska|illicit gambling]] and [[List of riots and civil unrest in Omaha, Nebraska|riots]].

In the early 20th century, [[Jews and Judaism in Omaha, Nebraska|Jewish]] immigrants set up many businesses along the [[North 24th Street]] commercial area. It suffered with the loss of industrial jobs in the 1960s and, later, the shifting of population west of the city. The commercial area is now the center of the [[African Americans in Omaha, Nebraska|African-American community]], concentrated in North Omaha.<ref>(1980) ''A Comprehensive Program for Historic Preservation in Omaha'', [[Government of Omaha|City of Omaha]] [[Landmarks Heritage Preservation Commission]]. p. 54.</ref> The African American community has maintained its social and religious base, while it is experiencing an economic revitalization.

The [[Little Italy (Omaha)|Little Italy]] neighborhood grew south of downtown, as many Italian immigrants came to the city to work in the [[Union Pacific Railroad Omaha Shops Facility|Union Pacific shops]].<ref>Federal Writers' Project. (1936) ''Omaha: A Guide to the City and Environs.'' American Guide Series. p. 161.</ref> Scandinavians first came to Omaha as [[Mormon]] settlers in the [[Florence, Nebraska|Florence neighborhood]].<ref>Matteson, E. and Matteson, J. "Mormon Influence on Scandinavian Settlement in Nebraska", in Larsen, B.F., Bender, H. and Veien, K. (eds) (1993) ''On Distant Shores: Proceedings of the Marcus Lee Hansen Immigration Conference; Aalborg, Denmark June 29 – July 1, 1992.'' Aalborg, Denmark: Danes Worldwide Archives and Danish Society for Emigration History.</ref><ref>Nelson, O.N. (1899) ''History of the Scandinavians and Successful Scandinavians in the United States: parts 1 & 2.'' O. N. Nelson & Company. p. 44, 237, 502.</ref> [[Czechs in Omaha, Nebraska|Czechs]] had a strong political and cultural voice in Omaha,<ref>Capek, T. (August 27, 1898) "Bohemia past and present." ''[[Omaha Bee]]''.</ref> and were involved in a variety of trades and businesses, including banks, wholesale houses, and funeral homes. The [[Notre Dame Academy and Convent]] and [[Czechoslovak Museum]] are legacies of their residence.<ref>Sisson, R., Zacher, C.K. and Cayton, A.R.L. (2007) ''The American Midwest: An Interpretive Encyclopedia''. [[Indiana University Press]]. p. 235.</ref> Today the legacy of the city's early European immigrant populations is evident in many social and cultural institutions in Downtown and South Omaha.

[[Mexicans in Omaha, Nebraska|Mexicans]] originally immigrated to Omaha to work in the rail yards. Today they account for most of South Omaha's Hispanic population and many have taken jobs in [[meat processing]].<ref>T. Earl Sullenger, (1929) "The Mexican Population of Omaha", ''Journal of Applied Sociology'', VIII. May–June. p. 289.</ref> Other large early ethnic populations in Omaha included [[Danes in Omaha, Nebraska|Danes]], [[Poles in Omaha|Poles]], and [[Swedes in Omaha, Nebraska|Swedes]].

A growing number of African immigrants have made their homes in Omaha in the last twenty years.{{When|date=June 2018}} There are approximately 8,500 [[Sudan]]ese living in Omaha, including the largest population of [[Sudanese refugees]] in the United States. Most have immigrated since 1995 because of [[Second Sudanese Civil War|warfare in Sudan]]. They represent ten ethnic groups, including the [[Nuer people|Nuer]], [[Dinka]], [[Equatoria]]ns, [[Mauban]]s and [[Nubian people|Nubians]]. Most Sudanese people in Omaha speak the [[Nuer language]].<ref>Burbach, C. "Rally features Sudanese vice president", ''[[Omaha World-Herald]]''. July 22, 2006.</ref> Other Africans have immigrated to Omaha as well, with one-third from [[Nigeria]], and large populations from [[Kenya]], [[Togo]], [[Cameroon]] and [[Ghana]].<ref>Greater Omaha Economic Partnership. (2007) p. 18.</ref><ref>Goodsell, P. [https://archive.today/20120524220842/http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10287909 "More Nebraskans move from rural counties to metro areas"], ''[[Omaha World-Herald]]''. March 20, 2008. Retrieved 5/28/08.</ref><ref>Gonzalez, C. [https://archive.today/20120524220751/http://omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10377702 "Communities experiencing big growth, census report says"], ''[[Omaha World-Herald]]''. July 10, 2008.</ref>

With the expansion of railroad and industrial jobs in meatpacking, Omaha attracted many immigrants and migrants. As the major city in Nebraska, it has historically been more racially and ethnically diverse than the rest of the state.<ref>Baltensperger, B.H. (1985) ''Nebraska: a geography.'' Westview Press. p. 248.</ref> At times rapid population change, overcrowded housing and job competition have aroused [[Racial Tension in Omaha, Nebraska|racial and ethnic tensions]]. Around the start of the 20th century, violence towards new immigrants in Omaha often erupted out of suspicion and fear.<ref>Hickey, D.R., Wunder, S.A. and Wunder, J.R. (2007) ''Nebraska Moments: New Edition.'' University of Nebraska Press. p. 197.</ref>

In 1909, anti-Greek sentiment flared after increased Greek immigration, and worsened their tendency to become [[strikebreakers]]. The killing of a policeman of Irish descent enraged the Irish community; an angry mob violently stormed the Greek neighborhood in Omaha in what would become known as the [[Greek Town Riot]].<ref>Laliotou, I.L. (2004) ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=f_WL0HT1_4EC Transatlantic Subjects: Acts of Migration and Cultures of Transnationalism Between Greece and America]'' {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160115085247/https://books.google.com/books?id=f_WL0HT1_4EC&dq |date=January 15, 2016 }}, University of Chicago Press. p. 185.</ref> That mob violence forced the [[Greeks in Omaha, Nebraska|Greek]] immigrant population to flee from the city.<ref>Laliotou, I. (2004) ''Transatlantic Subjects: Acts of Migration and Cultures of Transnationalism Between Greece and America.'' University of Chicago Press. p. 185.</ref><ref>Burgess, T. (1913) ''Greeks in America: An Account of Their Coming, Progress, Customs, Living, and Aspirations; with an Historical Introduction and the Stories of Some Famous American-Greeks.'' Sherman-French Publishers. p. 163.</ref> By 1910, 53.7% of Omaha's residents and 64.2% of South Omaha's residents were foreign born or had at least one parent born outside of America.<ref>Wishart, D. (2004) "Omaha, Nebraska", in ''Encyclopedia of the Great Plains.'' University of Nebraska Press. p. 177.</ref>

Six years after the Greek Town Riot, in 1915, a mob killed Juan Gonzalez, a Mexican immigrant, near [[Scribner, Nebraska|Scribner]], a town in the Greater Omaha metropolitan area. The event occurred after an [[Omaha Police Department]] officer investigated a criminal operation that sold goods stolen from the nearby railroad yards. [[Racial profiling]] targeted Gonzalez as the culprit. After escaping the city, he was trapped along the [[Elkhorn River]], where the mob, including several policemen from Omaha, shot him more than twenty times. It was discovered Gonzalez was unarmed, and he had a reliable alibi for the time of the murder. No one was ever indicted for his killing.<ref>De La Garza, M. (2004) "The Lynching of Juan Gonzalez", ''Nebraska History.'' 85. (Spring). p. 24–35.</ref>

In the fall of 1919, following [[Red Summer]], postwar social and economic tensions, the earlier hiring of African Americans as strikebreakers, and job uncertainty contributed to a mob from South Omaha lynching [[Willy Brown]] and the ensuing [[Omaha Race Riot of 1919|Omaha Race Riot]]. Trying to defend Brown, the city's mayor, [[Edward Parsons Smith]], was lynched also, surviving only after a quick rescue.<ref name="Bristow 2000" />

Like other industrial cities in the U.S., Omaha suffered severe job losses in the 1950s, more than 10,000 in all, as the railroad and meatpacking industries restructured. Stockyards and packing plants were located closer to ranches, and union achievements were lost as wages declined in surviving jobs.<ref>Cordes, H.J. [https://web.archive.org/web/20071107070423/http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10176422 "Decline in industrial jobs hurts blacks"] ''Omaha World-Herald''. November 5, 2007. Retrieved 9/23/08.</ref> Many workers left the area if they could get to other jobs. Poverty deepened in areas of the city whose residents depended on those jobs, specifically North and South Omaha. At the same time, with reduced revenues, the city had less financial ability to respond to longstanding problems.

Despair after the April 1968 [[assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.]] contributed to [[King assassination riots|riots in North Omaha]], including one at the [[Logan Fontenelle Housing Project]].<ref>Luebtke, F.C. (2005) ''Nebraska: An Illustrated History.'' University of Nebraska Press. p. 334.</ref> For some, the [[civil rights movement in Omaha, Nebraska]] evolved towards [[black nationalism]], as the [[Black Panther Party]] was involved in tensions in the late 1960s. Organizations such as the [[Black Association for Nationalism Through Unity]] became popular among the city's African-American youth. This tension culminated in the ''[[cause célèbre]]'' trial of the [[Rice/Poindexter Case]], in which an [[Omaha Police Department]] officer was killed by a bomb while answering an emergency call.

Whites in Omaha have followed the [[white flight]] pattern, [[suburban]]izing to West Omaha.<ref>French, K. (2002) "Ethnic Groups in the Urban Fringe: An Analysis of Residential Patterns in Four Midland Cities, 1960 to 2000." University of Nebraska-Lincoln.</ref> In the late 1990s and early 2000s, gang violence and incidents between the [[Omaha Police Department|Omaha Police]] and Black residents undermined relations between groups in North and South Omaha.<ref>Webb, M. (1999) ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=shwzim3gH8EC Coping with Street Gangs] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160114212053/https://books.google.com/books?id=shwzim3gH8EC&dq |date=January 14, 2016 }}.'' The Rosen Publishing Group. p. 84.</ref>