Diversity is nothing new to Omaha; it's as common as the hard work of the immigrants who founded the city in 1854. Omaha has grown to be a center of banking, insurance and meat processing over the years based on that hard-working beginning. However, ethnic and race relations in the city have been difficult throughout the city's history, and Omaha continues to deal with various issues today.
Omaha, like all of Nebraska, was settled by immigrants. What makes Omaha different than some communities is that, over the years, it was settled by an exceptionally diverse mix of people. This was especially unusual because of Omaha's location in the center of the United States; it was easier to stay in cities closer to the coasts than to continue to travel inland. People of various religions and ethnicities, from Africa, Mexico and southern, northern and eastern Europe were included in the first 100 years of immigration; Asian, Latino and African immigrants and refugees have arrived in the last 50 years. Native Americans immigrated to Nebraska from other locations, as well. read more >>>
SDN Projects
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UNL student researchers along with SDN are undertaking a major research project to study the ways Ord residents communicate about what is happening in the community.
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Published in June 2009, Nebraska's Economic Future includes a summary of findings; stories based on individual interviews; summaries of community conversations; and articles written specifically for this magazine. The articles represent varied geographical perspectives as well as perspectives on various parts of the state's economy.
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SDN published research on Immigration in Nebraska for the project's initial study in May 2008. We selected Scottsbluff, Lexington, Crete and Omaha and looked at the impact immigration has had on those communities.
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