Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition/Omaha

OMAHA, the largest city in Nebraska, U.S., is situated on the west bank of the Missouri, 600 miles from its confluence with the Mississippi, in 41° 15' 43" N. lat. and 95° 55' 47" W. long, (time 1^h 16^m after that of Washington). The lower part, situated mainly on a terrace, is principally devoted to business; the upper part, on the bluffs, to the finer residences, parks, and churches. It was founded in 1854, and in 1855 it became the capital of Nebraska Territory, when its inhabitants numbered little over 100; Lincoln, however, is the capital of the State. The population (1883 in 1860, 16,083 in 1870) was 30,518 in 1880, and in 1883 had risen to 49,710, its present growth surpassing that of any former period. Omaha contains the most extensive smelting and refining works in the Union. The number of men employed is 300, and the production of metals in 1882 was—lead, 43,711,921 ℔; gold, 16,272 oz. fine; silver, 4,853,851 oz. fine; sulphate of copper, 152,041 ℔. Other manufactures amount to over $7,000,000 annually. The educational institutions include Creighton College, Brownell Hall for young ladies, a medical college, and a business college. The high school building, erected at a cost of $250,000, is one of the finest in the country. There are besides ten free schoolhouses, containing seventy-four schoolrooms. Among the public buildings are the post-office and court-house, an opera-house seating 1700 people, many hotels, and numerous churches. The streets are wide and cross at right angles, and the business portions are in process of being paved. The city is lighted by gas and the electric light. Street railways penetrate in all directions. Omaha is also an important railroad centre.