Living in Omaha

Downtown Omaha, Nebraska Since its founding in 1856, Omaha has been one of the principal gateways to the West. Today, the city and its suburbs are a thriving metropolitan community of nearly 800,000 people. Omaha is an in-between city - not too big, not too small - boasting as many or more amenities than larger cities, but retaining a small town’s friendliness. Omaha has a relatively low cost of living - as much as eight percent below the national average for a wide range of goods and services.

Affordable housing is available on campus, within walking distance or in quiet residential areas throughout the city. Low-cost rental rates are a direct by-product of Omaha’s modest home prices. The infrastructure of the city and its suburbs is modern, with little urban congestion. The climate is typical for the central Great Plains: warm summers, crisp winters, and glorious springs and autumns.

Traditionally, Omaha has been an island of stability in an uncertain economic sea. This stability is due in large measure to the diversity of the business economy. According to the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, from 1990 through 2001, the Omaha metro area added over 93,630 jobs, an increase of 28.3 percent. A well-diversified economy has kept the area’s annual unemployment rate well under the national average throughout the past decade. Mutual of Omaha, Union Pacific Railroad, ConAgra, Berkshire Hathaway, and many other national businesses proudly call Omaha home.

Old Market Passageway Omaha, Nebraska With four major shopping malls and numerous shopping centers, Omaha offers a wide variety of shopping opportunities. The "Old Market" area and the beautiful Gene Leahy Mall are close to the Creighton campus. Once the city’s warehouse district and the site of a large open-air market, its brick streets are now lined with quaint shops and distinctive restaurants.

Creighton offers 14 Division I sports, including a perennially highly ranked men’s soccer team that has played for the national title, a men’s basketball team that has gone to the NCAA tournament for the past four years, and a women’s basketball team that appeared in the NCAA tournament last year. Also, each June, Omaha hosts the NCAA College World Series.

In addition, the Omaha Theater Company for Young People is the nation’s third largest children’s theater, and the Omaha Community Playhouse is the largest community theater in the nation. The fine arts performances of Opera Omaha, the Omaha Ballet, and Omaha Symphony compare favorably with those of any large metropolitan city. The Joslyn Art Museum hosts a variety of traveling exhibits and an impressive collection of its own.

The Omaha area is known for its exceptional hunting, fishing, and wildlife preserves. And for viewing more exotic animals, there is the "world class" Henry Doorly Zoo that features the Lied JungleÒ, the world’s largest indoor rainforest, and the Desert Dome, the world’s largest indoor desert.

In all, Omaha combines the virtues of life in the heartland with the opportunities and excitement of metropolitan life. It is a good place to live, to work, and to raise a family.

Living in Omaha

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