In 1900 Omaha had a total population of 102,555, with 23,255 immigrants accounting for 23 percent of the population. Omaha's black population doubled between 1910 and 1920. By 1910 the city's population was 124,096 people, with 27,179 immigrants included. After 1910 the city's ethnic groups began to stabilize. In 1920 only 19 percent of the population was foreign-born. By 1930, when Omaha's population was 214,066, the federal government had curtailed European immigration. In
that year's census the city's immigrant population comprised 14 percent of the total. What the
United States Census did not show were estimates of 10,000 persons with
Danish heritage and 7,000
Bohemians. There was a large community of
Russian Jews who had come to the US to escape religious persecution and, like other immigrants, to Omaha for jobs. Also attracted by word of available jobs, the majority of
Italians in Omaha came directly to the city after arrival in port cities from
Southern Italy and
Sicily. In 1907 the
Dillingham Commission of the
U.S. Senate examined the
meatpacking industry in Omaha and the high percentage of immigrant workers in the occupations at the plants. Their findings illustrated the prevalence of foreign-born laborers, with only 17.4 percent of all workers having been born in the United States with fathers who were born in the United States. The remaining 82.6 percent were either foreign-born or had fathers who were foreign-born. The Commission found that the
Omaha Stockyards, slaughtering and meatpacking plants were second only to the
Chicago Stockyards for the percentage total of foreign and foreign-born workers. The same report stated that, "The only obstacle to immigration applies to but one race and is not general in its nature. Strong racial prejudice has existed for a great many years against the
Greeks. It reached its climax in
a race riot a few years ago, when the entire Greek settlement was driven from the community by a mob. Immigrants of other races meet with no general obstacles." The
Greek Town Riot drove out the entirety of that population. Some people of Greek heritage later returned to the city, but the community might have been larger without the early troubles. As with other industrial cities, Omaha's percentage of foreign-born residents was significantly higher than the national average from 1900 to 1930. It was also much higher than the rest of the
Missouri River Valley or Nebraska. Omaha qualified as an "immigrant city" as did
Chicago,
Detroit,
Milwaukee and
New York City. } || || || || || || || • The presence of several
black people, probably enslaved, was recorded in the area comprising North Omaha today when Major
Stephen H. Long's expedition arrived at
Fort Lisa in September 1819. They reportedly lived at the post and in neighboring farmsteads. The first free black person in Nebraska was Sally Bayne, who moved to Omaha in 1854. A clause in the original proposed
Nebraska State Constitution from 1854 limited
voting rights in the state to "free white males". This language prevented Nebraska from entering the Union for almost a year. In the 1860s, the
U.S. Census showed 81 "Negroes" in Nebraska, ten of whom were accounted for as slaves. At that time, the majority of the population lived in Omaha and
Nebraska City. By the early 1880s, the city had approximately 500 black residents. A neighborhood on the
Near North Side grew up in
North Omaha, including businesses, churches and many homes. In 1910 Omaha's African-American population of 4,426 residents was the third-largest in the
Western United States. The growing meatpacking industry recruited African American and immigrant workers. From the 1920s-50s, North Omaha was a destination for African Americans during the
Great Migration from the
South. The
African-American Renaissance in Omaha flourished, part of a larger boom time in the
Prohibition era. A documentary reports that, "On the surface the black community appeared quite stable. Its center was a several-block district north of the downtown. There were over a hundred black-owned businesses, and there were a number of black physicians, dentists, and attorneys. Over twenty fraternal organizations and clubs flourished. Church life was diverse. Of more than forty denominations, Methodists and Baptists predominated."
Asians The first Asians in Omaha were Chinese immigrants who worked as laborers on construction of the
First transcontinental railroad. The first
Japanese people in Omaha arrived in the 20th century to work at the stockyards. Throughout the years, there were varying numbers of people who identified as Chinese, especially
Cantonese. Omaha's
Chinatown was located at 12th and Dodge Streets in present-day
downtown Omaha. One notable Omahan is former City Councilman
Lormong Lo.
Czechs In the 1860s many
Czechs, primarily from
Bohemia and
Moravia, immigrated to Nebraska.
Edward Rosewater and John Rosicky, early Omaha newspaper editors originally from Bohemia, encouraged countrymen to come by extolling promises of free land in frontier Nebraska. By 1880 Czechs were the most concentrated ethnic group in the city. Their major
neighborhood was called
Little Bohemia, and it stands with several historic businesses today.
Czechs had a strong political and cultural voice in Omaha, 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 as legacies of their initial impact on the city. Many Czechs lived in
Omaha's Little Bohemia.
Danes According to the definitive 1882
History of the State of Nebraska, the first Danes in Nebraska arrived at
Florence with the
Mormons in the 1840s. According to one definitive history, the Danes in Omaha were a predominant ethnic group in the city in the 1920s, and were notable for that compared to other cities across the United States.
Germans The first German in the Omaha area arrived more than 20 years before the city was founded.
Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied toured the
Missouri River in 1832, and recorded a stay at
Cabanne's Trading Post in present-day
North Omaha. After arriving in Omaha
en masse beginning in the 1860s, Germans in Omaha built their own churches. At church and in their businesses, including grocery stores and farm supply shops, they conducted daily life in the
German language for years. Many young German immigrants from Omaha served in the Nebraska battalion during the
Civil War. The German community was largely responsible for founding the city's once-thriving beer brewing industry, including the
Metz,
Krug and the
Storz breweries. Germans built several
Kirchenduestchen - German churches - throughout Omaha. The German community in Omaha was literate and large enough to support several German-language newspapers, which also had national distribution. The
Omaha Bee used the slogan "
Germania our Mother,
Columbia our Bride" to describe the kind of "dual-sentimentality" many Germans in America felt towards their country of origin. In later years Germans came to Omaha for work and to escape state oppression led by
Kaiser Wilhelm in Germany. The German community in Omaha was noted for
integrating quickly throughout the city. During
World War I strong anti-German sentiment swept the country, and by 1919 open discrimination against Germans throughout Omaha was taking hold. Many German-language newspapers were forced to change to English, or to close. Many German-Americans were completely assimilated into American society. By
World War II, the more distinctive institutions of German society in Omaha, such as stores, German-language churches, and social groups, had disappeared or become less exclusive of other groups.
Greeks The community of
Greeks in Omaha has a history that extends back to the 1880s. After they originally moved to the city following work with the
railroads, the community quickly grew and founded a substantial neighborhood in
South Omaha that was colloquially referred to as "Greek Town." After
a major riot in 1909 the community never fully recovered. However, today Omaha hosts two Greek Orthodox churches, and there is a strong Greek identity.
Irish Irish immigrants in Omaha originally moved to an area in present-day North Omaha called "Gophertown", as they lived in dirt dugouts. They later joined Polish immigrants in the
Sheelytown neighborhood.
Italians Omaha's first Italian enclave grew south of downtown, with many Italian immigrants coming to the city to work in the
Union Pacific shops.
South 10th Street and South 6th Street were important centers of the community.
Jews Jews in Omaha were largely
Russian Jews and from other Eastern European countries.
Jews helped build the once-strong
North 24th Street commercial area, which today is the center of
Omaha's African American community.
Mexicans Mexicans in Omaha originally emigrated to Omaha to work in the rail yards, while today they compose the majority of South Omaha's Hispanic population.
Poles Polish immigrants originally lived primarily in the
Sheelytown neighborhood, many working in the
Omaha Stockyards.
Russians In the early 1890s many
Russian Jews immigrated to Omaha following several
anti-Jewish pogroms in the Russian Empire, and in particular the 1882
Edict of Expulsion in
Kiev, Ukraine. Starting as peddlers and shop owners along North 24th Street in the
Near North Side neighborhood, the Jewish people maintained strong religious and educational traditions. Some were Socialist and they and their children became involved in labor organizing and various progressive movements in the city.
Serbs Serbs began to immigrate to Omaha in the 19th century, and had an established presence within the city by the early 20th century. Serbian immigrants established the St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Omaha in 1917, which remains today and caters to the local community. In 1927, the Serbian-American orchestra
"Soko" was founded by Serbian resident George Kachar in Omaha, and it toured Serbian enclaves from
Kansas City to
Duluth.
Swedes Swedes first came to Omaha as
Mormon settlers in the
Florence neighborhood. They built a variety of institutions throughout the city, including hospitals, churches, and schools. The Swedes also founded a number of fraternal organizations, including the Noon Day Scandinavian Club. In addition to their homes throughout the city, there was a large Swedish enclave near N. 20th and Davenport Street referred to as "Little Stockholm" because of the number of its large number of Swedish immigrant residences, stores, social spots and a large church.
Others Several hundred
Welsh,
English and
Canadian immigrants lived throughout the city during the 20th century. Asian people categorized as
Chinese comprised enough of a notable population to warrant a booklet by the
Depression-era Federal Writers' Project, as did the city's
Russians,
Japanese, and
Syrian communities. There were small colonies of
Lithuanians,
Serbs,
Croats and
Slovenes (included in pre-1918 censa under
Austria-Hungary), as well as
Belgians. ==21st century==