Popular Omaha Neighborhoods For Black Singles, Young Professionals & Families – Nebraska
Suppose you’re considering a move to Omaha, Nebraska. In that case, you’ll find plenty of personality, safety, green spaces, and affordable housing to meet your needs as a single black young professional or a new family. Omaha is Nebraska’s largest city, but with a population of just under 500,000, it is easy to navigate and still maintains a friendly and safe atmosphere more indicative of small towns.
Whether you are looking for a fast-paced urban experience with plenty of nightlife, or a spacious, green neighborhood with great schools, Omaha has a neighborhood for you. Here, we will explore the best Omaha neighborhoods for Black families, along with the top Omaha suburbs for young Black professionals and singles.
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Top Omaha Neighborhoods For Black Singles and Young Professionals
For young Black professionals and singles, the following Omaha neighborhoods have an urban feel, are the closest to Omaha’s corporate buildings for a walking commute, and have an excellent bar and restaurant scene for socializing.
Downtown
Downtown Omaha is the most bustling and lively urban scene in the city. Not only are most of the city’s main corporate headquarters located downtown, but downtown Omaha also has the best and most eclectic restaurants and bars in the city.
Urban living has grown more popular over the years, and downtown Omaha is quick to accommodate the times, erecting many more condos, lofts, and apartment buildings for young professionals. Singles and young professionals can walk to work from their homes and walk back home from a great happy hour, delicious meal with friends, or a day of shopping and enjoying the city center’s many attractions.
One of the most entertaining shopping, eating, and hotel districts to explore downtown is the Old Market. Another attraction you’re sure to frequent is the giant CenturyLink Theater in north downtown, a 17,000-seat stadium where sporting events and massive music concerts occur constantly throughout the year.
Blackstone District
This up-and-coming trendy neighborhood in midtown Omaha is a favorite hang-out spot for couples, friends, and colleagues with a quirky mix of new developments and old, historic buildings and homes. Luxurious new apartment complexes offer excellent amenities for young professionals to rent without committing to being homeowners.
Also, the historic, centuries-old buildings and homes are all wonderfully preserved, giving the neighborhood a classic feel. There is a great art and coffee house scene in Blackstone, and the historic Blackstone hotel for which the neighborhood was named still serves the best (and original) Reuben sandwich in town.
Blackstone Districts’ social events cater to artsy and foodie locals, and the newly renovated neighborhood park is a great place to enjoy a Sunday afternoon. The second Saturday of the month is an art and food fare where all the galleries feature local artist’s works, and bars and restaurants offer discounts.
Best Omaha Neighborhoods For Black Families
The following neighborhoods have great schools, parks, and a mixture of old and new homes that are perfect for families and accessible to all budgets.
Aksarben
Another midtown Omaha neighborhood, Askarben, is a picturesque neighborhood full of parks, family-friendly restaurants, great schools, and shady neighborhood streets with some of Omaha’s oldest homes. These century-old homes are small, modest cottages that are beautifully preserved, quaint, and affordable.
If you are a young family looking to purchase your first home, then Askarben is an excellent choice. The tree-lined streets and lovely lawns are safe and inviting for outdoor play, not to mention a hike and bike trail and the enormous Elmwood Park. Furthermore, the newly erected Aksarben Village provides additional shopping, business buildings, restaurants, and green spaces for families to enjoy.
North Omaha
The most culturally diverse and majority Black neighborhoods lie in a region known as North Omaha. Bordering Omaha’s downtown to the north, North Omaha encompasses the oldest Omaha neighborhoods, including Near Northside, Florence, Bemis Park, and Saratoga. Each neighborhood is rich with history, tree-lined streets, and nice early 20th-century homes.
Many of the neighborhoods are protected landmark heritage sites with numerous historical monuments and distinct late 19th-century architecture. North Omaha also has many community programs for improved housing, health care, education, and youth sports programs.
Benson
We weren’t sure how to categorize this historic yet trendy and musical neighborhood because it has something families and young professionals will enjoy and appreciate. In Omaha’s oldest neighborhoods, Benson was initially founded in 1887 initially as a separate town from Omaha.
Even after its incorporation into the greater Omaha area, Benson still has a historic main street called Maple Street with plenty of great bars and restaurants that locals cherish. The large residential areas surrounding Maple Street have great community amenities like community centers, community gardens, a nice public library, and various neighborhood parks.
Homes are affordable and accommodate growing families, while new apartment complexes are perfect options for singles and young professionals.
Maple Street and Benson’s bars, restaurants, coffee shops, and art galleries attract patrons young and old. Additionally, Benson is the live music capital of Omaha, its bars and restaurants home to nightly concerts.
Dundee
Located close to downtown, Dundee is another historic neighborhood full of homes and giant old maple trees, especially beautiful during the fall. Dundee is a nature-lovers neighborhood, home to one of Omaha’s biggest city parks: Memorial Park. There are countless activities for you and your family in Memorial, including free concerts, sports league games for kids, walking and biking trails, dog parks, a giant rose bush garden, and plenty of grassy knolls for picnics.
The neighborhood’s older homes and quiet streets are all within walking distance to the parks, restaurants, and neighborhood bars. Adults and kids have great physical and social activity outlets, and the commutes to downtown are quick and painless.
Is Omaha Safe?
Nebraska is the 11th most peaceful state in the nation, according to statistics.com. The number of violent crimes committed in Nebraska is well under the national average.
Unfortunately, Omaha has a much higher violent crime rate than both state and national averages. Crime has increased by 5% over the past year in Omaha, bringing it to have 71% higher crime rates than the national average and 62% higher in violent crimes alone. When compared with other urban metropolises, however, Omaha is safer than 10% of U.S. cities.
While you might not like the stats, it’s essential to be informed. By taking precautions such as locking up your home at night or before you go out and creating good relationships with neighbors and community members, you will significantly decrease your chances of becoming a negative crime statistic.
What’s the Demographic of Omaha?
Omaha is a younger city with 25% persons under 18 years and 7.3% under five, which is significantly higher than the national average of 22.3% and 6.0%, respectively. Consequently, you’ll see a larger population of families in Omaha.
Omaha is a predominantly white city with a 77.5% white majority, slightly higher than the national average of 76.3%. Black and African American residents are the largest minority, with a 12.3% population make-up that is slightly lower than the national average of 13.4%.
What Are the Pros and Cons of Living in Omaha?
Pros
- Omaha is a great place to raise a family, earning it a mention in many lists as being one of the top 10 best places in the U.S. to raise a family.
- The cost of living is relatively low in Omaha. Payscale rates them as having 11% lower housing expenses than the national average, along with lower gas prices, grocery prices, and utility bills than the national average.
- Commutes are easy, and Omaha is an easy place to navigate
- There are excellent museums, restaurants, and bars in Omaha
Cons
- Omaha has a higher crime rate than the national average.
- The city is still very racially segregated, with the Black population being most prominent in North Omaha.
- The winters in Omaha are severe, and the summers can be humid.
Top Omaha Neighborhoods For Black Families, Conclusion
Omaha is a lovely, moderately sized city with easy commutes, a lively downtown, and many public parks. Whether you are a young, single professional or a new and growing family, you’ll surely find a neighborhood that fulfills your needs and makes you feel at home.
