Florence is a present-day

neighborhood A neighbourhood (Commonwealth English) or neighborhood (American English) is a geographically localized community within a larger town, city, suburb or rural area, sometimes consisting of a single street and the buildings lining it. Neigh ...

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

, United States on the city's north end and was one of the oldest cities in Nebraska before being annexed by Omaha. Given the high concentration of

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in the neighborhood, it is acknowledged that "The historic Florence neighborhood was a city before Nebraska was officially a state,""Greater Omaha"
Greater Omaha Chamber. Retrieved October 19, 2024. and is regarded as "the historic front door to Omaha as well as the state."

History

Starting in 1917, the neighborhood of Florence has roots pre-dating the establishment of the

State of Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

. It was originally established in 1846 as Winter Quarters, which was largely abandoned by 1848. However, in 1854 the site was revitalized as an independent town, and in 1857 the Nebraska Territory Legislature officially incorporated it as an independent city named for the founder's adopted daughter, Florence Kilbourn. In 1917, the City of Florence was annexed by the City of Omaha,Reeves, R. (n.d.
Douglas County History
University of Nebraska. and since then has been identified as a neighborhood in Omaha.

Modern developments

In 2024, the Florence neighborhood's main thoroughfare, N. 30th St., is undergoing road and mobility enhancements as part of a broader push to improve traffic flow and safety throughout the city. Florence is included in Omaha's traffic management projects, which aim to modernize signals and improve transportation routes in the region. Recently installed along N. 30th St., the Florence neighborhood is now home to six street-side bioretention gardens in a two-block area. "The City of Omaha Stormwater program will be maintaining the bioretention gardens and evaluating their performance periodically to make sure it is working as intended..." One recent neighborhood introduction brochure said Florence is " st a quick 10-minute drive away from downtown Omaha, this thriving neighborhood is filled with well-preserved buildings and homes dating back to the 1800s. Plus, there are plenty of down-home restaurants and family-friendly attractions like Alpine Inn, Mormon Trail Center, General Crook House Museum and the Bank of Florence Museum."

Preserving Florence history

There have been several developments over the last century intended to celebrate the history of the Florence neighborhood. Winter Quarters Nebraska Temple was constructed in 2001 to commemorate the

Mormon pioneers The Mormon pioneers were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), also known as Latter-day Saints, who Human migration, migrated beginning in the mid-1840s until the late-1860s across the United States from the ...

of 1846. The opening ceremonies and open house for the large temple drew thousands of visitors. The Mormon Trail Center in Florence is a museum interpreting the

Mormon Trail The Mormon Trail is the route from Illinois to Utah on which Mormon pioneers (members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) traveled from 1846 to 1869. Today, the Mormon Trail is a part of the United States National Trails Syst ...

and early Mormon-era history of the area, and the Mormon Pioneer Cemetery is a neighboring historical site today. Also of interest are the Mormon Pioneer Memorial Bridge, built in 1952 that carries Interstate 680 over the

Missouri River The Missouri River is a river in the Central United States, Central and Mountain states, Mountain West regions of the United States. The nation's longest, it rises in the eastern Centennial Mountains of the Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Moun ...

. The Mormon Bridge Tollhouse, at 3010 Willit Street, was related to the operations of the toll bridge. The

Cutler's Park Cutler's Park was a temporary town established in the Indian Territory across the Missouri River from Kanesville, Iowa in 1846. It was the first town in the future state of Nebraska. History Established by 2,500 pioneers from the Church of Jes ...

monument on the northwest corner of Young Street and Mormon Bridge Road was installed in 2017 and includes educational information, and details information about the nearby Cutler's Park Cemetery. The Florence Futures Foundation is responsible for fostering many of the historic preservation efforts in the area by working to enhance neighborhood identity and reverse economic decline by attracting heritage tourism."About"
Florence Futures Foundation. Retrieved October 19, 2024.

Historic landmarks in Florence

References

External links