This is a list of
park
A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...
s in
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 ...
. It includes cemeteries and golf courses. Most parks in Omaha are governed by the
City of Omaha Parks and Recreation Department.
History
In 1854
Alfred D. Jones drew four parks on the original map of Omaha City. They were called
Jefferson Square
Jefferson Square, an office complex in downtown Columbia, South Carolina, is the headquarters of the state's Department of Health and Human Services which oversees the Medicaid program for South Carolinians. Located at 1801 Main St. in the city's ...
, which was paved over by
I-480
Interstate 480 may refer to:
*Interstate 480 (Nebraska–Iowa), a loop through Omaha, Nebraska into Council Bluffs, Iowa
*Interstate 480 (Ohio), a loop through Cleveland, Ohio
*Interstate 480 (California), the former Embarcadero Freeway in San Fran ...
; Washington Park, which is where the
Paxton Block currently sits at North 16th and Farnam Streets; Capitol Square, where
Omaha Central High School
Omaha Central High School, originally known as Omaha High School, is a fully accredited public high school located in downtown Omaha, Nebraska, United States. It is one of many public high schools located in Omaha. As of the 2023–2024 academi ...
is now located, and; an unnamed tract overlooking the river with Davenport Street on the north, Jackson Street on the south, North 8th on the east and North 9th Street on the west. Jefferson Square lasted until 1969, when it was razed to make way for a new interstate in
downtown Omaha
Downtown Omaha is the central business, government and social core of the Omaha–Council Bluffs metropolitan area, U.S. state of Nebraska. The boundaries are Omaha, Nebraska, Omaha's 20th Street on the west to the Missouri River on the east ...
. The riverfront from the interstate south to the headquarters of
ConAgra Foods
Conagra Brands, Inc. (formerly ConAgra Foods) is an American consumer packaged goods holding company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Conagra makes and sells products under various brand names that are available in supermarkets, restaurants, ...
is now the
Heartland of America Park.
Hanscom Park
Hanscom Park is a historic neighborhood in Midtown Omaha, Nebraska. Its namesake public park is one of the oldest parks in Omaha, donated to the City in 1872. U.S. President Gerald R. Ford was born in a house in the Hanscom Park neighborhood. I ...
became Omaha's first park.
Miller
A miller is a person who operates a mill, a machine to grind a grain (for example corn or wheat) to make flour. Milling is among the oldest of human occupations. "Miller", "Milne" and other variants are common surnames, as are their equivalents ...
,
Fontenelle,
Elmwood and Riverview were Omaha's largest parks in 1920. (Riverview Park Zoo eventually became
Henry Doorly Zoo
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium is a zoo in Omaha, Nebraska. It is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. In August 2014, TripAdvisor rated it the "world's best zoo" ...
.)
Levi Carter Park
Levi Carter Park is located at 3100 Abbott Drive in East Omaha, Nebraska. It was named after one of Omaha's original industrialists, Levi Carter, who ran a white lead smelter in the area.
History
As recently as 1876, Levi Carter Park was the w ...
was its largest, at . Other parks in the system that year were
Bemis,
Deer
A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) ...
,
Kountze Park
Kountze Park is an urban public park located at 1920 Pinkney Street in the Kountze Place neighborhood of North Omaha, Nebraska, in the United States. The Park is historically significant as the site of the Trans-Mississippi Exposition of 1898.
...
, Curtis Turner, Harold Gifford,
Mercer
Mercer may refer to:
Business
* Mercer (automobile), a defunct American automobile manufacturer (1909–1925)
* Mercer (consulting firm), a human resources consulting firm headquartered in New York City, US
* Mercer (occupation), a merchant or tra ...
, Jefferson Square, Hixenbaugh, Burt playground, Bluff View,
Spring Lake, Highland, McKinley, Clear View and Morton.
Omaha's boulevard system was designed to be part of the parks system in 1889 by renowned landscape architect
Horace Cleveland
Horace William Shaler Cleveland (December 16, 1814 – December 5, 1900) was an American landscape architect. His approach to natural landscape design can be seen in projects such as the Grand Rounds in Minneapolis; Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Conc ...
. The Omaha Park and Boulevard System was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.
Administration
The Department of Parks, Recreation, and Public Property is the
City of Omaha
Omaha ( ) is the 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 41st-most-populous city, Omaha had a popul ...
's agency responsible for administering
public park
An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a city park, municipal park (North America), public park, public open space, or municipal gardens (United Kingdom, UK), is a park or botanical garden in cities, densely populated suburbia and oth ...
s.
"Parks, Recreation, and Public Property"
City of Omaha. Retrieved 8/24/08.
Current parks
See also
* List of cemeteries in Omaha
The following is a list of cemeteries in Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska in the United States.
The earliest cemetery in Omaha is the Mormon Pioneer Cemetery, established in 1846 for residents of Culter's Park.
Cemeteries
See also
* Histo ...
* Culture in Omaha
The culture of Omaha, Nebraska, has been partially defined by music and college sports, and by local cuisine and community theatre. The city has a long history of improving and expanding on its cultural offerings. In the 1920s, the ''Omaha Bee'' ...
* Sports in Omaha
References
External links
Parks in Omaha
– info about parks and public places in Omaha
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parks In Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha
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 ...
Omaha, Nebraska-related lists