Boulevards in Omaha are part of a park

Parks in Omaha, Nebraska

This is a list of parks in Omaha, Nebraska. 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...

 and boulevard system originally designed in 1889 by Horace Cleveland

Horace Cleveland

Horace William Shaler Cleveland was a noted American landscape architect, sometimes considered second only to Frederick Law Olmsted...

. There are more than one hundred and fifty kilometers (100 mi) of boulevards throughout the city of Omaha, Nebraska

Omaha, Nebraska

Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...

 today. The city and the Nebraska State Historical Society

Nebraska State Historical Society

The Nebraska State Historical Society is a Nebraska state agency, founded in 1878 to "encourage historical research and inquiry, spread historical information .....

 consider the park

Parks in Omaha, Nebraska

This is a list of parks in Omaha, Nebraska. 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...

 and boulevard system to be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

, but a formal nomination has not been completed.

History

In 1889 Horace W.S. Cleveland proposed that the city of Omaha develop a series of "broad ornamental avenues, known as boulevards or parkways" designed "with a tasteful arrangement of trees and shrubbery at the sides and in the center", similar to the comprehensive plans of European cities in the mid-19th century. His plan was accepted by the city's Parks Commission, resulting in the construction of Florence Boulevard

Florence Boulevard

Florence Boulevard, originally known as the Prettiest Mile in Omaha Boulevard, is a boulevard-type north-south street in the north Omaha, Nebraska. With the start of construction in 1892, Florence Boulevard was the first roadway in Omaha's boulevard system designed by Horace Cleveland...

, then called "Omaha's Prettiest Mile Boulevard", in 1892.

Omaha's early boulevard system was viewed as an extension of the parks system in the early park of the 20th century. Florence Boulevard

Florence Boulevard

Florence Boulevard, originally known as the Prettiest Mile in Omaha Boulevard, is a boulevard-type north-south street in the north Omaha, Nebraska. With the start of construction in 1892, Florence Boulevard was the first roadway in Omaha's boulevard system designed by Horace Cleveland...

 was the first link; the second was Hanscom Boulevard, which was designed to connect the city's first two park, Hanscom 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...

, with its second, Riverview Park. Happy Hollow, Fontenelle

Fontenelle Boulevard

Fontenelle Boulevard is a roadway in the Omaha boulevard system located on the north end of Omaha, Nebraska. The boulevard shares its namesake Logan Fontenelle with several local institutions and fixtures, including Fontenelle Elementary School and Fontenelle Park.-About:Originally called Boulevard...

 and Turner Boulevards followed. The development of Lincoln Boulevard

Lincoln Boulevard (Omaha)

Lincoln Boulevard in Omaha, Nebraska was built in the early 1890s as part of the city's boulevard system under control of the Board of Park Commissioners...

 in Bemis Park was credited with the rapid growth of that subdivision in the early 20th century. A large segment of that boulevard was demolished during the construction of Interstate 480

Interstate 480 (Iowa-Nebraska)

Interstate 480 is an auxiliary Interstate Highway, a mere long, that connects Interstate 80 in downtown Omaha, Nebraska, with Interstate 29 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The portion of I-480 in Nebraska has been named the Gerald R. Ford Freeway, named in honor of the former President, who was a...

 in the early 1960s, and only a small segment remains.

The boulevard system originally weaved North Omaha, Midtown Omaha

Midtown Omaha

Midtown is a geographic area of Omaha, Nebraska that is a culturally, socially and economically important area of the city. It is home to major research centers, national corporations, several historic districts, and a number of historic residences.-About:...

 and South Omaha together, with sections traveling to Dundee

Dundee, Nebraska

The Dundee-Happy Hollow Historic District is located west of Midtown Omaha, Nebraska. It covers the area between Leavenworth Street on the south, Hamilton Street on the north, Happy Hollow Boulevard on the west, and 46th Street on the east. The "heart" of Dundee is located at 50th and Underwood...

, Gifford Park

Gifford Park

Gifford Park is a historic neighborhood in midtown Omaha, Nebraska. It is roughly bounded by the North Freeway on the east, North 38th Street on the west, Dodge Street on the south and Cuming Street on the north. Its namesake park was added to the City parks network in 1916...

, Field Club

Field Club

Field Club is a neighborhood located in Midtown Omaha, Nebraska. Roughly bounded by Pacific Street, 32nd Avenue, Center St., and 36th Street, the neighborhood was placed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district on November 15, 2000. Field Club is the location of dozens of...

 and Benson

Benson, Nebraska

Benson is a historic neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska. Now a pocket within North Omaha, Benson Place was originally platted in 1887 and was annexed into the City of Omaha in 1917.-History:...

. Plantings, tree-lined drives and smooth roadways throughout the city were treated with park-like value. A 1915 plan epitomized this ideal by calling for a riverfront boulevard that weaved the entire length of the Missouri River through Omaha. The northern section, called J.J. Pershing Drive, was finished by 1920; Gifford Drive in South Omaha was designed to do the same. However, influential Omaha architect John Latenser was adamant about preventing this project from coming to fruition in Downtown Omaha

Downtown Omaha

Downtown Omaha is the central business, government and social core of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, and is located in Omaha, Nebraska. The boundaries are 20th Street on the west to the Missouri River on the east and the centerline of Leavenworth Street on the south to the centerline...

, where he saw the boulevard potentially impeding on his plans for the Port of Omaha

Port of Omaha

The Port of Omaha is a port of entry in the United States with facilities on the west side of the Missouri River in Omaha, Nebraska. The official address is located at 5229 Boeing Court in East Omaha. The Port was formally sanctioned by the U.S. Congress in 1888.- About :Founded immediately on the...

. Because of his resistance this early "back to the river" plan did not succeed.

In the 1930s the city pushed to reconstruct its boulevard system, and received forty percent of the revenue from its wheel tax

Wheel Tax

A wheel tax is a method of taxation commonly used in the United States by cities and counties. The problem that a wheel tax attempts to solve is that many people come into a community from outside to work - using the community's roads, water, sewer, and so forth, but pay no taxes into the...

 to do that. The Works Progress Administration

Works Progress Administration

The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...

 assisted with construction, leading to the city adding more than 30 miles (48 km) onto the existing system of 65 miles (105 km) of roadway. In 1934 the WPA completed work on the Saddle Creek Underpass

Saddle Creek Underpass

The Saddle Creek Underpass is located in the Midtown area of Omaha, Nebraska. Built to accommodate Dodge Street traversing over Saddle Creek Road, the underpass was constructed in 1934 by the Works Progress Administration...

, which took what was then the westernmost addition to the system under Dodge Street. Today Saddle Creek Boulevard is called Saddle Creek Road.

The late 1940s construction of the Deer Park Boulevard leading to the new stadium on that street is credited with giving John Rosenblatt the political ability to become the mayor of Omaha. Abbott Drive

Abbott Drive

Abbott Drive is a roadway in Omaha, Nebraska, and Carter Lake, Iowa. It is the easternmost link in Omaha's Park and Boulevard System that connects the eastern edge of Creighton University and North Downtown Omaha or NoDo to Carter Lake, Iowa, Eppley Airfield to John J Pershing Drive on the east...

 was built by Eppley Airfield

Eppley Airfield

Eppley Airfield is a medium hub primary airport located three miles northeast of the central business district of Omaha, a city in Douglas County, Nebraska, United States. It is the largest airport in the state of Nebraska...

 during this period, too, becoming the easternmost link in Omaha's boulevard system.

Present

The Sorenson Parkway

Sorenson Parkway

The Sorensen Parkway is a modern link in the boulevard system in Omaha, Nebraska. The Parkway flows west from North 30th Street to North 90th Street, and has been viewed as the northern boundary that defines the area called North Omaha.-About:...

 is a modern version of the historic boulevard system that was built in the 1880s.

In the early first decade of the 21st century a plan was adopted by the city of Omaha to introduce more boulevards throughout the suburbs of Omaha

Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area

The Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area is a metropolitan area comprising the cities of Omaha, Nebraska, Council Bluffs, Iowa, and surrounding areas. The Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area has a population of 865,350 . The metropolitan area, as defined by the Office of Management and Budget,...

. The Revised Suburban Parks Master Plan identifies two types of boulevard as the "Grand Boulevard", which is designed as Cleveland originally conceptualized it, and the "Parkway" style. The Grand Boulevard is characterized by wide lanes, planting median

Median

In probability theory and statistics, a median is described as the numerical value separating the higher half of a sample, a population, or a probability distribution, from the lower half. The median of a finite list of numbers can be found by arranging all the observations from lowest value to...

s in between roadways, and limited access through narrow driveways and side streets. The Parkway features a faster speed limit, broad, tree-lined roadways and limited residential access. Both have large trees with broad canopies. Lighting, roundabout

Roundabout

A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...

s, signage and concrete types are all also considerations. The boulevard system is also included in the city of Omaha's Green Streets Master Plan.

Boulevards in Omaha alphabetical order
Name	Constructed	Notes
Abbott Drive Abbott Drive Abbott Drive is a roadway in Omaha, Nebraska, and Carter Lake, Iowa. It is the easternmost link in Omaha's Park and Boulevard System that connects the eastern edge of Creighton University and North Downtown Omaha or NoDo to Carter Lake, Iowa, Eppley Airfield to John J Pershing Drive on the east...		Connects NoDo Nodo Nodo may refer to:*NASA Orbital Debris Observatory, a telescope and astronomical survey operated by NASA from 1995 to 2002*NoDo, an area of downtown Omaha, Nebraska*No-Do, late 20th century Spanish newsreels*NoDo, the first update to Windows Phone 7...  with Eppley Airfield Eppley Airfield Eppley Airfield is a medium hub primary airport located three miles northeast of the central business district of Omaha, a city in Douglas County, Nebraska, United States. It is the largest airport in the state of Nebraska... , runs north through East Omaha
Belvedere Boulevard		Runs east-west through the Belvedre neighborhood
Deer Park Boulevard		Runs east-west in Sheelytown from South 15th Street past Deer Hollow Park to South 24th Street
Florence Boulevard Florence Boulevard Florence Boulevard, originally known as the Prettiest Mile in Omaha Boulevard, is a boulevard-type north-south street in the north Omaha, Nebraska. With the start of construction in 1892, Florence Boulevard was the first roadway in Omaha's boulevard system designed by Horace Cleveland...	1892	First in system; runs north from NoDo Nodo Nodo may refer to:*NASA Orbital Debris Observatory, a telescope and astronomical survey operated by NASA from 1995 to 2002*NoDo, an area of downtown Omaha, Nebraska*No-Do, late 20th century Spanish newsreels*NoDo, the first update to Windows Phone 7...  through several neighborhoods towards Florence Florence, Nebraska Florence is a neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska on the city's north end and originally one of the oldest cities in Nebraska. It was incorporated by the Nebraska Territorial Legislature on March 10, 1857. The site of Winter Quarters for Mormon migrants traveling west, it has the oldest cemetery for...
Fontenelle Boulevard Fontenelle Boulevard Fontenelle Boulevard is a roadway in the Omaha boulevard system located on the north end of Omaha, Nebraska. The boulevard shares its namesake Logan Fontenelle with several local institutions and fixtures, including Fontenelle Elementary School and Fontenelle Park.-About:Originally called Boulevard...		Named after Logan Fontenelle Logan Fontenelle Logan Fontenelle , also known as Shon-ga-ska , was a trader of French and Omaha ancestry, who served for years as an interpreter to the US Indian agent at the Bellevue Agency in Nebraska... ; runs north from Benson Benson, Nebraska Benson is a historic neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska. Now a pocket within North Omaha, Benson Place was originally platted in 1887 and was annexed into the City of Omaha in 1917.-History:...  to Belvedre neighborhood.
Gifford Drive		Originally part of a 1915 "back-to-the-river" plan in which a boulevard would follow the entire length of the Missouri River Missouri River The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...  from South Omaha through Downtown to North Omaha.
Hanscom Boulevard		Runs south from Hanscom 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...  through the Ford Birthsite Gerald R. Ford Birthsite and Gardens The Gerald R. Ford Birthsite and Gardens in Omaha, Nebraska marks the location of the house at 3202 Woolworth Avenue where U.S. President Gerald R. Ford lived for a couple of weeks after his birth in July 1913...  neighborhood
Happy Hollow Boulevard		Runs north from Elmwood Park Elmwood Park (Omaha) The Elmwood Park neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska is a historically significant area that was developed in the late 19th and early 20th century. It extends from Leavenworth Street on the north to Center Street on the south; from South 50th Street on the east to South 72nd Street on the west...  past University of Nebraska at Omaha University of Nebraska at Omaha The University of Nebraska at Omaha is a four-year state university located in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. Founded in 1908 as Omaha University, the institution became the public Municipal University of Omaha in 1931. It assumed its current name in 1968 following a merger into the University...  campus and Memorial Park Memorial Park (Omaha) Memorial Park is a park located at 6005 Underwood Avenue near the Dundee neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska. The park was created as a memorial for all of the men and women from Douglas County that have served in the armed forces.-History:... , then veers east through Metcalfe Park to the Northwest Radial Highway in Benson
Hoctor Boulevard		Runs southeast to northwest starting in Deer Park; intersected by Interstate 80 Interstate 80 Interstate 80 is the second-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, following Interstate 90. It is a transcontinental artery running from downtown San Francisco, California to Teaneck, New Jersey in the New York City Metropolitan Area... , ending at Deer Park Boulevard.
John A. Creighton Boulevard John A. Creighton Boulevard John A. Creighton Boulevard, is a boulevard-type north-south roadway in the north Omaha, Nebraska. Running through the Adams Park neighborhood, the boulevard runs from Hamilton Avenue to Bedford Street...		Named after John A. Creighton John A. Creighton Count John A. Creighton was a pioneer businessman and philanthropist in Omaha, Nebraska who founded Creighton University... ; runs south-north from Mercer Park through the Pleasant Hill neighborhood north and east to Adams Park Adams Park Adams Park is a football stadium in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. It is the home ground of Wycombe Wanderers F.C. and the Aviva Premiership Rugby Union club London Wasps...  Paxton Boulevard at Sprague Street.
John J. Pershing Drive		Named after J.J. Pershing John J. Pershing John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing, GCB , was a general officer in the United States Army who led the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I... ; runs south-north in East Omaha from Abbott Drive at North 16th Street past Florence Florence, Nebraska Florence is a neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska on the city's north end and originally one of the oldest cities in Nebraska. It was incorporated by the Nebraska Territorial Legislature on March 10, 1857. The site of Winter Quarters for Mormon migrants traveling west, it has the oldest cemetery for...  under the Mormon Bridge Mormon Bridge (Omaha) The Mormon Bridge are two truss bridges that cross the Missouri River connecting Pottawattamie County, Iowa with Florence in the north end of Omaha, Nebraska via Interstate 680 .-About:...  past Dodge Dodge Park N.P. Dodge Memorial Park, or simply Dodge Park, is a recreational area located at 11001 John J. Pershing Drive in North Omaha, Nebraska. Located on the Missouri River, the park is a haven for fishing, water skiing, and boating, as well as hiking throughout its riparian forests. Baseball fields,...  and Hummel Hummel Park Hummel Park is located at 11808 John J. Pershing Drive in North Omaha, Nebraska. Developed on of land donated to the City of Omaha in 1930, the park was named after J.B. Hummel, a long time superintendent of Omaha's Parks and Recreation Department.-About:...  parks, ending at Ponca Road. Originally part of a 1915 "back-to-the-river" plan in which a boulevard would follow the entire length of the Missouri River Missouri River The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...  from North Omaha through Downtown to South Omaha.
Lincoln Boulevard Lincoln Boulevard (Omaha) Lincoln Boulevard in Omaha, Nebraska was built in the early 1890s as part of the city's boulevard system under control of the Board of Park Commissioners...		Runs through the Bemis Park neighborhood east-west from North 33 Street to Mercer Boulevard.
Minne Lusa Boulevard		Runs south-north through the Minne Lusa Minne Lusa The Minne Lusa neighborhood is located in North Omaha, Nebraska between Vane Street and Read Street on the north and Redick Avenue on the south; North 24th Street on the east and North 30th Street on the west...  neighborhood from Redick Avenue along Miller Park to J.J. Pershing Drive.
Paxton Boulevard		Runs east-west through North Omaha from John A. Creighton Blvd at North 31st Avenue, connecting with Fontenelle Boulevard Fontenelle Boulevard Fontenelle Boulevard is a roadway in the Omaha boulevard system located on the north end of Omaha, Nebraska. The boulevard shares its namesake Logan Fontenelle with several local institutions and fixtures, including Fontenelle Elementary School and Fontenelle Park.-About:Originally called Boulevard...  in Fontenelle Park Fontenelle Park Fontenelle Park is a public park located at 4575 Ames Avenue, at the intersection with Fontenelle Boulevard in North Omaha, Nebraska. In the late 1940s the park made headlines across the Midwestern United States as the possible home of a minor league baseball team.-History:Land for the park was... .
Riverview Boulevard		Runs south-north from Grover Street, immediately east of Henry Doorly Zoo Henry Doorly Zoo The Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo is a zoo in Omaha, Nebraska, located at 3701 South 10th Street.It is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Its mission is conservation, research, recreation, and education.Omaha's Henry Doorly... , to the Riverview Baseball Park on Bancroft Street.
Sorenson Parkway Sorenson Parkway The Sorensen Parkway is a modern link in the boulevard system in Omaha, Nebraska. The Parkway flows west from North 30th Street to North 90th Street, and has been viewed as the northern boundary that defines the area called North Omaha.-About:...		Runs east-west through North Omaha from North 30 Street to Irvington Road at North 90 Street.
Spring Lake Drive		Runs south-north through the Spring Lake Spring Lake (Omaha, Nebraska) Spring Lake, also historically called Syndicate Park, is a historic neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska. It is bounded by I-80 on the north, Missouri Avenue on the south, Highway 75 on the west and South 13th Street on the east. Spring Lake is also the name of an area park and elementary school...  neighborhood from South 13 and "J" Streets through Spring Lake Park Spring Lake (Omaha, Nebraska) Spring Lake, also historically called Syndicate Park, is a historic neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska. It is bounded by I-80 on the north, Missouri Avenue on the south, Highway 75 on the west and South 13th Street on the east. Spring Lake is also the name of an area park and elementary school...  to Hoctor Blvd.
Turner Boulevard		Runs south-north from the Field Club Field Club Field Club is a neighborhood located in Midtown Omaha, Nebraska. Roughly bounded by Pacific Street, 32nd Avenue, Center St., and 36th Street, the neighborhood was placed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district on November 15, 2000. Field Club is the location of dozens of...  neighborhood at Woolworth Avenue past Leavenworth Park meandering northeast at Dewey Park on South 33 Street to become Lincoln Boulevard Lincoln Boulevard (Omaha) Lincoln Boulevard in Omaha, Nebraska was built in the early 1890s as part of the city's boulevard system under control of the Board of Park Commissioners...  at Dodge Street Dodge Street Dodge Street is the main east–west street in Omaha, Nebraska. Numbered as U.S. Route 6, the street starts in Downtown Omaha and connects to West Dodge Road around 78th Street. From there it continues westward through the remainder of Douglas County.... .

External links

• City of Omaha Planning Department. (1992) Omaha's Historic Park and Boulevard System.