Project Background

History

Demographic Profile

Dahlman

In 1981 community and regional planning graduate students from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, under the supervision of Professors James McGraw and Gordon Scholz, conducted a study entitled “Near South: A Neighborhood Analysis.

In the spring of 2002,  Karen and John Bluvas, officers in the Dahlman Neighborhood contacted UNO’s College of Public Affairs and Community Service and asked if the study could be updated using current Census Data. Robert Blair, a faculty member in the School of Public Administration, Jerry Deichert, Director of the Center for Public Affairs Research, and Nathan George, a graduate student, worked on the update.

Dahlman project background

In 1981 community and regional planning graduate students from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, under the supervision of Professors James McGraw and Gordon Scholz, conducted a study entitled “Near South: A Neighborhood Analysis.”  This analysis contained many tables giving detail on population, housing, and other key areas for the Near South Omaha area, including the Dahlman Neighborhood.

In the spring of 2002,  Karen and John Bluvas, officers in the Dahlman Neighborhood contacted UNO’s College of Public Affairs and Community Service and asked if the study could be updated using current Census Data. Robert Blair, a faculty member in the School of Public Administration, Jerry Deichert, Director of the Center for Public Affairs Research, and Nathan George, a graduate student, worked on the update. The CPACS teams gathered, analyzed and reviewed the data with the Bluvas’s. The data came mainly from 1990 and 2000 U.S. Census Bureau information, but also some data were gathered using 1950-1980 statistics. This study updated as many tables as possible. Some of the tables in the 1981 Analysis contained information that is either no longer obtainable, or no longer applicable and were not included in the update.

Dahlman History

March 1954 marked the beginning of Omaha as a town, when the Omaha Indians ceded the bulk of their land west of the Missouri River to the U.S. Government. The future of Omaha was not certain until the Union Pacific Railroad Bridge at Omaha was obtained.

Expanding employment opportunities served to entice new arrivals to Omaha. The earliest European immigrants to arrive in any large numbers were the Germans, the Irish, the Czechoslovakians (in 1870s and 1880s) and the Italians (from 1890s to the 1910s).

The Czechoslovakians were the most concentrated of the larger ethnic groups. This area, called Prague or Bohemian Town, centered around 13th and Center Streets in the 1880s and spread to an area from Mason Street to Cedar Street, from the Missouri River to 20th Street.

The Italian settlement was scattered among three distinct areas of Omaha: the Calabrese around 24th and Poppleton streets; a mixed group in the area from 15th to 22nd streets between Izard and Locust streets; and the Sicilians around Sixth and Pierce Streets.  The back-bone of this Italian community has been its churches and commercial establishments, some of which still serve to anchor Italian tradition in Omaha.

The Near South Neighborhood area is one of Omaha's oldest neighborhood. The Near South Neighborhood area is one of Omaha's oldest neighborhoods. It is located in the eastern part of the city, just south of the Central Business District. This section of Omaha rises abruptly from the flood plain of the Missouri River and features a markedly hilly terrain, with ridgelines providing striking vistas in every directions. Although largely residential in nature, the area includes both industrial and commercial development.

About the neighborhood

The boundaries of Dahlman Neighborhood are Missouri River (E) to 16th Street (W); Pierce Street (S) to Dorcas St. (N)

There are about 2343 households in the Dahlman Neighborhood.

Demographic Profile

Dahlman Neighborhood Area: a study from 1950-2000

 

Population Changes	1980		2000	Percent Change
1980-2000 total population decreased	9,393		9,336	-0.6%
1990-2000 total population increased		8,997	9,336	-3.8%

Race and Hispanic Origin			2000
White alone			-23.40%
Black or African American alone			78.00%
American Indian and Asian alone			70.10%
Total Other Race Population increased:			64.80%
Total Hispanic Origin increased:			69.80%
Total Minority Population increased:			69.80%

Age	1980	1990	2000
Population less than 5 years:	8.10%	8.80%	8.40%
Population less than 18 years:	22.00%	26.6%	25.40%
Population over 65 years:	16.00%	16.00%	11.80%

Housing	1980	1990	2000	Percent Change
1980-2000 Total Housing Units decreased:	3,941		3,815	-3.20%
Owner Occupied:	49.10%	46.30%	46.00%
Renter Occupied:	44.90%	44.30%	46.00%
Vacant:	6.00%	9.40%	7.90%

Households & Families	1980	1990	2000	Percent Change
1980-2000 Total Households decreased:	3,705		3,512	-5.20%
2000 Average Household size:	2.39	2.41	2.54

Family Median Income*	1979*	1989*	1999
Census Tract 21	$21,809	$31,110	$36,346
Census Tract 22	$27,654	$34,454	$37,000
Census Tract 23	$33,162	$34,584	$34,602
Census Tract 24	$26,897	$34,245	$31,477
(*Adjusted to 1999 dollars)

Occupation	1980	1990	2000
Managerial and professional specialty:		16.30%
Technical, sales, and administrative support:		29.10%
Service:		21.70%
Farming, forestry and fishing:		0.90%
Precision production, craft and repair:		14.10%
Operators, fabricators, and laborers:		17.80%

Demographic Changes in Actual Dahlman Neighborhood: 1980-2000
(49 blocks in 2000)

Population Changes	1980	1990	2000	Percent Change
1980-2000 total population decreased	3,677		3,451	-6.10%
1990-2000 total population increased		3,297	3,451	4.70%

Housing	1980	1990	2000	Percent Change
1980-2000 Housing Units decreased:	1,569		1,518	-3.30%
1990-2000 Housing Units decreased:	1,576		1,518	-3.70%
Owner Occupied:	42.80%	40.50%	39.60%
Renter Occupied:	49.50%	48.00%	50.70%