NEBRASKA 2 : East - Omaha; Sarpy County suburbs

Built as the eastern terminus of the Union Pacific Railroad, Omaha is the heart of the 2nd. Long known as a frontier, blue-collar city, it now prides itself on being the metropolitan home to large agriculture and insurance businesses, as well as multibillionaire investor Warren Buffett. Omaha also is known as the nation's "1-800 capital," thanks to more than two-dozen telecom and credit processing companies.

Located along the bluffs of the Missouri River, the 2nd contains Sarpy and Douglas counties, plus a sliver of Cass. Massive population growth will likely cause the 2nd to be trimmed after the next census to contain only Omaha proper.

Although the 2nd votes consistently Republican, Omaha's dwindling blue-collar base still sends a few Democrats to the state legislature. The district has always been anti-abortion, but social conservatives are gaining ground once held by more moderate European immigrants. Omaha is home to three-fourths of Nebraska's growing black population, but the state's first black candidate for Congress lost the district by more than 30 percent in 1998.

Major Industry
Toll-free service centers, food processing

Military Bases
Offutt Air Force Base, 8,700 military, 3,000 civilian (1998)

Population
526,573 (1990)

Cities
Omaha, 364,253; Bellevue, 42,807 (1996)

People
92% urban; 10% age 65+ (ranks third of three in state; bottom third nationally); 55% married couples, 28% married couples with children; 25% college educated (ranks first of three in state; top third nationally); 65% white collar (ranks first of three in state; top third nationally), 20% blue collar (ranks third of three in state; bottom third nationally) (1990)

Race
87% white, 10% black, 1% Asian; 3% Hispanic origin (1990)

Median Household Income
$30,889 (ranks first of three in state; middle third nationally) (1990)

Unusual Features
Gerald Ford and political activist Malcolm X born in Omaha; Father Flanagan's Boys' Town, incorporated 1936, the only village in the country completely run by children.

© 2002 The Washington Post Company