Downtown Omaha is the central business, government and social core of the Omaha–Council Bluffs metropolitan area, U.S. state of Nebraska.

The first occurred when George Smith, a local worker, was accused of raping a white woman and dragged from the jail in the courthouse to his death.

Today the highlight of downtown's social scene, the Old Market was once a warehouse district on par with the Jobbers Canyon.

On the south edge of downtown bordering Little Italy, the Burlington Station is one of the buildings in the Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District that has been renovated into residential apartments.

[8] The new TD Ameritrade Park opened in April 2011 near CenturyLink Center as the new home of the College World Series and Creighton University baseball.

Buildings along the riverfront include the National Park Service Midwest Regional Office and Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail visitors center, The Gallup Organization operational headquarters, Gallup University Campus, and two residential towers, RiverFront Place Condos.

There are still major employers in the area, such as Physicians Mutual Insurance Company, but there is also evidence of better days gone past such as the now vacant Northern Natural Gas Building.

[11] Home to the original Nebraska State Capitol, the Park East neighborhood has hosted several significant historical buildings and structures.

The neighborhood has many restaurants, art galleries and upscale shopping, and is the location of several condominiums, including the JLofts on the Market and the Broatch Building.

The Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge is sparking a riverfront expansion project in Omaha and Council Bluffs.

The bridge has a very modern design with two 200-foot (61 m) spires that have sail-like appearances and multi-color LED light panels at the top.

The Omaha side of the riverfront project has restaurants, businesses, and two condo towers twelve and fifteen stories tall and a large plaza area with jumping fountains, statues, and seating.

The stadium will feature open air concourses and will have impressive views of the downtown skyline from the third base side.

Heartland of America Park and the Gene Leahy Mall play host to outdoor concerts and other events throughout the year.

Constructed in 1888 and 1889, the building was designed in the Renaissance Revival style by the New York architectural firm of McKim, Mead, and White.

The firm designed an identical office tower for the New York Life Insurance Company in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District is bounded by Jackson, 15th and 8th Streets, as well as the Union Pacific main line.

Downtown Omaha is also the site of the largest single loss of buildings included on the National Register of Historic Places to date.

According to a 1939 publication by the Federal Writers Project, the downtown core has at least 23 historic sites that were central to the growth and development of the city.

[27][28] The location of the William D. Brown's Lone Tree Ferry, downtown has been the pivotal site for Omaha's growth since the city's inception in 1854.

[30][31] Other sites labeled as key historic sites by the Federal Writers Project include the Douglas Street Bridge, Herndon House, First Territorial Capitol, Diamond Gambling House, Original Union Pacific Headquarters, Joslyn Memorial, Original World-Herald Building, Apex Saloon, Omaha Auditorium and the Union Passenger Terminal.

[32] The historical Omaha port site was located in downtown, with dozens of businesses lining the riverside to serve the steamboats and other water traffic.

That same area today is home to Miller's Landing, which is a riverboat excursion launching site, and the new Missouri River Pedestrian Bridge that will take walkers to Council Bluffs.

In 1989 the railroad combined all of its nationwide operational coordination into the rehabilitated 1892 Harriman Dispatch Center;[34][35] in 2002 they opened a new headquarters building downtown as well.

In a similar fashion, the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad built their headquarters in downtown in 1879, with renowned Omaha architect Thomas R. Kimball redesigning the building extensively in 1899.