Proximity to Offutt Air Force Base draws many military families. This is where immigrants landed when they first arrived in Omaha. Italian and Irish, Polish and Czech and others settled near jobs in south Omaha. Now the tradition continues with Asian and Hispanic, the fastest-growing ethnic groups in Omaha. Small, well-kept cottages sit next to larger, newer homes in South Omaha.
Some homes have wonderful woodwork and elaborate Victorian exteriors that have been well maintained.
Low-cost housing abounds. The Henry Doorly Zoo, the Hitchcock Park and Ice Arena, and Rosenblatt Stadium, home of the NCAA College World Series, are popular south Omaha spots. Also in south Omaha are Mount Vernon Gardens, the Chicano Awareness Center, El Museo Latino, the Omaha Livestock Market and Exchange Building, Sokol Hall, Grace University, and the city's new Botanical Gardens. South Omaha was a separate city before annexation earlier this century. A downtown area still provides shopping and restaurants with an ethnic flavor.