Omaha daily bee., 1919-08-24
POPULATION
OF THIS CITY
ESTIMATED At
over 100000
Census Will Be Taken Next
Year and Then Size of
Omaha Will Be
Known.

"How many inhabitants has
Greater Omaha at the present
timer" This is a burning question
that no person is able to answer to
a certainty.
Next year, when the census is
taken. people will know the size of
the city, so far as population is con-
cerned. In the meantime, there are
numerous individuals who would
like to know how many men, women
and children reside within its con-
fines. Estimates on the population
place it anywhere between 10000
and 225,000. Each man who makes
an estimate believes that his esti-
mate is correct and produces the
figures to justify the guess, if
guess it can be called.
Postof1ice Estimates Big.
At the postoffice the officials who
handle the mail assert that there is
no question but that the population
of Omaha is fully 225,000. and per-
haps considerably more. They point
to the fact that just about the time
when the United States entered the
European war, and shortly prior to
the first draft, the government made
a survey of Omaha for the purpose
of ascertaining the number of men
eligible for army service. This SUR
vey indicated something more than
100000 inhabitants. This was more
than two years ago and there has
been a steady growth since then.
w. ]. Metlen, superintendent of
city mail delivery, says there is no
question but that Greater Omaha
has a population of 225,000. The
increased number of residents on
the carrier routes and the additional
calls for mail at the main and branch
Office, he says, justihes the esti-
mated increase.
Street Car Officials Guess.
w. A. Smith, superintendent Of
the Omaha Street Railway company,
says 100000 to 100000. Figures on
the number of persons carried on the
several lines indicates that this is
about the population, he says.
Leo Bozell, secretary of the
Omaha Real Estate board, places
the figure at around 100000. He
backs up his judgment. with a sur
vey of the city. recently made. That
survey indicated something over
10000 families living in homes and
apartments. 1t was found that there
was an average of four persons to
the family, or a total of about l60,-
600 in homes. Then it was found
that something more than $4,000
persons lived in hotels, in rooming
houses and boarded, occupying pri-
vate rooms.
What Phone People Say.
The telephone company has 56,7o4
phones installed in the city. In 1910
it had 22,049. Then the population
was around $4,000. If the increase
in population has kept pace with
the installation of telephones, then
the population is more than 100000.
The telephone people don't figure it
quite this way, but they feel conf
dent that Omaha has a population
of better than 10000.
| R. B. Howell, general manager Of
the Omaha Water company, says
not less than 100000. He figures
this on the basis of $500 service
connections. During July last year,
| the daily pump aggregated $4,000 600
gallons. This year it was 100000.
School Census Figures.
| This year the school census
showed 1904 persons within school
age. In 1910, when the population
of the city was $4,000. the school
census showed about $4,000 Now
you see it is nearly double that num-
Der, which is believed would bring
it up to around 100000.
| The publicity department Of the
| Chamber of Commerce places the
population at 215,000. This is based
on reports from the various depart
ments of the chamber that have
kept in touch with the increase in
business, the number of new firms,
corporations and industries that
have located here during the last
lyear or two, and the heavy demand
for homes and apartments in all Sec
tons of the city.