Omaha is a village in Gallatin County, Illinois, United States. The population was 209 at the 2020 census.

History

Omaha was established in 1871 as a stop along the Springfield and Illinois South Eastern Railway. A baggage master working for the railroad, Henry Pearce, named the settlement for Omaha, Nebraska, where he had previously worked as a baggage master. After an initial attempt at incorporation failed in 1875, Omaha successfully incorporated in 1888. Omaha is home to many strawberry farms and used to hold an annual "Strawberry Day" in May. In Southern Illinois, Omaha is well known for one of the area's largest and most popular furniture stores, "Omaha Furniture," which has been in business since 1932.

Geography

Omaha is located in northwestern Gallatin County at 37.89°N, -88.30333°W (37.889963, -88.303341). Illinois Route 1 passes through the village, leading north 7 mi to Norris City and south 32 mi to Cave-in-Rock on the Ohio River. Shawneetown, the Gallatin County seat, is 16 mi to the southeast via Routes 1 and 13. According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Omaha has a total area of 0.75 sqmi, of which 0.74 sqmi (or 99.87%) is land and 0.00 sqmi (or 0.13%) is water.

Demographics

As of the 2020 census there were 209 people, 91 households. The population density was 280.54 PD/sqmi. There were 116 housing units at an average density of 155.70 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 95.22% White, 0.48% Asian, and 4.31% from two or more races. The median income for a household in the village was $54,107, and the median income for a family was $71,250. About 14.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.6% of those under age 18 and 12.3% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people