The largest city in Nebraska, Omaha is quiet and affordable but with plenty of job opportunities, cultural venues and craft breweries.
With average rent prices well below the national average, a laundry list of corporate headquarters and a great quality of life, Omaha is a fast-growing, yet affordable city.
Well known for its burgers and steaks (Omaha Steaks, anyone?), Omaha has a thriving restaurant and brewery scene and if you like to cycle, the 3,000-foot Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge over the Missouri River links to more than 150 miles of trails. It’s a kid-friendly town that’s home to one of the world’s best zoos, Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium.
Downtown, historical buildings have found new life as apartments, lofts and condos and there are also beautiful old homes and walkable neighborhoods. Neighborhood buildings feature colorful murals and there are plenty of art museums and galleries to get your culture fix.
Here are 15 neighborhoods where you can take advantage of all Omaha has to offer.
- Median 1-BR rent: $1,410
- Median 2-BR rent: $2,002
- Walk Score: 72/100
One of the most popular Omaha neighborhoods, Aksarben-Elmwood Park (sometimes just referred to as Askarben) was formed in 1895 when a group of local businessmen got together to create an area where residents would find culture, civic engagement and educational opportunities. They named it Askarben — Nebraska spelled backward.
Aksarben is a walkable neighborhood, you can live, work and play in. There are myriad houses and apartments to fit your lifestyle. Companies like Blue Cross Blue Shield and First Data have homes here. And Stinson Park is a hot spot for open-air markets and concerts. Thinking of taking up a new sport? Try your hand at bonspieling at the Askarben Curling Club. The Aksarben Cinema has comfy recliners and cocktails. The neighborhood is also home to one of the best taco joints in town, Voodoo Taco.
- Walk Score: 62/100
Annexed into Omaha proper in 1887, Bemis Park features late 19th- and early 20th-century homes and buildings in a variety of styles — Queen Annes, Arts and Crafts, Dutch Colonial Revival — originally built for the city’s elite.
A history of racial segregation, redlining and white flight led to these homes being divided into apartments that often were not maintained by their owners. Once the neighborhood gained its historical landmark status in 1983, revitalization began.
Now, Bemis Park has quaint houses to buy or rent and a large park with walking trails, tennis courts and a playground. It’s just a mile to the shops and restaurants at Midtown Crossing.
Source: Rent.com/The Mill
- Median 1-BR rent: $1,085
- Median 2-BR rent: $1,365
- Walk Score: 62/100
A few years ago, Vice magazine wrote, “Benson may as well be Brooklyn.” It’s a quirky, artsy neighborhood, popular with creatives, as well as entrepreneurs. Benson features lots of affordable housing, small businesses, colorful murals and a close-knit community vibe.
Some of the city’s most popular weekend spots are here including Hardy for your morning perk and The Waiting Room Lounge music venue for some nightlife. For in-between, there are yoga studios, boutiques, bars, breweries, delis and other eateries. In the typical spirit of the neighborhood, creative workers get to collaborate at Petshop, a co-working space with studios, meeting rooms, galleries and offices.
- Median 1-BR rent: $980
- Median 2-BR rent: $759
- Walk Score: 78/100
In case you’ve always wondered about where the Reuben sandwich was born, you can rest easy (sort of). Although there are New York City claims to the deli classic, in Omaha, legend has grocer Reuben Kulakofsky inventing it for his card-playing buddies and one of them, the owner of the Blackstone Hotel, put the sandwich on the hotel’s menu.
Located in the newly revitalized Midtown Crossing area, the Blackstone neighborhood is full of juicy spots that serve the sandwich like the Crescent Moon, which also has the distinction of being named a top 100 craft beer bar seven years running. Omaha has a growing rep as a craft beer city and to go along with your ale, there are plenty of interesting restaurants in Blackstone, including Kathmandu Momo Station, a Nepalese dumpling place.
- Median 1-BR rent: $639
- Median 2-BR rent: $759
- Walk Score: 62/100
Just south of Downtown, Dahlman is within the eclectic Little Bohemia neighborhood, originally settled by Czech immigrants and not far from Little Italy. It’s one of the oldest areas in this part of town.
The walkable neighborhood still has lots of architectural reminders of days past like the Prague Hotel (now an apartment building) and the Sokol Auditorium, originally used to train gymnasts and then, as a concert hall. Ani DiFranco was its first booking. (As of June 2021, it’s under new ownership and renovations are underway.)
Neighborhood restaurants celebrate the area’s ethnic melting pot in places like Via Farina and once a month, Infusion Little Bohemia Beer Hall teams up with Eddie’s Catering for a Czech dinner and polka music. There are, of course, lots of watering holes including Tiny House, a bar located in, you guessed it, a tiny house.
- Median 1-BR rent: $995
- Median 2-BR rent: $1,340
- Walk Score: 90/100
While Downtown Omaha has a big-city vibe, it still retains its small-town charm with historical architecture (more than 30 buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places) and green spaces. The area includes the Old Historic District, Little Italy and Little Bohemia, an up-and-coming neighborhood in its own right. (You may find yourself there for Fizzy’s hangover brunch. Or, waking up to a hot cuppa at Archteype Coffee.)
You can ditch your car if you live in Downtown. Commute on foot if you’re lucky enough to work at one of the many companies headquartered in this neighborhood like Union Pacific Railroad, First National Bank or Creighton University. Then, spend your free time strolling to restaurants like 801 Chophouse or Bangkok Kitchen, shops, music venues and museums like the Durham or Joslyn Art.
- Median 1-BR rent: $550
- Median 2-BR rent: $798
- Walk Score: 78/100
What could be better than a neighborhood that has its own boozy ice cream shop, Dundee Hard Ice Cream Co.? One that also has Colonial, Tudor Revival and Georgian-style homes, treelined streets with cast-iron streetlights, great retail shops, nearby parks, excellent schools and, oh, yeah, a craft beer/street taco joint called Hoppy Taco.
Dundee (aka Dundee/Memorial Park) is known as Omaha’s first suburb, beginning with just four homes in the 1880s. It was originally a separate city Omaha annexed it in 1915. Now, more than 7,000 people call the Dundee neighborhood home. The small-town vibe means frisbee and soccer in Memorial Park, a parade on the Fourth of July and the Dundee Days celebrations.
- Walk Score: 62/100
Pet- and kid-friendly, the Highlander neighborhood is a revitalizing area within the North Omaha neighborhood. A historically Black neighborhood, its North 24th Street is known as “The Street of Dreams” (called “The Deuce” back in the day) and hosted greats in American Jazz like Count Basie, Nat King Cole and Ella Fitzgerald.
In recent years, Highlander has added a lot of newly built mixed-income rentals. There are soul food restaurants like Big Mama’s, and jazz concerts at Summer Sounds to celebrate Community Day.
One of the most recent additions to the heart of the neighborhood is the 65,000-square- foot Highland Accelerator. The Accelerator is a space to connect locals through education and enrichment. It houses organizations, such as Creighton University and Metropolitan Community College, including an event hall and a community food hall.
Source: Rent.com/Saunders School Apartments
- Median 1-BR rent: $699
- Median 2-BR rent: $950
- Walk Score: 74/100
Filled with older homes, mature trees and green spaces, the Joslyn Castle neighborhood is in Omaha’s Gold Coast Historic District and named for the large estate built for George and Sarah Joslyn in the early 20th century. The district (a 30-block area) was once a town itself with its own business district, and the area still has a small-town charm.
- Median 1-BR rent: $975
- Median 2-BR rent: $1,545
- Walk Score: 88/100
This centrally-located neighborhood features charming historic homes. While rents are a bit higher than some other Omaha neighborhoods, Leavenworth has the advantage of easy access to I-80 for fast commutes to Lincoln, Nebraska or Iowa.
You also have easy access to Midtown Crossing where you’ll find restaurants, cafés, retail shops, galleries, bars and a movie theater.
The walkable, family-friendly neighborhood is home to the Omaha Children’s Museum and the seven-acre Dewey Park for tennis and basketball, a playground and a dog park.
- Median 1-BR rent: $1,357
- Median 2-BR rent: $2,037
- Walk Score: 73/100
Located in midtown Omaha, the Morton Meadows neighborhood blends historic charm with urban living. Though rents are a bit higher than in other neighborhoods, Morton Meadows’ easy access to I-80, makes it ideal for commuting to Lincoln, Nebraska or to Iowa. Morton Meadows is also just a mile from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and if you’re looking for work, it’s close to several large employers including Mutual of Omaha, Berkshire Hathaway and Kiewit Corporation.
While the neighborhood isn’t walkable to much retail, there’s plenty of shopping within a three-mile radius. It’s less than a 10-minute drive to Downtown, and there are great bike trails to get you around. If you like quiet and neighborly, this is a good place to settle in.
Source: Rent.com/Northamptom Arms
- Median 1-BR rent: $999
- Median 2-BR rent: $1,345
- Walk Score: 46/100
Close to Downtown, North Omaha is a family-friendly spot significant to both African American history and Mormon history. It includes the neighborhoods of Saratoga and Florence, Malcolm X Memorial, Minne Lusa Historic District, Sherman and Kountze Place. Attractions include the Malcolm X Memorial Foundation and the Union for Contemporary Art, which support local artists and entrepreneurs of color.
Although overlooked during much of Omaha’s downtown revitalization, it’s gotten more notice in the past decade with new and rehabbed housing and discussions on transportation and zoning.
Along with history, there are great music spots since the neighborhood is known for its links to jazz, big band and early rock and roll. North 24th Street was the place to catch Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, Ike and Tina Turner and Sarah Vaughan, among others. You can still enjoy jazz concerts at Summer Sounds and get your fill of soul food at spots Big Mama’s.
- Median 1-BR rent: $1,022
- Median 2-BR rent: $1,495
- Walk Score: 92/100
This historic neighborhood still retains its turn of the 20th-century charm with brick-paved streets and covered sidewalks. Originally home to warehouses, offices and light industrial buildings, the city reclaimed and rehabbed the district to meet 21-century needs.
It’s got a bit of a touristy reputation, but there’s a reason people flock here and there’s plenty for locals to explore. With galleries, boutiques, bars, breweries, cafés and more than 45 restaurants lining the streets, Old Market is a hot spot for young professionals.
While rentals are plentiful, it’s one of the more expensive Omaha neighborhoods.
- Median 1-BR rent: $900
- Median 2-BR rent: $1,410
- Walk Score: 85/100
Not quite downtown, but not quite Midtown, Park East is a congenial family neighborhood within walking distance to a park, library and school. In the past five years, with restorations and new development for residential and commercial spaces, the neighborhood has been given a new moniker, The Quarters, as it strives to define its own sense of place.
Recent neighborhood additions include apartment buildings, as well as the upscale Even Hotel, Muglife Coffee, Greenstreet Cycles and Felius cat café.
Source: Rent.com/Westwood Apartments
- Median 1-BR rent: $790
- Median 2-BR rent: $857
- Walk Score: 67/100
If you want lush greenery and charming, spacious houses, the quiet neighborhood of Prairie Lane will be just your cup of tea. Located about 12 miles west of downtown Omaha and a 13-minute drive to Zorinsky Lake Park and with good schools, Prairie Lane is a great spot for families with children (and for anyone who likes to fish).
This popular suburban community shops at nearby Oak View Mall and Rockbrook Village.
Find the best Omaha neighborhood for you
With so many great areas to explore, it’s difficult to choose. But start here to discover a slew of apartments for rent in Omaha that will meet your needs. Happy hunting.
The rent information included in this article is based on a median calculation of multifamily rental property inventory on Apartment Guide and Rent.com as of November 2021 and is for illustrative purposes only. This information does not constitute a pricing guarantee or financial advice related to the rental market.
Source: rent.com