AHC: Bigger Omaha

FWIG, Omaha, NE was the fastest growing US city in the 1880's; currently, OTL, it stands as the 40th largest US city with a population of about 454,700.

With a PoD no earlier than 1890*, how does Omaha acquire a population of at least a million, becoming one of the ten largest US cities? (One qualification -- no achieving this primarily by keeping down the competition.)

*though it can be later -- hence my choice of forum
 
FWIG, Omaha, NE was the fastest growing US city in the 1880's; currently, OTL, it stands as the 40th largest US city with a population of about 454,700.

With a PoD no earlier than 1890*, how does Omaha acquire a population of at least a million, becoming one of the ten largest US cities? (One qualification -- no achieving this primarily by keeping down the competition.)

*though it can be later -- hence my choice of forum

Have more African Americans come in during the Great Migration.
 
Central Location

Some countrys capitals are near the center of the country. At one time it was thought that more would move them. Ther was naver a serious movement in this direction in the US. You would think the war of 1812 would have tought us better. Since Omaha is near the center of the United States they moved their capital there. The result was that perminate cival servents, short turm presidential appointees and others lived in Omaha. The city grew much as it did OTL. The result is it is much much bigger.
 
I like Ringo's idea, but the "how" still bugs me -- wouldn't it need to be easier to reach Omaha by rail for that to work?

While cclittle's idea is intriguing, I have to say it's a little more ambitious than what I'm looking for...
 
Some countrys capitals are near the center of the country. At one time it was thought that more would move them. Ther was naver a serious movement in this direction in the US. You would think the war of 1812 would have tought us better. Since Omaha is near the center of the United States they moved their capital there. The result was that perminate cival servents, short turm presidential appointees and others lived in Omaha. The city grew much as it did OTL. The result is it is much much bigger.

Omaha wasn't even a town during the War of 1812. The political center of the USA then was much farther to the east.

I like Ringo's idea, but the "how" still bugs me -- wouldn't it need to be easier to reach Omaha by rail for that to work?

While cclittle's idea is intriguing, I have to say it's a little more ambitious than what I'm looking for...

And yes - railroad made reaching Midwestern cities far easier.
 
Omaha wasn't even a town during the War of 1812. The political center of the USA then was much farther to the east.



And yes - railroad made reaching Midwestern cities far easier.

Probably would help if there was that forty acres and a mule thing. Would entice a lot of freed African Americans to head for the Midwest with all that land for the taking.
 
That seems to be before the OP's earliest PoD.

On the railways, maybe if the CBQ Railroad and the ATSF Railroad merged, there could be direct lines from Kansas City and St Louis to Omaha by 1900 (with the former, migrants from Texas could buy a single ticket in Texas to the Nebraska city, while the later opens up a number of migrants who OTL just keep on going north to Chicago).
 

JoeMulk

Banned
I thought this said "bigger Obama" for a second and that this was going to be about a world where Obama was fat. :p
 
Alt 2008

I thought this said "bigger Obama" for a second and that this was going to be about a world where Obama was fat. :p
I can't let this alone. I rembember people say they liked the slim confident Obama. A bigger Obama might have been a closer race were .....
 
Top