Park

A park is an area of natural, semi-natural, or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of grassy areas, rocks, soil, and trees, but may also contain buildings and other artifacts such as monuments, fountains or playground structures. In North America, many parks have fields for playing sports such as soccer, baseball and football, and paved areas for games such as basketball. Many parks have trails for walking, biking and other activities. Some parks are built adjacent to bodies of water or watercourses, and these parks may comprise a beach or boat dock area. Often, the smallest parks are in urban areas, where a park may take up only a city block or less. Urban parks often have benches for sitting and they may contain picnic tables and barbecue grills. Parks have differing rules regarding whether dogs can be brought into the park: some parks prohibit dogs; some parks allow them with restrictions (e.g., use of a leash); and some parks, which may be called "dog parks," permit dogs to run off-leash.

Omaha, Nebraska

Omaha (/ˈoʊməhɑː/ OH-mə-hah) is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 10 miles (15 km) north of the mouth of the Platte River. Omaha is the anchor of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, which includes Council Bluffs, Iowa, across the Missouri River from Omaha. According to the 2010 census, Omaha's population was 408,958, making it the nation's 41st-largest city. According to the 2014 Population Estimates, Omaha's population was 446,599. Including its suburbs, Omaha formed the 60th-largest metropolitan area in the United States in 2013 with an estimated population of 895,151 residing in eight counties. The Omaha-Council Bluffs-Fremont, Nebraska-IA Combined Statistical Area is 931,667, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2013 estimate. There are nearly 1.3 million residents within a 50-mile (80 km) radius of the city's center, forming the Greater Omaha area.

Hanscom Park

Hanscom Park is a historic neighborhood in Midtown Omaha, Nebraska. Its namesake public park is one of the oldest parks in Omaha, donated to the City in 1872. U.S. President Gerald R. Ford was born in a house in the Hanscom Park neighborhood. Its boundaries are Center Street on the north, South 42nd on the west, Interstate 480 on the east and I-80 on the south.

History

Hanscom Park is one of the oldest parks and residential subdivisions in Omaha. Andrew J. Hanscom and James Megeath donated the 50-acre (200,000 m²) park in October 1872. Hanscom bought the land from Colonel Sam Bayliss, one of the original homesteaders in Omaha City in 1854. When the community was developed through the 1890s, it was on the western fringe of Omaha. The site was ideal for an upscale development because of its access to a new electric trolley line connecting it with downtown.

The neighborhood is home to several notable houses. One of them, the George N. Hicks House, has been designated an Omaha Landmark. In 1913, U.S. President Gerald Ford was born in his grandfather's mansion at 3202 Woolworth Avenue in the Hanscom Park neighborhood. Today the Gerald R. Ford Birthsite and Gardens celebrates this location.

Kenefick Park

Kenefick Park is located at 100 Bancroft Street in South Omaha, Nebraska. Located next to the Lauritzen Gardens, Omaha's botanical gardens, the park features "two of the greatest locomotives ever to power Union Pacific Railroad."

About

Sitting at the southwest point of the Lauritzen Gardens property along Interstate 80, the park welcomes motorists to Nebraska. It features a display of Union Pacific Big Boy #4023 and Union Pacific Centennial #6900 locomotives.

Kenefick Park was relocated in 2004 from Abbott Drive north of downtown to its current location in order to accommodate the CenturyLink Center Omaha. It is named in honor of former UP Chairman and CEO John Kenefick.

See also

References

Coordinates: 41°13′56″N 95°55′05″W / 41.23222°N 95.91806°W / 41.23222; -95.91806

Hummel Park

Hummel Park is located at 11808 John J. Pershing Drive in North Omaha, Nebraska. Developed on 202 acres (0.82 km²) of land donated to the City of Omaha in 1930, the park was named after Joseph B. Hummel, a long time superintendent of Omaha's Parks and Recreation Department.

About

Hummel Park is covered in a riparian forest. Located in north of the Florence neighborhood, the park includes hiking trails, including the Omaha Riverfront Trail North. There are also playgrounds (removed summer 2009), horseshoe pits, a Missouri River overlook, picnic shelters and a disc golf course that will be completed in 2008. The overlook is located above the popular "Devil's Slide," a natural cliff. There is also summer day camp at the park which celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2009.

The Hummel Park Nature Center, operated by the Parks and Recreation Department, offers environmental education programs and special nature events.

History

The location of Cabanne's Trading Post is at the corner of Ponca Road and John J. Pershing Road in the northwest corner of the park.