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There are several neighboring communities that offer comfortable living surround Offutt Air Force Base. East of the base you will find the city of Bellevue and further east are more rural communities in Iowa. Further west of the base, the communities are steadily growing and offer both rural and city developments, such as Papillion, La Vista, Ralston and Gretna.
Forty-seven thousand residents live in the annexed portion of eastern Sarpy County, and another 30,000 live in Capehart housing and the many sub-developments sprinkled on the gently rolling countryside surrounding Offutt. Military members and thousands of retirees give this community a cosmopolitan flavor few cities of this size enjoy because Bellevue has residents from points all over the world.
The city of Bellevue began as a fur post established by the Missouri Fur Company in 1822 to serve as a central trading point with local Omaha, Otoe, and Pawnee tribes. It received its name from early trappers who were impressed with the beauty of the view overlooking the Missouri River.
In the 1880s, Bellevue College was established. In the 1890s, an offer of inexpensive land brought Fort Crook to the Bellevue area. It was Fort Crook, later named Offutt Air Force Base, that spurred Bellevue's largest growth. When Offutt became home to the huge Martin bomber plant during World War II and then , shortly after the war, housed the headquarters of the Strategic Air Command, thousands of workers, both civilian and military, made Bellevue their home. Bellevue's population grew from less than 1200 in 1940, to almost 4000 in 1950 and then almost 9000 ten years later. A decade later, Bellevue's population again more than doubled, to over 20,000.
Today, Bellevue's growth is primarily due to an expanding economy in the civilian sector. With the opening of the Kennedy Freeway, a limited access highway linked to the interstate system, a new building boom is in progress. Commercial, industrial, and \residential construction are all expanding. Bellevue has finally fulfilled the promise that its founders saw nearly two centuries ago.
Bellevue, located just minutes from Omaha, has an extensive array of attractions, including more than 100 restaurants, a renowned theatre, 26 parks/sports fields, one enclosed shopping mall, seven golf courses, a marina, a nature center, and hundreds of stores and specialty shops.
Source: City of Bellevue, Bellevue Chamber of Commerce, Nebraska Tourism - Bellevue, Benchmark Publications
LINKS:
• Attractions in Bellevue compiled by Nebraska Tourism
• Get a free travel guide from Nebraska Tourism.
• Bellevue information, including demographics, organizations, housing prices, compiled by the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce
• Further information regarding population, demographic, and housing regarding Sarpy County from the US Census Bureau