On March 29, 1922 the business people of South Omaha incorporated the South Omaha Merchants Association with the following purpose:

"The object and purpose for which this Association is organized and the business in which it shall be engaged shall be the promotion of the government, industrial and public interests and public welfare of the district south of A Street of Omaha, Nebraska and to co-operate with the Chamber of Commerce of the City of Omaha, Nebraska."

Over the years, the South Omaha Merchants Association has become the South Omaha Business Association (SOBA) and South Omaha itself has changed dramatically. "A" Street is now Interstate 80, north/south traffic now used the Kennedy Freeway over South 24th Street, and only a small portion of the meat packing industry that put South Omaha on the map is still in operation.

Yet the more South Omaha has changed, the more it remains the same. Immigrant entrepreneurial energy and ambition remains the bedrock of business old and new. SOBA continues to work with city government and the Omaha Police Department fighting graffiti, litter and crime to keep South Omaha safe and clean.

SOBA, the City of Omaha, and the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce recently formed a partnership to develop a renovation project that will celebrate the business corridor's heritage and emphasize its unique character. Area businesses and local foundations will join them to complete the project. Take a look at the artist's renderings depicting 24th Street once the renovation is completed.