Migration into and out of the Omaha Lead Superfund Site

Our rationale for choosing this research question comes from a desire to know if the designation of the Superfund site affected the migration of people into or out of the area. The Superfund site sits in downtown Omaha, a place where many people may desire to live, as well as a place with already high concentrations of people. The Superfund designation comes with a stigma, which many thought would have detrimental effects on the development of the area and deter people from moving in (Fremont Tribune, 2002). We looked at the population change overall in Douglas County between 1990 and 2010, as well as the population change by race to evaluate if the census blocks within the Superfund site had differences in population changes compared to the rest of the county. We also evaluated the change in the number of housing units in Douglas County between 1990 and 2010 to see if the census blocks within the Superfund site had more or less houses being built compared to the rest of the county.