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Nebraska
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Everything about Nebraska totally explainedNebraska is a state located on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. Nebraska gets its name from a Chiwere word meaning "flat water," after the Platte River that flows through the state. Once considered part of the Great American Desert, it's now a leading farming and ranching state. Nebraskans are sometimes colloquially referred to as "Cornhuskers" (which is derived from the state nickname).
Geography
Nebraska is split into two time zones. The Central Time zone comprises the eastern half of the state, while the western half observes Mountain Time.
Nebraska is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwest; and Wyoming to the west. The state has 93 counties; it occupies the central portion of the Frontier Strip.
Three rivers cross the state from east to west. The Platte River runs through the heart, the Niobrara River flows through the northern part of the state's region, and the Republican River traverses through the southern part of the state.
Nebraska is composed of two major land regions: the Dissected Till Plains and the Great Plains. The easternmost portion of the state was scoured by Ice Age glaciers; the Dissected Till Plains were left behind after the glaciers retreated. The Dissected Till Plains is a region of gently rolling hills; Omaha and Lincoln are located within this region.
The Great Plains occupy the majority of western Nebraska. The Great Plains itself consists of several smaller, diverse land regions, including the Sandhills, the Pine Ridge, the Rainwater Basin, the High Plains and the Wildcat Hills. Panorama Point, at 5,424 feet (1,653 m), is the highest point in Nebraska; despite its name and elevation, it's merely a low rise near the Colorado and Wyoming borders.
A past Nebraska tourism slogan was "Where the West Begins"; locations given for the beginning of the "West" include the Missouri River, the intersection of 13th and O Streets in Lincoln (where it's marked by a red brick star), the 100th meridian, and Chimney Rock.
Nebraska, a doubly landlocked state, claims to have more miles of river than any other state.
Areas under the management of the National Park Service include:
Areas under the management of the National Forest Service include:
Nebraska National Forest
Oglala National Grassland
Samuel R. McKelvie National Forest
Climate
Two major climates are represented in Nebraska: the eastern half of the state has a humid continental climate (Koppen climate classification Dfa), and the western half of the state has a semi-arid continental steppe climate (Koppen BSk). The entire state experiences wide seasonal variations in temperature and precipitation. Average temperatures are fairly uniform across Nebraska, while average annual precipitation decreases west to east from about 31.5 inches (800 mm) in the southeast corner of the state to about 13.8 inches (350 mm) in the Panhandle. Snowfall across the state is fairly even, with most of Nebraska receiving between 25 and 35 inches (650 to 900 mm) of snow annually. (External Link )
Nebraska is located in Tornado Alley; thunderstorms are common in the spring and summer months. The chinook winds from the Rocky Mountains provide a temporary moderating effect on temperatures in western Nebraska during the winter months. (External Link), (External Link)
History
On May 30, 1854, the Kansas-Nebraska Act created the Kansas Territory and the Nebraska Territory, divided by the Parallel 40° North. The territorial capital of Nebraska was Omaha.
In the 1860s, the first great wave of homesteaders poured into Nebraska to claim free land granted by the federal government. Many of the first farm settlers built their homes out of sod because they found so few trees on the grassy land.
Nebraska became the 37th state in 1867, shortly after the American Civil War. At that time, the capital was moved from Omaha to Lancaster, later renamed Lincoln after the recently assassinated President of the United States Abraham Lincoln.
The Arbor Day holiday began in Nebraska, and the National Arbor Day Foundation is still headquartered in Nebraska City.
Nebraska has a long history of civil rights activism, starting in 1912 with the foundation of Omaha's National Association for the Advancement of Colored People chapter.
Demographics
As of 2007, Nebraska has an estimated population of 1,774,571, which is an increase of 10,806, or 0.6%, from the prior year and an increase of 63,306, or 3.7%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 77,995 people (that is 187,564 births minus 109,569 deaths) and a decrease due to net migration of 9,319 people out of the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 27,398 people, and migration within the country produced a net loss of 36,717 people.
The center of population of Nebraska is located in Polk County, in the city of Shelby (External Link).
As of 2004, the population of Nebraska included about 84,000 foreign-born residents (4.8% of the population).
For years, United States Senator George Norris and other Nebraskans encouraged the idea of a unicameral legislature, and demanded the issue be decided in a referendum. Norris argued:
Unicameral supporters also argued that a bicameral legislature had a significant undemocratic feature in the committees that reconciled Assembly and Senate legislation. Votes in these committees were secretive, and would sometimes add provisions to bills that neither house had approved. Nebraska's unicameral legislature today has rules that bills can contain only one subject, and must be given at least five days of consideration.
Finally, in 1934, due in part to the budgetary pressure of the Great Depression, Nebraska's unicameral legislature was put in place by a state initiative. In effect, the Assembly (the house) was abolished; as noted, today's Nebraska state legislators are commonly referred to as "Senators."
The judicial system in Nebraska is unified, with the Nebraska Supreme Court having administrative authority over all Nebraska courts. Nebraska uses the Missouri Plan for the selection of judges at all levels. The lowest courts in Nebraska are the county courts, above that are twelve district courts (containing one or more counties). The Court of Appeals hears appeals from the district courts, juvenile courts, and workers' compensation courts. The Nebraska Supreme Court is the final court of appeal.
Nebraska currently has no active death-penalty law, due to a 2008 Nebraska Supreme Court ruling that declared the use of electrocution to be in conflict with the state constitution. (Prior to this ruling, Nebraska was the only place in the world that used electrocution as the sole method of execution.) However, executions in Nebraska had been infrequent; none had been carried out in the 21st century, and in the last few decades the state had strongly flirted with the idea of a moratorium on, or complete abolition of, capital punishment.
Federal government representation
Nebraska's U.S. senators are Chuck Hagel (R) and Ben Nelson (D). Nebraska has three representatives in the House. They are: Jeff Fortenberry (R, NE-1); Lee Terry (R, NE-2); and Adrian Smith (R, NE-3).
Nebraska is one of two states (the other being Maine) that allow for a split in the electoral vote. Since 1991, two of Nebraska's five electoral votes are awarded based on the winner of the statewide election while the other three go to the highest vote-getter in each of the state's three congressional districts. Although possible, a split in the electoral vote hasn't occurred in any election.
Nebraska politics
For most of its history, Nebraska has been a solidly Republican state. Republicans have carried the state in all but one presidential election since 1940—the 1964 landslide election of Lyndon B. Johnson. In the 2004 presidential election, George W. Bush won the state's five electoral votes by a 33% margin (the fourth-most Republican vote among states) with 65.9% of the overall vote; only Thurston County, which includes two American Indian reservations, voted for John Kerry.
Despite the current Republican domination of Nebraska politics, the state has a long tradition of electing centrist members of both parties to state and federal office; examples include George Norris (who served his last few years in the Senate as an independent), J. James Exon, and Bob Kerrey. This tradition is illustrated by Nebraska's current senators: Chuck Hagel is considered a maverick within his party, while Ben Nelson is arguably one of the most conservative members of his party in the Senate.
Important cities and towns
All population figures are 2006 Census Bureau estimates.
Largest cities
| 100,000+ population |
10,000+ population |
| Omaha - 427,872
Lincoln - 241,167
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Bellevue - 47,594
Grand Island - 44,632
Kearney - 29,385
Fremont - 25,417
Hastings - 25,144
North Platte - 24,386
Norfolk - 23,896
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Columbus - 21,414
Papillion - 21,271
La Vista - 16,041
Scottsbluff - 14,738
Beatrice - 12,921
South Sioux City - 12,137
Lexington - 10,251
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Urban areas
| Metropolitan areas |
Micropolitan areas |
| Omaha-Council Bluffs - 700,991 (Nebraska portion); 822,549 (total for Nebraska and Iowa)
Lincoln - 283,970
Sioux City, Iowa - 26,757 (Nebraska portion); 143,474 (total for Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota)
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Grand Island - 70,245
Kearney - 50,655
Norfolk - 49,413
Hastings - 39,749
Scottsbluff - 37,329
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North Platte - 37,111
Fremont - 36,171
Columbus - 31,962
Lexington - 26,996
Beatrice - 23,365
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Other areas
Grand Island, Hastings and Kearney comprise the “Tri-Cities” area.
The northeast corner of Nebraska is part of the Siouxland region.
The majority of Nebraska's land isn't urban but rural.
Education
Colleges and universities
Culture
Arbor Day was founded by J. Sterling Morton. The National Arbor Day Foundation has its headquarters near his home in Nebraska City. The swing in the Hebron, Nebraska city park at 5th and Jefferson streets is claimed to be the world's largest porch swing, long enough to fit 18 adults or 24 children.
Nebraska Cornhusker football influences many of Nebraska's residents. On sell out Saturday football game days, Memorial Stadium, Lincoln with a capacity of 85,500 becomes Nebraska's 3rd Largest city.
Sports
Professional sports
NCAA Division I college sports
NCAA Division II college sports
Junior-level sports
Further Information
Get more info on 'Nebraska'.
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