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Nebraska is a Great Plains state of the United States. Nebraska gets its name from a Native American (Oto) word meaning "flat water", after the Platte River that flows through the state. Once considered part of the Great American Desert, it is now a leading farming state. Nebraskans have practiced scientific farming to turn the Nebraska prairie into a land of ranches and farms. Much of the history of the state is the story of the impact of the Nebraska farmer. Nebraskans are sometimes colloquially referred to as "Cornhuskers" (which is derived from the state nickname).

Geography

Nebraska is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa and Missouri to the east, across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwest; and Wyoming to the west. Nebraska has 93 counties; it also occupies the central portion of the Frontier Strip.

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 is comprised 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 is 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 is marked by a red brick star), the 100th meridian, and Chimney Rock.

Areas under the management of the National Park Service include:

Climate

Two major climates are represented in Nebraska: the eastern two-thirds of the state has a hot summer continental climate, and the western third of the state has a semiarid steppe climate. The entire state experiences wide seasonal variations in temperature and precipitation. Average temperatures are fairly uniform across Nebraska, while average annual precipitation decreases 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. *

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. [http://www.tcdne.org/climate.htm

History

The Kansas-Nebraska Act became law on May 28, 1854; it established the U.S. territories of Nebraska and Kansas. 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.

Arbor Day began in Nebraska, and the National Arbor Day Foundation is still headquartered in Nebraska City.

Prohibition in the U.S. was adopted in 1918, with Nebraska as the thirty-sixth state necessary to make the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution *.

Demographics

As of 2005, Nebraska has an estimated population of 1,758,787, which is an increase of 11,083, or 0.6%, from the prior year and an increase of 47,522, or 2.8%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 52,104 people (that is 132,394 births minus 80,290 deaths) and a decrease due to net migration of 4,007 people out of the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 22,199 people, and migration within the country produced a net loss of 26,206 people.

As of 2004, the population of Nebraska included about 84,000 foreign-born residents (4.8% of the population).

Race and ancestry

The racial makeup of the state and comparison to the prior census:

The five largest ancestry groups in Nebraska are German (38.6%), Irish (12.4%), English (9.6%), Swedish (4.9%), and Czech (4.9%).

Nebraska has the largest Czech-American population (as a percentage of the total population) in the nation. German-Americans are the largest ancestry group in most of the state, particularly in the eastern counties. Thurston County (comprised entirely of the Omaha and Winnebago reservations) has a Native American majority, and Butler County is one of only two counties in the nation with a Czech-American plurality.

Rural flight

Nebraska, in common with five other Midwest states (Kansas, Oklahoma, North and South Dakota, and Iowa), has experienced a decades-long population decline in rural areas, although Nebraska is the fastest declining of the six. Eighty-nine percent of the cities in those states have fewer than 3000 people; hundreds have fewer than 1000. Between 1996 and 2004, almost half a million people, nearly half with college degrees, left the six states. "Rural flight", as it is called, has led to offers of free land and tax breaks as enticements to newcomers. As an example in Nebraska, Monowi, which in the 1930s had a population of 150, now has a population of one (as of 2006).

While many areas of the state continue to suffer from Rural flight, others have experienced substantial growth. The city of Omaha in 2000 had a population of 390,007 while is estimated today (2004) to contain 409,416 people, a change of +5% over only four years. The city of Lincoln had a population of 225,581 during 2000 and had a 2004 estimated population of 236,146, a +4.7% change. Indeed, the population of the state of Nebraska has increased by an estimated 35,951 persons from 2000 to 2004.

Religion

The religious affiliations of the people of Nebraska are:

Economy

The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates of Nebraska's gross state product in 2004 was $68 billion. Per capita personal income in 2004 was $31,339, 25th in the nation.

Once considered part of the Great American Desert, it is now a leading farming state. Nebraskans have practiced scientific farming to turn the Nebraska prairie into a land of ranches and farms. Much of the history of the state is the story of the impact of the Nebraska farmer.

Nebraska has a large agriculture sector, and is a national leader in the production of beef, pork, corn (maize), and soybeans. Other important economic sectors include freight transport (by rail and truck), manufacturing, telecommunications, information technology, and insurance.

Nebraska has 4 personal income tax brackets, ranging from 2.56 percent to 6.84 percent. Nebraska has a state sales tax of 5.5 percent. In addition to the state tax, some Nebraska cities assess a city sales and use tax, up to a maximum of 1.5 percent. All real property located within the state of Nebraska is taxable unless specifically exempted by statute. Since 1992, only depreciable personal property is subject to tax and all other personal property is exempt from tax. Inheritance tax is collected at the county level.

Transportation

Railroads

Nebraska has a rich railroad history. The Union Pacific Railroad, headquartered in Omaha, was incorporated on July 1, 1862, in the wake of the Pacific Railway Act of 1862. The route of the original transcontinental railroad runs through the state.

Other major railroads with operations in the state are: Amtrak; BNSF Railway; Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad; and Iowa Interstate Railroad.

Roads and highways

The Interstate Highways in Nebraska are:

The U.S. Routes in Nebraska are:

Law and government

Nebraska's government operates under the framework of the Nebraska Constitution, adopted in 1875 and is divided into three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial.

Executive branch

The head of the executive branch is the Governor; the current governor of Nebraska is Dave Heineman. Other elected officials in the executive branch are the Lieutenant Governor (elected on the same ticket as the Governor), the Attorney General, the Secretary of State, the State Treasurer, and the State Auditor. All elected officials in the executive branch serve four-year terms.

Legislative branch

Nebraska is the only state in the United States with a unicameral legislature; that is, a legislature with only one house. Although this house is officially known simply as the "Legislature", and more commonly called the "Unicameral", its members still call themselves "senators". Nebraska's Legislature is also the only state legislature in the United States that is nonpartisan. The senators are elected with no party affiliation next to their names on the ballot, and the speaker and committee chairs are chosen at large, so that members of any party can be (and often are) chosen for these positions. The Nebraska Legislature can also override a governor's veto with a three-fifths majority, in contrast to the two-thirds majority required in some other states.

The Nebraska Legislature meets in the third Nebraska State Capitol building, built between 1922 and 1932.

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:

…The constitutions of our various states are built upon the idea that there is but one class. If this be true, there is no sense or reason in having the same thing done twice, especially if it is to be done by two bodies of men elected in the same way and having the same jurisdiction.

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."

Judicial branch

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, which are grouped into 12 districts (containing one or more counties); above those are 12 district courts. 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 allows for capital punishment; the sole method of execution is the electric chair.

Federal government representation

Nebraska's two U.S. senators are Chuck Hagel (Republican) and Ben Nelson (Democrat). Nebraska has three representatives in the House are: Jeff Fortenberry (R, 1st District); Lee Terry (R, 2nd District); and Tom Osborne (R, 3rd District).

Since 1991, two of Nebraska's five electoral votes are awarded based on the winner of the statewide election; the other three go to the highest vote-getter in each of the state's three congressional districts.

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 Johnson. In the 2004 presidential election, George W. Bush won the state's five electoral votes by a 33% margin of (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 U. S. senators: Chuck Hagel is considered a maverick within his party, while Ben Nelson is the most conservative member of his party in the Senate.

Important cities and towns

All population figures are 2004 Census Bureau estimates.

Largest cities

100,000+ population 10,000+ population

Urban areas

Metropolitan areas Micropolitan areas

Other areas

  • Grand Island, Hastings and Kearney comprise the “Tri-Cities” area.
  • The northeast corner of Nebraska is part of the Siouxland region.

Education

Colleges and universities

University of Nebraska system Nebraska State College System Private colleges/universities Nebraska Community College Association

Sports teams

Miscellaneous topics

Nebraska gets its name from a Native American (Oto) word meaning "flat water", after the Platte River that flows through the state.

Nebraska has more miles of river than any other state.

Nebraskans are sometimes colloquially referred to as "Cornhuskers" (which is derived from the state nickname).

The USS Nebraska was named in honor of this state.

Kool-Aid was created in 1927 by Edwin Perkins in the city of Hastings.

The world's largest train yard, Union Pacific's Bailey Yard, is located in North Platte.

In the town of Blue Hill, Nebraska, there is a law which states that no female wearing a 'hat that would scare a timid person' can be seen eating onions in public.

The Vise-Grip was invented and is still manufactured in De Witt.

Arbor Day was founded by J. Sterling Morton. The National Arbor Day Foundation has its headquarters near his home in Nebraska City.

A ranch situated just west of Kearney is located exactly halfway between Boston and San Francisco.

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.

Cozad is the only town located on the 100th meridian.

References

Surveys

Scholarly special studies

  • Barnhart, John D. "Rainfall and the Populist Party in Nebraska." American Political Science Review 19 (1925): 527-40. in JSTOR
  • Beezley, William H. "Homesteading in Nebraska, 1862-1872," Nebraska History 53 (spring 1972): 59-75.
  • Bentley, Arthur F. "The Condition of the Western Farmer as Illustrated by the Economic History of a Nebraska Township." Johns Hopkins University Studies in Historical and Political Science 11 (1893): 285-370.
  • Cherny, Robert W. Populism, Progressivism, and the Transformation of Nebraska Politics, 1885-1915 (1981)
  • Bogue Allen G. Money at Interest: The Farm Mortgage on the Middle Border (1955)
  • Brunner, Edmund de S. Immigrant Farmers and Their Children (1929)
  • Chudacoff, Howard P. Mobile Americans: Residential and Social Mobility in Omaha, 1880-1920 (1972)
  • Chudacoff, Howard P. "A New Look at Ethnic Neighborhoods: Residential Dispersion and the Concept of Visibility in a Medium-sized City." Journal of American History 60 (1973): 76-93. about Omaha; in JSTOR
  • Coletta, Paolo E. William Jennings Bryan. 3 vols. 1964-69.
  • Creigh, Dorothy Weyers. Nebraska: A Bicentennial History (1977)
  • Dick, Everett. The Sod-House Frontier: 1854-1890 (1937)
  • Farragher, John Mack. Women and Men on the Overland Trail (1979)
  • Fuller, Wayne E. The Old Country School: The Story of Rural Education in the Midwest (1982)
  • Grant, Michael Johnston. "Down and Out on the Family Farm" (2002)
  • Harper, Ivy. Walzing Matilda: Life and Times of Nebraska Senator Robert Kerrey (1992).
  • Holter, Don W. Flames on the Plains: A History of United Methodism in Nebraska (1983).
  • Jeffrey, Julie Roy. Frontier Women: The Trans-Mississippi West, 1840-1880 (1979)
  • Klein, Maury. Union Pacific: The Birth of a Railroad, 1862-1893 (1986)
  • Klein, Maury. Union Pacific: The Rebirth, 1894-1969 (1989).
  • Larsen, Lawrence H. The Gate City: A History of Omaha (1982)
  • Lowitt, Richard. George W. Norris 3 vols. 1971.
  • Luebke, Frederick C. Immigrants and Politics: The Germans of Nebraska, 1880-1900 (1969)
  • Luebke, Frederick C. "The German-American Alliance in Nebraska, 1910-1917." Nebraska History 49 (1969): 165-85.
  • Olson, James C. J. Sterling Morton (1942)
  • Overton, Richard C. Burlington West: A Colonization History of the Burlington Railroad (1941)
  • Parsons Stanley B. "Who Were the Nebraska Populists?" Nebraska History 44 (1963): 83-99.
  • Pierce, Neal. The Great Plains States (1973)
  • Pederson, James F., and Kenneth D. Wald. Shall the People Rule? A History of the Democratic Party in Nebraska Politics (1972)
  • Riley, Glenda. The Female Frontier. A Comparative View of Women on the Prairie and the Plains (1978)
  • Wenger, Robert W. "The Anti-Saloon League in Nebraska Politics, 1898-1910." Nebraska History 52 (1971): 267-92.

Websites

  • Unknown, City-Data.com http://www.city-data.com/city/Nebraska.html (2006)

Further reading

  • Chokecherry Places, Essays from the High Plains, Merrill Gilfillan, Johnson Press, Boulder, Colorado, trade paperback, ISBN 1-55566-227-7.

See also

External links

Nebraska | 1867 establishments

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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Nebraska".

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