Comprehensive information and links about Nebraska

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).

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History

The Kansas-Nebraska Act became law on May 30, 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 Civil War. At that time, the capital was moved from Omaha to Lancaster, later renamed Lincoln after the recently assassinated President 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 [1].

"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 growing of the five. 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. "", 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 2005).

Nebraska's government operates under the framework of the Nebraska Constitution, adopted in 1875. The state capital and seat of government is the city of Lincoln, in the southeastern part of the state.

Further information: Governor of Nebraska

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.

Further information: Nebraska Legislature and Nebraska State Capitol

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 one 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:

dl…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."

Further information: Nebraska Supreme Court

The judicial system in Nebraska is unified, with the Nebraska Supreme Court having adminstrative 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.

Further information: U.S. Congressional Delegations from Nebraska

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.

Further information: Nebraska gubernatorial election, 2006 and Nebraska United States Senate election, 2006

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 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.

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 fifth 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 western four-fifths of 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.

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.

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.

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:

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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 an Indian majority, and Butler County is one of only two counties in the nation with a Czech-American plurality.

Religion

The religious affiliations of the people of Nebraska are shown in the table below:

Further information: List of Nebraska 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.

Lincoln Thunder – American Basketball Association (suspended operations; plans to return for 2006-2007 season).Omaha Royals – Pacific Coast League (AAA minor league baseball; affiliate of the Kansas City Royals)

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 in (800 mm) in the southeast corner of the state to about 13.8 in (350 mm) in the Panhandle. Snowfall across the state is fairly even, with most of Nebraska receiving between 25 and 35 in (650 to 900 mm) of snow annually. [2]

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. ([3], [4])

Monthly temperature and precipitation data for two cities in Nebraska are shown in the tables below (source):

table Further information: List of people from Nebraska

Former President Gerald R. Ford, Vice President Dick Cheney, civil rights activist Malcolm X, and various celebrities including Adele and Fred Astaire, John Beasley, Marlon Brando, Dick Cavett, Montgomery Clift, Henry Fonda, Swoosie Kurtz, Larry the Cable Guy, Harold Lloyd, and Darryl F. Zanuck were born in the state. Other famous natives are film director Alexander Payne, singermusician Conor Oberst, College Football Hall of Fame coach Dr. Tom Osborne, and athletes Gale Sayers, Bob Gibson, and Ahman Green. The world's second wealthiest person, billionaire investor Warren Buffett, was born and still resides in Nebraska. Comedian Johnny Carson grew up in Norfolk, and today the town of Wahoo is the "home office" for David Letterman's . Andrew Jackson Higgins, inventor of the Higgins Boat, was born in Columbus. Al Capone's brother, James Vincenzo Capone, moved to Nebraska from Brooklyn, in 1908 at the age of 16. Rock band 311 originated in Omaha, Nebraska.

Nebraska has 25 official state symbols, including the Platte River, the mammoth, and John Neihardt.

The USS 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 Vice-Grip was invented and is still manufactured in DeWitt, Nebraska.

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, Nebraska is located exactly halfway between Boston and San Francisco.

Illustrated History of Nebraska: A History of Nebraska from the Earliest Explorations of the Trans-Mississippi Region.Bentley, Arthur F. "The Condition of the Western Farmer as Illustrated by the Economic History of a Nebraska Township." Chudacoff, Howard P. "A New Look at Ethnic Neighborhoods: Residential Dispersion and the Concept of Visibility in a Medium-sized City." Alliance - Beatrice - Bellevue - Columbus - Fremont - Gering - Grand Island - Hastings - Kearney - La Vista - Lexington - Lincoln - McCook - Norfolk - North Platte - Omaha - Papillion - Scottsbluff - South Sioux City - YorkAdams - Antelope - Arthur - Banner - Blaine - Boone - Box Butte - Boyd - Brown - Buffalo - Burt - Butler - Cass - Cedar - Chase - Cherry - Cheyenne - Clay - Colfax - Cuming - Custer - Dakota - Dawes - Dawson - Deuel - Dixon - Dodge - Douglas - Dundy - Fillmore - Franklin - Frontier - Furnas - Gage - Garden - Garfield - Gosper - Grant - Greeley - Hall - Hamilton - Harlan - Hayes - Hitchcock - Holt - Hooker - Howard - Jefferson - Johnson - Kearney - Keith - Keya Paha - Kimball - Knox - Lancaster - Lincoln - Logan - Loup - Madison - McPherson - Merrick - Morrill - Nance - Nemaha - Nuckolls - Otoe - Pawnee - Perkins - Phelps - Pierce - Platte - Polk - Red Willow - Richardson - Rock - Saline - Sarpy - Saunders - Scotts Bluff - Seward - Sheridan - Sherman - Sioux - Stanton - Thayer - Thomas - Thurston - Valley - Washington - Wayne - Webster - Wheeler - York