Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

in the

Midwestern The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

region of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It borders

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...

to the north;

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

to the east and

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

to the southeast, both across the

Missouri River The Missouri River is a river in the Central United States, Central and Mountain states, Mountain West regions of the United States. The nation's longest, it rises in the eastern Centennial Mountains of the Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Moun ...

;

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

to the south;

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

to the southwest; and

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

to the west. Nebraska is the 16th-largest state by land area, with just over . With a population of over 2 million as of 2024, it is the 38th-most populous state and the eighth-least densely populated. Its

capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16th president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln (na ...

, and its most populous city is

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

, which is on the

. Nebraska was admitted into the United States in 1867, two years after the end of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. The

Nebraska Legislature The Nebraska Legislature (also called the Unicameral) is the legislative branch, legislature of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The Legislature meets at the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln, Nebraska, Lincoln. With 49 members, known as "senators ...

is unlike any other American legislature in that it is

unicameral Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature consisting of one house or assembly that legislates and votes as one. Unicameralism has become an increasingly common type of legislature, making up nearly ...

, and its members are elected without any official reference to political party affiliation. Nebraska is one of only two states that divide electoral college votes by district, and is not winner-take-all. Nebraska is composed of two major land regions: the Dissected Till Plains and the

Great Plains The Great Plains is a broad expanse of plain, flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include th ...

. The Dissected Till Plains region consists of gently rolling hills and contains the state's largest cities, Omaha and Lincoln. The Great Plains region, occupying most of western Nebraska, is characterized by treeless

prairie Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...

. Eastern Nebraska has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

while western Nebraska is primarily

semi-arid A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a aridity, dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below Evapotranspiration#Potential evapotranspiration, potential evapotranspiration, but not as l ...

. The state has wide variations between winter and summer temperatures; the variations decrease in southern Nebraska. Violent

thunderstorm A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustics, acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorm ...

s and

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...

es occur primarily during spring and summer, and sometimes in autumn. The

Chinook wind Chinook winds, or simply Chinooks, are two types of prevailing warm, generally westerly winds in western North America: Coastal Chinooks and interior Chinooks. The coastal Chinooks are persistent seasonal, wet, southwesterly winds blowing in from ...

tends to warm the state significantly in the winter and early spring. Indigenous peoples, including

Missouria The Missouria or Missouri (in their own language, Niúachi, also spelled Niutachi) are a Native American tribe that originated in the Great Lakes region of what is now the United States before European contact.May, John D"Otoe-Missouria"''Oklah ...

Ponca The Ponca people are a nation primarily located in the Great Plains of North America that share a common Ponca culture, history, and language, identified with two Indigenous nations: the Ponca Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma or the Ponca Tribe of ...

Pawnee Pawnee initially refers to a Native American people and its language: * Pawnee people * Pawnee language Pawnee is also the name of several places in the United States: * Pawnee, Illinois * Pawnee, Kansas * Pawnee, Missouri * Pawnee City, Nebraska * ...

Otoe The Otoe ( Chiwere: Jiwére) are a Native American people of the Midwestern United States. The Otoe language, Chiwere, is part of the Siouan family and closely related to that of the related Iowa, Missouria, and Ho-Chunk tribes. Histori ...

, and various branches of the

Lakota Lakota may refer to: *Lakota people, a confederation of seven related Native American tribes *Lakota language Lakota ( ), also referred to as Lakhota, Teton or Teton Sioux, is a Siouan languages, Siouan language spoken by the Lakota people of ...

(

Sioux The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin ( ; Dakota/ Lakota: ) are groups of Native American tribes and First Nations people from the Great Plains of North America. The Sioux have two major linguistic divisions: the Dakota and Lakota peoples (translati ...

) tribes, lived in the region for thousands of years before European discovery and exploration. The state is crossed by many historic trails, including that of the

Lewis and Clark Expedition The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the United States expedition to cross the newly acquired western portion of the country after the Louisiana Purchase. The Corps of Discovery was a select gro ...

. The completion of the

Transcontinental Railroad A transcontinental railroad or transcontinental railway is contiguous rail transport, railroad trackage that crosses a continent, continental land mass and has terminals at different oceans or continental borders. Such networks may be via the Ra ...

through Nebraska and passage of the

Homestead Acts The Homestead Acts were several laws in the United States by which an applicant could acquire ownership of government land or the public domain, typically called a homestead. In all, more than of public land, or nearly 10 percent of t ...

led to rapid growth in the population of American settlers in the 1870s and 1880s and the development of a large agriculture sector for which the state is known to this day.

Etymology

Nebraska's name is the result of

anglicization Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English languag ...

of the archaic

(contemporary Otoe: ; pronounced ), or the

, (pronounced ), meaning "flat water", after the

Platte River The Platte River () is a major American river, in the state of Nebraska. It is about long; measured to its farthest source via its tributary, the North Platte River, it flows for over . The Platte River is a tributary of the Missouri River, w ...

which flows through the state.

History

Early history

Indigenous peoples There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

lived in the region of present-day Nebraska for thousands of years before

European colonization The phenomenon of colonization is one that stretches around the globe and across time. Ancient and medieval colonialism was practiced by various civilizations such as the Phoenicians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Han Chinese, and A ...

. The historic tribes in the state included the

, and various branches of the

(

), some of which migrated from eastern areas into the region. When European exploration, trade, and settlement began, both

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

sought to control the region. In the 1690s, Spain established trade connections with the

Apache The Apache ( ) are several Southern Athabaskan language-speaking peoples of the Southwestern United States, Southwest, the Southern Plains and Northern Mexico. They are linguistically related to the Navajo. They migrated from the Athabascan ho ...

, whose territory then included western Nebraska. By 1703, France had developed a regular trade with native peoples along the

in Nebraska, and by 1719 had signed treaties with several of these peoples. After war broke out between the two countries, Spain dispatched an armed expedition to Nebraska under Lieutenant General Pedro de Villasur in 1720. The party was attacked and destroyed near present-day Columbus by a large force of Pawnee and Otoe, both allied with the French. The massacre ended Spanish exploration of the area for the remainder of the 18th century. In 1762, during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

, France ceded the

Louisiana Territory The Territory of Louisiana or Louisiana Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1805, until June 4, 1812, when it was renamed the Missouri Territory. The territory was formed out of t ...

. This left Britain and Spain competing for dominance along the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

; by 1773, the British were trading with the native peoples of Nebraska. Spain dispatched two trading expeditions up the Missouri River in 1794 and 1795; the second, under James Mackay, established the first European settlement in Nebraska near the mouth of the Platte River. Later that year, Mackay's party built a trading post, dubbed Fort Carlos IV (Fort Charles), near present-day

Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...

."Louisiana: European explorations and the Louisiana Purchase".Library of Congress.
Retrieved January 4, 2015.Wood, W. Raymond. ''Nebraska History'' 76 (Spring 1995), pp. 2–9. Retrieved January 4, 2015.

American settlement and statehood

In 1819, the United States established Fort Atkinson as the first U.S. Army post west of the Missouri River, just east of present-day Fort Calhoun. The army abandoned the fort in 1827 as migration moved further west. European-American settlement was scarce until 1848 and the

California Gold Rush The California gold rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the U ...

. On May 30, 1854, the U.S. Congress created the

and

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

territories, divided by the

Parallel 40° North Following are circles of latitude between the 35th parallel north and the 40th parallel north: 36th parallel north The 36th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 36 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Africa, the ...

, under the

Kansas–Nebraska Act The Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854 () was a territorial organic act that created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska. It was drafted by Democratic Senator Stephen A. Douglas, passed by the 33rd United States Congress, and signed into law b ...

. The Nebraska Territory included parts of the current states of

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

, and

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

. The territorial capital of Nebraska was

Late 19th century In the 1860s, after the U.S. government forced many of the American Indian tribes to cede their lands and settle on reservations, it opened large tracts of land to agricultural development by European immigrants and American settlers. Under the

Homestead Act The Homestead Acts were several laws in the United States by which an applicant could acquire ownership of Federal lands, government land or the American frontier, public domain, typically called a Homestead (buildings), homestead. In all, mo ...

, thousands of settlers migrated into Nebraska to claim free land granted by the federal government. Because so few trees grew on the

prairies Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...

, many of the first farming settlers built their homes of sod, as had Native Americans such as the Omaha. The first wave of settlement gave the territory a sufficient population to apply for statehood. Nebraska became the 37th state on March 1, 1867, and the capital was moved from Omaha to the center at Lancaster, later renamed

after the recently assassinated President of the United States,

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

. The battle of

Massacre Canyon The Massacre Canyon battle took place in Nebraska on August 5, 1873, near the Republican River. It was one of the last hostilities between the Pawnee () and the Sioux (or Lakota) and the last battle/massacre between Great Plains Indians in North ...

, on August 5, 1873, was the last major battle between the

and the

. During the 1870s to the 1880s, Nebraska experienced a large growth in population. Several factors contributed to attracting new residents. The first was that the vast prairie land was perfect for cattle grazing. This helped settlers to learn the unfamiliar geography of the area. The second factor was the invention of several farming technologies. New agricultural innovations such as barbed wire, windmills, and the steel plow, combined with fair weather, enabled settlers to transform Nebraska into prime farming land. By the 1880s, Nebraska's population had soared to more than 450,000 people. The

Arbor Day Arbor Day (or Arbour Day in some countries) is a Secularity, secular day of observance in which individuals and groups are encouraged to plant trees. Today, many countries observe such a holiday. Though usually observed in the spring, the date v ...

holiday was founded in

Nebraska City Nebraska City is a city in and the county seat of Otoe County, Nebraska, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 7,222. The Nebraska State Legislature has credited Nebraska City as being the oldest incorporated city in the ...

by territorial governor J. Sterling Morton. The

National Arbor Day Foundation The Arbor Day Foundation is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees. The Arbor Day Foundation has more than one million members and has planted more than 500 million trees in neighborhoods, communitie ...

is still headquartered in

, with some offices in Lincoln. In the late 19th century, African Americans migrated from the South to Nebraska as part of the Great Migration. Eventually, they moved primarily to

which offered working-class jobs in

meat packing The meat-packing industry (also spelled meatpacking industry or meat packing industry) handles the slaughtering, processing, packaging, and distribution of meat from animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep and other livestock. Poultry is generally n ...

, the railroads and other industries. Omaha has a long history of

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...

activism. Blacks encountered discrimination from other Americans in Omaha and especially from recent European immigrants who were also competing for the same jobs as well.

20th century

During the early 20th century, In 1912, African Americans founded the Omaha chapter of the

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...

to work for improved conditions in the city and state. During the Omaha Race Riots in 1919, many white rioters protested throughout Omaha due to there being an incident in which a black man was accused of sexually assaulting a white woman.

The Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank an ...

also had greatly affected the residents of Nebraska at the time. From 1930 to 1936 the dust bowl was common in the state due to there being a drought, wind, and dirt being dug up throughout all of the

Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

. Residents in Nebraska had passed an initiative in 1934, then the first session in the

was held in 1937.

Kay Orr Kay Avonne Orr (née Stark; January 2, 1939) is an American politician who served as the 36th governor of Nebraska from 1987 to 1991. A member of the Republican Party, she was the state's first and to date only female governor. Early life and ...

was elected Nebraska's first female governor on November 4, 1986.

Geography

The state is bordered by

to the north;

to the east and

to the southeast, across the

;

to the south;

to the southwest; and

to the west. The state has 93 counties and is split between two

time zone A time zone is an area which observes a uniform standard time for legal, Commerce, commercial and social purposes. Time zones tend to follow the boundaries between Country, countries and their Administrative division, subdivisions instead of ...

s, with the majority of the state observing Central Time and the

Panhandle A salient, panhandle, or bootheel is an elongated protrusion of a geopolitical entity, such as a subnational entity or a sovereign state. While similar to a peninsula in shape, a salient is most often not surrounded by water on three sides. Ins ...

and surrounding counties observing

Mountain Time The Mountain Time Zone of North America keeps time by subtracting seven hours from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) when standard time ( UTC−07:00) is in effect, and by subtracting six hours during daylight saving time ( UTC−06:00). The clo ...

. Three rivers cross the state from west to east. The

, formed by the confluence of the North Platte and the

South Platte The South Platte River is one of the two principal tributaries of the Platte River. Flowing through the U.S. states of Colorado and Nebraska, it is itself a major river of the American Midwest and the American Southwest/ Mountain West. I ...

, runs through the state's central portion, the

Niobrara River The Niobrara River (; , , literally "water spread-out horizontal-the" or "The Wide-Spreading Water") is a tributary of the Missouri River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. Many early settlers, such as Mari Sandoz, referred to the rive ...

flows through the northern part, and the

Republican River The Republican River is a river in the central Great Plains of North America, rising in the High Plains of eastern Colorado and flowing east U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map acce ...

runs across the southern part. The first Constitution of Nebraska in 1866 described Nebraska's boundaries as follows (The description of the Northern border is no longer accurate, since the Keya Paha River and the

no longer form the boundary of the state of Nebraska. Instead, Nebraska's Northern border now extends east along the forty-third degree of north latitude until it meets the

directly.): Nebraska is composed of two major land regions: the Dissected Till Plains and the

. The easternmost portion of the state was scoured by

Ice Age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages, and g ...

glacier A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...

s; the Dissected Till Plains were left after the glaciers retreated. The Dissected Till Plains is a region of gently rolling hills;

and

are in this region. The Great Plains occupy most of western Nebraska, with the region consisting of several smaller, diverse land regions, including the Sandhills, the Pine Ridge, the

Rainwater Basin The Rainwater Basin wetland region is a loess plain located south of the Platte River in south-central Nebraska.Krueger, J.P., 1986. ''Development of oriented lakes in the eastern rainbasin region of south-central Nebraska.'' Master’s thesis ...

, the High Plains and the Wildcat Hills.

Panorama Point Panorama Point is the highest natural point in Nebraska, at an elevation of above sea level. It is located in southwestern Kimball County, near the point where Nebraska and Wyoming meet on Colorado's northern boundary. Despite its name and el ...

, at , is Nebraska's highest point; though despite its name and elevation, it is a relatively low rise near the

and

borders. A past tourism slogan for the state of Nebraska was "Where the West Begins" (it has since been changed to "Honestly, it's not for everyone"). Locations given for the beginning of the "West" in Nebraska 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.

Federal land management

Areas under the management of the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

include: * Agate Fossil Beds National Monument near Harrison *

California National Historic Trail The California Trail was an emigrant trail of about across the western half of the North American continent from Missouri River towns to what is now the state of California. After it was established, the first half of the California Trail f ...

* Chimney Rock National Historic Site near

Bayard Bayard may refer to: People *Bayard (given name) * Bayard (surname) *Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard (1473–1524) French knight Places Antarctica * Bayard Islands, off the coast of Graham Land, Antarctica Canada * Bayard, Saskatch ...

* Homestead National Monument of America in Beatrice *

Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail is a route across the United States commemorating the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804 to 1806. It is part of the National Trails System of the United States. It extends for some from Pittsburgh, ...

Missouri National Recreational River The Missouri National Recreational River is a National Recreational River located on the border between Nebraska and South Dakota. The designation was first applied in 1978 to a 59-mile section of the Missouri River between Gavins Point Dam and ...

near

* Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail *

Niobrara National Scenic River The Niobrara National Scenic River is a section of the Niobrara River in north-central Nebraska, United States, approximately 300 miles (480 km) northwest of Omaha. In 1991, Congress set aside 76 miles (120 km) for preservation under ...

near Valentine *

Oregon National Historic Trail The Oregon Trail was a east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and Westward Expansion Trails, emigrant trail in North America that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon Territory. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail crossed what ...

Pony Express National Historic Trail The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company. During its 18 months of opera ...

* Scotts Bluff National Monument at Gering Areas under the management of the

National Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands covering of land. The major divisions of the agency are the Chief's ...

include: *

Nebraska National Forest The Nebraska National Forest is a United States National Forest located within the U.S. state of Nebraska. The total area of the national forest is . The forest is managed by the U.S. Forest Service's Nebraska Forests and Grasslands Supervisor ...

Oglala National Grassland The Oglala National Grassland is a United States National Grassland in the northwest corner of Nebraska. It is in northern Sioux and northwestern Dawes counties, on the borders with South Dakota and Wyoming. It is in size and is one of the sm ...

* Samuel R. McKelvie National Forest

Climate

Two major climatic zones are represented in Nebraska. The eastern two-thirds of the state has a

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Dfa''), although the southwest of this region may be classed as a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(''Cfa'') using the near the Kansas state line, analogous to the predominantly

humid subtropical A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between la ...

climate of Kansas and

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

. Western Nebraska, including The Panhandle and adjacent areas bordering Colorado have a

semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of se ...

(Köppen ''BSk''). The entire state experiences wide seasonal variations in both temperature and precipitation. Average temperatures are fairly uniform across Nebraska, with hot summers and generally cold winters. However,

chinook wind Chinook winds, or simply Chinooks, are two types of prevailing warm, generally westerly winds in western North America: Coastal Chinooks and interior Chinooks. The coastal Chinooks are persistent seasonal, wet, southwesterly winds blowing in from ...

s from the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in great-circle distance, straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Can ...

provide a temporary moderating effect on temperatures in the state's western portion during the winter. Thus, average January maximum temperatures are highest at around in southwestern Dundy County, and lowest at about around South Sioux City in the northeast. Average annual precipitation decreases east to west from about in the southeast corner of the state to about in the Panhandle. Humidity also decreases significantly from east to west. Snowfall across the state is fairly even, with most of Nebraska receiving between of snow each year. Nebraska's highest-recorded temperature was in

Minden Minden () is a middle-sized town in the very north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the largest town in population between Bielefeld and Hanover. It is the capital of the district () of Minden-Lübbecke, situated in the cultural region ...

on July 24, 1936. The state's lowest-recorded temperature was in Camp Clarke on February 12, 1899. Nebraska is located in

Tornado Alley Tornado Alley, also known as Tornado Valley, is a loosely defined location of the central United States and, in the 21st century, Canada where tornadoes are most frequent. The term was first used in 1952 as the title of a research project to st ...

Thunderstorm A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustics, acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorm ...

s are common during both the spring and the summer. Violent thunderstorms and

es happen primarily during those two seasons, although they also can occur occasionally during the autumn.

Settlements

Eighty-nine percent of the cities in Nebraska have fewer than 3,000 people. Nebraska shares this characteristic with five other Midwestern states:

and

, and

. Hundreds of towns have a population of fewer than 1,000. Regional population declines have forced many rural schools to consolidate. Fifty-three of Nebraska's 93 counties reported declining populations between 1990 and 2000, ranging from a 0.06% loss ( Frontier County) to a 17.04% loss ( Hitchcock County). Downtown Omaha from the North at Night

More urbanized areas of the state have experienced substantial growth. In 2000, the city of

had a population of 390,007; in 2005, the city's estimated population was 414,521 (427,872 including the recently annexed city of Elkhorn), a 6.3% increase over five years. The 2010 census showed that Omaha has a population of 408,958. The city of

had a 2000 population of 225,581 and a 2010 population of 258,379, a 14.5% increase. As of the 2010 census, there were 530 cities and villages in the state of Nebraska. There are five classifications of cities and villages in Nebraska, which are based upon population. All population figures are 2017

Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

estimates unless flagged by a reference number. Metropolitan Class City (300,000 or more) *

466,893 Primary Class City (100,000–299,999) *

284,736 First Class City (5,000–99,999) *

Bellevue Bellevue means "beautiful view" in French. Bellevue or Belle Vue may refer to: Places Australia * Bellevue, Queensland * Bellevue, Western Australia * Bellevue Hill, New South Wales Canada * Bellevue, Alberta * Bellevue, Newfoundlan ...

53,424 * Grand Island 51,390 * Kearney 33,835 * Fremont 26,457 *

Hastings Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...

24,989 *

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

24,434 * North Platte 23,888 * Columbus 23,128 * Papillion 19,539 * La Vista 17,116 * Scottsbluff 14,874 * South Sioux City 12,911 * Beatrice 12,295 * Lexington 10,024 * Gering 8,319 *

Alliance An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or sovereign state, states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an a ...

8,164 *

Blair Blair is a Scots-English-language name of Scottish Gaelic origin. The surname is derived from any of the numerous places in Scotland called ''Blair'', derived from the Scottish Gaelic ''blàr'', meaning "plain", "meadow" or " field", frequently ...

8,091 *

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

7,862 * McCook 7,540 * Ralston 7,333 *

7,313 * Seward 7,181 *

Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

7,160 * Sidney 6,620 *

Plattsmouth Plattsmouth is a city in and the county seat of Cass County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 6,620 at the 2020 census. History The Lewis and Clark Expedition passed the mouth of the Platte River, just north of what is now Main Str ...

6,451 * Schuyler 6,212 * Chadron 5,648 * Wayne 5,439 * Holdrege 5,494 * Gretna 5,062 Second Class Cities (800–4,999) and Villages (100–800) make up the rest of the communities in Nebraska. There are 116 second-class cities and 382 villages in the state.

Metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...

s 2017 estimate data * Omaha-Council Bluffs 763,326 (Nebraska portion); 933,316 (total for Nebraska and Iowa) *

331,519 *

Sioux City, Iowa Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury County, Iowa, Woodbury and Plymouth County, Iowa, Plymouth counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Iowa, fo ...

26,836 (Nebraska portion); 168,618 (total for Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota) * Grand Island 85,045 Micropolitan areas 2012 estimate data Other areas *Grand Island, Hastings and Kearney comprise the " Tri-Cities" area, with a combined population of 174,530. *The northeast corner of Nebraska is part of the

Siouxland Siouxland is a vernacular region that encompasses the entire Big Sioux River drainage basin in the U.S. states of South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska and Iowa. cheetz, George H."Whence Siouxland?" ''Book Remarks'' ioux City Public Library May 19 ...

region.

Demographics

Population

The 2020 United States census reported that the population of Nebraska was 1,961,504 on April 1, 2020, a 7.4% increase since the 2010 United States census. The

center of population In Demography, demographics, the center of population (or population center) of a region is a geographical point that describes a centerpoint of the region's population. There are several ways of defining such a "center point", leading to dif ...

of Nebraska is in Polk County, in the city of Shelby. According to HUD's 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report, there were an estimated 2,246 homeless people in Nebraska. The table below shows the racial composition of Nebraska's population as of 2022. According to the 2016

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

, 10.2% of Nebraska's population were of Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race): Mexican (7.8%), Puerto Rican (0.2%), Cuban (0.2%), and other Hispanic or Latino origin (2.0%). The largest ancestry groups were:

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

(36.1%), Irish (13.1%), English (7.8%),

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

(4.7%), Swedish (4.3%), and

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

(3.5%). Nebraska has the largest

Czech American Czech Americans (), known in the 19th and early 20th century as Bohemian Americans, are citizens of the United States whose ancestry is wholly or partly originate from the Czech lands, a term which refers to the majority of the traditional l ...

and non-Mormon

Danish American Danish Americans () are Americans who have ancestral roots originated fully or partially from Denmark. There are approximately 1,300,000 Americans of Danish origin or descent. Most Danes who came to the United States after 1865 did so for e ...

population (as a percentage of the total population) in the nation. Nebraska is also home to the largest

Polish American Polish Americans () are Americans who either have total or partial Polish ancestry, or are citizens of the Republic of Poland. There are an estimated 8.81 million self-identified Polish Americans, representing about 2.67% of the U.S. population, ...

population in the Great Plains.

German Americans German Americans (, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. According to the United States Census Bureau's figures from 2022, German Americans make up roughly 41 million people in the US, which is approximately 12% of the pop ...

are the largest ancestry group in most of the state, particularly in the eastern counties. Thurston County (made up entirely of the

and Winnebago reservations) has an American Indian majority, and Butler County is one of only two counties in the nation with a Czech-American plurality. In recent years, Nebraska has become home to many refugee communities. In 2016, it welcomed more refugees per capita than any other state. Nebraska, and in particular Lincoln, is the largest home of

Yazidis Yazidis, also spelled Yezidis (; ), are a Kurdish languages, Kurdish-speaking Endogamy, endogamous religious group indigenous to Kurdistan, a geographical region in Western Asia that includes parts of Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Iran. The major ...

refugees and Yazidi Americans in the United States. Notably, Nebraska was the last of all 50 states to maintain a ban on the issuance of driver's licenses to adults who had entered the United States illegally as children (also known as Dreamers). The state legislature lifted the ban in December 2016.

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, China, Guatemala, and El Salvador are top countries of origin for Nebraska's immigrants.

Birth data

As of 2011, 31.0% of Nebraska's population younger than ageone were minorities. ''Note: For 2013–2015, births in table don't add up, because Hispanics are counted both by their ethnicity and by their race, giving a higher overall number. Since 2016, data for births of White Hispanic and Latino Americans, White Hispanic origin are not collected, but included in one ''Hispanic'' group; persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.''

Religion

The religious affiliations of the people of Nebraska are predominantly Christian, according to a 2014 survey by the Pew Research Center. At the 2020 Public Religion Research Institute survey, 73% of the population identified as Christian. At the 2014 Pew Research Center's survey, 20% of the population were religiously unaffiliated; in 2020, the Public Religion Research Institute determined 22% of the population became religiously unaffiliated. The 2023–24 Pew Research Center Religious Landscape Study found that 74% of Nebraskans identified as Christians and 21% were religiously unaffiliated. The largest single denominations by number of adherents in 2010 were the Catholic Church, Roman Catholic Church (372,838), the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (112,585), the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (110,110) and the United Methodist Church (109,283).

Taxation

Nebraska has a progressive tax, progressive income tax. The portion of income from $0 to $2,400 is taxed at 2.56%; from $2,400 to $17,500, at 3.57%; from $17,500 to $27,000, at 5.12%; and income over $27,000, at 6.84%. The standard deduction for a single taxpayer is $5,700; the personal exemption is $118. Nebraska has a state sales and use tax of 5.5%. In addition to the state tax, some Nebraska cities assess a city sales and use tax, in 0.5% increments, up to a maximum of 1.5%. Dakota County, Nebraska, Dakota County levies an additional 0.5% county sales tax. Food and ingredients that are generally for home preparation and consumption are not taxable. All real property 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.

Economy

Nebraska grain silo RAAM 2015 by D Ramey Logan

*Total employment (2016): 884,450 *Total employer establishments: 54,265 The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates of Nebraska's gross state product in 2010 was $89.8 billion. Per capita personal income in the United States, Per capita personal income in 2004 was $31,339, 25th in the nation. Nebraska has a large agriculture sector, and is a major producer of beef, pork, wheat, maize, corn (maize), soybeans, and Sorghum bicolor, sorghum. Other important economic sectors include freight transport (by rail and truck), manufacturing, telecommunications, information technology, and insurance. In October 2021, Nebraska recorded an unemployment rate of 1.9%, the lowest ever recorded for any state.

Industry

Kool-Aid was created in 1927 by Edwin Perkins (inventor), Edwin Perkins in the city of

, which celebrates the event the second weekend of every August with Kool-Aid Days, and Kool-Aid is the official soft drink of Nebraska. ''CliffsNotes'' were developed by Clifton Hillegass of Rising City, Nebraska, Rising City. He adapted his pamphlets from the Canadian publications, ''Coles (bookstore), Coles Notes''.

is home to Berkshire Hathaway, whose chief executive officer (CEO), Warren Buffett, was ranked in March 2009 by ''Forbes'' magazine as the The World's Billionaires, second-richest person in the world. The city is also home to Mutual of Omaha, InfoUSA, West Corporation, Valmont Industries, Woodmen of the World, Kiewit Corporation, Union Pacific Railroad, and Gallup (company), Gallup. Ameritas Life Insurance Company, Ameritas Life Insurance Corp., Nelnet, Sandhills Publishing Company, Duncan Aviation, and Hudl are based in

. Buckle (store), The Buckle is based in Kearney. Sidney is the national headquarters for Cabela's, a specialty retailer of outdoor goods now owned by Bass Pro Shops. Grand Island is the headquarters of Hornady, a manufacturer of ammunition. The world's largest Rail yard, train yard, Union Pacific Railroad, Union Pacific's Bailey Yard, is in North Platte. The Locking pliers, Vise-Grip was invented by William Petersen in 1924, and was manufactured in De Witt, Nebraska, De Witt until the plant was closed and moved to China in late 2008. Lincoln's Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing is the only Kawasaki plant in the world to produce the Jet Ski, all-terrain vehicle (ATV), and Kawasaki MULE, MULE product lines. The facility employs more than 1,200 people. The Spade Ranch (Nebraska), Spade Ranch, in the Sandhills, is one of Nebraska's oldest and largest beef cattle operations.

Energy

Nebraska has been the nation's second-largest producer of ethanol biofuels. It has few fossil-fuel resources except for crude oil from the Niobrara Formation which underlays a portion of the state's western region. It hosts one uranium leach mining operation near its northwest border with Wyoming. It has an abundance of renewable generation resources, including untapped biomass generation potential from its productive agriculture industry. It has been a top-ten state for per-capita energy consumption due in large part to its energy-intensive agriculture, meat packing, and food processing industries. Nebraska is the only state in the US where all Electric utility, electric utilities are State-owned enterprise, publicly owned. Half of its electricity is generated from coal and the fastest-growing source in recent years has been wind. Nebraska has no renewable portfolio standard while supporting net metering.

Transportation

Railroads

The Union Pacific Railroad, headquartered in Omaha, was incorporated on July 1, 1862, in the wake of the Pacific Railway Acts, Pacific Railway Act of 1862. Bailey Yard, in North Platte, is the largest railroad classification yard in the world. The route of the First transcontinental railroad, original transcontinental railroad runs through the state. Other major railroads with operations in the state are Amtrak; BNSF, BNSF Railway; Canadian National Railway; and Iowa Interstate Railroad.

Roads and highways

Public transit

*StarTran, Lincoln StarTran *Metro Transit (Omaha), Omaha Metro Transit *Tri-City Roadrunner, Scottsbluff Tri-City Roadrunner *Sioux City Transit

Intercity bus service

*Burlington Trailways *Express Arrow *Jefferson Lines *Panhandle Trails

Law and government

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

Executive branch

The head of the executive branch is Governor of Nebraska, Governor Jim Pillen (Republican Party (United States), Republican). The Governor of Nebraska is the head of government of the U.S. state of Nebraska as provided by the fourth article of the Constitution of Nebraska. Other elected officials in the executive branch are Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska, Lieutenant Governor Joe Kelly (attorney), Joe Kelly, Nebraska Attorney General, Attorney General Mike Hilgers, Secretary of State of Nebraska, Secretary of State Bob Evnen, State Treasurer John Murante, and State Auditor Mike Foley (Nebraska politician), Mike Foley. All elected officials in the executive branch serve four-year terms.

Legislative branch

Nebraska is the only state in the United States with a 'single-house'

legislature. Although this house is officially known simply as the "Nebraska Legislature, Legislature", and more commonly called the "Unicameral", its members call themselves "senators". Nebraska's Legislature is also the only State legislature (United States), state legislature in the United States that is officially Non-partisan democracy, nonpartisan. The senators are elected with no party affiliation next to their names on the ballot, and members of any party can be elected to the positions of speaker and committee chairs. The Nebraska Legislature can also override the governor's veto with a three-fifths majority, in contrast to the two-thirds majority required in some other states. When Nebraska became a state in 1867, its legislature consisted of two houses: a House of Representatives and a Senate. For years, U.S. Senator George W. Norris, George Norris (Senator 1913–1943) 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 bicameralism, bicameral legislature had a significant undemocratic feature in the committees that reconciled House 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. In 1934, due in part to the budgetary pressure of the Great Depression, Nebraska citizens ran a state initiative to vote on a constitutional amendment creating a unicameral legislature, which was approved, which, in effect, abolished the House of Representatives (the lower house). The Legislature meets in the third Nebraska State Capitol building, built between 1922 and 1932. It was designed by Bertram Goodhue, Bertram G. Goodhue. Built from Indiana Limestone, the capitol's base is a cross within a square. A 400-foot (122 m) domed tower rises from this base. The Sower, a 19-foot (5.8 m) bronze statue representing agriculture, crowns the building.

Judicial branch

The judicial system in Nebraska is unified, with the Nebraska Supreme Court having administrative authority over all the courts within the state. Nebraska uses the Missouri Plan for the selection of judges at all levels, including Nebraska County Courts, county courts (as the lowest-level courts) and twelve Nebraska District Courts, district courts, which contain one or more counties. The Nebraska Court of Appeals, Court of Appeals hears appeals from the district courts, Nebraska Juvenile Courts, juvenile courts, and workers' compensation courts.

Federal representation

Nebraska is represented in the United States Senate, U.S. Senate by Republican Party (United States), Republican Deb Fischer, who was first elected in 2012 United States Senate election in Nebraska, 2012. Nebraska's other Senate seat is currently held by Pete Ricketts, who took office on January 23, 2023. Nebraska has three representative seats in the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives. Until the next election, Nebraska's representatives are Mike Flood (politician), Mike Flood (R) of the Nebraska's 1st congressional district, 1st district, Don Bacon (R) of the Nebraska's 2nd congressional district, 2nd district, and Adrian Smith (politician), Adrian Smith (R) of the Nebraska's 3rd congressional district, 3rd district. Nebraska is one of two states (Maine is the other) that allow for a split in the state's allocation of Electoral College (United States), electoral votes in United States presidential election, presidential elections. Under a 1991 law, two of Nebraska's five votes are awarded to the winner of the statewide popular vote, while the other three go to the highest vote-getter in each of the state's three List of United States congressional districts, congressional districts.

Politics

For most of its history, Nebraska has been a solidly Republican Party (United States), Republican state. Republicans have carried the state in all but one presidential election since 1940 United States presidential election, 1940: the 1964 United States presidential election, 1964 landslide election of Lyndon B. Johnson. In the 2004 United States presidential election, 2004 presidential election, George W. Bush won the state's five electoral votes by a margin of 33 percentage points (making Nebraska's the fourth-strongest Republican vote among states) with 65.9% of the overall vote; only Thurston County, which is majority-Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Native American, voted for his Democratic Party (United States), Democratic challenger John Kerry. In 2008 United States presidential election, 2008, the state split its electoral votes for the first time: Republican John McCain won the popular vote in Nebraska as a whole and two of its three congressional districts; the second district, which includes the city of Omaha, went for Democrat Barack Obama. Since then, the state has split its electoral vote twice, with the second district going for the Democratic Party candidates Joe Biden in 2020 United States presidential election, 2020 and Kamala Harris in 2024 United States presidential election, 2024. Despite the current Republican domination of Nebraska politics, the state has a long tradition of electing Centrism, centrist members of both parties to state and federal office; examples include George W. Norris (who served a few years in the Senate as an independent), J. James Exon, Bob Kerrey, and Chuck Hagel. Voters have tilted to the right in recent years, a trend evidenced when Hagel retired from the Senate in 2008 and was succeeded by conservative Republican Mike Johanns to the U.S. Senate, as well as with the 2006 re-election of Ben Nelson, who was considered the most conservative Democrat in the Senate until his retirement in 2013. Johanns retired in 2015 and was succeeded by Ben Sasse, while Nelson retired in 2013 and was succeeded by Deb Fischer, both conservative Republicans. Though its politics are generally conservative, the state also has a history of progressive reform. Nebraska was the first U.S. state to Marital rape in the United States, outlaw sexual assault within a marriage, in 1975. In 1980 it became the first U.S. state to Disinvestment from South Africa, divest from South Africa to protest the racist system of apartheid. Former President Gerald Ford was born in Nebraska but moved away shortly after birth. Illinois native William Jennings Bryan represented Nebraska in Congress, served as United States Secretary of State, U.S. Secretary of State under President Woodrow Wilson, and unsuccessfully ran for president three times. Former Vice President Dick Cheney was born in

but moved to Casper, Wyoming, Casper.

Education

Colleges and universities

University of Nebraska system *University of Nebraska–Lincoln *University of Nebraska at Kearney *University of Nebraska at Omaha *University of Nebraska Medical Center *Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture Nebraska State College System *Chadron State College *Peru State College *Wayne State College Community Colleges *Central Community College (Nebraska), Central Community College *Little Priest Tribal College *Metropolitan Community College (Omaha), Metropolitan Community College *Mid-Plains Community College *Nebraska Indian Community College *Northeast Community College *Southeast Community College *Western Nebraska Community College Private colleges/universities *Bellevue University *Clarkson College *College of Saint Mary *Concordia University, Seward, Concordia University *Creighton University *Doane University *Grace University *Hastings College *Midland University *Nebraska Christian College *Nebraska Methodist College *Nebraska Wesleyan University *Summit Christian College *Union College of Lincoln, Union College *York College (Nebraska), York College

Culture

Arts

Museums Performing arts *Lied Center for Performing Arts, in Lincoln *Orpheum Theatre (Omaha), Orpheum Theatre, in Omaha *Holland Performing Arts Center, in Omaha *Omaha Community Playhouse, in Omaha *Rose Blumkin Performing Arts Center, in Omaha *Blue Barn Theatre, in Omaha *Omaha Symphony

Sports

Professional sports

Junior-level sports

College sports

Nebraska is currently home to seven member schools of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA, eight of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, NAIA, seven of the National Junior College Athletic Association, NJCAA, one of the National Christian College Athletic Association, NCCAA, and one independent school. The College World Series has been held in

since 1950. It was held at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium, Rosenblatt Stadium from 1950 through 2010, and has been domiciled at Charles Schwab Field Omaha since 2011.

Notes

References

Bibliography

Surveys

*Andreas, Alfred T.
''History of the State of Nebraska''
(1882) (a highly detailed history) *Archer, J. Clark, et al. ''Atlas of Nebraska. '' (U of Nebraska Press, 2017). Pp. xxii+ 214, color maps, illustrations, photographs, charts, graphs, bibliography
online review
*Creigh, Dorothy Weyers. ''Nebraska: A Bicentennial History'' (1977) * Faulkner, Virginia, ed. ''Roundup: A Nebraska Reader'' (1957) *''Chokecherry Places, Essays from the High Plains'', Merrill Gilfillan, Johnson Press, Boulder, Colorado, trade paperback, . *Hickey, Donald R. ''Nebraska Moments: Glimpses of Nebraska's Past'' (1992). *Miewald, Robert D.
''Nebraska Government & Politics''
(1984) *Luebke Frederick C. ''Nebraska: An Illustrated History'' (1995) *Naugle, Ronald C., John J. Montag, and James C. Olson. ''History of Nebraska'' (4th ed. U of Nebraska Press, 2015). 568 pp
online review
*David J. Wishart, Wishart, David J. ed. ''Encyclopedia of the Great Plains'', University of Nebraska Press, 2004,
complete text online
; 900 pages of scholarly articles
''Nebraska: A Guide to the Cornhusker State'', WPA Guide, 1939; scanned online edition

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) *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) * *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

External links

Nebraska state government

Nebraska Division of Travel and Tourism

Energy Profile for NebraskaUSGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of Nebraska

Nebraska State Facts from USDA

Nebraska Frequently Asked Questions

nebraskastudies.org
History of Nebraska from Nebraska Department of Education, Nebraska State Historical Society, and NET
Nebraska State Databases
Annotated list of searchable databases produced by Nebraska state agencies and compiled by the Government Documents Roundtable of the American Library Association. * {{Authority control Nebraska, States and territories established in 1867 States of the United States Midwestern United States Articles containing video clips 1867 establishments in the United States Contiguous United States