Nebraska
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'''Nebraska''' is a Great Plains U.S. state|state of the United States. Nebraska gets its name from a Native Americans in the United States|Native American (Otoe tribe|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 agriculture|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 has "Cornhuskers" (which is derived from the state nickname).
History
The Kansas-Nebraska Act became law on May 30, 1854; it established the political divisions of the United States|U.S. territories of Nebraska and Kansas. The territorial capital of Nebraska was Omaha, Nebraska|Omaha.
In the 1860s, the first great wave of Homestead Act|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 (US)|Civil War. At that time, the capital was moved from Omaha, Nebraska|Omaha to Lancaster, later renamed Lincoln, Nebraska|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, Nebraska|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 http://www.rootsweb.com/~neresour/OLLibrary/Journals/HPR/Vol06/nhrv06pc.html
"Rural flight"
Nebraska, in common with five other Midwest states (Kansas, Oklahoma, North Dakota|North and South Dakota, and Iowa), has experienced a decades-long population decline in rural areas. 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, Nebraska|Monowi, which in the 1930s had a population of 150, now has a population of one (as of 2005).
Law and Government
Nebraska is the only state in the United States with a unicameral Nebraska Legislature|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 system|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.
For years, United States Senate|United States Senator George Norris and other Nebraskans encouraged the unicameral 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."
Since 1991, two of Nebraska's five U.S. Electoral College|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. For the last ten elections, United States Republican Party|Republicans have won all of Nebraska's electoral votes, and no United States Democratic Party|Democrat has carried the state since Lyndon Johnson. In the U.S. presidential election, 2004|2004 presidential election, George W. Bush won the state's five electoral votes by the overwhelming margin of 33 percentage points (the fourth most Republican vote among states) with 65.9% of the vote; only Thurston County, Nebraska|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, J. James Exon, and Bob Kerrey. This tradition is illustrated by Nebraska's current U.S. Senate|United States senators: Republican Senator Chuck Hagel is a maverick within his party, while Democratic Senator Ben Nelson is the most conservative member of his party in the Senate.
The Nebraska legislature is housed in the third Nebraska State Capitol building, which was built between 1922 and 1932.
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 List of counties in Nebraska|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, Nebraska|Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska|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 Sand Hills, the Pine Ridge (region)|Pine Ridge, the Rainwater Basin, the High Plains (United States)|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 west|100th meridian, and Chimney Rock.
Economy
The http://www.bea.gov/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, maize|corn (maize), and soybeans. Other important economic sectors include freight transport (by rail and truck), manufacturing, telecommunications, information technology, and insurance.
Demographics
According to the Census Bureau, as of 2004, the population of Nebraska was 1,747,214. This includes 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 American|German (38.6%), Irish American|Irish (12.4%), British American|English (9.6%), Swedish American|Swedish (4.9%), and Czech Republic|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 (tribe)|Omaha and Winnebago (tribe)|Winnebago reservations) has a Native Americans in the United States|Indian majority, and Butler County, Nebraska|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:
Christianity|Christian – 90%
Protestantism|Protestant – 61%
Lutheranism|Lutheran – 16%
Methodism|Methodist – 11%
Baptist – 9%
Presbyterianism|Presbyterian – 4%
Other Protestant – 21%
Roman Catholicism in the United States|Roman Catholic – 28%
Other Christian – 1%
Other religions – 1%
Non-religious – 9%
Interstate 76 (west)|76, Interstate 80|80, Interstate 129|129, Interstate 180 (Nebraska)|180, Interstate 480 (Iowa-Nebraska)|480, Interstate 680 (Iowa-Nebraska)|680
The '''U.S. Highway system|U.S. Highways''' in Nebraska are:
U.S. Highway 6|6, U.S. Highway 20|20, U.S. Highway 26|26, U.S. Highway 30|30, U.S. Highway 34|34, U.S. Highway 73|73, U.S. Highway 75|75, U.S. Highway 77|77, U.S. Highway 81|81, U.S. Highway 83|83, U.S. Highway 136|136, U.S. Highway 138|138, U.S. Highway 159|159, U.S. Highway 183|183, U.S. Highway 275|275, U.S. Highway 281|281, U.S. Highway 283|283, U.S. Highway 385|385
Major cities and urban areas
All population figures are 2004 United States Census Bureau|Census Bureau estimates.
Largest cities
Urban 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
Sports teams
Professional sports
Lincoln Capitols – National Indoor Football League
Lincoln Saltdogs – American Association (21st century)|American Association (independent minor league baseball)
Lincoln Thunder – American Basketball Association (21st century)|American Basketball Association
Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights – American Hockey League (Calgary Flames farm team)
Omaha Beef – United Indoor Football
Omaha Royals – Pacific Coast League (AAA minor league baseball)
National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA Division I college sports
Creighton Bluejays
Nebraska Cornhuskers
UNO Mavericks|Nebraska at Omaha Mavericks – ice hockey (in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association) only
Junior-level sports
Lincoln Stars – United States Hockey League
Omaha Lancers – United States Hockey League (home games played in Council Bluffs, Iowa)
Tri-City Storm – United States Hockey League
U.S. Census Bureau.
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/31000.html Geographic and demographic information.
http://www.census.gov/population/documentation/twps0056/tab42.pdf(Portable Document Format|PDF)
Further reading
Chokecherry Places, Essays from the High Plains, Merrill Gilfillan, Johnson Press, Boulder, Colorado, trade paperback, ISBN 1-55566-227-7.
External links
http://www.nebraska.gov/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/31000.html
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