Nebraska: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

Nebraska

(In Detail) (Full size)
State nickname: Cornhusker State
Other U.S. States
Capital	Lincoln
Largest City	Omaha
Governor	Mike Johanns
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water  - % water	Ranked 16th 200,520 km² 199099 km² 1,247 km² 0.6%
Population  - Total (2000)  - Density	Ranked 38th 1,711,263 8.5/km²
Admittance into Union  - Order  - Date	37th March 1, 1867
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5 Mountain: UTC-7/-6 Eastern NE is Central, Western NE is Mountain
Latitude Longitude	40°N to 43°N 95°25'W to 104°W
Width Length Elevation   -Highest   -Mean   -Lowest	340 km 690 km   1,653 meters 790 meters 256 meters
ISO 3166-2:	US-NE

Nebraska is a midwestern State of the United States. Nebraska gets its name from a Native American 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.

History

The Kansas-Nebraska Act became law on May 30, 1854 which established the US 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 a town that was renamed Lincoln after the recently assassinated President Abraham Lincoln.

Arbor Day began in Nebraska. The National Arbor Day Foundation is still headquartered in Nebraska City.

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 known simply as the "Legislature", 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 chairpersons are chosen at large, so that members of any party can be (and often are) chosen for these positions.

See List of Nebraska Governors.

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. The largest city in Nebraska is Omaha, and the capital is Lincoln. The state has 93 counties; see List of Nebraska counties.

In regional terms, Nebraska is located in the Great Plains, at the westernmost extent of the Grain Belt. The eastern portion of the State can be considered part of the "Midwest", while the western and central portions are part of the "West", although the distinction between these regions is somewhat fluid. Indeed, one of Nebraska's mottos is "Where the West begins", and a local legend even has it that the West begins precisely at the intersection of 13th and O Streets in Lincoln (where it is marked by a red brick star).

Nebraska is known for its agriculture, especially beef and corn (aka maize).

Nebraska's population as of 2000 is 1,711,263.

Largest cities and towns

Largest urban areas

Colleges and universities

• Nebraska Cornhuskers, college football
• Omaha Royals, minor league baseball
• Lincoln Saltdogs, minor league baseball
• Creighton Bluejays, college basletball

The USS Nebraska was named in honor of this State.

Nebraska is also the name of a 1982 album by Bruce Springsteen, widely considered one of his best.

Kool-Aid was created by Edwin Perkins in Hastings, Nebraska.

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

Former President Gerald R. Ford along with various actors including Henry Fonda, Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift were born in the state

Further reading

• Chokecherry Places, Essays from the High Plains, Merrill Gilfillan, Johnson Press, Boulder, Colorado, trade paperback, ISBN 1555662277.

Political divisions of the United States

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