Nebraska
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State flag
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NEBRASKA,
one of the West North Central states of the U.S., bounded
on the N by South Dakota, on the E by Iowa and Missouri, on the
S by Kansas, on the SW by Colorado, and on the W by Wyoming. The
Missouri R. forms the E boundary.
Nebraska entered the Union on March 1, 1867, as the 37th state.
Nebraska has traditionally been known as an agricultural state.
By the 1990s, although it remained one of the leading agricultural
producers in the country, Nebraska had a diversified economy, dominated
by services and manufacturing. President Gerald R. Ford was born
in the state. The name Nebraska is derived from a Siouan Indian
expression meaning “flat or broad water,” a reference
to the Platte R. Nebraska is called the Cornhusker State.
| NEBRASKA STATE FACTS |
| DATE OF STATEHOOD: |
March 1, 1867; 37th state |
| CAPITAL: |
Lincoln |
| MOTTO: |
Equality before the law |
| NICKNAME: |
Cornhusker State |
| STATE SONG: |
“Beautiful Nebraska” (words by Jim Fras and Guy G. Miller; music by Jim Fras) |
| STATE TREE: |
Western cottonwood |
| STATE FLOWER: |
Goldenrod |
| STATE BIRD: |
Western meadowlark |
| POPULATION (2000 census): |
1,711,263; 38th among the states |
| AREA: |
200,358 sq km (77,358 sq mi); 16th largest state;
includes 1245 sq km (481 sq mi) of inland water |
| HIGHEST POINT: |
1654 m (5426 ft), near the western boundary |
| LOWEST POINT: |
256 m (840 ft), in the southeast |
| ELECTORAL VOTES: |
5 |
| U.S. CONGRESS: |
2 senators; 3 representatives |
| GOVERNOR: |
Mike Johanns (Rep.) Took office January 1999 |
Nebraska, with an area of 200,358 sq km (77,358 sq mi), is
the 16th largest state in the U.S.; 1.1% of the land area
is owned by the federal government. The state is roughly rectangular
in shape, and its extreme dimensions are about 330 km (about 205
mi) from N to S and about 675 km (about 420 mi) from E to W. Elevations
rise gradually, with considerable uniformity from E to W, and range
from 256 m (840 ft) on the Missouri R., in the SE corner of the
state, to 1654 m (5426 ft) near the junction of the Wyoming and
Colorado borders. The approximate mean elevation is 792 m (2600
ft).
Although Nebraska lacks high mountains or rugged hill
lands, its
plains topography displays a variety of landscapes. The E portion
of the state, the Dissected Till Plains, was once covered by glaciers,
which deposited a deep layer of till (mixed clay and stones). A
wind-carried deposit of fine silt (loess) was laid on top of this, and
the surface was gradually cut up (dissected) by the action of streams
and rivers. The dark, fertile soils of this region form some of
the state’s richest farmland. The W four-fifths of Nebraska
lies in the Great Plains region. The surface of this region was
largely formed as beds of sands, gravels, silts, and muds were
deposited
by streams flowing from the Rocky Mts. to the W. In the S central
area of Nebraska the flat and fertile Loess Plains were formed by
the accumulation of windblown silt. To the N of the Platte R. are
the low Sand Hills, which are ancient sand dunes. In the W Panhandle,
erosion has produced isolated buttes and, in the extreme NW, the
picturesque Badlands region.
Nebraska is drained entirely by the Missouri R. and its tributaries. Most
rivers flow E or SE, and most are wide and shallow. The state’s
principal river, the Platte, is formed by the confluence of the
North and South Platte rivers, both of which rise in the Rocky Mts.
The Platte R. flows through central Nebraska to the Missouri R.
The Sand Hills are drained by the Niobrara, Elkhorn, and Loup rivers.
The Republican and Big Blue rivers drain the S part of the state,
flowing S into Kansas, where they enter the Kansas R. Hundreds of
small natural lakes are found in the Sand Hills. The state’s
largest bodies of water are man-made, including Lewis and Clark
Lake, Lake C. W. McConaughy, and Harlan County Lake.
Nebraska has a continental climate with hot summers and harsh
winters. The average annual temperature is about 10.6° C
(about 51° F), and temperatures do not vary greatly from one
part of the state to another. The recorded temperature has ranged
from –43.9° C (–47° F) in 1899
to 47.8° C (118° F) in 1936.
Annual precipitation decreases with marked uniformity from
a maximum of 813 mm (32 in) in the SE to only 381 mm (15 in) in
the W. In summer warm, moist air masses from the Gulf of Mexico
bring frequent thunderstorms and occasional hail and tornadoes.
An average of 737 mm (29 in) of snow falls each year, and occasional
blizzards trap highway travelers and freeze cattle on the open range.
Droughts occur with relative frequency in all parts of the state.
| NEBRASKA AVERAGE CLIMATE |
| |
Omaha |
Scottsbluff |
| Average January temperature range |
–11.1° to 0.6° C |
12° to 33° F |
–11.7° to 3.9° C |
11° to 39° F |
| Average July temperature range |
18.9° to 31.7° C |
66° to 89° F |
15° to 31.7° C |
59° to 89° F |
| Average annual temperature |
11.1° C |
52° F |
8.9° C |
48° F |
| Average annual precipitation |
762 mm |
30 in |
381 mm |
15 in |
| Average annual snowfall |
813 mm |
32 in |
965 mm |
38 in |
| Mean number of days per year with appreciable precipitation |
98 |
83 |
| Average daily relative humidity |
70% |
46% |
| Mean number of clear days per year |
113 |
121 |
Because of its relatively dry climate, Nebraska has a
vegetation that
is primarily grasslands, with about 2% of the total area
forested. Trees exist only along the river valleys and on the higher
sandstone escarpments of the NW. In the E river valleys oak, hickory,
and elm trees predominate. Farther W the river valleys are lined
with cottonwood, willow, and elm trees. Ponderosa pines grow on
the Great Plains escarpments of the NW. The prairie of the W, once
covered with tall bluestem grass, is now mostly cultivated, although
the Sand Hills still have such natural grass cover. The dry Panhandle
has a shorter and sparser grama and buffalo grass cover with occasional
sagebrush. The sandy plains of the SW have sand sage mixed with
grasses.
Wildlife includes coyote, antelope, deer, fox, badger,
and
prairie dog. Only a little more than a hundred years ago the Nebraska
prairies were the grazing land of millions of bison; today bison
are found only in isolated reserves. Pheasants and quail are common,
and waterfowl and gulls are found at the many lakes and reservoirs.
Fish that inhabit the state’s streams and reservoirs include
bass, catfish, crappie, sunfish, and pike.
Petroleum is the most important mineral resource and is found in
the Great Plains region, especially in the SW and in the Panhandle.
The state, however, does not rank high among the nation’s
petroleum producers. A small amount of natural gas is also recovered.
Most of the other mineral production involves construction materials.
Sand and gravel are found in the river valleys, stone (particularly
limestone) is found in the E, and clay is present throughout the
state.
According to the 2000 census, Nebraska had 1,711,263 inhabitants,
an increase of 8.4% over 1990. The average population density
in 2000 was 22.3 people per sq mi of land area. Most of the population
was concentrated in a corridor along the E border and in a belt
along the Platte and North Platte rivers. Whites made up 89.6% of
the population and blacks 4.0%; additional population groups
included 14,896 American Indians, 21,931 Asians, and 836 Native
Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders. (These figures do not include the
1.4% of the population who reported more than one race.)
A total of 94,425 Nebraska residents reported Hispanic ancestry.
Nebraska had two large cities, Omaha and Lincoln, the capital. The
state’s next largest cities—Bellevue, Grand Island, and Kearney—were considerably smaller.
According to the 1990 census, Roman Catholics (29.4%)
formed the largest single religious group, followed by Lutherans
(16.3%) and Methodists (11%). In 1990 about 66% of
all Nebraskans lived in areas defined as urban, and the rest lived
in rural areas.
| POPULATION OF NEBRASKA SINCE 1860 |
| Year of Census |
Population |
Classified As Urban |
| 1860 |
29,000 |
0% |
| 1870 |
123,000 |
18% |
| 1880 |
452,000 |
14% |
| 1900 |
1,066,000 |
24% |
| 1920 |
1,296,000 |
31% |
| 1940 |
1,316,000 |
39% |
| 1960 |
1,411,000 |
54% |
| 1980 |
1,570,000 |
63% |
| 1990 |
1,578,385 |
66% |
| 2000 |
1,711,263 |
-- |
| POPULATION OF TEN LARGEST CITIES IN NEBRASKA |
| |
2000 Census |
1990 Census |
| Omaha |
390,007 |
335,795 |
| Lincoln |
225,581 |
191,972 |
| Bellevue |
44,382 |
30,982 |
| Grand Island |
42,940 |
39,386 |
| Kearney |
27,431 |
24,396 |
| Fremont |
25,174 |
23,680 |
| Hastings |
24,064 |
22,837 |
| North Platte |
23,878 |
22,605 |
| Norfolk |
23,516 |
21,476 |
| Columbus |
20,971 |
19,480 |
Because most of Nebraska has a low population density, the
state’s cultural institutions are concentrated mainly in
the major cities, especially in Omaha and Lincoln.
Although the first school in Nebraska was established in the
1820s at Fort Atkinson, it was not until 1855 that the first territorial
legislature enacted a free school law providing for the establishment
of school districts and school boards. The state constitution of
1875 included secondary education in the public educational system.
In the late 1980s Nebraska had 1524 public elementary and secondary
schools with a combined annual enrollment of about 194,000 elementary
pupils and 76,700 secondary students. Some 31,200 students attended
private schools. In the same period Nebraska had 36 institutions
of higher education with a combined enrollment of about 108,800
students. Among the most notable of these schools were the University
of Nebraska with campuses in Lincoln, Omaha, and Kearney; Peru State
College (1867), in Peru; Creighton University (1878), in Omaha;
Hastings College (1882), in Hastings; Nebraska Wesleyan University
(1887), in Lincoln; and Wayne State College (1910), in Wayne.
Many of Nebraska’s museums contain exhibits concerning
the early pioneer days, such as the Nebraska State Historical Society,
in Lincoln; Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer, in Grand Island;
High Plains Museum, in McCook; and the Museum of the Fur Trade,
near Chadron. Other important museums include the University of
Nebraska State Museum, in Lincoln, and the Hastings Museum, in Hastings,
both noted for their natural history displays; and the Joslyn Art
Museum, in Omaha. Both Omaha and Lincoln support symphony orchestras, and Omaha also has an opera company.
A number of Nebraska’s historical sites mark the
pioneers’ passage along the Oregon Trail. These include
Chimney Rock National Historic Site, near Bayard; Scotts Bluff National
Monument, near Gering; and Fort Kearny State Historical Park, near
Kearney. Other points of interest are the Harold Warp Pioneer Village,
in Minden; Fort Robinson military museum, in Crawford; Pony Express Station,
in Gothenburg; Homestead National Monument of America, in Beatrice;
Arbor Lodge State Historical Park, including the homestead of Julius
Sterling Morton (1832–1902), the originator of Arbor Day,
in Nebraska City; and Boys Town, a facility for underprivileged and homeless boys, in Omaha.
Nebraska’s numerous lakes and reservoirs provide
ample opportunity for swimming, boating, and fishing. Other popular
outdoor sports include hunting, camping, hiking, and horse racing.
Of particular note is the Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge,
in Valentine, which contains many trails for hiking. The University
of Nebraska-Lincoln is noted for fielding excellent football teams.
In the early 1990s Nebraska had 52 AM and 76 FM radiobroadcasting
stations and 27 television stations. The first commercial radio
station in Nebraska, WOAW in Omaha, was licensed in 1923. KMTV and
WOW-TV in Omaha, the state’s first commercial television stations,
began operations in 1949. The Nebraska Palladium and Platte
Valley Advocate, published in Bellevue in 1854, was the
first newspaper printed in Nebraska. In the early 1990s the state
had 20 daily newspapers with a total daily circulation of about
471,300. Dailies included the Lincoln Journal,
the Lincoln Star, and the Omaha World-Herald.
Nebraska is governed under a constitution adopted in 1875,
as amended. An earlier constitution had been adopted in 1866. An
amendment to the constitution may be proposed by the legislature,
by an initiative, or by a constitutional convention. To become effective,
an amendment must be approved by a majority of the persons voting
on the particular issue in a general election.
The chief executive of Nebraska is a governor, who is popularly
elected to a 4-year term and who is limited to a maximum of two
consecutive terms. The lieutenant governor, who succeeds the governor
should the latter resign, die, or be removed from office, is elected
to a 4-year term and may be reelected any number of times. Other
elected state officials include the secretary of state, attorney general,
treasurer, and auditor of public accounts.
Nebraska is the only state with a unicameral legislature.
Its 49 senators are elected to 4-year terms on a nonpartisan ballot.
Nebraska’s highest court, the supreme court, is composed
of 7 justices. The court of appeals consists of 6 judges. The major
trial courts are the district courts, with a total of 48 judges.
Judges of all these courts are initially appointed by the governor
for a 3-year period; each judge must then be approved by the voters
in the next general election. If elected, judges serve 6-year terms;
they must be approved by the voters thereafter every six years.
Other courts include county and municipal courts.
In the early 1990s Nebraska had 93 counties and 535 incorporated
cities and towns. Two-thirds of the counties were governed by elected
boards of commissioners. Cities employed the mayor-council form
of government.
Nebraska elects two senators and three representatives to the
U.S. Congress. The state has five electoral votes in presidential
elections.
Republicans hold the edge in party registration, and a
strong Republican trend has been evident in recent years. In the early
2000s, Republicans held the governorship, one of Nebraska's two U.S.
Senate seats, and all three of the state's seats in the House. Nebraska
is also one of the nation's most reliably Republican states in
presidential voting.
Since its early settlement in the mid-19th century,
Nebraska
has had an economy based on agriculture, specifically the raising
of livestock and the growing of corn (for feed) and wheat. During
the 1930s the economy suffered from the effects of the Great Depression
and an extended drought. Since World War II the construction of
flood-control projects has been responsible for the increased area
of farmland under irrigation. Although farming is still extremely
important, services and manufacturing have expanded rapidly in recent
decades.
| NEBRASKA STATE ECONOMY (early 1990s) |
| STATE BUDGET |
| General revenue |
$2.9 billion |
| General expenditure |
$2.8 billion |
| Accumulated debt |
$1.4 billion |
 |
| STATE AND LOCAL TAXES, PER CAPITA |
$1815 |
| PERSONAL INCOME, PER CAPITA |
$12,452 |
| POPULATION BELOW POVERTY LEVEL |
11.1% |
| ASSETS, INSURED COMMERCIAL BANKS (392) |
$18.6 billion |
|
| LABOR FORCE (CIVILIAN NONFARM) |
706,000 |
| Employed in wholesale and retail trade |
26% |
| Employed in services |
24% |
| Employed in government |
20% |
| Employed in manufacturing |
13% |
|
| MAJOR INDUSTRIES |
% CONTRIBUTED TO GSP* |
| Commercial, financial, and professional services |
48% |
| Manufacturing and construction |
17% |
| Government |
13% |
| Agriculture, forestry, and fisheries |
12% |
| Transportation, communications, and public utilities |
10% |
| Mining |
less than 1% |
* Gross State Product = total value of goods and services produced in a year.
Sources: U.S. government publications |
| PRINCIPAL PRODUCTS OF NEBRASKA (early 1990s) |
| |
Quantity Produced |
Value |
| FARM PRODUCTS |
|
$9.6 billion |
|
| CROPS |
|
$3.5 billion |
| Corn |
23.7 million metric tons |
$2.1 billion |
| Soybeans |
2.2 million metric tons |
$464 million |
| Hay |
6.7 million metric tons |
$442 million |
| Wheat |
2.3 million metric tons |
$227 million |
| Sorghum |
2.7 million metric tons |
$215 million |
|
| LIVESTOCK AND LIVESTOCK PRODUCTS |
|
$6.1 billion |
| Cattle |
1.7 million metric tons |
$4.9 billion |
| Hogs |
736,000 metric tons |
$900 million |
| Milk |
594,000 metric tons |
$176 million |
| Eggs |
1.2 billion |
$50 million |
|
| MINERALS |
|
$212 million |
| Petroleum |
6.2 million barrels |
$108 million |
| Sand, gravel |
13.8 million metric tons |
$42 million |
| Stone |
3.6 million metric tons |
$20 million |
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|
Annual Payroll |
| MANUFACTURING |
|
$2.2 billion |
| Food and kindred products |
|
$486 million |
| Industrial machinery and equipment |
|
$275 million |
| Electronic equipment |
|
$220 million |
| Printing and publishing |
|
$220 million |
| Fabricated metal products |
|
$167 million |
| Rubber and plastics products |
|
$130 million |
| Transportation equipment |
|
$113 million |
| Instruments and related products |
|
$90 million |
| Primary metals |
|
$68 million |
| Chemicals and allied products |
|
$60 million |
|
| OTHER |
|
$10.8 billion |
| Government |
|
$3.3 billion |
| Services |
|
$2.6 billion |
| Retail trade |
|
$1.2 billion |
| Finance, insurance, and real estate |
|
$1.1 billion |
| Wholesale trade |
|
$1.0 billion |
| Transportation, communications, and public utilities |
|
$786 million |
| Construction |
|
$573 million |
| Sources: U.S. government publications |
Farming accounts for 11% of the annual gross state
product in Nebraska. The state has some 56,000 farms, which average
340 ha (841 acres) in size. More than 95% of the state’s
total land area is under agricultural use. Livestock products make
up nearly two-thirds of Nebraska’s yearly farm income.
Nebraska ranks as one of the top three cattle-producing states in
the country. Large ranches dominate cattle production and are located
primarily in the Sand Hills, the Panhandle, and the SW. Ranchers
ship the cattle E for feeding before they are sent to market. Dairying
and hog production are concentrated in the E half of the state.
Sheep are raised in most parts of the state, but especially in the
Panhandle.
Poultry raising is important in the E region of Nebraska.
Crops make up more than one-third of Nebraska’s annual
agricultural income. Corn, the most important crop and the dominant
feed grain, forms the basis of the state’s livestock industry.
It is grown throughout the state but especially in the NE, E, and
S central areas. Other major crops are grain sorghum, grown in the
SE and S central regions; soybeans, grown in the E third of the
state; and wheat, grown in the S and the Panhandle. Hay is produced
throughout the state. Barley, rye, oats, and millet are grown on
a smaller scale in the W and NE. Sugar beets, beans, and potatoes
are grown in the W in the vicinity of the North Platte R. Nebraska
is one of the top states in the amount of land under irrigation.
Most irrigated land is found in the semiarid W and in the S central
counties.
Forestry is of little importance to the Nebraska economy.
Small amounts of oak, hickory, and walnut are cut for furniture and lumber. The commercial fish catch is of negligible value.
The mining industry accounts for less than 1% of
the annual gross annual state product in Nebraska. Petroleum makes
up about half of the total value of minerals produced; most of the output
comes from the SE and the Panhandle. Other mineral commodities include
sand and gravel, stone, clay, cement, lime, and gems.
Enterprises engaged in manufacturing account for 13% of
the annual gross state product and employ some 95,000 workers. The
leading industry is food processing; meat products are particularly
important. The other leading industries manufacture industrial
machinery and electronic equipment. Among these manufactures are
motor-vehicle
parts and telephone equipment. The chief industrial center is Omaha;
it is a major national livestock market and a printing and publishing
center and has an important insurance industry. Lincoln is the second
most important industrial city, with diversified products. Other
manufacturing centers include Grand Island, Hastings, Kearney, North
Platte, and Scottsbluff.
Each year visitors produce more than $1.7 billion
for the Nebraska economy. Many of the state’s leading tourist
attractions are located in the Platte R. valley, through which passed
the old Oregon, Mormon, and Overland trails, as well as the Pony
Express and Union Pacific Railroad. Another popular attraction is
Agate Fossil Beds National Monument. The state maintains a system
of 87 parks and recreation areas. The home of Buffalo Bill (William
F. Cody) is preserved on a state park near North Platte.
Railroads are important in Nebraska because most of the state’s grain
production is still shipped by rail. The state has a total of about
6680 km (about 4150 mi) of Class I track. The rail network is most
dense in the SE. The state is also served by a system of about 148,710
km (about 92,405 mi) of federal, state, and local roads. This includes
776 km (482 mi) of interstate highway, which spans the state from
E to W and links the major cities. The road network is more dense
in the E than in the W.
The Missouri R. is the only navigable watercourse in Nebraska.
It is open to barge traffic as far N as Dakota City for seven or
eight months a year. Air travel is important because of the sparse
settlement of much of the state. Nebraska has 283 airports and 18
heliports; more than a dozen cities have regularly scheduled air service.
Omaha accounts for the leading share of the state’s commercial
air traffic, with Lincoln occupying second place.
Electricity generating plants in Nebraska have a total capacity
of approximately 5.5 million kw and produce about 21.6 billion kwh
of electricity each year. Two large nuclear power facilities account
for about 35% of the state’s annual electric output.
Most of the remainder is provided by conventional steam plants using
fossil fuels. About 5% of the state’s electricity
is produced by hydroelectric installations. Nebraska is unique among
the states in that all electricity generation and distribution is
controlled by publicly owned facilities.
The Spanish explorer Francisco Vásquez de Coronado
is believed to have been the first European to see the area that
is now Nebraska, in 1541. In 1720 Col. Pedro de Villasur, a Spanish
soldier, led an expedition into Nebraska; he and his party were
massacred by Indian tribes. The French controlled the territory
from 1700 to 1763, when it was ceded to Spain.
In 1803 Nebraska became a U.S. possession as a result of the Louisiana
Purchase. Between 1804 and 1806 the Lewis and Clark expedition explored
a portion of the territory. In 1807 Manuel Lisa (1772–1820),
of Spain, established a trading post and became the first permanent
white settler in the area. The American Fur Co. established (1810)
a post in the region at Bellevue. Fort Atkinson was built (1819)
on what is now the site of Fort Calhoun, but growth was slow.
The Oregon and California trails led through Nebraska; these
pioneer routes to the West were responsible for the gradual settlement
of the region despite the fact that in 1834 the federal government
had declared Nebraska part of the Indian Country from which all
white settlers were excluded. Nebraska was successively part of
the territories of Indiana, Louisiana, and Missouri. On May 30,
1854, it became the territory of Nebraska.
Immigration to the territory increased with the passage of
the Pacific Railroad Act and the Free Homestead Act in 1862. On
March 1, 1867, Nebraska achieved statehood, and the capital was
established at Lincoln. The Union Pacific became (1867) the first
railroad to cross the state. Because the economy of Nebraska has
always depended upon agriculture, agrarian movements have been important.
The Grange was strong in the 1870s, as were the Farmers’ Alliances
in the 1880s.
After 1890 farm prices soared as Nebraska began to irrigate
crops. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, however, many farmers,
unable to meet mortgage payments, lost their property. Agricultural
output rose again after World War II with the federally assisted
construction of flood-control dams to aid Nebraska and other states
drained by the Missouri River. As scientific methods advanced, farms
became larger and fewer, thus reducing the need for farm workers,
many of whom moved to cities. This shift was partly offset by the
development of oil fields, which stimulated rapid economic growth.
Nebraska’s urban population continues to expand, and the state has, therefore, redoubled its efforts to attract new
industries and, simultaneously, to satisfy the demands on its social
services. Nebraska also remains heavily dependent on its increasingly
mechanized agriculture, although this aspect of the economy was
dealt a serious blow by the flooding of the Missouri and other rivers
of the Midwest in 1993.