Nebraska is a midwestern State of the United States. Nebraska gets its name from a Native American (Oto) word meaning "flat water", after the Platte River that flows through the State. Once considered part of the Great American Desert, it is now a leading farming state. Nebraskans have practiced scientific farming to turn the Nebraska prairie into a land of ranches and farms. Much of the history of the State is the story of the impact of the Nebraska farmer.

Contents [showhide]
1 History

2 Law and Government

3 Geography

4 Economy

5 Demographics

6 Important cities and towns

6.1 Largest cities and towns
6.2 Largest urban areas

7 Education

7.1 Colleges and universities

8 Sports teams

9 Miscellaneous information

10 Further reading

11 External links

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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 Lancaster, later 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.

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Law and Government
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. The Nebraska legislature can also override a governor's veto with a 3/5ths majority, in contrast to the 2/3rds majority required in some other states.

For years, US 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 was the house abolished; as noted, today's Nebraska state legislators are referred to (especially by themselves) as "Senators".

Since 1991, two of Nebraska's five electoral votes are awarded based on the winner of the statewide election; the other three go to the highest vote-getter in each of the state's three congressional districts. For the last three elections, Republicans have always won all of Nebraska's electoral votes, and no Democrat has carried the state since Lyndon Johnson.

See List of Nebraska Governors.

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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. 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).

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

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

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Important cities and towns
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Largest cities and towns
1.Omaha
2.Lincoln
3.Bellevue
4.Grand Island
5.Kearney
6.Fremont
7.Hastings
8.North Platte
9.Norfolk
10.Columbus
11.Papillion
12.Scottsbluff

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Largest urban areas
1.Omaha Metro Area (including Bellevue, Papillion, and La Vista)
2.Lincoln Metro Area
3.Grand Island Area
4.Kearney Area
5.Fremont Area
6.Hastings Area
7.North Platte Area
8.Scottsbluff-Gering Area
9.Norfolk Area
10.Columbus Area
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Education
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Colleges and universities
Bellevue University
Chadron State College
Clarkson College
College of Saint Mary
Concordia University, Nebraska
Creighton University
Dana College
Doane College
Grace University
Hastings College
Midland Lutheran College
Nebraska Christian College
Nebraska Wesleyan University
Peru State College
Southeast Community College
Union College
University of Nebraska
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
University of Nebraska at Kearney
University of Nebraska at Omaha
University of Nebraska Medical Center
Wayne State College
York College

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Sports teams
Nebraska Cornhuskers, college football
Omaha Royals, minor league baseball
Lincoln Saltdogs, minor league baseball
Creighton Bluejays, college basketball
Omaha Beef, Arena Football
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Miscellaneous information
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, civil rights activist Malcom X, and various actors including Henry Fonda, Johnny Carson, Marlon Brando, and Montgomery Clift were born in the state. Other famous natives are College Football Hall of Fame Coach Dr. Tom Osborne, and athletes Gale Sayers, Bob Gibson, and Ahman Green. The world's second wealthiest person, billionaire investor Warren Buffett, was born in and still resides there.

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Further reading
Chokecherry Places, Essays from the High Plains, Merrill Gilfillan, Johnson Press, Boulder, Colorado, trade paperback, ISBN 1-55566-227-7.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Nebraska".

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