Nebraska

1 Location and Size

2 Topography

3 Climate

4 Plants and Animals

5 Environmental Protection

6 Population

7 Ethnic Groups

8 Languages

9 Religions

10 Transportation

11 History

12 State Government

13 Political Parties

14 Local Government

15 Judicial System

16 Migration

17 Economy

18 Income

19 Industry

20 Labor

21 Agriculture

22 Domesticated Animals

23 Fishing

24 Forestry

25 Mining

26 Energy and Power

27 Commerce

28 Public Finance

29 Taxation

30 Health

31 Housing

32 Education

33 Arts

34 Libraries and Museums

35 Communications

36 Press

37 Tourism, Travel & Recreation

38 Sports

39 Famous Nebraskans

40 Bibliography

State of Nebraska

ORIGIN OF STATE NAME: Derived from the Oto Indian word nebrathka, meaning “flat water” (for the Platte River).

NICKNAME : The Cornhusker State.

CAPITAL: Lincoln.

ENTERED UNION: 1 March 1867 (37th).

OFFICIAL SEAL: Agriculture is represented by a farmer’s cabin, sheaves of wheat, and growing corn; the mechanic arts, by a blacksmith. Above is the state motto; in the background, a steamboat plies the Missouri River and a train heads toward the Rockies. The scene is surrounded by the words “Great Seal of the State of Nebraska, March 1st 1867.”

FLAG: The great seal appears in the center, in gold and silver, on a field of blue.

MOTTO: Equality Before the Law.

SONG: “Beautiful Nebraska.”

FLOWER: Goldenrod.

TREE: Western cottonwood.

ANIMAL: White-tailed deer.

BIRD: Western meadowlark.

INSECT: Honeybee.

GEM: Blue agate.

FOSSIL: Mammoth.

ROCK OR STONE: Prairie agate.

GRASS: Little bluestem.

LEGAL HOLIDAYS: New Year’s Day, 1 January; Birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., 3rd Monday in January; Presidents’ Day, 3rd Monday in February; Arbor Day, last Friday in April; Memorial Day, last Monday in May; Independence Day, 4 July; Labor Day, 1st Monday in September; Columbus Day, 2nd Monday in October; Veterans’ Day, 11 November; Thanksgiving, 4th Thursday in November and following Friday; Christmas Day, 25 December. Other days for special observances include Pioneers’ Memorial Day, 2nd Sunday in June; Nebraska Czech Day, 1st Sunday in August; and American Indian Day, 4th Monday in September.

TIME: 6 AM CST = noon GMT; 5 AM MST = noon GMT.

1 Location and Size

Located in the western north-central United States, Nebraska ranks 15th in size among the 50 states. The total area of the state is 77,355 square miles (200,349 square kilometers), of which land takes up 76,644 square miles (198,508 square kilometers) and inland water 711 square miles (1,841 square kilometers). Nebraska extends about 415 miles (668 kilometers) from east to west and 205 miles (330 kilometers) from north to south. The boundary length of Nebraska totals 1,332 miles (2,143 kilometers).

2 Topography

Most of Nebraska is prairie, since more than two-thirds of the state lies within the Great Plains. The elevation slopes upward gradually from east to west, from a low of 840 feet (256 meters) in the southeast to 5,424 feet (1,654 meters) in Kimball County. The Sand Hills of the north-central plain is an unusual region of sand dunes anchored by grasses that cover about 18,000 square miles (47,000 square kilometers).

The Sand Hills region is dotted with small natural lakes, but in the rest of the state, the main lakes are artificial. The Missouri River forms the eastern part of the northern boundary of Nebraska. Three rivers cross the state from west to east: the wide, shallow Platte River; the Niobrara River; and the Republican River.

3 Climate

Nebraska has a continental climate with highly variable temperatures. The central region has a normal monthly maximum of 76°f (24°c) in July and a minimum of 22°f (-6°c) in January. The record low for the state is -47°f (-44°c), registered in Morrill County on 12 February 1899. The record high of 118°f (48°c) was recorded at Minden on 24 July 1936. Normal yearly precipitation ranges from 17 inches (43 centimeters) in the west to 30 inches (76 centimeters) in the southeast. Snowfall in the state varies from about 21 inches (53 centimeters) in the southeast to about 45 inches (114 centimeters) in the northwest corner. Blizzards, drought, and wind-storms

Nebraska Population Profile

Population by Age Group

have plagued Nebraskans throughout their history.

4 Plants and Animals

Nebraska’s deciduous forests are generally oak and hickory. Conifer forests are dominated by western yellow (ponderosa) pine. Slough grasses, needlegrasses, western wheatgrass, and buffalo grass are found in the prairies. Common Nebraska wildflowers include wild rose, columbine, and sunflower. Three plant species were threatened as of 2006, Ute ladies’-tresses, western prairie fringed orchid, and Colorado butterfly plant. The blowout penstemon was listed as endangered that same year.

Common mammals native to the state include the pronghorn sheep, white-tailed and mule deer, and coyote. There are more than 400 kinds of birds, the mourning dove and the western meadowlark (the state bird) among them. Carp, catfish, and trout are fished for sport. Rare animal species include the least shrew, least weasel, and bobcat. In 2006, the US Fish and Wildlife Service listed nine animal species as threatened or endangered, including the American burying beetle, bald eagle, whooping crane, black-footed ferret, Topeka shiner, pallid sturgeon, and Eskimo curlew.

5 Environmental Protection

The Department of Environmental Quality was established in 1971 to protect and improve the quality of the state’s water, air, and land resources. In 2003, Nebraska had 255 hazardous waste sites

Nebraska Population by Race

Census 2000 was the first national census in which the instructions to respondents said, “Mark one or more races.” This table shows the number of people who are of one, two, or three or more races. For those claiming two races, the number of people belonging to the various categories is listed. The U.S. government conducts a census of the population every ten years.

listed in the Environmental Protection Agency’s database, 12 of which were on the National Priorities List as of 2006.

The state has three wetlands of international importance as migrational and breeding grounds for waterfowl and nongame birds. While these areas are protected, the state has lost about 1 million acres (405,000 hectares) of wetlands since pre-European settlement times.

6 Population

In 2005, Nebraska ranked 38th in population in the United States with an estimated total of 1,768,331residents. The population is projected to reach 1.78 million by 2015 and 1.81 million by 2025. The population density in 2004 was 22.7 persons per square mile (8.76 persons per square kilometer). The median age of the state’s population was 36 for that same year. In 2005, of all Nebraska residents, 13% were 65 or older, while 25% were 18 or younger.

The largest cities in 2005 were Omaha, with an estimated population of 414,521, and Lincoln, with 239,213 residents.

7 Ethnic Groups

According to the 2000 census, the population of Nebraska included 94,425 Hispanics and Latinos, 68,541 black Americans, 21,931 Asians, and 836 Pacific Islanders. There were 14,896 Native Americans residing in the state, primarily from the Omaha, Winnebago, and Santee Sioux tribes. Among those of European descent who reported at least one specific ancestry 661,133 were German, 163,651 were English, 229,805 were Irish, 93,286 were Czech, and 84,294 were Swedish. About 74,638 residents, or 4.4% of the total population, were foreign born.

In 2006, black Americans accounted for 4.0% of the state’s population, while 1.5% were Asian, and 7.2% were Hispanic or Latino.

8 Languages

Nebraska English is almost pure North Midland, except for slight South Midland and Northern influences. A few words, mostly food terms like kolaches (fruit-filled pastries), are derived from the language of the large Czech population. Usual pronunciation features cot and caught as soundalikes and a strong final /r/. Fire sounds almost like far, and our like are. Greasy is pronounced greezy.

In 2000, of the resident population five years old or older, 92.1% spoke only English at home. The number of residents who spoke other languages at home included Spanish, 77,655 and German, 8,865.

9 Religions

Nebraska’s religious history derives from its patterns of immigration. German and Scandinavian settlers tended to be Lutheran, while Irish, Polish, and Czech immigrants were mainly Roman Catholic. Methodism and other Protestant religions were spread by settlers from other Midwestern states.

Although Protestants outnumber Catholics, the Roman Catholic Church was the largest single Christian denomination in the state with about 376,843 adherents in 2004. As of 2000, Lutherans constituted the largest Protestant group with 117,419 adherents of the Missouri Synod, while there were 128,570 members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and 5,829 belonged to the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. In 2004, a total of 84,337 people were United Methodists. In 2000, there were 39,420 Presbyterians–USA. The Jewish population was estimated at 7,100 in 2000, and Muslims numbered about 3,115. There were 704,403 people (about 41% of the population) who were not counted as members of any religious organization.

10 Transportation

Nebraska’s development was profoundly influenced by two major railroads, the Union Pacific and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe, both of which were major landowners in the state in the late 1800s. As of 2003, these railroads still operated in the state. In that same year, there were 11 railroads operating in Nebraska, with 3,548 miles (5,712 kilometers) of track in the state. As of 2006, Amtrak provided east-west service to Chicago or Emeryville/San Francisco, to five stations in Nebraska

In 2004, the state’s road system totaled 93,245 miles (150,124 kilometers), and is dominated by Interstate 80, the major east–west route, and the largest public investment project in the state’s history. A total of 1.678 million motor vehicles were registered in 2004, of which 829,000 were automobiles and about 820,000 were trucks. A total of 1,315,819 people held driver’s licenses in that same year.

In 2005, there were 266 airports in the state, along with 36 heliports and 1 seaplane base.

Eppley Airfield, Omaha’s airport, is by far the busiest in the state, with 1,892,379 passenger boardings in 2004.

11 History

By 1800, the Pawnee, Ponca, Omaha, and Oto tribes, along with several others, were living in what became present-day Nebraska. The area was claimed by both Spain and France and was French territory at the time of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, when it came under US jurisdiction. During the first half of the 19th century, the area was explored by Lewis and Clark, Zebulon Pike, and others.

Military forts were established in the 1840s to protect travelers from attack by Native Americans. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 established the Nebraska Territory, which assumed its present shape in 1861. Still sparsely populated, Nebraska escaped the violent clash over slavery that afflicted Kansas. From 1860 to the late 1870s, however, western Nebraska was a battleground for US soldiers and Native Americans, who were moved to reservations in Nebraska, South Dakota, and Oklahoma by 1890.

Statehood Settlement of Nebraska Territory was rapid, escalated by the Homestead Act of 1862, under which the US government provided 160 acres (65 hectares) to a settler for a small fee. On 1 March 1867, Nebraska became the 37th state to join the Union. Farming and ranching developed as the state’s two main enterprises. However, by 1890, depressed farm prices, high railroad

Nebraska Governors: 1867–2007

shipping charges, and rising interest rates were hurting the state’s farmers, and a drought in the 1890s worsened their plight.

When the dust storms of the 1930s began, thousands of people fled Nebraska for the West Coast. The onset of World War II, however, brought prosperity in many areas. Military airfields and war industries were placed in the state because of its safe inland location, bringing industrial growth that extended well into the postwar years. Much of the new industry developed since that time is agriculture-related, including the manufacture of farm machinery and irrigation equipment.

Farm output and income increased dramatically into the 1970s. Many farmers took on large debt burdens to finance expanded output, with their credit supported by strong farm-product prices and exports. When prices began to fall in the early 1980s, many found themselves in trouble. A 1982 state constitutional amendment prohibits the sale of land used for farming or ranching to anyone other than a Nebraska family farm corporation.

The average farm income in Nebraska rose more than 10% between 1989 and the mid-1990s. Farms in the state were fewer in number by the late 1990s, but they were larger and more mechanized. But farmers were struggling again by June 2000, when drought struck and most of the corn crop was lost. Some areas of the state had received no substantial rain in a year. The previous autumn and winter were the driest on record. Water conservation to avoid depletion of the state’s aquifers for irrigation purposes remained a major priority into 2004, as the state faced its fifth straight year of severe drought conditions.

Although the state’s farm sector was being hit by drought and falling farm prices, Nebraska’s nonfarm sector saw the growth of small industries and tourism, which acted to bolster the state’s economy.

In January 2005, Lieutenant Governor Dave Heineman became governor, following the resignation of Governor Mike Johanns, who left to become the US Secretary of Agriculture. In the 2006 election, Heineman retained the governorship.

12 State Government

Nebraska’s legislature is unique among the states. It is a single-chamber body of 49 members not elected by political party. Members go by the title of senator, and are elected for four-year terms. In 2002, there was one African American and one Latino senator serving in the state legislature. Elected executives are the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, auditor, treasurer, and attorney general. They all serve four-year terms. The governor is limited to two consecutive terms, after which the governor is ineligible to serve in office for four years. A bill becomes law when passed by a majority of the legislature and signed by the governor. If the governor does not approve, the bill is returned with objections, and a three-fifths vote of the legislature is required to override a veto. A bill automatically becomes law if the governor does not take action within five days after receiving it.

The legislative salary in 2004 was $12,000 and the governor’s salary was $85,000.

The current state constitution was adopted in 1875. As of January 2005, it had been amended 222 times.

Nebraska Presidential Vote by Major Political Parties, 1948–2004

13 Political Parties

In 2004 there were 1,160,000 registered voters. In 1998, 37% of registered voters were Democratic, 49% Republican, and 14% unaffiliated or members of other parties. In the 2000 presidential election, Republican candidate George W. Bush secured 63% of the vote while Democrat Al Gore received a 33% share. In the 2004 presidential election, Bush carried the state with 66% of the vote to John Kerry’s 33%. In the 2006 elections, Democrat Ben Nelson was reelected to the US Senate, while Republican Chuck Hagel was reelected to the US Senate in 2002. In that same year, Republican Mike Johanns was reelected governor. However in January 2005, Lieutenant Governor Dave Heineman became governor after Johanns resigned to become the US Secretary of Agriculture. Heineman was elected governor in his own right in 2006.

In the 2006 election, all three of the state’s seats in the US House of Representatives were won by Republicans. Nebraska’s unicameral state legislature is nonpartisan. Twelve women were elected to the state legislature in 2006, or 24.5%.

14 Local Government

In 2005, Nebraska had 93 counties, 531 municipalities, and 575 public school districts. In 2002, the state had 446 townships. Municipalities are governed by a mayor (or city manager) and a council. Counties are administered by elected boards of supervisors or commissioners.

15 Judicial System

The state’s highest court is the Nebraska Supreme Court, which consists of a chief justice and six other justices. Below the supreme court are the district courts, which are the trial courts of general jurisdiction. County courts handle criminal misdemeanors and civil cases involving less than $5,000. Nebraska’s crime rate is well below the national average. In 2004, the state’s rate for violent crime (murder/nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault) was 308.7 incidents per 100,000 people. As of 31 December 2004, a total of 4,130 prisoners were being held in Nebraska’s state and federal prisons. Nebraska has a death penalty law, for which electrocution is the sole method of execution. As of 1 January 2006, there were 10 inmates on death row.

16 Migration

The pioneers who settled Nebraska in the 1860s consisted mainly of Civil War veterans from the North and foreign-born immigrants. The Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fee railroads, which sold land to the settlers, actively recruited immigrants in Europe. Germans were the largest group to settle in Nebraska, then Czechs from Bohemia, and Scandinavians from Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. The Irish came to work on the railroads in the 1860s and stayed to help build the cities. Another wave of Irish immigrants in the 1880s went to work in the packinghouses of Omaha. The city’s stockyards also attracted Polish workers. By the 1900 census, over one-half of all Nebraskans were either foreign-born or the children of foreign-born parents.

For much of the 20th century, Nebraska was in a period of out-migration. Between 1990 and 1998, the state had net gains of 2,000 in domestic migration and 14,000 in international migration. In the period 2000–05, net international migration was 22,199, while net domestic migration was -26,206, for a net loss of 4,007 people.

17 Economy

Agriculture remains the backbone of Nebraska’s economy. Cattle, corn, hogs, and soybeans lead the state’s list of farm products, and the largest portion of the state’s workforce is either directly employed in agriculture as farm workers, or indirectly as workers in the farm equipment and food processing industries. However in more recent years, the state has attempted to diversify its economy and has been successful in attracting new business, in large part because of its location near western coal and oil deposits.

Nebraska’s agricultural sector has been deeply affected by consolidation, technical advances in farming and transportation, and a prolonged drought. As of 2004, the drought was in its fifth consecutive year. Although water conservation was imposed to avoid depletion of the state’s aquifers, it appears likely that the state is facing long-term water shortages. In addition to the drought, the state’s rural counties have been steadily losing population since the 1970s, a trend that increased in the 1990s. In 2002, of the state’s 93 counties, 66 had lost population.

Nebraska’s gross state product (GSP) in 2004 was $68.183 billion, of which manufacturing accounted for the largest share of GSP at $8.305 billion, or 12.1%, and was followed by real estate at 8.6% of GSP, and by health care and social assistance at 7.2%. Of the 46,161 businesses in Nebraska that had employees, 96.8% were small companies.

18 Income

In 2004, Nebraska ranked 21st among the 50 states and the District of Columbia with a per capita (per person) income of $32,341, compared to the national average of $33,050. For period 2002–04, the median household income was $44,623 compared to the national average of $44,473. In that same period, 9.9% of the state’s residents lived below the federal poverty level, compared to 12.4% nationwide.

19 Industry

Nebraska has a small but growing industrial sector. In 2004, the shipment value of all goods manufactured in the state was $34.433 billion. Of that total, food manufacturing accounted for the largest portion at $19.037 billion, followed by machinery manufacturing at $2.061 billion, and transportation equipment manufacturing at $2.034 billion.

20 Labor

In 2004, a total of 99,706 people were employed in the state’s manufacturing sector, of which food manufacturing accounted for the largest portion at 36,190. The largest portion of the state’s manufacturing is concentrated in the Omaha metropolitan area. Other industrial centers are Lincoln, and in the portion of the Sioux City, Iowa metropolitan area that is in Nebraska.

In April 2006, the labor force in Nebraska numbered 988,200, with approximately 33,700 workers unemployed, yielding an unemployment rate of 3.4%, compared to the national average of 4.7% for the same period. In April 2006, nonfarm employment data showed that about 4.9% of the labor force was employed in construction; 10.9% in manufacturing; 21.2% in trade, transportation, and public utilities; 6.9% in financial activities; 10.4% in professional and business services; 13.7% in educational and health services; 8.5% in leisure and hospitality services; and 17.1% in government.

In 2005, a total of 69,000 of Nebraska’s 830,000 employed wage and salary workers were members of a union, representing 8.3% of those so employed, compared to the national average of 12%.

21 Agriculture

With total cash receipts from farm marketings at over $11.2 billion in 2005, Nebraska ranked fourth among the 50 states. About $7.3 billion of all farm marketings came from livestock production, and $3.9 billion from cash crops. In 2004, corn accounted for 22% of farm receipts.

Crop production in 2004 (in bushels) included: corn, 1.3 billion; sorghum grain, 33.6 million; wheat, 61 million; oats, 3.7 million; and barley, 162,000. Hay production was 6.1 million tons; and potato production, 9.3 million hundredweight, (422 million kilograms). In the period 2000–04, Nebraska ranked third among the states in the production of corn and sorghum for grain, and fifth in sorghum for beans.

Nebraska farms still tend to be owned by single persons or families rather than by large corporations. The strength of state support for the family farm was reflected in the passage of a 1982 constitutional amendment, initiated by petition, prohibiting the purchase of Nebraska farm and ranch lands by any group other than a Nebraska family farm corporation.

22 Domesticated Animals

In 2005, Nebraska ranked third behind Texas and Kansas in the total number of cattle on farms (6.35 million), including 61,000 milk cows. Nebraska farmers had around 2.85 million hogs and pigs, valued at $313.5 million in 2004. During 2003, the state produced an estimated 10.3 million pounds (4.7 million kilograms) of sheep and lambs, which grossed $10.8 million in income for Nebraska farmers. Dairy products included 1.13 billion pounds (0.51 billion kilograms) of milk produced.

23 Fishing

Commercial fishing is negligible in Nebraska. The US Fish and Wildlife Service maintains 87 public fishing areas. In 2004, the state issued 176,619 fishing licenses. There are five state hatcheries producing a variety of stock fish that include largemouth bass, bluegill, black crappie, channel catfish, yellow perch, walleye, trout, and tiger musky

24 Forestry

Arbor Day, now observed throughout the United States, originated in Nebraska in 1872 as a way of encouraging tree planting in the sparsely forested state. Forestland occupies 1,275,000 acres (516,000 hectares), or 2.6% of the state. Ash, boxelder, hackberry, cottonwood, honey locust, red and bur oaks, walnut, elm, and willow trees are common to eastern and central Nebraska, while ponderosa pine, cottonwood, eastern red cedar, and Rocky Mountain juniper prevail in the west. The state’s two national forests, Nebraska and Samuel R. McKelvie, are primarily grassland and are managed for livestock grazing. In 2005, the National Forest Service maintained 257,628 acres (104,262 hectares) of forestland. Lumber production in 2004 totaled 15 million board feet.

25 Mining

The value of nonfuel mineral production in Nebraska in 2003 was estimated at $94.2 million. All minerals produced in Nebraska, with the exception of gemstones, were basic construction materials. Most clay mining occurs in the southeast region, but sand and gravel mining takes place throughout the state. Industrial sand was used in the production of glass and had some applications outside of construction activities. In 2003, the top minerals were, in descending order of value, cement (portland and masonry), crushed stone, and construction sand and gravel.

26 Energy and Power

Nebraska is the only state with an electric power system owned by the public through regional, cooperative, and municipal systems. The state’s net summer generating capacity in 2003 was 6.685 million kilowatts. Total electricity output in that same year was 30.455 billion kilowatt hours. Electricity from coal accounted for 68.8% of the total (20.954 billion kilowatt hours), followed by nuclear power at 26.3% (7.996 billion kilowatt hours), and hydropower at 3.2%. The remaining 1.7% came from natural gas or oil fired plants, and from other renewable fuel sources.

As of 2006, there were two operating nuclear power plants in Nebraska, the Cooper plant in Brownsville and the Fort Calhoun Station near Omaha.

Crude oil production for 2004 in Nebraska averaged 8,000 barrels per day. In that same year Nebraska had proven crude oil reserves of 15 million barrels. In 2004, marketed natural gas production in Nebraska totaled 1.454 billion cubic feet (0.041 billion cubic meters). Nebraska has no commercial coal industry, nor any crude oil refineries.

27 Commerce

In 2002, Nebraska’s wholesale trade sector had sales totaling $26.1 billion, while the state’s retail trade sector that year had sales totaling $20.2 billion. Motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts dealers accounted for the largest share of retail sales in 2002, at $5.07 billion, followed by general merchandise stores at $2.8 billion, and food and beverage stores at $2.4 billion. Nebraska’s exports of goods produced within the state totaled $3 billion in 2005.

28 Public Finance

The Nebraska state budget is prepared by the Budget Division of the Department of Administrative Services and is submitted annually by the governor to the legislature. The fiscal year runs from 1 July to 30 June.

Total revenues for the year 2004 were $8.3 billion, while total expenditures that year were $6.979 billion. The largest general expenditures were for education ($2.3 billion), public welfare ($1.899 billion), and highways ($595 million). The state’s outstanding debt in 2004 was $1.949 billion, or $1,115.36 per capita (per person).

29 Taxation

As of 1 January 2006, Nebraska had a state personal income tax with tax brackets ranging between 2.56% to 6.84%. The corporate tax rate ranges from 5.58% to 7.81%. The state sales tax rate was 5.5%. Food consumed off premises (such as at home) is exempt from the sales tax. Local sales taxes range from 0 to 1.5%. The state imposes excise taxes on gasoline and on cigarettes. Property taxes are collected locally and by the state.

The state collected $3.797 billion in taxes in 2005, of which 36.7% came from individual income taxes, 39.9% from the general sales tax, 12% from selective sales taxes, 5.2% from corporate income taxes, 0.1% from property taxes, and 6% from other types of taxes. In 2005, Nebraska ranked 24th among the states in terms of its combined state and local tax burden, which came to $2,158 per person, compared to the national average of $2,192.

30 Health

In October 2005, Nebraska’s infant mortality rate was estimated at 5.7 per 1,000 live births. The crude death rate in 2003 was 8.9 per 1,000 population. Major causes of death in 2002 were heart disease, cancer, cerebrovascular diseases, chronic lower respiratory diseases, and diabetes. About 20.2% of the state’s residents were smokers in 2004. The rate of HIV-related deaths was 1.2 per 100,000. The reported AIDS case rate in 2004 was around 3.9 per 100,000 people.

University Hospital and the University of Nebraska Medical Center are in Omaha. Nebraska’s 85 community hospitals in 2003 had about 7,500 beds. In 2004, there were 243 physicians per 100,000 people, and a total of 1,114 dentists in Nebraska. In 2005, the state had 936 nurses per 100,000 population. The average expense for community hospital care was $1,043 per day. In 2004, about 11% of Nebraskans were uninsured.

31 Housing

In 2004, there were an estimated 757,743 housing units in Nebraska, of which 687,456 were occupied, and 68.4% were owner-occupied. About 73.8% of all units were single-family, detached homes. Utility gas and electricity were the most common heating energy sources. It was estimated that 35,566 units lacked telephone service, 1,426 lacked complete plumbing facilities, and 3,513 lacked complete kitchen facilities. The average household size was 2.47 people.

In 2004, authorization was given to build 10,900 new privately owned units. The median home value was $106,656. The median monthly cost for mortgage owners was $1,051. Renters paid a median of $547 per month.

32 Education

In 2004, of all Nebraskans age 25 and older, 91.3% were high school graduates and 24.8% had obtained a bachelor’s degree or higher.

Total public school enrollment was estimated at 282,000 in fall 2003, and was expected to rise to 285,000 by fall 2014. Enrollment in private schools in fall 2003 was 39,454 students. Expenditures for public education in 2003/2004 were estimated at $2.6 billion.

As of fall 2002, there were 116,737 students enrolled in college or graduate school. In 2005, Nebraska had 39 degree-granting institutions, including 7 public four-year colleges, 16 nonprofit, private 4-year colleges and universities, and 8 public 2-year schools. The University of Nebraska is the state’s largest postsecondary institution, with campuses in Kearney, Lincoln, and Omaha.

33 Arts

The 15-member Nebraska Arts Council (NAC), appointed by the governor, is empowered to receive federal and state funds, and to plan and administer statewide and special programs in all the arts. Affiliation with the Mid-America Arts Alliance allows the council to help sponsor national and regional events. The Nebraska Humanities Council, founded in 1972, sponsors two annual festivals: The Great Plains Chautauqua and the Nebraska Book Festival.

The Omaha Theater Company for Young People sponsors a number of theatrical performances, as does as the Omaha Theater Ballet Company. The Omaha Symphony was founded in 1921, and Opera Omaha was founded in 1958. The Lied Center for Performing Arts in Lincoln sponsors a wide variety of dance, theater, and musical programs.

34 Libraries and Museums

As of December 2001, the state had 289 libraries, of which 17 were branches. For that same period, there were a total of 6 million volumes and a total circulation of 11.36 million. The Omaha public library system had 916,560 books and 2,471 periodical subscriptions in 9 branches. The state had 107 museums in 2000. The Roslyn Art Museum in Omaha is the state’s leading museum. Other important museums include the Nebraska State Museum of History, the Stir Museum of the Prairie Pioneer in Grand Island, and the University of Nebraska State Museum.

35 Communications

In 2004, about 95.7% of the state’s occupied housing units had telephones. In June of that same year, there were 984,355 wireless telephone service subscribers, while 66.1% of all households in the state had a computer and 55.4% had access to the Internet, in 2003. In 2005, there were 52 major FM and 19 major AM radio stations in operation. There were eight major network TV stations. A total of 23,752 Internet domain names were registered in the state by 2000.

36 Press

In 2005, Nebraska had 6 morning dailies, 12 evening dailies, and 6 Sunday newspapers.

The leading newspaper in 2005 was the Omaha World–Herald, with a daily circulation that year of 192,607 and a Sunday circulation of 242,964. The Lincoln Journal–Star had a daily circulation of 74,893 and a Sunday circulation of 84,149.

37 Tourism, Travel & Recreation

Tourism is Nebraska’s third largest source of outside revenue (after agriculture and manufacturing). In 2004, the state hosted about 19.6 million travelers. Total travel expenditures came to $2.9 billion. The industry supports nearly 43,000 jobs.

The 8 state parks, 9 state historical parks, 12 federal areas, and 55 recreational areas are main tourist attractions. Fishing, swimming, picnicking, and sightseeing are the principal activities. The most attended Nebraska attractions in 2002 were: Omaha’s Henry Dourly Zoo (1,420,556 visitors), Cabala’s in Sidney (1,025,000), Eugene T. Mahoney State Park (1,100,000), Lake McDonough State Recreation Area (859,624), Fort Robinson State Park (357,932), Roslyn Art Museum (186,646), Strategic Air and Space Museum (173,889), the Great Platte River Road Archway Monument (163,000), University of Nebraska State Museum (133,343), and Scotts Bluff National Monument (111,293).

38 Sports

There are no professional major league sports teams in Nebraska. Minor league baseball’s Omaha Golden Spikes play in the AAA Pacific Coast League. Equestrian activities, including racing and rodeos, are also popular. Pari-mutuel racing is licensed by the state. Major annual sporting events are the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) College Baseball World Series at Rosenblatt Stadium, and the River City Roundup and Rodeo, both held in Omaha.

The most popular spectator sport is college football. The University of Nebraska Cornhuskers compete in the Big 12 football conference. The Cornhuskers have won numerous bowl games, including the Fiesta Bowl in 1996 and 2000, and the Alamo Bowl in 2001.

39 Famous Nebraskans

Nebraska was the birthplace of only one US president, Gerald R. Ford (Leslie King Jr., 1913–2006). William Jennings Bryan (b.Illinois, 1860–1925), a US representative from Nebraska, served as secretary of state and was the unsuccessful Democratic candidate for president three times.

Native American leaders important in Nebraska history include Oglala Sioux chiefs Red Cloud (1822–1909) and Crazy Horse (1849?–1877), and Ponca chief Standing Bear (1829–1908). Father Edward Joseph Flanagan (b.Ireland, 1886–1948) was the founder of Boys Town, a home for underprivileged youth. Two native Nebraskans became Nobel laureates in 1980: Lawrence R. Klein (b.1920) in economics and Val L. Fitch (b.1923) in physics.

Writers associated with Nebraska include Willa Cather (b.Virginia, 1873–1947), who used the Nebraska frontier setting of her childhood in many of her writings, and won a Pulitzer Prize in 1922; Mari Sandoz (1896–1966), who wrote of her native Great Plains; and author Tillie Olsen (1912–2007). Composer-conductor Howard Hanson (1896–1982), born in Wahoo, won a Pulitzer Prize in 1944.

Nebraskans important in entertainment include actor-dancer Fred Astaire (Fred Austerlitz, 1899–1984); actors Henry Fonda (1905–1982), and Marlon Brando (1924–2004); and television star Johnny Carson (b.Iowa, 1925–2005).

40 Bibliography

BOOKS

Bristow, M. J. State Songs of America. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2000.

Brown, Jonatha A. Nebraska. Milwaukee, WI: Gareth Stevens, 2007.

Heinrichs, Ann. Nebraska. Minneapolis, MN: Compass Point Books, 2004.

McAuliffe, Emily. Nebraska Facts and Symbols. Rev. ed. Mankato, MN: Capstone, 2003.

Murray, Julie. Nebraska. Edina, MN: Abdo Publishing, 2006.

Nichols, John. Big Red: The Nebraska Cornhuskers Story. Mankato, MN: Creative Education, 1999.

WEB SITES

Nebraska Division of Travel and Tourism. Nebraska, possibilities…endless. visitnebraska.org (accessed March 1, 2007).

State of Nebraska. Nebraska.gov: The Official Website of Nebraska. www.state.ne.us (accessed March 1, 2007).