NEBRASKA AT A GLANCE Location: North-central United States. Bordered by South Dakota on the north, Iowa and Missouri on the east, Kansas on the south, and Colorado and Wyoming on the west. Elevation:
Highest point, 5,424 feet (1,654 meters), in Kimball County.
Lowest point, 840 feet (256 meters), in Richardson County.
Area (Land and Water): 77,358 square miles (200,358 square kilometers); 16th largest state. Population: 1,666,028 (1999 estimate); 38th largest state. Attained Statehood: March 1, 1867 (37th state). Origin of Name: From Oto Indian word “Nebrathka,” meaning “flat water” (the tribe’ s name for the Platte River, which crosses the state). Nickname: Cornhusker State (from the method of harvesting or ”husking” corn by hand). Motto: “Equality Before the Law.” Capital: Lincoln. Largest City: Omaha.
Notable facts about Nebraska include:
The American Institute of Architects declared Nebraska’s State Capitol to be one of the modern architectural wonders of the world.
The U.S. Strategic Command, which manages the nation’s nuclear forces in order to deter military attacks on the United States, has its headquarters at Offutt Air Force Base near Bellevue.
Nebraska has the western hemisphere’s largest area of sandhill grasslands, one of the most productive cattle-raising areas in the United States.
Nebraska was the home or birthplace of William Jennings Bryan, George Norris, Willa Cather, Mari Sandoz, John Neihardt, John J. Pershing, Edward J. Flanagan, William “Buffalo Bill” Cody, Henry Fonda, Johnny Carson, Dick Cavett, Darryl F. Zanuck, Marlon Brando, Fred Astaire, Malcolm X and Gerald Ford.
Many pioneer and cattle trails crossed Nebraska, with people using such landmarks as Scotts Bluff (now a national monument) and Chimney Rock, both in western Nebraska. Chimney Rock was the landmark mentioned most frequently in journal entries by travelers on the Oregon Trail.
