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LINCOLN, NEBRASKA - USA
Lincoln is the capital city of the State of Nebraska, in the United States
of America. As of the 2000 census, it has a population of 225,581 and is the
second largest city in the state. It is the county seat of Lancaster County,
and is one of the few major cities of Nebraska not located along the Platte
River. Its nickname is "Star City" (from the use of a star to mark state
capitals on road maps) and it has adopted a logo consisting of a star made
up of the letter L repeated 5 times.
Lincoln is the home of the flagship campus of
the four-campus University of Nebraska and is the location of the Nebraska
State Fair. It boasts the headquarters of Nebraska Educational Television (affiliated
with the Public Broadcasting System), and Nebraska Public Radio (affiliated
with National Public Radio and Public Radio International). These public
broadcasting networks that reach throughout the State, except to Omaha,
which has its own local public stations.
Lincoln is also the home of Union College and of Nebraska Wesleyan
University.
The current mayor of Lincoln is Coleen Seng.
History
Lincoln started out as the village of Lancaster, which was founded in 1856,
and became the county seat of the newly created Lancaster County in 1859.
The territorial capital of Nebraska had been Omaha since the creation of the
territory in 1854, but the bulk of the population wanted to move the capital
to a more central location. Since most of the population was south of the
Platte River, the legislature voted to move the capital south of the river
and as far west as possible. The village of Lancaster was chosen.
However, an Omaha senator attempted to derail the move by having Lancaster
renamed after the recently assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. At the
time, most of the people south of the river had been supporters of the
Confederate South and the senator assumed they would not pass the measure if
they had to name the capital after the leader of the Union. The ploy did not
work. Lancaster was renamed Lincoln and became the state capital at the same
time that Nebraska became a state, on March 1, 1867.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of
195.2 km˛ (75.4 sq mi). 193.3 km˛ (74.6 sq mi) of it is land and 1.9 km˛
(0.7 sq mi) of it is water. The total area is 0.98% water.
Notable buildings
The Nebraska State Capitol building was designed by Bertram Grosvenor
Goodhue and constructed between 1922 and 1932. The building has an unusual
appearance, since it is a skyscraper topped by a golden dome. The tower is
crowned by a 6-metre (20 ft) statue of a farmer sowing grain on a pedestal
of wheat and corn (sculptor: Lee Lawrie), to represent the state's
agricultural heritage. City zoning rules prevent any other building from
rivalling it in height, making it a landmark not only within the city but
for tens of miles around. Inside, there are many paintings and iridescent
murals depicting the Native American heritage and the history and culture of
the early pioneers who settled Nebraska.
Lincoln was the home of the original campus of the University of Nebraska,
set up as soon as Nebraska achieved statehood, and the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln is still the flagship campus of the University of Nebraska
system. The campus has a number of notable buildings. These include:
Memorial Stadium (the University football team, the Cornhuskers has a strong
reputation). The stadium was originally built in 1923; it was named Memorial
Stadium to honor all Nebraskans who served in the Civil and Spanish-American
Wars; the 751 Nebraskans who died in World War I; the 3,839 in World War II;
the 225 in Korea; and the 422 in the Vietnam War. The west stadium was
renovated in the late 1990s, and the north staduim area was renovated in the
mid 2000s, giving it a much more modern appearance.
Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery, built in the early 1960s, architect Philip
Johnson.
The University of Nebraska State Museum, with its wonderful display of
fossil elephants and mammoths, has inspired generations of visitors.
In the downtown area, an area of several blocks of former warehouses and
industrial buildings around the historic Haymarket and dating from the late
nineteenth century, has been renovated as an attractive shopping and
restaurant district.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 225,581 people, 90,485 households, and
53,567 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,166.9/km˛
(3,022.2/sq mi). There are 95,199 housing units at an average density of
492.5/km˛ (1,275.4/sq mi). The racial makeup of the city is 89.25% White,
3.09% African American, 0.68% Native American, 3.12% Asian, 0.06% Pacific
Islander, 1.81% from other races, and 1.99% from two or more races. 3.61% of
the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 90,485 households, out of which 29.5% have children under the age
of 18 living with them, 46.3% are married couples living together, 9.5% have
a female householder with no husband present, and 40.8% are non-families.
30.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.5% have someone
living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is
2.36 and the average family size is 2.99.
In the city, the population is spread out with 23.0% under the age of 18,
16.4% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who
are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 31 years. For every 100
females there are 99.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there
are 98.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $40,605, and the median
income for a family is $52,558. Males have a median income of $33,899 versus
$25,402 for females. The per capita income for the city is $20,984. 10.1% of
the population and 5.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the
total people living in poverty, 10.7% are under the age of 18 and 6.0% are
65 or older.
Famous Residents
William Jennings Bryan
Dick Cavett
Dick Cheney
Charles G. Dawes
Sandy Dennis
Gilbert N. Lewis
Gordon MacRae
Charles Starkweather
Hilary Swank
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