name	Nebraska
fullname	State of Nebraska
flag	Flag of Nebraska.svg
seal	Nebraska-StateSeal.svg
map	Nebraska in United States.svg
nickname	Cornhusker State
former	Nebraska Territory
motto	Equality Before the Law
capital	Lincoln
officiallang	English
demonym	Nebraskan
largestcity	Omaha
largestmetro	Omaha-Council Bluffs
governor	Dave Heineman (R)
lieutenant governor	Rick Sheehy (R)
legislature	Nebraska Legislature
upperhouse	''None'' (unicameral)
lowerhouse	''None'' (unicameral)
senators	Ben Nelson (D)Mike Johanns (R)
representative	Jeff Fortenberry (R)Lee Terry (R)Adrian M. Smith (R)
postalabbreviation	NE
arearank	16th
totalareaus	77,354
totalarea	200,520
landareaus	76,873
landarea	199,099
waterareaus	481
waterarea	1,247
pcwater	0.7
poprank	38th
2000pop	1,842,641 (2011 est)
densityrank	43rd
2000densityus	24.0
2000density	9.25
medianhouseholdincome	$44,623
incomerank	20th
admittanceorder	37th
admittancedate	March 1, 1867
timezone	Central: UTC-6/-5
tz1where	most of state
timezone2	Mountain: UTC-7/-6
tz2where	panhandle
latitude	40° N to 43° N
longitude	95° 19' W to 104° 03' W
widthus	210
width	340
lengthus	430
length	690
highestpoint	Panorama Point
highestelevus	5,427
highestelev	1654
meanelevus	2,600
meanelev	790
lowestpoint	Missouri River at
lowestelevus	840
lowestelev	256
isocode	US-NE
website	www.nebraska.gov }}

Nebraska () is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. Its state capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River.

The state is crossed by many historic trails, but it was the California Gold Rush that first brought large numbers here, and it became a state in 1867. Certain landmarks still compete for the notional distinction 'Where the West Begins'.

There are wide variations between winter and summer temperatures, and violent thunderstorms and tornadoes are common. The state is characterized by treeless prairie, ideal for cattle-grazing, and it is a major producer of beef, as well as pork, maize and soybeans. Nebraska is overwhelmingly rural, as the 8th least-densely populated state of the United States, with only one Metropolitan Class City.

Ethnically, the largest group are German-Americans, and the state has the biggest Czech-American population per head. During the Great Migration, many African Americans came to Omaha, and they continue to campaign for improved conditions. More recently, Native American activism has increased, with a drive for self-determination in a climate of co-operation with state officials on regional issues. It is traditionally a Republican-voting state.

Nebraska is identified with notables as varied as Fred Astaire, Malcolm X, Johnny Carson, Dick Cavett, Montgomery Clift, Henry Fonda, Buffalo Bill Cody, Warren Buffett, L. Ron Hubbard, Willa Cather, Marlon Brando and Alexander Payne. Kool-Aid was first formulated in Nebraska in 1927.

Etymology[link]

Nebraska gets its name from the archaic Otoe words ''Ñí Brásge'', pronounced (contemporary Otoe ''Ñí Bráhge''), or the Omaha ''Ní Btháska'', pronounced , meaning "flat water", after the Platte River that flows through the state.

History[link]

Varying cultures of indigenous peoples lived in the region along the rivers for thousands of years before European exploration. Historical Native American tribes living in Nebraska have included the Omaha, Missouria, Ponca, Pawnee, Otoe, and various branches of the Lakota (Sioux).

Long before the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804–1806, French-Canadian explorers (including the Mallet brothers in 1739) traversed the territory of Nebraska on their way to trade in Santa Fe, then claimed by Spain.

In 1819, the United States established Fort Atkinson as the first US Army post west of the Missouri River, just east of present-day Fort Calhoun. The army abandoned the fort in 1827 as migration moved further west.

European-American settlement did not begin in any numbers until after 1848 and the California Gold Rush. On May 30, 1854, the US Congress created the Kansas and the Nebraska territories, divided by the Parallel 40° North, under the Kansas-Nebraska Act. The Nebraska Territory included parts of the current states of Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana. The territorial capital of Nebraska was Omaha.

In the 1860s, after the US government forced many of the Native American tribes to cede their lands and settle on reservations, it opened large tracts of land to agricultural development by Europeans and Americans. Under the Homestead Act, thousands of new settlers migrated into Nebraska to claim free land granted by the federal government. Because so few trees grew on the prairies, many of the first farming settlers built their homes of sod, as had the Native Americans such as the Omaha. The first wave of settlement gave the territory a sufficient population to apply for statehood. Nebraska became the 37th state on March 1, 1867, and the capital was moved from Omaha to the center at Lancaster, later renamed Lincoln after the recently assassinated President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln.

During the 1870s to the 1880s, Nebraska experienced a large growth in population. Several factors contributed to attracting new residents. The first was that the vast prairie land was perfect for cattle grazing. This helped settlers to learn the unfamiliar geography of the area. The second factor was the invention of several farming technologies. Agricultural inventions such as barbed wire, wind mills, and the steel plow, combined with good weather, enabled settlers to make use of Nebraska as prime farming land. By the 1880s, Nebraska's population had soared to more than 450,000 people.

The Arbor Day holiday was founded in Nebraska. The National Arbor Day Foundation is still headquartered in Nebraska City, with some offices in Lincoln.

In the late nineteenth century, many African Americans migrated from the South to Nebraska as part of the Great Migration, primarily to Omaha which offered working class jobs in meatpacking, the railroads and other industries. Omaha has a long history of civil rights activism. Blacks encountered discrimination from other Americans in Omaha and especially from recent European immigrants, ethnic whites who were competing for the same jobs. In 1912 African Americans founded the Omaha chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to work for improved conditions in the city and state. Activism has continued.

Since the 1960s, Native American activism in the state has increased, both through open protest, activities to build alliances with state and local governments, and in the slower, more extensive work of building tribal institutions and infrastructure. Native Americans in federally recognized tribes have pressed for self-determination, sovereignty and recognition. They have created community schools to preserve their cultures, as well as tribal colleges and universities. Tribal politicians have also collaborated with state and county officials on regional issues.

Geography[link]

The state is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwest; and Wyoming to the west. The state has 93 counties; it occupies the central portion of the Frontier Strip. Nebraska is split into two time zones. The Central Time zone comprises the eastern half of the state, while the western half observes Mountain Time. Three rivers cross the state from west to east. The Platte River, formed by the confluence of the North Platte and the South Platte, runs through the central portion of the state, the Niobrara River flows through the northern part, and the Republican River runs across the southern part.

Nebraska is composed of two major land regions: the Dissected Till Plains and the Great Plains. The easternmost portion of the state was scoured by Ice Age glaciers; the Dissected Till Plains were left behind after the glaciers retreated. The Dissected Till Plains is a region of gently rolling hills; Omaha and Lincoln are in this region.

The Great Plains occupy the majority of western Nebraska. The Great Plains region consists of several smaller, diverse land regions, including the Sandhills, the Pine Ridge, the Rainwater Basin, the High Plains and the Wildcat Hills. Panorama Point, at 5,424 feet (1,653 m), is the highest point in Nebraska; despite its name and elevation, it is a relatively low rise near the Colorado and Wyoming borders.

A past Nebraska tourism slogan was "Where the West Begins"; locations given for the beginning of the "West" include the Missouri River, the intersection of 13th and O Streets in Lincoln (where it is marked by a red brick star), the 100th meridian, and Chimney Rock. Nebraska is a triply landlocked state, as it does not border the ocean, nor do any of the states it borders, nor any that they border.

Federal land management[link]

Areas under the management of the National Park Service include:

Agate Fossil Beds National Monument near Harrison

California National Historic Trail

Chimney Rock National Historic Site near Bayard

Homestead National Monument of America in Beatrice

Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail

Missouri National Recreational River near Ponca

Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail

Niobrara National Scenic River near Valentine

Oregon National Historic Trail

Pony Express National Historic Trail

Scotts Bluff National Monument at Gering

Areas under the management of the National Forest Service include:

Nebraska National Forest

Oglala National Grassland

Samuel R. McKelvie National Forest

Climate[link]

Two major climatic zones are represented in Nebraska: the eastern half of the state has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification ''Dfa''), and the western half, a semi-arid climate (Koppen ''BSk''). The entire state experiences wide seasonal variations in temperature and precipitation. Average temperatures are fairly uniform across Nebraska, with hot summers and generally cold winters, while average annual precipitation decreases east to west from about 31.5 inches (800 mm) in the southeast corner of the state to about 13.8 inches (350 mm) in the Panhandle. Humidity also decreases significantly from east to west. Snowfall across the state is fairly even, with most of Nebraska receiving between 25 and 35 inches (65 to 90 cm) of snow annually. Nebraska's highest recorded temperature is at Minden on July 24, 1936 and the lowest recorded temperature is at Camp Clarke on February 12, 1899. Nebraska is in Tornado Alley; thunderstorms are common in the spring and summer months, and violent thunderstorms and tornadoes happen primarily during the spring and summer, though they can also occur in the autumn. The chinook winds from the Rocky Mountains provide a temporary moderating effect on temperatures in western Nebraska during the winter months.

Demographics[link]

The United States Census Bureau estimates that the population of Nebraska was 1,842,641 on July 1, 2011, a 0.89% increase since the 2010 United States Census. The center of population of Nebraska is in Polk County, in the city of Shelby.

As of 2004, the population of Nebraska included about 84,000 foreign-born residents (4.8% of the population). The five largest ancestry groups in Nebraska are German (38.6%), Irish (12.4%), English (9.6%), Czech (5.5%), and Swedish (4.9%).

Nebraska has the largest Czech-American and non-Mormon Danish-American population (as a percentage of the total population) in the nation. German Americans are the largest ancestry group in most of the state, particularly in the eastern counties. Thurston County (made up entirely of the Omaha and Winnebago reservations) has an American Indian majority, and Butler County is one of only two counties in the nation with a Czech-American plurality.

Rural flight[link]

Eighty-nine percent of the cities in Nebraska have fewer than 3,000 people. Nebraska shares this characteristic with five other Midwestern states: Kansas, Oklahoma, North and South Dakota, and Iowa. Hundreds of towns have a population of fewer than 1,000. Regional population declines have forced many rural schools to consolidate.

Fifty-three of Nebraska's 93 counties reported declining populations between 1990 and 2000, ranging from a 0.06% loss (Frontier County) to a 17.04% loss (Hitchcock County).

More urbanized areas of the state have experienced substantial growth. In 2000, the city of Omaha had a population of 390,007; in 2005, the city's estimated population was 414,521 (427,872 including the recently annexed city of Elkhorn), a 6.3% increase over five years. The 2010 census showed that Omaha has a population of 408,958. The city of Lincoln had a 2000 population of 225,581 and a 2010 population of 258,379, a 14.5% increase.

Religion[link]

The religious affiliations of the people of Nebraska are:

Christian – 90%

* Catholic – 28%

* Lutheran – 16%

* Methodist – 11%

* Baptist – 9%

* Presbyterian – 4%

**Other Protestant – 21%

*Other Christian – 1%

Non-religious – 9%

Other religions – 1%

The largest single denominations by number of adherents in 2000 were the Catholic Church (372,791), the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (128,570), the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (117,419) and the United Methodist Church (117,277).

Taxation[link]

Nebraska has a progressive income tax. The portion of income from $0 to $2,400 is taxed at 2.56%; from $2,400 to $17,500, at 3.57%; from $17,500 to $27,000, at 5.12%; and income over $27,000, at 6.84%. The standard deduction for a single taxpayer is $5,700; the personal exemption is $118.

Nebraska has a state sales tax of 5.5%. In addition to the state tax, some Nebraska cities assess a city sales and use tax, up to a maximum of 1.5%. One county in Nebraska, Dakota County, levies a sales tax. All real property within the state of Nebraska is taxable unless specifically exempted by statute. Since 1992, only depreciable personal property is subject to tax and all other personal property is exempt from tax. Inheritance tax is collected at the county level.

Economy[link]

The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates of Nebraska's gross state product in 2010 was $89.8 billion. Per capita personal income in 2004 was $31,339, 25th in the nation. Nebraska has a large agriculture sector, and is an important producer of beef, pork, corn (maize), and soybeans. Other important economic sectors include freight transport (by rail and truck), manufacturing, telecommunications, information technology, and insurance.

As of January 2010, the state's unemployment rate is 4.6%.

Industry[link]

Kool-Aid was created in 1927 by Edwin Perkins in the city of Hastings, which celebrates the event the second weekend of every August with Kool-Aid Days. Kool-Aid is the official soft drink of Nebraska. ''CliffsNotes'' were developed by Clifton Hillegass of Rising City. He adapted his pamphlets from the Canadian publications, ''Coles Notes''.

Omaha is home to Berkshire Hathaway, whose CEO Warren Buffett was ranked in March 2009 by ''Forbes'' magazine as the second richest person in the world. The city is also home to ConAgra, Mutual of Omaha, InfoUSA, TD Ameritrade, West Corporation, Valmont Industries, Woodmen of the World, Kiewit Corporation, and the Union Pacific Railroad. UNIFI Companies, Sandhills Publishing Company, and Duncan Aviation are based in Lincoln; The Buckle is based in Kearney. Sidney is the national headquarters for Cabela's, a specialty retailer of outdoor goods.

The world's largest train yard, Union Pacific's Bailey Yard, is in North Platte. The Vise-Grip was invented by William Petersen in 1924, and was manufactured in De Witt until the plant was closed and moved to China in late 2008.

Lincoln's Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing is the only Kawasaki plant in the world to produce the Jet-Ski, ATV, and Mule lines of product. The facility employs more than 1200 people.

The Spade Ranch, in the Sand Hills, is one of Nebraska's oldest and largest beef cattle operations.

Transportation[link]

Railroads [link]

Nebraska has a rich railroad history. The Union Pacific Railroad, headquartered in Omaha, was incorporated on July 1, 1862, in the wake of the Pacific Railway Act of 1862. Bailey Yard, in North Platte, is the largest railroad classification yard in the world. The route of the original transcontinental railroad runs through the state.

Other major railroads with operations in the state are: Amtrak; Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway; Canadian Pacific Railway; and Iowa Interstate Railroad.

Roads and highways[link]

Interstate Highways through the State of Nebraska The U.S. Routes in Nebraska

Law and government[link]

Nebraska's government operates under the framework of the Nebraska Constitution, adopted in 1875, and is divided into three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial.

Executive branch[link]

The head of the executive branch is the Governor Dave Heineman. Other elected officials in the executive branch are the Lieutenant Governor Rick Sheehy (elected on the same ticket as the Governor), Attorney General Jon Bruning, Secretary of State John A. Gale, State Treasurer Don Stenberg, and State Auditor Mike Foley. All elected officials in the executive branch serve four-year terms.

Legislative branch[link]

Nebraska is the only state in the United States with a unicameral legislature. Although this house is officially known simply as the "Legislature", and more commonly called the "Unicameral", its members call themselves "senators". Nebraska's Legislature is also the only state legislature 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 chairs are chosen at large, so that members of any party can be chosen for these positions. The Nebraska Legislature can also override a governor's veto with a three-fifths majority, in contrast to the two-thirds majority required in some other states.

The Nebraska Legislature meets in the third Nebraska State Capitol building, built between 1922 and 1932. It was designed by Bertram G. Goodhue. Built from Indiana limestone, the Capitol's base is a cross within a square. A 400-foot domed tower rises from this base. The Golden Sower, a 19-foot bronze statue representing agriculture, crowns the Capitol. The state Capitol is considered an architectural achievement and has been recognized by the American Institute of Architects.

For years, US Senator George Norris and other Nebraskans encouraged the idea of a unicameral legislature, and demanded the issue be decided in a referendum. Norris argued:

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.

In 1934, due in part to the budgetary pressure of the Great Depression, Nebraska citizens ran a state initiative to vote on a unicameral legislature, which was approved. In effect, the Assembly (the house) was abolished; as noted, today's Nebraska state legislators are commonly referred to as "Senators".

Judicial branch[link]

The judicial system in Nebraska is unified, with the Nebraska Supreme Court having administrative authority over all Nebraska courts. Nebraska uses the Missouri Plan for the selection of judges at all levels. The lowest courts in Nebraska are the county courts, above that are twelve district courts (containing one or more counties). The Court of Appeals hears appeals from the district courts, juvenile courts, and workers' compensation courts. The Nebraska Supreme Court is the final court of appeal.

In 2008, the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled that the state's only method of execution, electrocution, was in conflict with the state's constitution. For the next year, Nebraska had no active death-penalty law. (Prior to that ruling, Nebraska was the only place in the world that used electrocution as the sole method of execution.) In May 2009, the legislature passed and the governor signed a bill that changed the method of execution in Nebraska to lethal injection, enabling capital punishment. Executions in Nebraska have been infrequent; none have been carried out in the 21st century. During the last few decades, residents have considered a moratorium on, or complete abolition of, capital punishment.

Federal government representation[link]

Nebraska's U.S. senators are Mike Johanns (R), the junior senator, and Ben Nelson (D), the senior senator.

Nebraska has three representatives in the House of Representatives: Jeff Fortenberry (R) of the 1st district; Lee Terry (R) of the 2nd district; and Adrian M. Smith (R) of the 3rd district.

Nebraska is one of two states (with Maine) that allow for a split in the state's allocation of electoral votes in presidential elections. Under a 1991 law, two of Nebraska's five votes are awarded to the winner of the statewide popular vote, while the other three go to the highest vote-getter in each of the state's three congressional districts.

Politics[link]

For most of its history, Nebraska has been a solidly Republican state. Republicans have carried the state in all but one presidential election since 1940: the 1964 landslide election of Lyndon B. Johnson. In the 2004 presidential election, George W. Bush won the state's five electoral votes by a margin of 33 percentage points (making Nebraska's the fourth-strongest Republican vote among states) with 65.9% of the overall vote; only Thurston County, which is majority-Native American, voted for his Democratic challenger John Kerry. In 2008, the state split its electoral votes for the first time: Republican John McCain won the popular vote in Nebraska as a whole and two of its three congressional districts; the second district, which includes the city of Omaha, went for Democrat Barack Obama.

Despite the current Republican domination of Nebraska politics, the state has a long tradition of electing centrist members of both parties to state and federal office; examples include George Norris (who served few years in the Senate as an independent), J. James Exon, and Bob Kerrey. Voters have tilted to the right in recent years with the election of conservative Mike Johanns to the US Senate and the re-election of Ben Nelson, who is currently considered the most conservative Democrat in the US Senate.

Former President Gerald Ford, a Republican and Michigan resident, was born in Nebraska. Illinois native William Jennings Bryan represented Nebraska in Congress and unsuccessfully ran for President as a Democrat from Nebraska three times.

Important cities and towns[link]

As of the 2010 Census, there are 530 cities and villages in the state of Nebraska. There are five classifications of cities and villages in Nebraska, which is based upon population. All population figures are 2010 Census Bureau estimates.

Largest cities[link]

Metropolitan Class City (300,000 or more)

Omaha – 408,958

Primary Class City (100,000 - 299,999)

Lincoln – 258,379

First Class City (5,000 - 99,999)

Bellevue – 50,137

Grand Island – 48,520

Kearney – 30,787

Fremont – 26,397

Hastings – 24,907

North Platte – 24,733

Norfolk – 24,210

Columbus – 22,111

Papillion – 18,894

La Vista – 15,758

Scottsbluff – 15,039

South Sioux City – 13,353

Beatrice – 12,459

Lexington – 10,230

Gering – 8,500

Alliance – 8,491

Blair – 7,990

York – 7,766

McCook - 7,698

Nebraska City - 7,289

Seward - 6,964

Crete - 6,960

Sidney - 6,757

Plattsmouth - 6,502

Schuyler - 6,211

Ralston - 5,943

Chadron - 5,851

Wayne - 5,660

Holdrege - 5,495

Second Class Cities (800 - 4,999) and Villages (100 - 800) make up the rest of the communities in Nebraska. There are 116 second class cities and 382 villages in the state.

Urban areas[link]

{|- |- !align="left"|Metropolitan areas ! style="text-align:left;" colspan="2"|Micropolitan areas |- |valign=top|

Omaha-Council Bluffs – 728,963 (Nebraska portion); 849,517 (total for Nebraska and Iowa)

Lincoln – 298,012

Sioux City, Iowa – 26,940 (Nebraska portion); 144,360 (total for Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota)

|valign=top|

Grand Island – 71,596

Kearney – 52,274

Norfolk – 48,000

Hastings – 39,529

Scottsbluff – 37,512

|valign=top|

North Platte – 36,890

Fremont – 35,640

Columbus – 32,515

Lexington – 26,920

Beatrice – 22,653

|}

Other areas

Grand Island, Hastings and Kearney comprise the "Tri-Cities" area, with a combined population of 163,399.

The northeast corner of Nebraska is part of the Siouxland region.

Education[link]

Colleges and universities [link]

University of Nebraska system University of Nebraska–Lincoln University of Nebraska at Kearney University of Nebraska at Omaha University of Nebraska Medical Center Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture Nebraska State College System Chadron State College Peru State College Wayne State College

Community Colleges Central Community College Little Priest Tribal College Metropolitan Community College Mid-Plains Community College Nebraska Indian Community College Northeast Community College Southeast Community College Western Nebraska Community College

Private colleges/universities Bellevue University Clarkson College College of Saint Mary Concordia University Creighton University Doane College Grace University Hastings College Midland University Nebraska Christian College Nebraska Methodist College Nebraska Wesleyan University Summit Christian College Union College York College

Culture[link]

Arbor Day was founded by J. Sterling Morton; the National Arbor Day Foundation has its headquarters near his home in Nebraska City.

The swing in the Hebron, Nebraska city park at 5th and Jefferson streets is claimed to be the world's largest porch swing, long enough to fit 18 adults or 26 children.

Nebraska Huskers football influences many of Nebraska's residents. During home football games, Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, with a capacity of 85,500, becomes larger than Nebraska's third-largest city.

Job's Daughters was founded in Omaha in 1920 by Ethel T. Wead Mick. There are now bethels in Canada, Australia, Brazil, and Philippines.

Sports[link]

Professional sports

* Lincoln Saltdogs – American Association (independent minor league baseball)

* Nebraska Danger – Indoor Football League

* Omaha Beef – Indoor Football League

* Omaha Storm Chasers – Pacific Coast League (AAA minor league baseball; affiliate of the Kansas City Royals)

* Omaha Nighthawks – United Football League

* Omaha Vipers – Major Indoor Soccer League

NCAA Division I college sports

* Creighton Bluejays

* Nebraska Cornhuskers

* University of Nebraska at Omaha (currently ice hockey only; all other sports moving to Division I in fall 2012)

NCAA Division II college sports

* University of Nebraska at Kearney Antelopes (Lopers)

* University of Nebraska at Omaha Mavericks

* Wayne State College Wildcats

* Chadron State College Eagles

Junior-level sports: United States Hockey League

* Lincoln Stars

* Omaha Lancers

* Tri-City Storm

See also[link]

Outline of Nebraska

Index of Nebraska-related articles

List of National Register of Historic Places in Nebraska

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

Surveys[link]

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

Olson James C. and Ronald C. Naugle, ''History of Nebraska'' 2nd ed (1997)

Andreas, Alfred T., ''History of the State of Nebraska'' (1882) (a highly detailed history)

Creigh, Dorothy Weyers. ''Nebraska: A Bicentennial History'' (1977)

Faulkner, Virginia, ed. ''Roundup: A Nebraska Reader'' (1957)

Hickey, Donald R. ''Nebraska Moments: Glimpses of Nebraska's Past'' (1992).

Miewald, Robert D., ''Nebraska Government & Politics'' (1984)

Luebke Frederick C. ''Nebraska: An Illustrated History'' (1995)

Morton, J. Sterling, ed. ''Illustrated History of Nebraska: A History of Nebraska from the Earliest Explorations of the Trans-Mississippi Region.'' 3 vols. (1905–13)

Wishart, David J. ed. ''Encyclopedia of the Great Plains'', University of Nebraska Press, 2004, ISBN 0-8032-4787-7. complete text online; 900 pages of scholarly articles

''Nebraska: A Guide to the Cornhusker State'', WPA Guide, 1939; scanned online edition

Scholarly special studies[link]

Barnhart, John D. "Rainfall and the Populist Party in Nebraska." ''American Political Science Review'' 19 (1925): 527–40. in JSTOR

Beezley, William H. "Homesteading in Nebraska, 1862–1872", ''Nebraska History'' 53 (spring 1972): 59–75

Bentley, Arthur F. "The Condition of the Western Farmer as Illustrated by the Economic History of a Nebraska Township." ''Johns Hopkins University Studies in Historical and Political Science'' 11 (1893): 285–370

Cherny, Robert W. ''Populism, Progressivism, and the Transformation of Nebraska Politics, 1885–1915'' (1981)

Bogue Allen G. ''Money at Interest: The Farm Mortgage on the Middle Border'' (1955)

Brunner, Edmund de S. ''Immigrant Farmers and Their Children'' (1929)

Chudacoff, Howard P. ''Mobile Americans: Residential and Social Mobility in Omaha, 1880–1920'' (1972)

* Chudacoff, Howard P. "A New Look at Ethnic Neighborhoods: Residential Dispersion and the Concept of Visibility in a Medium-sized City." ''Journal of American History'' 60 (1973): 76–93. about Omaha; in JSTOR

Coletta, Paolo E. ''William Jennings Bryan''. 3 vols. (1964–69)

Dick, Everett. ''The Sod-House Frontier: 1854–1890'' (1937)

Farragher, John Mack. ''Women and Men on the Overland Trail'' (1979)

Fuller, Wayne E. ''The Old Country School: The Story of Rural Education in the Midwest'' (1982)

Grant, Michael Johnston. "Down and Out on the Family Farm" (2002)

Harper, Ivy. ''Walzing Matilda: Life and Times of Nebraska Senator Robert Kerrey'' (1992)

Holter, Don W. ''Flames on the Plains: A History of United Methodism in Nebraska'' (1983)

Jeffrey, Julie Roy. ''Frontier Women: The Trans-Mississippi West, 1840–1880'' (1979)

Klein, Maury. ''Union Pacific: The Birth of a Railroad, 1862–1893'' (1986)

Klein, Maury. ''Union Pacific: The Rebirth, 1894–1969'' (1989)

Larsen, Lawrence H. ''The Gate City: A History of Omaha'' (1982)

Lowitt, Richard. ''George W. Norris'' 3 vols. (1971)

Luebke, Frederick C. ''Immigrants and Politics: The Germans of Nebraska, 1880–1900'' (1969)

Luebke, Frederick C. "The German-American Alliance in Nebraska, 1910–1917." ''Nebraska History'' 49 (1969): 165–85

Olson, James C. ''J. Sterling Morton'' (1942)

Overton, Richard C. ''Burlington West: A Colonization History of the Burlington Railroad'' (1941)

Parsons Stanley B. "Who Were the Nebraska Populists?" ''Nebraska History'' 44 (1963): 83–99

Pierce, Neal. ''The Great Plains States'' (1973)

Pederson, James F., and Kenneth D. Wald. ''Shall the People Rule? A History of the Democratic Party in Nebraska Politics'' (1972)

Riley, Glenda. ''The Female Frontier. A Comparative View of Women on the Prairie and the Plains'' (1978)

Wenger, Robert W. "The Anti-Saloon League in Nebraska Politics, 1898–1910." ''Nebraska History'' 52 (1971): 267–92

External links[link]

Nebraska state government

Nebraska Division of Travel and Tourism

Energy Profile for Nebraska

USGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of Nebraska

U.S. Census Bureau

Nebraska State Facts

Nebraska Frequently Asked Questions

Nebraska State Publications Online

Nebraska city-data

nebraskastudies.org – History of Nebraska from Nebraska Department of Education, Nebraska State Historical Society, and NET

Nebraska State Databases – Annotated list of searchable databases produced by Nebraska state agencies and compiled by the Government Documents Roundtable of the American Library Association.

Category:States of the United States Category:States and territories established in 1867

af:Nebraska ang:Nebraska ar:نبراسكا an:Nebraska arc:ܢܝܒܪܐܣܟܐ frp:Nebraska ast:Nebraska az:Nebraska bn:নেব্রাস্কা zh-min-nan:Nebraska be:Штат Небраска be-x-old:Нэбраска bcl:Nebraska bi:Nebraska bg:Небраска bs:Nebraska br:Nebraska ca:Nebraska cv:Небраска cs:Nebraska co:Nebraska cy:Nebraska da:Nebraska de:Nebraska nv:Nabeeskah Hahoodzo et:Nebraska el:Νεμπράσκα es:Nebraska eo:Nebrasko eu:Nebraska fa:نبراسکا hif:Nebraska fo:Nebraska fr:Nebraska fy:Nebraska ga:Nebraska gv:Nebraska gag:Nebraska gd:Nebraska gl:Nebrasca gu:નેબ્રાસ્કા hak:Nui-pu-lâ-sṳ̂-kâ xal:Небрааск ko:네브래스카 주 haw:Nepalaka hy:Նեբրասկա hi:नेब्रास्का hr:Nebraska io:Nebraska ig:Nebraska ilo:Nebraska bpy:নেব্রাস্কা id:Nebraska ia:Nebraska ie:Nebraska ik:Nebraska os:Небраскæ is:Nebraska it:Nebraska he:נברסקה jv:Nebraska kn:ನೆಬ್ರಸ್ಕಾ pam:Nebraska ka:ნებრასკა kk:Небраска kw:Nebraska sw:Nebraska ht:Nebraska ku:Nebraska mrj:Небраска lad:Nebraska la:Nebrasca lv:Nebraska lt:Nebraska lij:Nebraska li:Nebraska lmo:Nebraska hu:Nebraska mk:Небраска mg:Nebraska ml:നെബ്രാസ്ക mi:Nebraska mr:नेब्रास्का arz:نبراسكا ms:Nebraska mn:Небраска my:နီဗရက်စကပြည်နယ် nah:Nebraska nl:Nebraska ja:ネブラスカ州 frr:Nebraska no:Nebraska nn:Nebraska oc:Nebraska uz:Nebraska pnb:نیبراسکا pms:Nebraska nds:Nebraska pl:Nebraska pt:Nebraska ro:Nebraska rm:Nebraska qu:Nebraska suyu ru:Небраска sah:Небраска sa:नेब्रास्‍का sq:Nebraska scn:Nebraska simple:Nebraska sk:Nebraska sl:Nebraska szl:Nebraska ckb:نێبراسکا sr:Небраска sh:Nebraska fi:Nebraska sv:Nebraska tl:Nebraska ta:நெப்ராஸ்கா tt:Небраска te:నెబ్రాస్కా th:รัฐเนแบรสกา chy:Nebraska tr:Nebraska uk:Небраска ur:نیبراسکا ug:Nébraska Shitati vec:Nebraska vi:Nebraska vo:Nebraska war:Nebraska yi:נעבראסקא yo:Nebraska diq:Nebraska bat-smg:Nebraska zh:內布拉斯加州

name	Wiz Khalifa
alt	Wiz Khalifa holding a microphone
background	solo_singer
birth name	Cameron Jibril Thomaz
alias
birth date	September 08, 1987
birth place	Minot, North Dakota,
origin	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
genre	Hip hop, pop
occupation	Rapper, singer, songwriter, actor
years active	2005–present
label	Rostrum, Warner Bros., Atlantic
associated acts	Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, Curren$y, Big Sean, Chevy Woods, Mac Miller, Juicy J, Tinie Tempah, Yelawolf, Maroon 5, Big K.R.I.T.
spouse	Amber Rose
website	wizkhalifa.com
notable instruments	}}

Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by the stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper. He released his debut album, ''Show and Prove'', in 2006, and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 2007. His eurodance-influenced single, "Say Yeah", received urban radio airplay, charting on the Rhythmic Top 40 and Hot Rap Tracks charts in 2008. Khalifa parted with Warner Bros. and released his second album, ''Deal or No Deal'', in November 2009. He released the mixtape ''Kush and Orange Juice'' as a free download in April 2010; he then signed with Atlantic Records. He is also well known for his debut single for Atlantic, "Black and Yellow", which peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. His debut album for the label, ''Rolling Papers'', was released on March 29, 2011.

Early life[link]

Khalifa was born on September 8, 1987 to a mother and a father serving in the military. His parents divorced when Khalifa was about three years old. His parents' military service caused him to move regularly: Khalifa lived in Germany, the United Kingdom, and Japan before settling in Pittsburgh where he attended Taylor Allderdice High School.

His stage name is derived from khalifa, an Arabic word meaning "successor", and wisdom, which was shortened to Wiz when Khalifa was a young boy . Khalifa stated to spinner.com that the name also came from being called "young Wiz 'cause I was good at everything I did, and my granddad is Muslim, so he gave me that name; he felt like that's what I was doing with my music." He got his stage name tattooed on his 17th birthday. He includes Jimi Hendrix, Camp Lo, The Notorious B.I.G. and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony among his influences.

Career[link]

2005–08: Early mixtapes and ''Show and Prove''[link]

Rostrum Records president Benjy Grinberg first heard about Wiz Khalifa in 2004 when the rapper's contribution to a mixtape of various new Pittsburgh artists attracted his interest. When Grinberg finally met the 16-year-old artist, he immediately decided he wanted to work with him, later telling HitQuarters: "Even though he wasn’t all the way developed you could just tell that he was a diamond in the rough, and that with some polishing, guidance and backing he could become something special." Khalifa signed to the label shortly after and began a seven year period of artist development.

Khalifa released his first mixtape, ''Prince of the City: Welcome to Pistolvania'', in 2005. The mixtape paved the way for his first full length album entitled ''Show and Prove'' in 2006. Khalifa was declared an "artist to watch" that year in ''Rolling Stone'' magazine.

In 2007, Khalifa signed to Warner Bros. Records and released two mixtapes through Rostrum Records: ''Grow Season'', hosted by DJ Green Lantern and released on July 4, 2007, and ''Prince of the City 2'', released on November 20, 2007. His debut Warner Bros. single "Say Yeah" reached number 25 on the ''Billboard'' Rhythmic Top 40 music chart and number 20 on ''Billboard's'' Hot Rap Tracks. The song samples "Better Off Alone" by Alice Deejay. Khalifa's vocals from "Say Yeah" appear near the end of Pittsburgh mash up producer Girl Talk's 2008 album, ''Feed the Animals'', over music from Underworld's "Born Slippy", Usher's "Love in This Club", and the Cure's "In Between Days". Khalifa appeared with The Game, David Banner and Play-n-Skillz at U92's Summer Jam at the USANA Amphitheatre in West Valley City, Utah on August 2, 2008. Khalifa released the mixtapes ''Star Power'' in September 2008, and ''Flight School'' in April 2009 on Rostrum Records.

Khalifa parted ways with Warner Bros. Records in July 2009 after numerous delays in releasing his planned debut album for the label, ''First Flight''. Khalifa stated to the ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'' that, "I learned a lot during my time there and matured as an artist during the process. I'm happy to be moving on with all of my material and having the chance to be in control of my next moves". Khalifa appeared with Girl Talk, Modey Lemon, Donora, Grand Buffet, and Don Caballero at the Amphitheatre at Station Square in Pittsburgh on July 31, 2009, where he announced that his relationship with Warner Bros. was over.

2009–10: ''Deal or No Deal''[link]

Continuing his association with Rostrum Records, Khalifa released the single "Teach U to Fly", and the mixtape ''How Fly'', a collaboration with New Orleans rapper Curren$y, on August 9, 2009. Khalifa introduced a more melodic style on the mixtape, alternating between singing and rapping. He opened for Wu-Tang Clan member U-God at the 2009 CMJ Music Marathon in New York City. Khalifa released the mixtape ''Burn After Rolling'' on November 2, 2009, where he raps over familiar beats from other artists, including the songs "If I Were A Boy" and "Diva" by Beyoncé, "Walking on a Dream" by Empire of the Sun, "Luchini AKA This Is It" by Camp Lo, and "Best I Ever Had" by Drake. Khalifa released his second album, ''Deal or No Deal'', on November 24, 2009.

Khalifa performed at Emo's in Austin, Texas in March 2010 as part of the 2010 South by Southwest Music Festival. He appeared on the cover of ''XXL'' magazine that same month, for the magazine's annual list of Top 10 Freshman, which included Donnis, J. Cole, Pill, Freddie Gibbs, and Fashawn. Wiz Khalifa was named 2010 "Rookie Of The Year" by "The Source", with alongside Rick Ross, "The Man Of The Year". He toured with rapper Yelawolf on a 20-date tour, the Deal Or No Deal Tour. Khalifa released the free mixtape ''Kush and Orange Juice'' for download on April 14, 2010. Due to Khalifa's devoted grassroots fan base, the mixtape became the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter with the hash tag #kushandorangejuice, and "Kush and Orange Juice download” ranked No. 1 on Google’s hot search trends.

2010: Signing with Atlantic Records[link]

Citing music industry insiders, ''New York'' magazine wrote that Khalifa signed with Atlantic Records in April 2010, although the rapper did not confirm it. He stated to AllHipHop in June 2010 that he was working on a new album, but was weighing his options and had not yet decided on a label to distribute it. Khalifa confirmed to MTV on July 30 that he was signing an Atlantic Records deal.

Khalifa was featured in a remix and video for the 2010 Rick Ross single "Super High", alongside Curren$y. He guested on the mixtape ''Grey Goose, Head Phones, and Thirsty Women '' by St. Louis rapper M.C, and was featured on the track "The Breeze (Cool)" on rapper Wale's August 2010 mixtape ''More About Nothing''. Khalifa was named MTV's Hottest Breakthrough MC of 2010, winning with nearly 70,000 votes, and beating out finalists Nicki Minaj, J. Cole, Travis Porter, and Diggy Simmons.

Khalifa appeared at the Soundset 2010 festival in May 2010 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, alongside Method Man & Redman, Del the Funky Homosapien and Hieroglyphics, Atmosphere, Murs, Cage, and others. He also performed at the 2010 Rock the Bells festival, along with hip hop veterans Wu-Tang Clan, Snoop Dogg, Lauryn Hill, A Tribe Called Quest, Rakim, KRS-One, Jedi Mind Tricks and Slick Rick. Khalifa declined an invitation to tour with rapper Drake and launched his own "Waken Baken" tour, a 50-city national tour with rapper Yelawolf. The tour, scheduled to last from September to November 2010, has, as of October, sold out every venue. On November 2010, during his "Waken Baken" tour at East Carolina University, Wiz Khalifa was arrested for possession and trafficking of marijuana. He was then released the next morning after a $300K bail, and resumed his tour. Khalifa performed in a cypher during the 2010 BET Hip-Hop Awards. He recited his verse from the song, "The Check Point", from his mixtape with Curren$y, ''How Fly''.

2010–11: Mainstream success and ''Rolling Papers''[link]

Khalifa released "Black and Yellow", his first single for Rostrum/Atlantic, produced by Stargate, which has received radio airplay. The single was peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100; the title of the song refers to the colours of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Khalifa released his debut album with Atlantic Records in 2011. He appeared with Curren$y on the track "Scaling the Building" on producer Ski Beatz' 2010 album, ''24 Hour Karate School''. Khalifa's record label is Taylor Gang Records, named after his love of Chuck Taylor All-Stars shoes.

On March 29, 2011, Khalifa released his first studio album, ''Rolling Papers''. The album debuted at number two on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart, with first-week sales of 197,000 copies in the United States. Shortly afterward on March 31, 2011 Wiz Khalifa performed at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia as part of the school's annual Dooley's Weekend. On June 26, 2011, Khalifa was nominated and won Best New Artist at the BET Awards of 2011. Khalifa collaborated with British rapper Tinie Tempah whom Tinie announced in an interview with Rolling Stone that his next single is to be called "Till I'm Gone" and would feature Wiz Khalifa and is to be produced by Stargate. The single and the video song were released at the end of June 2011.

Personal life [link]

Thomaz proposed to model Amber Rose on March 1, 2012 showing off the ring on Twitter. He is personal friends with Snoop Dogg, Juicy J, Yelawolf, and fellow Pittsburgh rapper Mac Miller.

In March 2012, Thomaz purchased a 2.8 private wooded acres with a 3,891-square-foot residence in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. The residence includes 5-bedroom, 4-bath eco-friendly, Brazilian Koa floors, stainless steel appliances, a separate guest house, and a lavish master suite with high ceilings.He currently resides there with his fiancée Amber Rose.

Discography[link]

;Studio albums

2006: ''Show and Prove''

2009: ''Deal or No Deal''

2011: ''Rolling Papers''

2012: ''O.N.I.F.C.''

Awards and nominations[link]

! Year !! Organization !! Award !! Nominated work !! Result
		Best New	Wiz Khalifa
Best Push	Wiz Khalifa
American Music Awards	Sprint's Best New Artist	Wiz Khalifa
	Best Rap Song	"Black & Yellow"
Best Rap Performance	"Black & Yellow"

References[link]

External links[link]

Wiz Khalifa at MTV

Non-commercial Wiz Khalifa mixtapes

Category:1987 births Category:Military brats Category:Midwest hip hop musicians Category:African American rappers Category:Atlantic Records artists Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Category:People from Minot, North Dakota Category:Rappers from Pennsylvania

bs:Wiz Khalifa ca:Wiz Khalifa cs:Wiz Khalifa da:Wiz Khalifa de:Wiz Khalifa es:Wiz Khalifa eo:Wiz Khalifa fa:ویز خلیفا fr:Wiz Khalifa hr:Wiz Khalifa it:Wiz Khalifa he:ויז קאליפה hu:Wiz Khalifa nl:Wiz Khalifa ja:ウィズ・カリファ no:Wiz Khalifa pl:Wiz Khalifa pt:Wiz Khalifa ro:Wiz Khalifa ru:Wiz Khalifa simple:Wiz Khalifa sk:Wiz Khalifa sh:Wiz Khalifa fi:Wiz Khalifa sv:Wiz Khalifa vi:Wiz Khalifa zh:维兹·卡利法