GLIMPSE OF NEBRASKA

Nebraska is growing in popularity among travelers, in part because of its extraordinary places.  But other features that make the state popular are its amazing geography and climate, varied plant and animal life, and remarkable people.

"The Cornhusker State" is bordered by South Dakota to the north, Iowa and Missouri to the east, Kansas to the south, and Colorado and Wyoming to the west.  Nebraska's Dissected Till Plains region (in the east) has rich soil ideal for farming.  The Great Plains (in the west) are home to the Sandhills, the largest sand dune area in North America.  Grasses in this region make it perfect for raising cattle.

Mother Nature offers Nebraska a great variety of weather, including sunny skies and cool summer breezes, as well as tornadoes, thunderstorms, and blizzards.  Spring and fall are usually very pleasant everywhere in Nebraska. 

Nebraska yields an impressive array of wildlife.  The buffalo, the stately creature so important to the Native Americans and white settlers of the region, can still be found.  Other mammals in the state are beaver, deer, antelope, bobcat, fox, badger, coyote, rabbit and opossum.  Game birds such as pheasants, ducks, geese and quail are common.

Recent census data show that the state's ethnic mix includes Germans (39.9 percent), English (13.8 percent), Irish (11.3 percent), Swedes (6.7 percent), Czechs (5.3 percent), African Americans (3.6 percent), people of Native American descent (.07 percent), Asian Americans (.07 percent) and other races.

In 1990, the U.S. Bureau of the Census reported 1,578,385 people living in Nebraska. About four-fifths of Nebraskans live in the eastern third of the state, which includes Omaha, the largest city, with 335,795 people, and the capital city of Lincoln, with 191,972 people.  Nebraska's next largest cities are:  Grand Island, 39,386; Bellevue, 30,982; Kearney, 24,396; Fremont, 23,680; Hastings, 22,837; North Platte, 22,605; Norfolk, 21,476; and Columbus, 19,480.

Since Nebraska became a state, its population has grown steadily, with the most recent census figures higher than ever before.  Nebraska's entire population was rural only a little over a century ago. Since that time, however, the trend has been toward urban living.  Two-fifths of the population now live in the three exciting metropolitan areas of Omaha, Lincoln, and South Sioux City.  Nebraska's largest cities, which have much to offer, keep growing!

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