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71-632: Many Fifty-Niners took the "Smoky Hill Trail" west through Kansas Territory up the Kansas River valley. The last significant civilian settlement along this route was Manhattan, Kansas , several hundred miles east of the mountains. Between there and the mountains the Fifty-Niners had to cross the unmarked plains , often getting lost, and sometimes confronting Plains Indians . There is no record of how many prospective miners died en route to Pikes Peak . The northern, or Platte River, route followed

142-495: A Lawrence resident tells her: "You should always say 'The Kaw' when you speak of our river. Only strangers and Google Maps call it 'The Kansas River'"(Ch. 32). Johnny Kaw is a fictional Kansas settler created in a series of tall tale publications started in 1955 — one of his fictional feats was to have dug the Kansas River Valley. The "Kaw River" is mentioned as a location in the western series Wagon Train , in

213-571: A fort. In August 1819, Maj. Stephen H. Long steered the first steamer into the Kansas River with his 30-ton boat Western Engineer . He made it scarcely a mile up the river before turning back, citing mud bars from the recent floods. The mouth of the Kansas River in the West Bottoms area of Kansas City (at a longitude of 94 degrees 36 minutes West) was the basis for Missouri's western boundary from Iowa to Arkansas when it became

284-500: A higher overall number. Since 2016, data for births of White Hispanic origin are not collected, but included in one Hispanic group; persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race. The religious affiliations of the people of Nebraska are predominantly Christian, according to a 2014 survey by the Pew Research Center. At the 2020 Public Religion Research Institute survey, 73% of the population identified as Christian. At

355-604: A long history of civil rights activism. Blacks encountered discrimination from other Americans in Omaha and especially from recent European immigrants who were also competing for the same jobs as well. During the early 20th century, 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. During

426-528: A percentage of the total population) in the nation. Nebraska is also home to the largest Polish American population in the Great Plains. 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

497-635: A point formed by its intersection with the forty-third degree of north latitude [the Western border, which is the Panhandle]; thence east along said forty-third degree of north latitude to the Keya Paha river; thence down the middle of the channel of said river, with its meanderings, to its junction with the Niobrara River; thence down the middle of the channel of said Niobrara River, and following

568-551: A point formed by its intersection with the twenty-fifth degree of longitude west from Washington [the Southern border]; thence north along said twenty-fifth degree of longitude, to a point formed by its intersection with the forty-first degree of north latitude; thence west along said forty-first degree of north latitude to a point formed by its intersection with the twenty-seventh degree of longitude west from Washington; thence north along said twenty-seventh degree of west longitude, to

639-428: 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,

710-529: A reference number. Metropolitan Class City (300,000 or more) Primary Class City (100,000–299,999) First Class City (5,000–99,999) 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. Metropolitan areas 2017 estimate data Micropolitan areas 2012 estimate data Other areas The 2020 United States Census reported that

781-583: A state in 1821 (Kansas entered the Union in 1861.) South of the Missouri River, that longitude still remains the boundary between Kansas and Missouri. North of the Missouri River, the state of Missouri extended its boundary further to the west in 1836 with the Platte Purchase . The river has moved slightly since this designation, but the state boundary has remained the same. This line is known as

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852-623: Is Omaha , which is on the Missouri River . Nebraska was admitted into the United States in 1867, two years after the end of the American Civil War . The Nebraska Legislature is unlike any other American legislature in that it is unicameral , and its members are elected without any official reference to political party affiliation . Nebraska is one of only two states that divide electoral college votes by district, and

923-608: Is generally free-flowing and has only minor obstructions, including diversion weirs and one low-impact hydroelectric dam. Beginning at the confluence of the Republican and Smoky Hill rivers, just east of aptly named Junction City (1,040 feet or 320 metres), the Kansas River flows some 148 miles (238 km) generally eastward to join the Missouri River at Kaw Point (718 feet or 219 metres) in Kansas City, Kansas . Dropping 322 feet (98 m) on its journey seaward,

994-559: Is not winner-take-all. Nebraska is composed of two major land regions: the Dissected Till Plains and the Great Plains . The Dissected Till Plains region consists of gently rolling hills and contains the state's largest cities, Omaha and Lincoln. The Great Plains region, occupying most of western Nebraska, is characterized by treeless prairie . Eastern Nebraska has a humid continental climate while western Nebraska

1065-541: Is potentially the southwestern most part of the Missouri River drainage, which is sometimes in turn the northwesternmost portion of the extensive Mississippi River drainage. Its two names both come from the Kanza (Kaw) people who once inhabited the area; Kansas was one of the anglicizations of the French transcription Cansez ( IPA: [kɑ̃ze] ) of the original kką:ze . The city of Kansas City, Missouri ,

1136-442: Is primarily semi-arid . The state has wide variations between winter and summer temperatures; the variations decrease in southern Nebraska. Violent thunderstorms and tornadoes occur primarily during spring and summer, and sometimes in autumn. The Chinook wind tends to warm the state significantly in the winter and early spring. Indigenous peoples, including Omaha , Missouria , Ponca , Pawnee , Otoe , and various branches of

1207-476: The Midwestern United States . Residents in Nebraska had passed an initiative in 1934, then the first session in the unicameral was held in 1937. Kay Orr was elected Nebraska's first female governor on November 4, 1986. 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

1278-482: The Homestead Act , thousands of 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 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

1349-519: The Kansan glaciation left behind a combination of ice- and meltwater-deposited sediments known as drifta, a poorly sorted mixture of clay, sand, gravel, and even large boulders that cover parts the Kansas River basin from the Big Blue River and eastward. The third is loess , a fine silt that may have originally been deposited by the melting water of the receding glaciers, then redeposited by

1420-651: The Lakota ( Sioux ) tribes, lived in the region for thousands of years before European discovery and exploration . The state is crossed by many historic trails, including that of the Lewis and Clark Expedition . The completion of the Transcontinental Railroad through Nebraska and passage of the Homestead Acts led to rapid growth in the population of American settlers in the 1870s and 1880s and

1491-678: The Niobrara River flows through the northern part, and the Republican River runs across the southern part. The first Constitution of Nebraska in 1866 described Nebraska's boundaries as follows (The description of the Northern border is no longer accurate, since the Keya Paha River and the Niobrara River no longer form the boundary of the state of Nebraska. Instead, Nebraska's Northern border now extends east along

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1562-465: The Omaha Race Riots in 1919 , many white rioters protested throughout Omaha due to there being an incident in which a black man was accused of sexually assaulting a white women. The Great Depression also had greatly affected the residents of Nebraska at the time. From 1930 to 1936 the dust bowl was common in the state due to there being a drought, wind, and dirt being dug up throughout all of

1633-499: The Rocky Mountains provide a temporary moderating effect on temperatures in the state's western portion during the winter. Thus, average January maximum temperatures are highest at around 43 °F or 6.1 °C in southwestern Dundy County , and lowest at about 30 °F or −1.1 °C around South Sioux City in the northeast. Average annual precipitation decreases east to west from about 31.5 inches (800 mm) in

1704-476: The United Methodist Church (109,283). 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 and use tax of 5.5%. In addition to

1775-595: The Wildcat Hills . Panorama Point , at 5,424 feet (1,653 m), is Nebraska's highest point; though despite its name and elevation, it is a relatively low rise near the Colorado and Wyoming borders. A past tourism slogan for the state of Nebraska was "Where the West Begins" (it has since been changed to "Honestly, it's not for everyone"). Locations given for the beginning of the "West" in Nebraska include

1846-494: The 1690s, Spain established trade connections with the Apache , whose territory then included western Nebraska. By 1703, France had developed a regular trade with native peoples along the Missouri River in Nebraska, and by 1719 had signed treaties with several of these peoples. After war broke out between the two countries, Spain dispatched an armed expedition to Nebraska under Lieutenant General Pedro de Villasur in 1720. The party

1917-792: The 2014 Pew Research Center's survey, 20% of the population were religiously unaffiliated; in 2020, the Public Religion Research Institute determined 22% of the population became religiously unaffiliated. The largest single denominations by number of adherents in 2010 were the Roman Catholic Church (372,838), the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (112,585), the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (110,110) and

1988-456: The 2016 American Community Survey , 10.2% of Nebraska's population were of Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race): Mexican (7.8%), Puerto Rican (0.2%), Cuban (0.2%), and other Hispanic or Latino origin (2.0%). The largest ancestry groups were: German (36.1%), Irish (13.1%), English (7.8%), Czech (4.7%), Swedish (4.3%), and Polish (3.5%). Nebraska has the largest Czech American and non-Mormon Danish American population (as

2059-406: The 39th parallel . This map, with virtually no changes except for the translation of French into English, was subsequently published by John Senex, a London cartographer and engraver, in 1721. From June 26 through 29, 1804, the Lewis and Clark Expedition camped at Kaw Point at the Kansas River's mouth. They praised the scenery in their accounts and noted the area would be a good location for

2130-627: The Kansas River in the late 1800s, and the trials that the fishermen on the river faced. Étienne de Veniard Sieur de Bourgmont 's expedition into the Kansas River valley and the history of the Kanza people in their villages along the river is discussed in The Last Wild Places of Kansas , a book by George Frazier. In Sara Paretsky 's 2017 detective novel "Fallout", in which Paretsky's Chicago-based private detective V.I. Warshawski carries out an investigation in Lawrence, Kansas ,

2201-648: 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 . Areas under the management of the National Park Service include: Areas under the management of the National Forest Service include: Two major climatic zones are represented in Nebraska. The eastern two-thirds of the state has a humid continental climate ( Köppen Dfa ), although

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2272-795: The Missouri River. A small area in the extreme northeast part of the state drains directly into the Missouri. In the Kansas City metro area, some streams drain east into the Blue River tributary of the Missouri. The Kansas River flows through what is known as the Stable Interior region. Since this region is near the center of the North American Plate , it has not experienced any extensive geologic faulting , folding , or mountain building in recent geologic time . From

2343-538: The Osage Boundary. From the 1840s through the early 1870s, the southern ridgelines of the lower section of the Kansas River were the beginnings of the Oregon , California , and Santa Fe trails as they left Kansas City. Beginning in 1854, steamboats operated regularly from Kansas City to Lawrence and Topeka, and sometimes as far as Manhattan , Junction City, and Fort Riley . This traffic continued through

2414-829: The Platte River through Nebraska along the Oregon Trail , then angled down along the South Platte River to the gold region. The southern route followed the Santa Fe Trail along the Arkansas River to the vicinity of present-day Pueblo, Colorado , then north up Fountain Creek to the gold fields. Among the most famous of the Fifty-Niners were Buffalo Bill Cody and millionaire miner Horace A. W. Tabor (although Tabor didn't make his fortune until

2485-520: The United States illegally as children (also known as Dreamers). The state legislature lifted the ban in December 2016. Mexico , India , China , Guatemala , and El Salvador are top countries of origin for Nebraska's immigrants. As of 2011, 31.0% of Nebraska's population younger than age   one were minorities. Note: For 2013–2015, births in table don't add up, because Hispanics are counted both by their ethnicity and by their race, giving

2556-539: 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 . The battle of Massacre Canyon , on August 5, 1873, was the last major battle between the Pawnee and the Sioux . During the 1870s to the 1880s, Nebraska experienced a large growth in population. Several factors contributed to attracting new residents. The first

2627-568: 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. As of the 2010 census, there were 530 cities and villages in the state of Nebraska. There are five classifications of cities and villages in Nebraska, which are based upon population. All population figures are 2017 Census Bureau estimates unless flagged by

2698-463: The confluence at Junction City, the river flows through limestone , shale , mudstone , and occasional sandstone strata that, except for diagenesis , remain largely undisturbed since deposition in shallow Carboniferous and Permian seas. The age of the rock exposed by the river becomes progressively older as the river moves downstream for two main reasons. First, downstream areas experience more erosion from increased flow, and second because

2769-483: The current states of Colorado , North Dakota , South Dakota , Wyoming , and Montana . The territorial capital of Nebraska was Omaha . Late 19th century In the 1860s, after the U.S. government forced many of the American Indian tribes to cede their lands and settle on reservations , it opened large tracts of land to agricultural development by European immigrants and American settlers . Under

2840-555: The development of a large agriculture sector for which the state is known to this day. Nebraska's name is the result of anglicization of the archaic Otoe Ñí Brásge (contemporary Otoe: Ñíbrahge ; pronounced [ɲĩbɾasꜜkɛ] ), or the Omaha Ní Btháska , (pronounced [nĩbɫᶞasꜜka] ), meaning "flat water", after the Platte River which flows through the state. Indigenous peoples lived in

2911-778: The drainage of the river lies within the Great Plains , but the river itself exists entirely within the Mid-Continent Region . The majority of the rest of the state is drained by the Arkansas (and its tributaries, the Neosho , Cimarron , and Verdigris , all three of which drain into the Arkansas in Oklahoma ). A portion of central-eastern Kansas is drained by the Marais des Cygnes River , which flows into Missouri to meet

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2982-525: The eyes of the Federal government. In the 1860s, the country's goods were increasingly transported by the extensive and comparatively efficient railroad system. On February 25, 1864, the state legislature declared the Kansas River nonnavigable, allowing railroad and bridge companies to build bridges and dams without restriction. The first train to operate in Kansas south of the Kansas River did so by crossing

3053-482: The final stretches of the river, near its mouth and the connection to the Missouri River. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Land Management operate many reservoirs within the watershed of the Kansas River for local and Mississippi River flood control, with secondary recreational uses. The river is featured prominently in the 2017 documentary When Kings Reigned . The film talks about life along

3124-739: The first U.S. 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 was scarce until 1848 and the California Gold Rush . On May 30, 1854, the U.S. 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

3195-468: The forty-third degree of north latitude until it meets the Missouri River directly.): The State of Nebraska shall consist of all the territory included within the following boundaries, to-wit: Commencing at a point formed by the intersection of the western boundary of the State of Missouri, with the fortieth degree of north latitude; extending thence due west along said fortieth degree of north latitude, to

3266-521: The meanderings thereof to its junction with the Missouri River [the Northern border]; thence down the middle of the channel of said Missouri River, and following the meanderings thereof to the place of beginning [the Eastern border, which is the Missouri River]. Nebraska is composed of two major land regions: the Dissected Till Plains and the Great Plains . The easternmost portion of the state

3337-444: The nation with a Czech-American plurality. In recent years, Nebraska has become home to many refugee communities. In 2016, it welcomed more refugees per capita than any other state. Nebraska, and in particular Lincoln, is the largest home of Yazidis refugees and Yazidi Americans in the United States. Notably, Nebraska was the last of all 50 states to maintain a ban on the issuance of driver's licenses to adults who had entered

3408-415: The native peoples of Nebraska. Spain dispatched two trading expeditions up the Missouri River in 1794 and 1795; the second, under James Mackay, established the first European settlement in Nebraska near the mouth of the Platte River. Later that year, Mackay's party built a trading post, dubbed Fort Carlos IV (Fort Charles), near present-day Homer . In 1819, the United States established Fort Atkinson as

3479-581: The northern half), along with 16,916 square miles (43,810 km ) in Nebraska and 8,775 square miles (22,730 km ) in Colorado , making a total of just over 60,000 square miles (160,000 km ). When including the Republican River and its headwater tributaries, the Kansas River system has a length of 743 miles (1,196 km), making it the 21st longest river system in the United States. Its highest headwaters are at about 6,000 feet (1,800 m) and extend nearly to Limon, Colorado . Much of

3550-522: The opening scene of The Tom Tuckett Story episode (March 2, 1960). (Listed from mouth upstream) Nebraska This is an accepted version of this page Nebraska ( / n ə ˈ b r æ s k ə / nə- BRASS -kə ) is a landlocked state in the Midwestern region of the United States . It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to

3621-486: The population of Nebraska was 1,961,504 on April 1, 2020, a 7.4% increase since the 2010 United States census . The center of population of Nebraska is in Polk County , in the city of Shelby . According to HUD 's 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report , there were an estimated 2,246 homeless people in Nebraska . The table below shows the racial composition of Nebraska's population as of 2022. According to

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3692-406: The region of present-day Nebraska for thousands of years before European colonization . The historic tribes in the state included the Omaha , Missouria , Ponca , Pawnee , Otoe , and various branches of the Lakota ( Sioux ), some of which migrated from eastern areas into the region. When European exploration, trade, and settlement began, both Spain and France sought to control the region. In

3763-566: The river in Lawrence on November 1, 1867. This law remained in effect until 1913, when, after it had been characterized as "a crime against the public welfare of Kansas", it was finally repealed and the river's status was restored to a navigable stream. The status has not since changed, though modern commercial navigation on the river is largely confined to dredging . Recreation along the Kansas River includes fishing , canoeing and kayaking , and rowing . There are 18 public access points along

3834-652: The river. The Friends of the Kaw organizes many float trips down the river each year (as well as cleanup efforts), and the Lawrence KOA rents canoes for self-guided trips. At least two rowing teams regularly use the river: The University of Kansas rowing team uses the pool above the Bowersock Dam for their training, and the Kansas City Boat Club as well as University of Missouri-Kansas City rows in

3905-409: The rocks in the eastern Kansas valley are sedimentary , ranging from Late Pennsylvanian (300 million years ago) through the Permian, with three notable exceptions from the Quaternary Period. The first is river sand and gravel deposits, which have been carried in largely from erosion of the Ogallala and Cretaceous rocks by the western extents of the Kansas River tributaries. Second, the retreat of

3976-402: The slight uplift of the Ozark dome to the southeast caused the strata in Kansas to dip very slightly to the west. The Smoky Hill River and Republican River tributaries reach far to the west into the Cretaceous deposits of the Western Interior Seaway and the Neogene Period deposits of material from the uplift of the Rocky Mountains , which created the Ogallala Formation . All of

4047-424: 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 (0.64 and 0.89 m) of snow each year. Nebraska's highest-recorded temperature was 118 °F (48 °C) in Minden on July 24, 1936. The state's lowest-recorded temperature

4118-407: The southeast, both across the Missouri River ; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwest; and Wyoming to the west. Nebraska is the 16th-largest state by land area , with just over 77,220 square miles (200,000 km ). With a population of over 1.9 million, it is the 38th-most populous state and the eighth-least densely populated . Its capital is Lincoln , and its most populous city

4189-585: The southwest of this region may be classed as a humid subtropical climate ( Cfa ) using the −3 °C or 26.6 °F near the Kansas state line, analogous to the predominantly humid subtropical climate of Kansas and Oklahoma . Western Nebraska, including The Panhandle and adjacent areas bordering Colorado have a semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk ). The entire state experiences wide seasonal variations in both temperature and precipitation. Average temperatures are fairly uniform across Nebraska, with hot summers and generally cold winters. However, chinook winds from

4260-417: The southwest; and Wyoming to the west. The state has 93 counties and is split between two time zones , with the majority of the state observing Central Time and the Panhandle and surrounding counties observing 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 state's central portion,

4331-418: The state tax, some Nebraska cities assess a city sales and use tax, in 0.5% increments, up to a maximum of 1.5%. Dakota County levies an additional 0.5% county sales tax. Food and ingredients that are generally for home preparation and consumption are not taxable. All real property within the state of Nebraska is taxable unless specifically exempted by statute. Since 1992, only depreciable personal property

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4402-403: The subsequent " Colorado Silver Boom "). No gold was found near Pikes Peak until after the gold rush, but it was the first visible landmark for those traveling west across the High Plains . This gave rise to the slogan, " Pike's Peak or Bust . " Kansas River The Kansas River , also known as the Kaw , is a meandering river in northeastern Kansas in the United States . It

4473-411: The territorial period and the early years of statehood, falling off rapidly about 1860. The last steamer to travel the Kansas was the Alexander Majors, which was chartered in 1866 to run between Kansas City and Lawrence until the railroad bridge at the mouth of the river, which had been destroyed by floods, could be rebuilt. This traffic into statehood gave the Kansas legal status as a navigable stream in

4544-471: The water in the Kansas River falls less than 2 feet per mile (38 cm/km). The Kansas River valley is only 115 miles (185 km) long; the surplus length of the river is due to meandering across the floodplain . The river's course roughly follows the maximum extent of a Pre-Illinoian glaciation, and the river likely began as a path of glacial meltwater drainage. The Kansas drains 34,423 square miles (89,160 km ) of land in Kansas (almost all of

4615-424: The wind. The thickest loess deposits can be found in the northwest and north-central part of the Kansas River basin from southern Nebraska into northwest Kansas, as well as near the river's mouth. The first map showing the Kansas River is French cartographer Guillaume de L'Isle 's " Carte de la Louisiane ," which was drawn about 1718. On it, the "Grande Riviere des Cansez" flows into the Missouri River at about

4686-422: Was attacked and destroyed near present-day Columbus by a large force of Pawnee and Otoe, both allied with the French. The massacre ended Spanish exploration of the area for the remainder of the 18th century. In 1762, during the Seven Years' War , France ceded the Louisiana territory to Spain. This left Britain and Spain competing for dominance along the Mississippi River; by 1773, the British were trading with

4757-443: Was founded in Nebraska City by territorial governor J. Sterling Morton . The National Arbor Day Foundation is still headquartered in Nebraska City , with some offices in Lincoln. In the late 19th century, African Americans migrated from the South to Nebraska as part of the Great Migration . Eventually, they lived primarily to Omaha which offered working-class jobs in meat packing , the railroads and other industries. Omaha has

4828-405: Was named for the river, as was later the state of Kansas. The river valley averages 2.6 miles (4.2 km) in width, with the widest points being between Wamego and Rossville , where it is up to 4 miles (6.4 km) wide, then narrowing to 1 mile (1.6 km) or less in places below Eudora and De Soto . Much of the river's watershed is dammed for flood control , but the Kansas River

4899-416: Was scoured by Ice Age glaciers ; the Dissected Till Plains were left 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 most of western Nebraska, with the region consisting of several smaller, diverse land regions, including the Sandhills , the Pine Ridge , the Rainwater Basin , the High Plains and

4970-473: 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. New agricultural innovations such as barbed wire, windmills, and the steel plow, combined with fair weather, enabled settlers to transform Nebraska into prime farming land. By the 1880s, Nebraska's population had soared to more than 450,000 people. The Arbor Day holiday

5041-559: Was −47 °F (−44 °C) in Camp Clarke on February 12, 1899. Nebraska is located in Tornado Alley . Thunderstorms are common during both the spring and the summer. Violent thunderstorms and tornadoes happen primarily during those two seasons, although they also can occur occasionally during the autumn. 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 Dakota and South Dakota , and Iowa . Hundreds of towns have

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