Lincoln, Nebraska
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Template:US City infobox 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 large cities of Nebraska not located along the Platte River or the Missouri River. Lincoln is also known as the "Star City" (from the use of a star to mark state capitals on road maps); the city's logo consists of a star comprised of 5 Ls.
Lincoln is the home of the flagship campus of the four-campus University of Nebraska system and is the location of the Nebraska State Fair. It is 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 reach throughout the state (with the exception of Omaha, which has its own local public stations). It also has two freeform radio stations: KZUM 89.3 FM and the UNL college station KRNU 90.3.
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Lincoln is also the home of Union College and of Nebraska Wesleyan University. The sport of roller skating also calls Lincoln its home as the National Roller Skating Museam and USA Roller Sports are located in Lincoln.
The downtown area is home to commerce, culture, restaurants, shopping, nightlife and residential lofts and apartments.
Lincoln's current mayor is Coleen Seng.
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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, in part due to the salt flats and marshes nearby.
However, Omaha interests attempted to derail the move by having Lancaster renamed after the recently assassinated President, Abraham Lincoln. At the time, many of the people south of the river had been sympathetic towards the Confederate cause and the it was assumed that the legislature would not pass the measure if the future capital was named after the leader of the Union cause. The ploy did not work, as Lancaster was renamed Lincoln and became the state capital at the same time that Nebraska became a state, on March 1, 1867.
Geography
Lincoln is located at 40°48'35" North, 96°40'31" West (40.809868, -96.675345)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 195.2 km² (75.4 sq mi). 193.3 km² (74.6 sq mi) of it is land and 1.9 km² (0.7 sq mi) of it is water. The total area is 0.98% water.
Notable buildings
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The Nebraska State Capitol 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 the surrounding area. 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, established in 1869, 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 (home of the Cornhuskers football team). The stadium was originally
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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 stadium area will be renovated in the mid 2000s, giving it a much more modern appearance and increasing seating capacity from its current 73,918 to over 80,000.
- 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, restaurant, and residential district.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR 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/km² (3,022.2/sq mi). There are 95,199 housing units at an average density of 492.5/km² (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 population, 10.7% of those under the age of 18 and 6.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Famous residents
- William Jennings Bryan
- Willa Cather
- Dick Cavett
- Dick Cheney
- Charles G. Dawes
- Sandy Dennis
- Loren Eiseley
- Cliff Hillegass
- Ron Kurtenbach
- Gary Lauck
- Gilbert N. Lewis
- Gordon MacRae
- Mary Pipher
- Charles Starkweather
- Matthew Sweet
- Brandon Teena
- Denny Zager
Points of interest
- Nebraska Statewide Arboretum
- National Roller Skating Museum
External links
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- Lincoln's Official Website (http://www.ci.lincoln.ne.us/)
- Official tourism Website (http://www.lincoln.org)
