Lincoln, Nebraska

City of Lincoln
—  City  —
Lincoln skyline

Seal
Nickname(s): Star City
Location in Nebraska
Coordinates:
Country United States
State Nebraska
County Lancaster
Founded[1]
  Renamed
  Incorporated
1856
  July 29, 1867
  April 1, 1869
Government
 - Mayor Chris Beutler (D)
 - Legislature
 - U.S. Congress Jeff Fortenberry (R)
Area
 - City 75.4 sq mi (195.2 km2)
 - Land 74.7 sq mi (193.3 km2)
 - Water 0.7 sq mi (1.9 km2)
Elevation 1,176 ft (358 m)
Population (2000)
 - City 251,624
 - Density 3,022.2/sq mi (1,166.9/km2)
 Metro 292,219
  [2]
Time zone CST (UTC-6)
 - Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
Area code(s) 402
FIPS code 31-28000[3]
GNIS feature ID 0837279[4]
Website www.lincoln.ne.gov

The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second most populous city of the U.S. state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. The population was 225,581 at the 2000 census, however the 2008 estimate puts it at 251,624.

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 capital of Nebraska Territory had been Omaha since the creation of the territory in 1854; however, most of the territory's population lived south of the Platte River. After much of the territory south of the Platte considered annexation to Kansas, 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.

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 it was assumed that the legislature would not pass the measure if the future capital were named after Lincoln. The ploy did not work, as Lancaster was renamed Lincoln and became the state capital upon Nebraska's admission to the Union on March 1, 1867.

The city was recently named one of the healthiest cities in the United States as of 2008.[5]

Contents

Geography

Lincoln is located at (40.809868, -96.675345).[6] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 75.4 sq mi (195.2 km²). 74.6 sq mi (193.3 km²) of it is land and 0.7 sq mi (1.9 km²) of it (0.98%) is water.

Lincoln is one of the few large cities of Nebraska not located along either the Platte River or the Missouri River. The city was originally laid out near Salt Creek and among the nearly flat saline wetlands of northern Lancaster County. The city's growth over the years has led to development of the surrounding land, much of which is composed of gently rolling hills. In recent years, Lincoln's northward growth has encroached on the habitat of the endangered Salt Creek tiger beetle.

Metropolitan area

The Lincoln metropolitan area consists of Lancaster County and Seward County, which was added to the metropolitan area in 2003. Lincoln has very little development outside its city limits and has no contiguous suburbs (the largest town that can be considered a suburb of Lincoln is Waverly, Nebraska.) This is due primarily to the fact that most land that would otherwise be developed as a suburban town has already been annexed by the city of Lincoln itself.

Neighborhoods

Downtown Lincoln

Parks

Lincoln has an extensive park system, with over 100 individual parks. The largest parks in Lincoln's park system are: Antelope Park (which contains the Lincoln Children's Zoo and the Sunken Gardens), Woods Park, Holmes Park, Oak Lake Park, Pioneers Park, Tierra Park, and Wilderness Park. The parks are connected by a 159 km (99 mi.) system of recreational trails. The MoPac Trail extends through Lincoln.

Climate

Lincoln, located on the Great Plains far from the moderating influence of mountains or large bodies of water, possesses a humid continental climate (Koppen Dfa): winters are cold but relatively dry, and summers are hot and humid. Little precipitation falls during winter, and a majority of the year's rain comes from May to August.

Law and government

Lincoln has a mayor-council government. The mayor and a seven-member city council are selected in nonpartisan elections. Four members are elected from city council districts; the remaining three members are elected at-large. Lincoln's health, personnel, and planning departments are joint city/county agencies; most city and Lancaster County offices are located in the County/City Building.

Since Lincoln is the state capital, many Nebraska state agencies and offices are located in Lincoln, as are several United States Government agencies and offices. The city lies within the Lincoln Public Schools school district; the primary law enforcement agency for the city is the Lincoln Police Department. The Lincoln Fire and Rescue Department shoulders the city's fire fighting and ambulatory services while outlying areas of the city are supported by volunteer fire fighting units.

The city's public library system is Lincoln City Libraries, which has eight branches. Lincoln City Libraries circulates more than three million items per year to the residents of Lincoln and Lancaster County. Lincoln City Libraries is also home to Polley Music Library and the Jane Pope Geske Heritage Room of Nebraska authors.

Economy

Lincoln's economy is fairly typical of a mid-sized American city; most economic activity is derived from service industries. The state government and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln are both large contributors to the local economy. Other prominent industries in Lincoln include medical, banking, information technology, education, call centers, insurance (such as Allstate Insurance subsidiary Lincoln Benefit Life), and rail and truck transport.

One of the largest employers is the BryanLGH Medical Center which consists of two major hospitals and several large outpatient facilities located across the city. Healthcare and medical jobs account for a substantial portion of Lincoln's employment: as of 2009, full-time healthcare employees in the city included 9,010 healthcare practitioners in technical occupations, 4,610 workers in healthcare support positions, 780 licensed and vocational nurses, and 150 medical and clinical laboratory technicians.[9]

Four regional restaurant chains began in Lincoln: Amigos/Kings Classic, Runza Restaurants, DaVinci's and Valentino's.

Transportation

The Eagle Fruit Store and Capitol Hotel in downtown Lincoln during the 1940s.

Rail

Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Lincoln, operating its California Zephyr daily in each direction between Chicago and Emeryville, California, across the bay from San Francisco.

Bus

A public bus transit system, StarTran, operates in Lincoln. StarTran's fleet consists of 60 full-sized buses and 9 Handi-Vans [1].

Air

The Lincoln Airport provides passengers with daily non-stop service to United Airlines hubs O'Hare International Airport and Denver International Airport as well as Delta Air Lines hub Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. Regional jet service on Delta Air Lines to Salt Lake City and Atlanta was discontinued in 2009. In the past Allegiant Air departed Wednesdays and Saturdays to McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas aboard their fleet of MD-80s. However, this service has ended in Lincoln and has been transferred to the Central Nebraska Regional Airport. The Lincoln Airport is also among the emergency landing sites for the NASA Space Shuttle; the space shuttle has landed in Lincoln only once before.

Warning Sirens

Lincoln currently has 63 operating outdoor warning sirens made by Federal Signal Corporation. There are currently 3 Thunderbolt sirens left, and the rest are Federal Signal 2001's. They are tested at 10:15 on the first Wednesday of the month, except if it is cloudy/rainy or the temperature is below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1870 2,441
1880 13,003 432.7%
1890 55,164 324.2%
1900 40,169 −27.2%
1910 43,973 9.5%
1920 54,948 25.0%
1930 75,933 38.2%
1940 81,984 8.0%
1950 98,884 20.6%
1960 128,521 30.0%
1970 149,518 16.3%
1980 171,932 15.0%
1990 191,972 11.7%
2000 225,581 17.5%
Est. 2008 251,624 11.5%
source:[10][11]

As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 225,581 people, 90,485 households, and 53,567 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,166.9/km² (3,022.2/sq mi). There were 95,199 housing units at an average density of 492.5/km² (1,275.4/sq mi). The racial makeup of the city was 89.25% White, 3.12% Asian, 3.09% African American, 0.68% Native American, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.81% from other races, and 1.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.61% of the population.

There were 90,485 households out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.3% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.8% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the city the population was 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 were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 99.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $40,605, and the median income for a family was $52,558. Men had a median income of $33,899 versus $25,402 for women. The per capita income for the city was $20,984. About 5.8% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.7% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.

Sites of interest

Nebraska State Capitol
The Capitol at night

University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Education

Primary and secondary education

Lincoln Public Schools is the sole public school district in the city. There are six traditional high schools in the district: Lincoln High, East, Northeast, North Star, Southeast, and Southwest. Additionally, Lincoln Public Schools is home to special interest high schools including the Arts and Humanities Focus Program, the Zoo School, the Information Technology Focus Program, and the Entrepreneurship Focus Program.

There are several private and parochial elementary and middle schools located throughout the community. These schools like Lincoln Public Schools are broken into districts and most will allow attendance outside of boundary lines if certain criteria are met.

Private high schools located in Lincoln are College View Academy, Lincoln Christian, Lincoln Lutheran, Parkview Christian and Pius X High School.

Colleges and universities

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln, the flagship campus of the University of Nebraska system, is the largest university in Nebraska. Other colleges and universities based in Lincoln are: BryanLGH College of Health Sciences, Nebraska Wesleyan University, Southeast Community College and Union College.

Colleges and universities with satellite locations in Lincoln are Bellevue University, Doane College, and Kaplan University.

Sports teams

Memorial Stadium

Lincoln is best known for the University's football team, the Nebraska Cornhuskers. In total, the University of Nebraska fields 21 men's and women's teams in 14 NCAA Division I sports. Other sports teams are the Lincoln Saltdogs, an American Association independent minor league baseball team; the Lincoln Stars, a USHL junior ice hockey team. Lincoln is also home to the No Coast Derby Girls, a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association.

Arts, entertainment and culture

Downtown Lincoln at night (14th and O Streets)

Lincoln's primary venues for live music include: Pershing Auditorium (large tours and national acts), Knickerbockers, Bourbon Theatre, Duffy's Tavern, Red9 (opened in 2009), Duggan's Pub (local and regional acts; smaller venues), and the Zoo Bar (blues). The Pla-Mor Ballroom is a staple of Lincoln's music and dance scene, featuring its house band, the award-winning Sandy Creek Band.

The Lied Center is a venue for national tours of Broadway productions, concert music, and guest lectures. Lincoln has several performing arts venues. Plays are staged by UNL students in the Temple Building; community theater productions are held at the Lincoln Community Playhouse, the Loft at The Mill, and the Haymarket Theater.

For movie viewing, the local Douglas Theatre Company (now owned by Marcus Theatres) owns 32 screens at four locations, and the University of Nebraska's Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center shows independent and foreign films. Standalone cinemas in Lincoln include the Joyo Theater and Rococo Theater. The Rococo Theater also hosts benefits and other engagements.

The downtown section of O Street is Lincoln's primary bar and nightclub district.

Lincoln is the hometown of Zager and Evans, known for their international #1 hit record, "In the Year 2525". It is also the home town of several notable musical groups, such as Remedy Drive, VOTA, the Bathtub Dogs, For Against, Lullaby for the Working Class, Ideal Cleaners, Matthew Sweet, Dirtfedd and The Show is the Rainbow. Lincoln is also home to Maroon 5 guitarist James Valentine.

Annual events

Local media

Television

Lincoln has four licensed broadcast television stations:

The headquarters of Nebraska Educational Telecommunications (NET), which is affiliated with the Public Broadcasting Service, National Public Radio and Public Radio International, are in Lincoln.

Lincoln is one of the few cities without its own NBC affiliate; Omaha's WOWT-TV serves as the city's default NBC affiliate on cable, while Hastings' KHAS-TV is available in satellite locals packages. Most of Omaha's other television stations can also be picked up in Lincoln with an antenna, and all are available on cable.

Lincoln also has analog TV translators for 3ABN on channel 27 and TBN on channel 29.

Radio

There are 22 radio stations in Lincoln.

FM stations include:

AM stations include:

Most areas of Lincoln also receive radio signals from Omaha and other surrounding communities.

Print

The Lincoln Journal Star is the city's major daily newspaper. The Daily Nebraskan is the official campus paper of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The Clocktower is the official campus paper of Union College.

Notable people

See also

References

  1. Founded as "Lancaster".
  2. "Annual Estimates of the Population of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006 (CBSA-EST2006-01)" (CSV). 2006 Population Estimates. United States Census Bureau, Population Division. 2007-04-05. http://www.census.gov/population/www/estimates/metro_general/2006/CBSA-EST2006-01.csv. Retrieved 2007-04-08. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  4. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  5. DeNoon, Daniel J.. "Healthiest U.S. City: Lincoln, Nebraska". http://www.webmd.com/news/20081117/healthiest-us-city-lincoln-neb. Retrieved 2009-03-04. 
  6. "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  7. "NCDC: U.S. Climate Normals" (PDF). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2004. http://cdo.ncdc.noaa.gov/climatenormals/clim20/ne/254795.pdf. Retrieved 2010-03-13. 
  8. "Climatological Normals of Lincoln". Hong Kong Observatory. http://www.weather.gov.hk/wxinfo/climat/world/eng/n_america/us/lincoln_e.htm. Retrieved 2010-06-07. 
  9. "Lincoln Career, Salary & Employment Info". http://www.collegedegreereport.com/cities/lincoln. 
  10. Moffatt, Riley. Population History of Western U.S. Cities & Towns, 1850–1990. Lanham: Scarecrow, 1996, 146.
  11. "Subcounty population estimates: Nebraska 2000–2007" (CSV). United States Census Bureau, Population Division. 2009-03-18. http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/files/SUB-EST2007-31.csv. Retrieved 2009-05-11. 
  12. (nd) Lincoln Children's Museum website. Retrieved 7/6/07.
  13. (nd) Lincoln Children's Zoo website. Retrieved 7/6/07.
  14. (nd) Museum of American Speed website. Retrieved 7/6/07.
  15. (nd) Schleich Red Wing Pottery Museum website. Retrieved 7/6/07.
  16. (nd) Sunken Gardens webpage. City of Lincoln. Retrieved 7/6/07.
  17. (nd) Downtown Lincoln Association webpage. Downtown Lincoln Association. Retrieved 3/6/08.
  18. Sports Car Club of America Website, Sports Car Club of America, Inc.

External links