There are 12 states in the Midwestern region of the United States and Nebraska is one of them. Nebraska is surrounded by South Dakota in the north, Iowa in the east, Missouri in the southeast, Kansas in the south, Colorado in the southwest and Wyoming in the west. The nickname of Nebraska is the Cornhusker State. What are some interesting facts about Nebraska? This article will discuss 10 interesting facts about Nebraska, The Cornhusker State.
1. Nebraska is the Only Triply Landlocked State of the United States
Nebraska is not only just landlocked or double landlocked. It’s a triply landlocked state in of the United States. As triply landlocked state, we have to travel at least three states or two states and one Canadian province to reach an ocean.
2. Lincoln is the Capital City of Nebraska and Omaha is Its Largest
The capital city of Nebraska is Lincoln while its largest is Omaha. Lincoln is also the second largest city in Nebraska. Omaha also forms Omaha–Council Bluffs metropolitan area, or simply Omaha metropolitan area, that extends to three counties of Iowa. Omaha is named for Omaha people, a federally recognized Midwestern Native American tribe.
3. Nebraska is the Only State with Unicameral Legislature
In the United States, Nebraska is the only state with Unicameral Legislature. Unlike the legislatures of the other 49 states and the Congress of the United States, the legislature is not separated into two houses. Nebraska Legislature is also nonpartisan as it does not officially recognize the political party affiliations of its members.
4. Nebraska is the State with Most Irrigated Land in the United States
Nebraska has the most irrigated land in the United States. In 2017, There were 8.6 million acres of irrigated cropland which is 14.8 percent of all irrigated cropland in the United States. There are more than 100,000 registered irrigation wells and an additional 16,000 registered water wells in Nebraska. Nebraska farmer, Frank Zybach, invented center-pivot irrigation in the mid-20th Century.
5. Nebraska Has the Highest Percentage of Land Used for Agriculture
While the total land used for agriculture in Nebraska is not the highest state in the United States due to its lower total area, but Nebraska is the highest when it comes to percentage of land used for agriculture as over 91% of the state’s total land area (around 44.8 million acres / 18,129,916 ha) are used for farms and ranches. Nebraska is a major producer of wheat, corn (maize), soybeans, and sorghum as well as beef and pork. Nebraska is one of the states with the most cattle in the United States.
6. Nebraska Ranked 3rd in State with Total Miles of River
Many miles of rivers and streams flow across Nebraska. Although it has long rivers and streams, Nebraska is indeed still in the 3rd rank when it comes to the total of miles of river by state behind Alaska and Texas that are much larger in total area. Nebraska has 79,056 miles of river while Alaska has 365,000 miles of river and Texas’ 184,797 miles. The two most notable rivers in Nebraska are the Platte & Missouri rivers.
7. Nebraska is the Only US state in Which All Electric Utilities are Publicly Owned
All the electric utilities in Nebraska are publicly owned. It’s the only state in the United States to do so. Publicly owned utilities such as municipal utilities, electric cooperatives, or public power districts provide electricity for every home and business in Nebraska. There are 166 different community-owned utilities in Nebraska. Half of the electricity generation in Nebraska is still coal based but wind power has grown fast in recent years.
8. Panorama Point is the Highest Natural Point in Nebraska
With 5,429 ft (1,655 m) elevation, Panorama Point is the highest natural point in Nebraska. It’s located near the point where Nebraska and Wyoming meet on Colorado’s northern boundary in southwestern Kimball County. Panorama Point is not a hill or mountain. It’s indeed only a low rise of plains that we can drive to this site. Panorama point is located on a privately owned High Point Bison Ranch.
9. The Official State Bird of Nebraska is Western Meadowlark
The western meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) was designated as the state bird of Nebraska in 1929. It’s a medium sized bird around 8.5 inch (22 cm) in length. It can be found across western and central North America on which it nests on the ground in open grasslands. The main food of western meadowlark is bugs but they also can eat seeds and berries. The western meadowlark is also the state bird of Kansas, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, and Wyoming.
10. The Giant Goldenrod is the Official State Flower of Nebraska
In 1895, the giant goldenrod (Solidago gigantea) was designated as the official state flower of Nebraska (the original legislation spelled the flower “golden rod”). Solidago gigantea is a plant species native to non-artic Norh America east of Rocky Mountain. It can be found from Alberta to Nova Scotia in the north to Florida in the east, and to the state of Nuevo León of Mexico in the south. Solidago gigantea is also the official state flower of Kentucky but call it as simply Goldenrod instead of Giant Goldenrod or Tall Goldenrod.
There are surely many more interesting facts about Nebraska that haven’t been discussed in this article. If you know any other interesting facts about Nebraska, you can share them with us here.