Lincoln, Nebraska Was Just Named One Of The Top 10 Happiest Cities In The U.S.
Lincoln, Nebraska is ranked as one of the happiest cities in the U.S. due to its strong community, excellent healthcare, and abundant outdoor activities.
We've always known the Lincoln is one of the most popular places to live in Nebraska. It's not hard to see why - from community spirit to great shopping and dining, world-class hospitals to walking trails, Lincoln has a lot to offer. A recent study from WalletHub named Lincoln, Nebraska the 7th happiest city in the whole country in 2021.
Nebraska is, overall, one of the happiest places in the nation. In fact, another recent study from WalletHub named Nebraska the 11th happiest state in the nation!
Lincoln's unemployment rate is consistently far lower than the national average. Even during the pandemic, the city has maintained low unemployment and a mostly stable economy.
The community and environment metric measures factors like divorce rates, the amount of leisure time residents have, and green public spaces. Lincoln excels in this area thanks to its strong sense of community and plenty of outdoor parks for families to play in.
Emotional and physical well-being measures depression rates, food insecurity rates, adequate sleep rate, and physical fitness. Lincoln's numerous parks and play areas (132, if you're keeping track) are a testament to how much the city values health and happiness.
Lincolnites also have access to more than 130 miles of walking trails, making it easy to get out and explore the city while getting some exercise. Distinctive places like the Lincoln Children's Zoo, Sunken Gardens, Pioneers Park, and more make Lincoln a true destination.
Access to great healthcare also factored into the ranking. As the home to several world-class hospitals and medical facilities, Lincoln has you covered when you get sick.
Shopping and dining opportunities abound in Lincoln, as well. The Haymarket District is often listed as one of Lincoln's best destinations...but don't forget to explore the rest of the city, too! There are terrific little surprises everywhere you look, like this stunning steam engine wall sculpture in the Haymarket.
Lincoln may not have topped the list when it comes to weather, but we're okay with that. Who needs nonstop sunshine when you can experience all four seasons in one week?
What is Nebraska famous for? The Cornhusker State is home to lots of famous people, and there are plenty of great Nebraska inventions, as well. But did you know about these other things from Nebraska that helped to put our state on the map? Read on for some fun facts about the things Nebraska did first.
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1. The First State Admitted to the Union Over a Presidential Veto
Language in the original state constitution gave the right to vote only to white men. After a "pocket veto" by President Johnson, the Nebraska legislature presented an amended state constitution which stated that it was implied that all men could vote, even if the state hadn't voted on that issue. Johnson vetoed the application, but Congress overrode the veto and Nebraska became a state on March 1, 1867. For more information, visit the Nebraska Legislature's website.
Controversy abounds over where the country's very first rodeo was held, but everyone can agree that Buffalo Bill's famous rodeo was one of the things Nebraska did first in North Platte in 1882. Discover more on Buffalo Bill's Center of the West website. This mansion, "Scout's Rest" was Cody's place to stop between tours and is located on the grounds of Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park in North Platte.
3. First State to Complete its Section of the Interstate
I-80, stretching across the entire state from west to east, was completed on Oct. 19, 1974. Nebraska was the first state in the country to finish its stretch of the national mainline Interstate Highway System. This history can be found on Nebraska Transportation's website.
J. Sterling Morton brought Arbor Day to America on April 10, 1872 - a day that saw one million trees planted in the state. Every year since, Arbor Day has been celebrated by the planting of trees in the spring. Visit Arbor Day Foundation’s website for more information.
5. First State with a Unicameral, Nonpartisan Legislature
The state legislature is composed of one house instead of two like every other state. Then-Senator George Norris observed the unicameral model in action on a trip to Australia in 1931 and brought the idea home. The constitutional amendment was approved in 1934 and took effect with the 1936 election. The Nebraska Legislature’s website offers more information.
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6. First State with a Gubernatorial Election Consisting of Two Female Candidates
In the 1986 gubernatorial election, Kay Orr and Helen Boosalis became the first females to run against each other for the seat of governor. Kay Orr won, becoming Nebraska's first (and, to date, only) female governor. Learn more about Gov. Orr on the National Governor's Association website.
Another fun fact about Nebraska is the straw bale church in Arthur, thought to be the first one built in the country - and it is the only one remaining. Other structures - like schools and even houses - were built from hay bales in the first part of the 20th century as well.
8. First to Digitize the Entire Collection of Homestead Records
History buffs rejoiced in 2014 when the state finished digitizing its entire collection of original homestead records. 76,000 homestead files and some 1.6 million images were digitized to preserve the state's rich history of homesteaders. Search the records on the University of Nebraska website.
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9. Country's First State to Inaugurate Jewish American Heritage Month
On Israel’s Independence Day, the evening of May 5 through the evening of May 6, 2022, a celebration took place at the Nebraska Capitol Building, when Gov. Pete Ricketts inaugurated May as Jewish American Heritage Month in Nebraska, the first U.S. state to do so. To learn more about this
While this iconic museum is closed, in addition to the fantastic collectibles, Chevyland USA's owner Monte Hollertz put Nebraska on the map for having the first museum dedicated to a single-car line. It opened in Elm Creek in the early 1970s. You can still enjoy automotive history in the Cornhusker State, though, at the Corvair Museum of America in Hastings and the Museum of American Speed in Lincoln.
Being a pretty big state, there are some pretty notable Nebraska inventions out there. These things invented in Nebraska have all migrated outside our borders now, but their origins are in the Cornhusker State and we are so proud of that.
The birthplace of the Reuben is hotly contested by some, but it's widely believed to have been invented at Omaha's Blackstone Hotel by Reuben Kulakofsky. In any case, it first appeared on the menu of one of the Blackstone's restaurants in 1925.
William Petersen, a blacksmith in DeWitt, NE, came up with the idea for locking pliers in the early 1920s. He was granted a patent for his invention, which he named Vise-Grip, in 1924. He originally sold the pliers from the trunk of his car, but later formed a company and began manufacturing Vice-Grips in DeWitt in 1938. The company was acquired by IRWIN Tools in 1993.
The Steel and Foam Energy Reduction (SAFER) Barrier was developed from 1998 to 2002 at the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility at UNL. Dr. Dean Sicking led a team of engineers to create the race track safety wall that lowers the danger to drivers in the event of a crash. The system is used today on IndyCar and NASCAR circuit tracks.
In the 1950s, Swanson answered the prayers of every busy family by creating a meal that was quick to prepare and came in single portions. Several other frozen dinner variants had already been developed by other companies, but it was Omaha-based Swanson that developed the idea on a nationwide level. It's widely assumed that the term "TV dinner" came from families eating the frozen meals in front of the television at dinner time. However, food historians say that the name came from the tray's original shape which resembled a 1950s television with a larger compartment (resembling the screen) on one side and two smaller compartments (resembling the speaker and controls) on the other. Some think that Swanson owes this success to their use of the term "TV Dinner," since national excitement about television was high at the time.
Those distinctive yellow and black booklets that got so many of us through high school and college weren't exactly invented in Nebraska, but they began their American life in Lincoln. In 1958 Cliff Hillegass was working at Nebraska Book Co. when he met a Canadian man who published study guides. Hillegass acquired the American rights to the product and began producing them under the name CliffsNotes. The company would go on to produce reference guides for subjects other than literature.
Ahh, the McDonald's McRib - you either love it or you hate it. In the 1970s, University of Nebraska professor emeritus of animal science Roger Mandigo was approached by the National Pork Producers Council. They wanted him to come up with a product created from pork trimmings that they could sell to McDonald's. We'll spare you the details of the "restructured meat" process Mandingo invented, but it's similar to the technique used to make sausage. McDonald's chefs invented the shape of the patty and the special sauce that make the McRib a fast-food favorite to some.
This springtime celebration of trees was introduced to America by J. Sterling Morton in 1872. On April 10th of that year, approximately one million trees were planted in Nebraska. Today Arbor Day is celebrated annually around the world by the planting of trees.
These delectable meltaway chocolates are a Nebraska staple at Christmas (and anytime chocolate is called for) and are sold around the world. They've been produced in Greenwood, Nebraska for three generations.
Union Pacific engineer (the designing kind, not the train kind) James Curran came up with the design for the ski chairlift in 1936. He was inspired by hook-equipped banana conveyor systems that loaded cargo ships in the tropics. The first ski chairlifts were installed at the ski resort in Sun Valley, Idaho in 1936 and 1937 - a resort that happened to be owned by Union Pacific.
The inspiration for what is probably now one of the most famous things from Nebraska, chocolate-coated ice cream bars came from a candy store in Onawa, Iowa in 1920. Owner Christian Kent Nelson took his invention to a Nebraska chocolatier named Russell Stover to mass-produce the confections under the Eskimo Pie name. (Stover later moved to Colorado before starting his now-famous brand of boxed chocolates.)
Cushman Motor Works, a company started in 1903 in Lincoln, manufactured engines for farm equipment. But one of their most famous products was introduced during WWII. The Cushman Model 53 Airborne Scooter was designed to be dropped from a plane by parachute along with airborne soldiers. The scooters were used to ensure easy mobility and communication between units.
In the 1920s, Hastings resident Edwin Perkins was inspired by a juice-flavored drink concentrate called Fruit Smack. He played around with formulas to remove the liquid from the drink until only a powder remained, a process that would reduce shipping costs and eventually allow 21st-century shoppers to buy a packet for the low price of 25 cents.
During the Cold War, the Nebraska Department of Agriculture developed a nutritious wheat-based biscuit meant to be stored in bomb shelters in the event that an atomic bomb should hit the area. The grain bars look like hamster food and probably tasted similar, but they were said to provide adequate nutrition for up to two weeks.
A woman named Dorothy Lynch served as the manager of Legion Club restaurant in St. Paul. In the late 1940s, Dorothy developed a sweet and tangy dressing somewhat similar to a thick French dressing. Community members loved it so much that Dorothy sold the recipe to Tasty-Toppings so it could be widely manufactured. Today, every bottle of Dorothy Lynch comes from a production facility in Duncan, Nebraska.
Fremont native Harold Eugene Edgerton became interested in the use of stroboscopes - today most recognizable as strobe lights - to study synchronous motors. This subject was the topic of his Sc.D thesis at MIT in 1927. His methods go on to be used in photographing high-speed subjects (like a balloon popping) to catch split-second details. Okay, so maybe it's a stretch to say the process was invented IN Nebraska since Edgerton was attending MIT at the time of his thesis, but we'd like to think the foundations of his ideas came to him right here at home.
The Runza isn't known around the world or even around the country, but we'll let it slide on account of its deliciousness. The original idea for the Runza sandwich didn't actually originate in Nebraska - it was introduced to the area by German immigrants. However, brother-and-sister team Sarah Everett and Alex Brening gave a face, brand name, and easy availability to the meat-stuffed pastry in 1949 when they opened the first Runza Drive-In in Lincoln.
The next time you step into a voting booth and pull the curtain closed behind you, be sure to thank Nebraska native Elizabeth Robb Douglas. The idea came to her in a dream in 1905. That dream launched the Douglas Manufacturing company which operates to this day in Crete.
On top of all these fascinating inventions, there are plenty of things made in Nebraska today that were invented elsewhere: Spam (the canned meat), center pivot irrigation systems, and Kellogg's cereal, among others. It just goes to show that Nebraska has a lot to offer the world. You're welcome, world.
Do you know of any other things invented in Nebraska? If so, please share them in the comments!
Show off your Cornhusker State pride with some awesome apparel from Wear Your Roots. Use code Nebraska10 for a discount at checkout!
