America at 250: Nebraska Uncovered — 20 Facts About the Cornhusker State, Home of the Only One-House Legislature in America

America at 250: Nebraska Uncovered — 20 Facts About the Cornhusker State, Home of the Only One-House Legislature in America

As the United States celebrates 250 years of independence, a state-by-state journey — from the Oregon Trail and the Sandhills to Warren Buffett’s Omaha, Cornhusker football and the nation’s only unicameral legislature — through the numbers, the history and the emergency lifelines every traveler should carry.

As the United States marks the landmark 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026 — its semiquincentennial — our state-by-state journey reaches Nebraska: the “Cornhusker State,” a Great Plains breadbasket at the geographic heart of the country. Nebraska is unlike any other state in one striking way: it is the only one with a one-house, officially nonpartisan legislature.

A land of cornfields and cattle, of the Oregon Trail and the Sandhills, and the home of one of the world’s greatest investors, Nebraska blends agricultural tradition with quiet economic strength. What follows is a fact-checked portrait drawn from official sources — the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, state agencies and federal registries — followed by the safety information every visitor to the Cornhusker State should keep close at hand.

How Big Is Nebraska? About 2 Million People Across 77,348 Square Miles

Nebraska is a large Plains state with a modest population. The U.S. Census Bureau put its population at about 2,005,465 in 2024, ranking it around 38th nationally, spread across roughly 77,348 square miles — the 16th-largest state by area — of prairie, farmland and the vast, grass-covered dunes of the Sandhills.

Most Nebraskans live in the east, in and around Omaha (the largest city, a corporate and financial hub on the Missouri River) and Lincoln (the capital and home of the state university). West of there, the land grows steadily drier and emptier, rising toward the High Plains and the panhandle, where landmarks like Chimney Rock once guided pioneers on the Oregon Trail.

Nebraska’s landscape is quintessential Great Plains — rolling farmland in the east, the unique Sandhills (the largest sand-dune formation in the Western Hemisphere, now grass-covered ranchland) in the center, and high plains in the west. The Platte River threads across the state, a lifeline that guided westward migration.

A Plains History: The 37th State, Admitted in 1867

Home to the Omaha, Pawnee, Ponca, Lakota and other peoples, Nebraska became U.S. territory through the Louisiana Purchase and was crossed by hundreds of thousands of pioneers on the Oregon, California and Mormon trails, who followed the Platte River valley west. The Homestead Act of 1862 — whose first claim was filed in Nebraska — drew settlers to farm the prairie.

Nebraska became the 37th state on March 1, 1867. Railroads, especially the Union Pacific (headquartered in Omaha), opened the plains to farming and ranching, and the state grew into an agricultural powerhouse. It was also in Omaha, in 1879, that Ponca chief Standing Bear won a landmark federal court ruling establishing that Native Americans are “persons” within the meaning of the law — a milestone in American civil rights. In 1934, Nebraska voters made a decision found nowhere else in America, replacing their two-house legislature with a single nonpartisan chamber, at the urging of U.S. Senator George Norris.

The Economy: About $180 Billion GDP Rooted in Agriculture

Nebraska’s economy, with a GDP of roughly $180 billion (about $150 billion in inflation-adjusted terms), is powered by agriculture and the businesses built around it. Nebraska is one of the nation’s leading producers of beef and cattle, corn, soybeans and ethanol, and agriculture and food processing anchor much of the state.

But Nebraska is also a surprising corporate center. Omaha is home to Berkshire Hathaway — the conglomerate led by legendary investor Warren Buffett, the “Oracle of Omaha” — as well as to Fortune 500 firms and a significant insurance, finance and transportation sector (Union Pacific Railroad is based there). The state consistently posts low unemployment and a stable, diversified-yet-agricultural economy.

That stability is a Nebraska hallmark: the state weathered recent economic storms better than most, buoyed by steady demand for food and by conservative fiscal management. Agriculture-adjacent industries — meatpacking, grain handling, farm equipment, seed and biotech, and a fast-growing data-center sector drawn by cheap public power — knit the rural and urban economies together, and Omaha’s annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholders’ meeting draws tens of thousands of investors from around the world, earning it the nickname “Woodstock for Capitalists.”

Schools and Universities: About 330,000 Pupils and the Cornhuskers

Nebraska’s public schools enroll roughly 330,000 K-12 students, spread across urban districts in Omaha and Lincoln and many small rural schools across the plains.

In higher education, the University of Nebraska system — anchored by its flagship at Lincoln, home of the beloved Cornhuskers — is the state’s leading research and land-grant institution, with campuses in Omaha, Kearney and the medical center in Omaha. Creighton University, a respected Jesuit institution in Omaha, and a strong state college and community college network round out the system.

Hospitals and Health Care: About 90 Hospitals

Nebraska has roughly 90 hospitals, many of them small critical-access hospitals serving rural communities across the plains. The University of Nebraska Medical Center and Nebraska Medicine in Omaha form the state’s leading academic medical center — internationally known for its biocontainment unit, which treated Ebola patients — alongside CHI Health and Bryan Health in Lincoln.

Serving a spread-out rural population is Nebraska’s central health-care challenge, met through critical-access hospitals, regional referral centers and telemedicine. The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services coordinates statewide public-health services.

Getting Around: Omaha’s Airport and a Rail Crossroads

Nebraska’s busiest airport is Eppley Airfield in Omaha, with Lincoln Airport and regional fields serving the rest of the state. A broad network of general-aviation airports supports agriculture and business across the plains.

On the ground, Interstate 80 runs the length of the state, following the historic Platte River corridor that guided the pioneers, and Nebraska is a major freight-rail crossroads — Union Pacific’s Bailey Yard near North Platte is the largest railroad classification yard in the world. Moving grain, cattle and goods to market keeps Nebraska’s roads and rails busy.

Culture: Cornhusker Football, the Oregon Trail and the Sandhills

Nebraska’s culture centers on the land and on a singular sporting passion. On game days, Memorial Stadium in Lincoln — packed with red-clad Cornhusker fans — becomes, in a famous saying, the third-largest “city” in Nebraska, and the sea of red is one of the great sights in American college sports.

The state’s pioneer heritage lives on at landmarks like Chimney Rock and Scotts Bluff on the Oregon Trail, at Omaha’s Durham Museum and the world-class Henry Doorly Zoo, and in the College World Series, held in Omaha each year. Little-known facts abound: Kool-Aid was invented in Hastings, Nebraska, and the Reuben sandwich is said to have Omaha origins.

Sport and the Outdoors: 1 Sea of Red and the College World Series

Nebraska has no major professional franchise, so the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers — especially the football team and its passionate “sea of red” — are effectively the state’s home team, uniting Nebraskans each fall. Omaha also hosts the NCAA Men’s College World Series each June, a beloved national baseball tradition, and the U.S. Olympic swimming trials have been held there.

Outdoors, Nebraska offers the unique Sandhills for ranching and birding, the spectacular spring migration of sandhill cranes along the Platte River (one of the great wildlife spectacles in North America), and hunting, fishing and canoeing across its plains and rivers.

Faith and Places of Worship: Thousands of Congregations

Nebraska sits in the heartland, and religion is a strong community presence. The population is predominantly Christian, with large Roman Catholic and Lutheran populations (reflecting German, Czech and Scandinavian heritage), along with Methodist and other Protestant traditions and growing communities in the cities.

Because no single official registry counts every congregation, the closest reliable measures come from religious censuses and the U.S. Census Bureau’s County Business Patterns data on religious organizations, which together point to thousands of congregations across the state’s cities and small towns.

The Justice System: About 5,600 People Incarcerated

The Nebraska Department of Correctional Services holds roughly 5,600 people, and the state has one of the most overcrowded prison systems in the country relative to design capacity — a long-running challenge that has driven debate over a new state penitentiary and sentencing reform.

Nebraska has worked on reentry, treatment and alternatives to incarceration to manage its population, while balancing public-safety concerns and the costs of new prison construction.

5 Nebraska Laws and Distinctions That Set It Apart

Nebraska is genuinely unique in American government:

1. The only unicameral legislature: Nebraska is the only U.S. state with a single-house legislature, and its members — called “senators” — are elected on an officially nonpartisan basis, with no party labels on the ballot.

2. The only all-public-power state: Every resident of Nebraska gets electricity from publicly owned utilities — the only state in the nation with no investor-owned electric utilities.

3. Split electoral votes: Nebraska is one of only two states (with Maine) that split their Electoral College votes by congressional district rather than winner-take-all.

4. Permitless carry: Nebraska adopted permitless concealed carry of firearms in 2023.

5. Abortion: Nebraska enforces a 12-week abortion ban, enacted after the 2022 reversal of Roe v. Wade.

Famous Nebraskans: World-Changing Talent From the Cornhusker State

Nebraska has produced a remarkable roster of figures, especially from Omaha. Investor Warren Buffett, one of the wealthiest and most influential people in the world, has famously lived in Omaha his whole life. The city was also the birthplace of civil-rights leader Malcolm X, dancer and film star Fred Astaire, and acting legend Marlon Brando. President Gerald R. Ford, the 38th president, was born in Omaha.

Elsewhere in the state, screen legend Henry Fonda hailed from Grand Island, and a long line of writers, athletes and public figures call Nebraska home. For a state so often overlooked, the Cornhusker State’s contributions to American life are striking.

Who Runs Nebraska? Governor Jim Pillen and State Leadership

Nebraska’s executive branch is led by Governor Jim Pillen, a Republican who became the 41st governor in 2023. A veterinarian and major pork producer who once played football for the Cornhuskers, Pillen has focused on property-tax relief, agriculture, education and workforce development.

Nebraska’s government is distinctive: its single-house Legislature is officially nonpartisan. Alongside the Governor, several statewide officials are independently elected, and department heads are appointed. Key members of state leadership include:

As listed by the State of Nebraska and the Office of the Governor (governor.nebraska.gov), key members of state leadership include:

Source: State of Nebraska and the Office of the Governor (governor.nebraska.gov). Several statewide officials are independently elected; department heads are appointed; the Legislature is unicameral and nonpartisan. Officeholders change over time.

Traveling to Nebraska? 1 App for Every Emergency Number

Whether you are exploring Nebraska during this 250th-anniversary year, following its history, or simply passing through, one piece of preparation matters more than any other: knowing who to call in an emergency. The free InfoCons app puts that information in your pocket. Its dedicated SOS section gathers the essential emergency and consumer-protection numbers for the United States and for the individual states, so travelers and residents alike can reach the right service instantly — without searching, without roaming confusion, and without wasting the precious minutes that matter most in a crisis.

Nationwide Emergency Numbers (as listed in the InfoCons app)

Across the United States, the single universal emergency number is 911, which connects callers to police, firefighters, and ambulance services alike. For non-emergency municipal services and information in many cities, 311 is available. The app also lists 1-800-342-3377 for telecommunications complaints and 202-326-2180 for consumer-protection matters at the federal level.

Nebraska Emergency and Assistance Numbers (as listed in the InfoCons app)

For Nebraska specifically, the InfoCons SOS section provides a detailed directory. The core lifelines are:

Police, Ambulance, and Firefighters: 911. State Patrol: 402-471-4545. Road conditions: 511. Electricity and gas emergency: 402-554-7777.

Consumer protection: Office of the Attorney General — Consumer Protection: 1-800-727-6432 and 402-471-2682. Identity theft: 1-877-438-4338. Department of Banking and Finance: 1-877-471-3445. Department of Insurance: 1-877-564-7323. Public Service Commission: 1-800-526-0017.

Support: Child abuse reporting: 800-652-1999. Domestic violence and sexual assault hotline: 800-656-4673. Animal protection: 402-444-7800. (The nationwide Suicide & Crisis Lifeline can be reached at any time by dialing 988.)

These numbers are provided for convenience and may change over time; in any life-threatening situation, always dial 911 first.

The InfoCons Travel Passport: 1 App, 33 Languages, Every Destination

The InfoCons app is more than an emergency directory — it is designed to function as a genuine “travel passport” for the modern consumer. Available free of charge and offered in 33 internationally spoken languages, it gives users access to accurate, transparent, and independent information wherever they go. For a traveler moving between states — or between countries — that means the emergency numbers, consumer-protection contacts, and practical guidance for each destination are all gathered in a single place, ready before you even land.

The idea is simple but powerful: your safety information should travel with you as reliably as your passport does. Whether you are exploring Nebraska during this 250th-anniversary year or planning a trip abroad next month, the InfoCons app aims to be the first thing you check when you arrive somewhere new — helping you make informed decisions, protect your rights as a consumer, and know exactly whom to call if something goes wrong. Download the free InfoCons app and let your phone become your travel passport for a safer, smarter 250th-anniversary year and beyond.

A Fitting Way to Celebrate 250 Years of Independence

Nebraska’s story — of the Platte River trails and homestead claims, of Sandhills ranches and cornfields, of the Cornhuskers’ sea of red and the Oracle of Omaha — is a quintessential heartland chapter of the American story, with a one-of-a-kind, one-house democracy at its center. As the nation marks 250 years of independence, the Cornhusker State stands for the plainspoken, productive spirit of the American plains.

To visit Nebraska is to follow the pioneer trails and watch the cranes rise over the Platte. And to visit it prepared — with the InfoCons app and its emergency lifelines close at hand — is simply to travel wisely. Here is to the next 250 years — happy semiquincentennial, America.

InfoCons Communication Department