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 city's public library system is Lincoln City Libraries, which has eight branches.

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 city that can be considered a suburb of Lincoln is Waverly.) This is due primarily to the fact that most land that would have developed as a suburban city has been annexed to the city of Lincoln itself.

Neighborhoods

• Arnold Heights: Located in far northwest Lincoln, this neighborhood also known as Airpark began as base housing for the adjacent Lincoln Air Force Base during the Cold War. The area originally consisted of 1,000 housing units and was annexed by Lincoln in 1966, after the base closed. All 1,000 units were originally managed by the Lincoln Housing Authority, today about half of the homes in the neighborhood have been sold to private owners. The area was formerly known as Huskerville.
• Belmont:The Belmont neighborhood lies just north of Cornhusker Highway and south of Superior street between Interstate-180 and 27th street.
• Bethany: Bethany is located along Cotner Blvd. and Holdrege St. Originally laid out as a separate village by the Disciples of Christ, it was annexed by Lincoln in the late 1920s.
• Clinton: Located north of 27th and O Streets, Clinton is the target of ongoing revitalization efforts by the City of Lincoln.
• College View: College View is located along 48th St. and near Calvert St., adjacent to and surrounding the Union College campus; originally a separate village.
• Downtown: Lincoln's business district has a mix of offices, bars, restaurants and retail. Events, housing, and other information about Downtown Lincoln can be found on the Downtown Lincoln Association's website at www.downtownlincoln.org.
• Havelock: Havelock is located along Havelock Ave. east of 56th St. in northeast Lincoln; originally a separate village.
• Hartley: One of Lincoln's earliest suburbs, Hartley is located east of Downtown proper, east of 27th St and north of O St. It is a mainly residential neighborhood of houses built 1890-1940.
• Hawley: Located directly east of UNL's downtown campus, the Hawley Historic District is home to a diverse population living in houses built in the early 20th century.
• Haymarket: One of Lincoln's oldest neighborhoods, the Haymarket is a historic warehouse and industrial district. In recent decades, it has become a dining, specialty shopping, and urban living district, with a variety of visual and performing arts and nightlife. The Haymarket has a weekly farmers' market from May to October. The area's website can be found at www.historichaymarket.info
• Highlands: The Highlands are a newer residential neighborhood in northwest Lincoln, located north of I-80 and near Lincoln Airport.
• Huskerville: A now non-existent neighborhood built north of Arnold Heights. Constructed during World War II, Huskerville was once the Lincoln Army Air Field hospital area from 1942 until 1945. After the war the area was converted into college housing and was most noted for a polio outbreak in 1952. The area was either removed or demolished in the late 1960s. The chapel, now protected by the National Register of Historic Places, is all that remains of Huskerville.
• Indian Village: The Indian Village neighborhood is located from Van Dorn on the north to Highway 2 on the south, from 9th St on the wast to 20th St on the east.
• Irvingdale: The Irvingdale neighborhood is located from South Street on the North, and Van Dorn on the South, from 9th St from the west to 22nd St on the east. The neighborhood has a mix of homes built in the early 1900's to more modern homes built in the 1950's, and is home to Irving Middle School, and the Stransky Park Concert Series.
• Near South The Near South neighborhood is located from G Street on the north to South Street on the south, and from 13th Street from the west to 27th on the east. The neighborhood, originally home to many of Lincoln's wealthier residents, today has seen many of its large houses converted into apartment residences.
• North Bottoms: Directly north of UNL's downtown campus, the North Bottoms is an area in the floodplain of Salt Creek that holds many low income houses. It is now home to many college students.
• University Place: University Place is located along 48th St. between Leighton Ave. and Adams St., near Nebraska Wesleyan University and UNL East Campus. It was an incorporated community before its annexation by Lincoln in 1926.
• West Lincoln: Located along West Cornhusker Hwy., West Lincoln was founded in 1887 and was an incorporated community before its annexation by Lincoln in 1966.

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.

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 banking, information technology, insurance, and rail and truck transport.

Three regional fast-food restaurant chains began in Lincoln: Amigos/Kings Classic, Runza Restaurants and Valentino's.

Public Transportation

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.

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 Northwest Airlines hub Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, via United Express and Northwest Airlink 50-seat regional aircraft.

Demographics

As of the census 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 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 were 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% 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. Males had a median income of $33,899 versus $25,402 for females. 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.

The 2006 Census Bureau estimate of Lincoln's population is 241,167; the 2006 population estimate for the Lincoln metropolitan area (Lancaster and Seward counties) is 283,970.

Sites of interest

• Nebraska State Capitol: designed by Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue and constructed between 1922 and 1932. The capitol building is a skyscraper topped by a golden dome. The tower is crowned by a 6-meter (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 rivaling 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.
• Alice Abel Arboretum
• American Historical Society of Germans from Russia Museum
• Lincoln Children's Museum
• Lincoln Children's Zoo
• Fairview (home was the home of William Jennings Bryan
• Frank H. Woods Pioneer Telephone Museum
• Haymarket Park
• Historic Haymarket
• Hyde Observatory
• Ice Box
• Iron Horse Park in the Haymarket
• Joshua C. Turner Arboretum
• Maxwell Arboretum
• Museum of American Speed
• National Museum of Roller Skating and the offices of USA Roller Sports
• Museum of Nebraska History
• Thomas P. Kennard House
• Nebraska Statewide Arboretum
• Pioneer Park Nature Center
• Schleich Red Wing Pottery Museum
• State Fair Park Arboretum
• Sunken Gardens (Nebraska)

University of Nebraska–Lincoln

• Bob Devaney Sports Center
• Great Plains Art Museum
• The Kruger Collection in the College of Architecture
• Lentz Center for Asian Culture
• Lester F. Larsen Tractor Test & Power Museum
• Lied Center for Performing Arts
• Memorial Stadium: Home of the Cornhuskers football team, the stadium was built in 1923.
• Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery: built in the early 1960s; architect Philip Johnson.
• University of Nebraska State Museum: home to an extensive collection of Nebraska fossils
• International Quilt Study Center

Education

Primary and secondary education

Public schools

• Lincoln Public Schools - serves the city of Lincoln, six high schools: Lincoln High, East, Northeast, North Star, Southeast, Southwest

Lutheran Elementary Schools

• Faith Lutheran School (Preschool-5th Grade)
• Messiah Lutheran School (Preschool-5th Grade)
• Trinity Lutheran School (Preschool-5th Grade)

Private high schools

• Lincoln Christian High School
• Lincoln Lutheran Jr/Sr High School
• Parkview Christian School (preK-12)
• Pius X High School
• College View Academy (High School)

Colleges and universities

• BryanLGH College of Health Sciences
• Nebraska Wesleyan University
• Union College
• University of Nebraska at Lincoln (University of Nebraska system flagship campus)

The following colleges and universities have satellite locations in Lincoln:

• Bellevue University
• Doane College
• Peru State College
• Southeast Community College

Sports teams

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.

Arts, entertainment and culture

Lincoln's primary venues for live music include: Pershing Auditorium (large tours and national acts), Knickerbockers, the Chatterbox, Duffy's Tavern, Duggan's Pub (local/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 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, Rococo Theater. The State Theater re-opened as a second-run cinema that serves food and alcohol.

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

Lincoln, Nebraska, is the hometown of Zagger and Evan's, known for their internation #1 hit record, 'In the Year 2525'. In addition, Lincoln is the hometown of the 1970's Horn Rock Band, STRAIGHT, known for the hit singles 'Save Your Breath' and 'Half Heaven, Half Heartache'.

Annual events

• March: Nebraska high school state boys' and girls' basketball tournaments
• Early November: Nebraska high school state football championships at Memorial Stadium
• Tuesday evenings in June: Jazz in June, an outdoor summer concert series
• Late June: International Thespian Festival at the University of Nebraska
• Thursday evenings in July: Movies on the Green, movies shown on the green space near Kimball Hall
• Third Friday in June, July, and August: Dock Stock
• Late August/early September: Nebraska State Fair
• Late August to late November: Nebraska Cornhuskers football
• Early to Mid November: Anime NebrasKon
• First Saturday in December: Star City Parade
• Second weekend in August: Capitol City Rib Fest
• Early June: Cornhusker Boys' State and Cornhusker Girls' State

Local media

Television

Lincoln has three broadcast television stations with original programming:

• KLKN (Channel 8; 31 DT) - ABC affiliate
• KOLN (Channel 10; 25 DT) - CBS affiliate
• KUON (Channel 12; 40 DT) - PBS affiliate, NET Television flagship station
• KCWL (Channel 51) - CW, no original programming

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

Radio

There are 17 radio stations in Lincoln.

FM stations include:

• KLCV (88.5) - Religious
• KZUM (89.3) - Variety
• KRNU (90.3) - Alternative / College radio
• KUCV (91.1) - UNL Public Radio
• KTGL (92.9) - Classic Rock
• KRKR (95.1) - Classic Hits
• KZKX (96.9) - Country
• KFGE (98.1) - Country
• KFRX (102.7) - Top-40
• KXKT (103.7) - Country
• KIBZ (104.1) - Active Rock
• KLNC (105.3) - Adult Hits
• KLMY (106.3) - Adult Contemporary
• KBBK (107.3) - Hot AC

AM stations include:

• KFOR(1240) - News/Talk
• KLIN (1400) -News/Talk
• KLMS (1480) - Sports

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.

Notable residents

This is a list of current or former residents of Lincoln, Nebraska.

• Fred Abel
• William Jennings Bryan
• Johnny Carson
• Willa Cather
• Dick Cavett
• Dick Cheney
• James Coburn
• Charles G. Dawes
• Sandy Dennis
• Harold Edgerton
• Loren Eiseley
• Caril Ann Fugate
• Charles H. Gere
• Alex Gordon
• Cliff Hillegass
• Mike Johanns
• Ron Kurtenbach
• Gary Lauck
• Gilbert N. Lewis
• Gordon MacRae
• Mary Pipher
• Coleen Seng
• Ted Sorenson
• Charles Starkweather
• Hilary Swank
• Matthew Sweet
• Brandon Teena
• James Valentine
• Robert Van Pelt
• Daniel Whitney
• Denny Zager

Trivia

• Lincoln's nickname is the "Star City" (from the use of a star to mark state capitals on road maps); a logo formerly used by the city's convention and visitors bureau consists of a star composed of 5 Ls. A brick-patterned star was laid at the main Downtown intersection in the early 1980s when the city officially adopted the "Star City" nickname. The nickname has been used as a team name for the Lincoln Stars.
• The Lincoln Airport is among the emergency landing sites for the NASA Space Shuttle, and the top location located within the non-coastal United States.