Lincoln, Nebraska

	Flag
	Location within Lancaster County
	Coordinates: 40°48′33″N 96°40′41″W / 40.80917°N 96.67806°WCoordinates: 40°48′33″N 96°40′41″W / 40.80917°N 96.67806°W
Country	United States
State	Nebraska
County	Lancaster
Founded	1856; 168 years ago (Lancaster)
Renamed	July 29, 1869; 155 years ago (Lincoln)
Incorporated	April 1, 1869; 155 years ago
Named for	Abraham Lincoln
Area
• City	100.45 sq mi (260.16 km2)
• Land	99.09 sq mi (256.63 km2)
• Water	1.36 sq mi (3.52 km2)
• Metro	1,422.269 sq mi (3,683.660 km2)
Elevation	1,201 ft (366 m)
Population (2020)
• City	291,082
• Density	2,937.67/sq mi (1,134.24/km2)
• Metro	340,217
Time zone	UTC−6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP code(s)	68501-68510, 68512, 68514, 68516-68517, 68520-68524, 68526-68529, 68531, 68542, 68544, 68583, 68588
FIPS code	31-28000
GNIS feature ID	837279
Website	lincoln.ne.gov

The city of Lincoln is the capital city of Nebraska, United States. Only Omaha has more people of any city in Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2020 Census population was 291,082.^[4]

Lincoln was founded in 1856 as the village of Lancaster. It became the county seat of the newly created Lancaster County in 1859. The capital of Nebraska Territory had been Omaha since the start of the territory in 1854. Most of the territory's population lived south of the Platte River. After much of the territory south of the Platte became a part of Kansas, the legislature voted to move the capital south of the river and as far west as possible. They made the village of Lancaster the new capital, in part due to the salt flats and marshes.

Nebraska State Capitol

People from Omaha tried to stop the move by renaming Lancaster after the recently killed President Abraham Lincoln. Many of the people south of the river had wanted the Confederate to win the recent Civil War. These people thought that the legislature would not approve the move if the future capital were named after Lincoln. The plan did not work, as Lancaster was renamed Lincoln and also became the state capital upon Nebraska's admission to the Union on March 1, 1867. The people either liked or disliked the new name depending on how they felt about the Civil War.^[5]

The Capitol at night

Nebraska State Capitol was 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, 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 showing Native American heritage and the history and culture of the early pioneers who settled Nebraska. It is the second tallest U.S. State Capitol building behind the Louisiana State Capitol building in Baton Rouge.^[6]

In March of 2023, Red Way was announced to start operating from Lincoln Airport, but, in August of 2023, because the airline was running out of money, the airline decided to shut down.

Lincoln has a humid continental climate (Dfa in the Köppen climate classification).

Lincoln, Nebraska Media

Photo of Lincoln, Nebraska; as seen in 1868.
Kennard and Gillespie houses, 1872
Nebraska home for dependent children, 1904
Government Square: U.S. Post Office and Courthouse (1879–1906), City Hall (1906–1969).
Detroit-Lincoln-Denver (D-L-D) Highway monument
Arrow Sport, Lincoln Airport
Photo of the skyline of downtown Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; taken after midnight from Arnold Heights Park (Tanker Hill). This is the 2021 update, superseding the previous photo taken at the same location in 2015.
East Lincoln from International Space Station, 2007
South Lincoln from top of Nebraska State Capitol, 2012