OFB 50 States Project: Nebraska


7 Comments
OFB 50 States Project: Nebraska

In The OFB 50 States Project, you the readers spill the beans about your state: the good, the bad, and the delicious. And thus provide “forever place” seekers (like yours truly) a useful resource in their search. We’d love to hear about your state! To be a part of this project, click here to fill out the form!

The Facts

Low State Taxes Ranking:  31Low Cost of Living Ranking:  11

State Economy Ranking:  9

Average Temperatures (Lincoln):

  • Winter:  35°
  • Spring:  64°
  • Summer:  89°
  • Fall:  66°

The Nickname

The Cornhusker State

 

The Short of It

The state of Nebraska is brought to you by the following awesome OFB readers:
1) Ashley  //  2) Tina S.  //  3) Caryn V.  //  4) Michelle T.

What food best represents Nebraska?

  • Burgers fresh off the grill and sweet corn on the cob. 1
  • Corn! We have tons of it and our football team is even called the Cornhuskers 🙂 Also steaks, we have some good corn-feed beef around here. 2
  • Reuben! Or kool-aid (both were invented here). 3
  • Steaks 4

What song best represents Nebraska?

  • Anything by 311 (Omaha natives!) 1
  • The only song I can think of right now that mentions Nebraska is Lady Gaga’s “You and I” which is about her ex-boyfriend who is from here. Sorry, that’s all I got. 2

How does NE refer to a carbonated beverage drink?

  • Pop 1, 2, 3, 4

If you could take a friend to one place in NE, where would it be?

  • Henry-Doorly Zoo 1, 2, 3
  • The Old Market 1
  • Ponca, NE 4

Henry-Doorly Zoo

Henry-Doorly Zoo (photo by chimothy27)

The Long of It

Biggest misconception about NE?

  • That we all live on farms, even in Omaha. 1
  • Umm…that we all live on farms and are cowboys. It’s very farmey in the western part of the state but in the eastern part that’s where the bigger cities are. I had never been to a farm until I was in college. And I still haven’t tipped a cow (yes, it’s real people). But it’s def on my to-do list! 2
  • We don’t have electricity or indoor plumbing (I’ve been asked about both on the coasts). Or that we’re all a bunch of farmers/uncivilized country folk. Not true. Although there were a few times in high school when my classmates drove their tractors to school. But it was during national FFA week, not just because. 3
  • It’s all tractors, cornfields, cows and hicks… 4

Best aspect about living in NE?

  • I can really only speak for Omaha in particular, but I will say it is a great medium-sized city that is safe, great for raising a family, and has a pretty good amount of entertainment. Overall, Nebraska is a very friendly state with midwestern values. There is also a huge fan-base for Husker football and Creighton basketball. 1
  • It’s a great place to raise a family. Relatively safe, the people are nice here, traffic is nothing compared to other cities. Also, economically we sustained pretty well through the recession. We have quite a few huge companies headquartered here, as well as good ole Warren B. 🙂 2
  • Most people are genuinely friendly and helpful. And contrary to some popular belief, there really is quite a bit to do around the state, and you’re close(ish) to a lot of other places. And centrally located to the rest of the country! 3
  • Beautiful countrysides, sunrises and sunsets. 4

Worst aspect about living in NE?

  • The weather gets pretty crazy, as we experience the extremes of all four seasons. At least you get to experience it all! If you are not a republican, don’t bother voting (I am afraid to say you are in the minority). Also the drive west on I-80 past Lincoln gets pretty monotonous with all the open plains. 1
  • No ocean, no mountains 🙁 We are pretty much smack dab in the middle of the country. And the weather is crazy. In the morning sunny, in the afternoon snowy. I’ve seen it happen folks! 2
  • Being landlocked is kind of annoying sometimes. And the moody weather changes are not always fun to deal with. 3
  • The high taxes… taxes on EVERYTHING! 4

Summarize your feelings about Nebraska in five words.

  • Friendly, conservative, family-oriented, crazy weather! 1
  • Family, Friends, The Good Life (2 points for putting in the state slogan, heeey) 2
  • All seasons in one week! 3
  • I LOVE NEBRASKA! 4

Our Freaking Take

Welcome to the middle of the United States! I never realized how smack-dab in the center the land of the cornhuskers is. I get a bit anxious anytime I’m more than a day’s drive from an ocean, so Nebraska would realllly test that. Joanna actually lived in Nebraska for a few years during her middle school years. She remembers the time and people fondly, but she’s still haunted by the frigid winters and 4-ft. snowdrifts. But that might be a small price to pay for a state that identifies with my favorite food groups: steak, burgers, reubens, corn on the cob. It might be on the outside of our “forever home” cut list, but you Nebraskans have made a great case for your state. Hopefully you’ve convinced other OFB readers to become fellow huskers.

How did these answers line up with your perception of Nebraska? Have your thoughts on the state changed after reading this? Could you see it fitting your forever-place bill? 

Previous Post Next Post

You Might Also Like

7 Comments

  • Reply Brian July 12, 2013 at 9:41 am

    Of FFA… pretty much ever year my city gets invaded with Blue Jacket wearing FFA members. I have to say, they are probably the most polite convention that comes here and much better than the current convention that starts this weekend…

  • Reply Chris July 12, 2013 at 11:54 am

    I live on the high plains in eastern New Mexico so the geography is identical to Nebraska sans some green hues. I would probably never live there because I’ve lived here for so long I’m really tired of not having mountains/water close by.

  • Reply Britt July 12, 2013 at 12:35 pm

    I thought it interesting that it seems Republican-dominated, but also very high taxes! Does the state get a lot of farm subsidies? I’ve only driven through, but I had some customers that were rowdy Nebraska football fans!!

    • Reply Meghan July 12, 2013 at 2:27 pm

      The politics in Nebraska are a real sh!t show, in my opinion. Granted, I have to work with politicians in that state more than most people who actually live there, but it would get annoying and fast. They have a unicameral form of government (so one state house instead of house and senate), which may be part of the reason for the dysfunction. I can’t speak to farm subsidies, but elections, at least in the Omaha area, are dramatic. I feel like under the table deals are done a lot there. Sorry Nebraska fans!

      • Reply Tina S July 12, 2013 at 5:06 pm

        We do have democratic elected officials. The former Mayor of Omaha was Mayor Suttle who is a democrat and put a lovely (sarcastic undertones) tax on restaurant food and drinks back in 2010. So, don’t let it construe you. 🙂

        • Reply Meghan July 12, 2013 at 6:28 pm

          Yeah, I am familiar with that race. I wasn’t a fan but honestly didn’t find a lot to love about his opponent either. I thought that they were both shady. I will say that I usually lean left but I was really glad she won (I had some work there that was influenced by the politics there and I didn’t care for his friends). I hope she is able to roll back those taxes. It was 10% on restaurants and hotels in Mobile, AL, where I spent part of my childhood.

  • Reply Tina S July 12, 2013 at 10:23 pm

    Yeah, I totally agree. It’s like voting for the one you dislike the least, lol.

  • Leave a Reply to Brian Cancel Reply