The city was named after Abraham Lincoln, the 16th U.S. president. Lincoln is nicknamed The Star City. Nebraska’s official moniker is the Cornhusker State.
The Bertram G. Goodhue state capital building in Lincoln is the second-tallest capitol building in the United States, trailing only the Louisiana State Capitol.
Other tourist attractions in Lincoln are the Sunken Gardens, Pinnacle Bank Arena for its basketball games, Lincoln Children’s Zoo, Mueller Planetarium and the Speedway Motors Museum of American Speed.
The NASA Space Shuttle used Lincoln Airport for one of its emergency landing sites, selected mainly because of its 12,901-foot (3,932-meter) runway.
Research website numbeo ranks Lincoln in the top 2% compared to the 250 cities evaluated on its overall quality of life index at June 2020. Lincoln scored well on index factors such as traffic commute time (number one fastest), property price to income ratio (lowest 9%), purchasing power (strongest 11%), pollution (cleanest 6%), health care (best 20%) and safety (safest 21%). On the negative side, Lincoln rates relatively poorly on cost of living (highest 44%) and climate (worse 11%).
Guinness World Records documents Lincoln in Nebraska as being the site where the tallest structure was built with miniature Lincoln Logs at 12 feet 4 inches (3.77 meters) on April 13, 2013.
Another world record pertains to Lincolnite Bill Heermann who has amassed the biggest bumper collection on the planet, comprised of over 4,100 pieces. Heermann started his collection in 1984 when he was an Eagle Scout in search of a leisurely hobby.
Lincoln serves as headquarters for one large corporation recognized as belonging to the Forbes Global 2000 world’s biggest companies, namely education financial services conglomerate Nelnet.
From an international trade perspective, Nebraska shipped U$7.458 billion worth of goods around the globe in 2019. Its most valuable exports include boneless beef including frozen (14.3% of Nebraska’s global total), soyabeans (9.1%), corn (5.3%), pork including frozen (5%), combine harvester-threshers (4.6%), natural gas (3.6%), and solid residues including soyabean oilcake (3.1%) according to United States Census Bureau data.
The non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for Lincoln was 5% at July 2020, up from 3% one year earlier.
Capital Facts for Lincoln, United States: Quick Reference
Geography
Capital landmarks: Bob Devaney Sports Center, Governor’s Mansion, Memorial Stadium, Pinewood Bowl Ampitheater, Pinnacle Bank Arena and Saint Mary Catholic Church
Famous People
Below, you will find 10 of the most famous people born in Lincoln, United States.
- Hilary Swank, Oscar-winning actress (born Jul. 30, 1974)
- Dick Cheney, former U.S. Vice-President (born Jan. 30, 1941)
- Alex Gordon, professional MLB baseball player (born Feb. 10, 1984)
- Ashley Graham, model (born Oct. 30, 1987)
- James Valentine, alternative rock guitarist (born Oct. 5, 1978)
- Fred Hoiberg, NBA basketball coach (born Oct. 15, 1972)
- Joba Chamberlain, professional MLB baseball player (born Sep. 23, 1985)
- Amanda Valentine, Project Runway fashion designer (born May 21, 1981)
- Nathaniel Motte, pop singer (born Jan. 13, 1984)
- John Jackson, Olympic shooting gold medalist (born Feb. 14, 1885)
Note: Data for our Famous People tab was sourced from Google searches of published Wikipedia articles specific to each person’s name.
Population
Demonym for a Lincoln resident: Lincolnite
Population: 293,905 (Lincoln) at September 18, 2020
Density: 3,054 people per square mile (1,179 per square kilometer)
Population: 1,952,570 (Nebraska) at September 18, 2020
Density: 25 people per square mile (10 per square kilometer)
Financial
GDP: US$19.411 billion in 2018 (Lincoln)
GDP per person: $67,539
Note: The above GDP metrics are on a current basis and are in U.S. dollars.
Official currency used in Lincoln: U.S. dollars
Research
Research Sources:
Brookings Institution, Global Metro Monitor Report (includes GDP data).
Dilemma X, U.S. Census Bureau metropolitan population estimates July 1, 2016.
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Total Gross Domestic Product for Lincoln, NE (MSA).
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Unemployment Rate in Lincoln, NE (MSA).
Forbes Global 2000, The World’s Biggest Public Companies.
Guinness World Records, Largest collection of stickers for bumpers.
Guinness World Records, Tallest structure built with Lincoln Logs.
Nations Online, Capital Cities of the USA.
Numbeo, Quality of Life Index by City.
Official Government Website, City of Lincoln official website.
United States Census Bureau, Foreign Trade: State by 6-Digit HS Code and Top Countries.
United States Census Bureau, State Population Totals Tables: 2010-2016.
United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics: Seasonally Adjusted Metropolitan Area Estimates.
U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Gross Domestic Product by Metropolitan Area, 2015 (Tables Only).
Wikimedia Commons, Lincoln city flag.
Wikipedia, Combined Statistical Area.
Wikipedia, Lincoln, Nebraska.
Wikipedia, Nebraska.
World Population Review, Lincoln, Nebraska Population.
Lincolnites celebrate Independence Day as a national holiday each July 4.
Lincoln’s land area occupies 96.23 square miles (249.23 square kilometers). The state capital’s population was 293,905 Lincolnites at September 18, 2020.
At the state level, Nebraska covers a land area measuring 76,874 square miles (199,099 square kilometers) home to a population of about 2 million dwellers.
Lincoln’s population density is more concentrated averaging 3,054 residents per square mile (1,179 per square kilometer).
Zooming out to Nebraska state boundaries, population density dilutes to an average 25 inhabitants per square mile (10 per square kilometer).
