There Is No Place Like Nebraska. Review on Nebraska

I was raised in Western Nebraska and love the people of Nebraska. They are some of the friendliest and most caring people you will ever meet anywhere in the world. Maybe that is why there are so many people over 90 years old and some of the countries longest lasting marriages are Nebraska couples. There are many interesting and historical sites in the state of Nebraska.

Since I lived over half of my life in Western Nebraska and my 92 year old mother still lives there, I'll tell you a little about it first. In the North Platte River Valley there is much rich and fertile farm land and the farmers grow sugar beets, white and pinto beans, corn, alfalfa hay, and some potatoes. Up on the table areas to the North and South of the valley they grow a lot of wheat and raise a lot of cattle. The Oregon Trail ran along the south side of the river and was a major route used by the pioneers in the westward expansion of the United States. There are several national historic sites and national monuments along the trail as it ran west through the valley. Chimney Rock was one of the major and probably one of the best known of the landmarks along the trail. Chimney Rock National Historic Site is located about a half mile northwest of the farm that I grew up on. If you would like to see what Chimney Rock looks like just look at a Nebraska license plate. It is located about 4 1/2 miles southwest of the town of Bayard. Further up the valley to the west is Scottsbluff National Monument. They have a real nice visitors center and museum there which has a lot of history of the area and the Oregon Trail. There is a short hike you can take from the visitors center where you can actually see the wagon tracks in the sandstone where the travelers traveled west.

The middle of the state, especially the north part is called the Sandhills and is some of the best grass and cattle raising country in the whole US. Some of the ranches in the Sandhills are many thousand acres.

The eastern part of the state is where the majority of the population is. Lincoln is the capitol and the home of the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers. The Capitol building is a site you should see if you are ever in Lincoln. There isn't another one in the whole US that looks like Nebraska's capitol building. Around the bottom of the roof, carved in the stone are the names of all 93 of Nebraska's counties.

Omaha is the biggest city in the state and at the turn of the century was one of the biggest cattle shipping points in the US. Two pretty famous people came from Omaha. Warren Buffet, the billionaire chairman of Berkshire Hathaway lives in Omaha. Peter Kiewit who started one of the biggest construction companies in the world is from Omaha and there offices are still there in KIEWIT Plaza.

Don't judge Nebraska by what you see driving through the state on Interstate 80. There are a lot of pretty spots and interesting things to see in this great state. Take some time and see some of the history of the American West and enjoy one of the best steaks you will ever have at one of the many good steakhouses across the state.