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Nebraska is largely a flat, open state whose rich soil has made it one of the nations’ agricultural hubs. The Cornhusker State’s people have a long history of reshaping their environment, forging a relationship with the land that defines the region to this day.

Famous for its ranches and farms, Nebraska was actually once considered unfit for cultivation and “uninhabitable by a people depending on agriculture for their subsistence.” Nebraska’s history is in this sense largely the story of the Nebraska farmer, as with time determination and scientific farming overcame the Great Plains’ lack of trees and surface water.

The first homesteaders came to Nebraska in the 1860s, lured by free land granted by the federal government. These initial settlers often built their homes out of sod because of the state’s lack of trees. Nebraska became the 37th state in 1867. With the arrival of the railroads and development of aquifer irrigation, Nebraska’s fertile soil began yielding crops that would make the Cornhusker State one of the nation’s agricultural centers.

Nebraska can be divided into two geographic regions: the Dissected Till Plains, containing Omaha and Lincoln, and the Great Plains. The Dissected Till Plains occupy the eastern part of the state and are characterized by gently rolling hills. The Great Plains occupy most of the western portion of the Cornhusker State and show a greater variety in landscape and topography.

Nebraska’s climate is marked by a similar East/West dichotomy, with the eastern part of the state experiencing a continental climate marked by hot summers and harsh winters. Western Nebraska is dryer and more elevated, its semi-arid steppe climate moderated in winter by Chinook winds from the Rocky Mountains. Nebraska is located in the heart of Tornado Alley, and thunderstorms are common throughout the state in spring and summer.

In addition to agricultural mainstays like beef, pork, corn and soybeans, Nebraska’s economy also depends on the freighting, manufacturing, telecommunications and insurance industries. The state’s most famous product, though, is probably the University of Nebraska football team, whose proud tradition is built upon the fervent support of the entire state.