Lincoln actually began as the village of Lancaster, founded in 1859 by salt miners hoping to capitalize on the reserves of nearby Salt Creek. At the time, Omaha was the capital of the Nebraska territory. This was a point of contention with the majority of Nebraska's population, who lived south of the Platte River and resented the arduous journey to Omaha. These "South Platters" voted to move the capital from Omaha to Lancaster, which was renamed "Lincoln" in honor of the recently assassinated 16th president. Some people believe the renaming was actually a ploy on the part of people in Omaha, who hoped to sabotage the change of capitals by stirring up hard feelings from the Civil War. If that was the case, then the plan backfired. On March 1, 1867, Nebraska was admitted to the Union and Lincoln was named its capital. To this day, Lincoln still maintains a friendly rivalry with Omaha.

Lincoln boasts of big city amenities and small town hospitality, a point of pride among many cities in the Midwest. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln was founded there in 1869, and has contributed to the shaping of Lincoln's culture. The Lied Center for Performing Arts hosts concerts, lectures, and national tours of Broadway productions. The Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery and Sculpture Garden houses more than 12,000 works, while the University of Nebraska State Museum (also known as Elephant Hall) features a collection of fossil elephants, including the world's largest articulated mammoth. And of course, fans pack into Memorial Stadium during football season to cheer their Nebraska Cornhuskers to victory.