Lincoln, the State Capital, is located in Lancaster County and it is the county seat. It lies west of the Missouri River and southwest of Omaha on I-80.

Settlers were drawn to the area by salt springs in 1856. The original town was established in 1859.

Today Lincoln, population 225,000, is the home of the University of Nebraska; the university is the city's cultural nucleus as well as the state's football mecca -- every Cornhusker game since 1962 has been a sellout. On game day, Memorial Stadium becomes the third most populated area in the state. Lincoln's largest employers are the university, state government, Kawasaki, Bryan/LGH Medical Center and Goodyear. A popular vacation complex is the Salt Creek Lakes area near Lincoln; more than 2 million visitors are drawn to Bluestem, Branched Oak Lake, Conestoga Lake, Olive Creek Lake, Pawnee Lake, Stagecoach and Wagon Train Lake state recreation areas each year.

Lincoln is part of the Lincoln, Nebraska metro area.