Editing Lincoln, Nebraska (section)

==History==
{{Main|History of Lincoln, Nebraska}}

{{For timeline|Timeline of Lincoln, Nebraska history}}

===Natives===
Before the expansion westward of settlers, the prairie was covered with [[Bouteloua dactyloides|buffalo grass]]. [[Native American tribes in Nebraska|Plains Indians]], descendants of indigenous peoples who occupied the area for thousands of years, lived in and hunted along Salt Creek. The [[Pawnee people|Pawnee]], which included four tribes, lived in villages along the [[Platte River]]. The [[Great Sioux Nation]], including the ''Ihanktowan-Ihanktowana'' and the [[Lakota people|Lakota]], to the north and west, used Nebraska as a hunting and skirmish ground, but did not have any long-term settlements in the state. An occasional buffalo could still be seen in the plat of Lincoln in the 1860s.<ref name="1889 chapter 11" />

===Founding===
[[File:Lincoln, Nebraska, USA (1868).jpg|thumb|Lincoln, 1868]]

Lincoln was founded in 1856 as the village of Lancaster and became the county seat of the newly created Lancaster County in 1859.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.neded.org/files/research/stathand/asect4.htm |title=Counties and County Seats by License Place Prefix Numbers |date=June 8, 2010 |website=Nebraska Databook |publisher=Nebraska Department of Economic Development |access-date=October 18, 2015 |archive-date=October 20, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151020053612/http://www.neded.org/files/research/stathand/asect4.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> The village was sited on the east bank of [[Salt Creek (Platte River)|Salt Creek]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nebraskahistory.org/publish/markers/texts/county-city_building.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040702173505/http://www.nebraskahistory.org/publish/markers/texts/county-city_building.htm |url-status=usurped |archive-date=July 2, 2004 |title=County-City Building, Lincoln, Lancaster County, Nebraska |last=Lincoln Bar Association |date=May 1, 1970 |publisher=Nebraska State Historical Society |access-date=October 18, 2015}}</ref> The first settlers were attracted to the area due to the abundance of salt. Once [[J. Sterling Morton]] developed his salt mines in [[Kansas]], salt in the village was no longer a viable commodity.<ref name="Lincoln History UNL">{{cite web |url=http://www.casde.unl.edu/history/counties/lancaster/lincoln/ |title=Lincoln — Lancaster County |website=Virtual Nebraska |publisher=University of Nebraska-Lincoln |access-date=October 18, 2015 |archive-date=September 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923224051/http://www.casde.unl.edu/history/counties/lancaster/lincoln/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Captain W. T. Donovan, a former [[Steamboat|steamer]] captain, and his family settled on Salt Creek in 1856. In 1859, the village settlers met to form a county. A caucus was formed and the committee, which included Donovan, selected Lancaster as the county seat. The county was named Lancaster. After the passage of the 1862 [[Homestead Acts|Homestead Act]], homesteaders began to inhabit the area. The first [[plat]] was dated August 6, 1864.<ref name="1889 chapter 11">{{cite web |url=http://www.memoriallibrary.com/NE/Lancaster/1889/Chapters/11.htm |title=1889 History of Lincoln Nebraska – Chapter 11 |website=Memorial Library |publisher=CFC Productions |access-date=October 18, 2015 |archive-date=January 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160115224755/http://www.memoriallibrary.com/NE/Lancaster/1889/Chapters/11.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

By the end of 1868, Lancaster had a population of approximately 500.<ref name="1889 chapter 12">{{cite web |url=http://www.memoriallibrary.com/NE/Lancaster/1889/Chapters/12.htm |title=1889 History of Lincoln Nebraska – Chapter 12 |website=Memorial Library |publisher=CFC Productions |access-date=October 18, 2015 |archive-date=January 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160115073635/http://www.memoriallibrary.com/NE/Lancaster/1889/Chapters/12.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> The township of Lancaster was renamed Lincoln, with the incorporation of the city of Lincoln on April 1, 1869. In 1869, the [[University of Nebraska]] was established in Lincoln by the state with a land grant of about 130,000 acres. Construction of University Hall, the first building, began the same year.{{sfn|Hays & Cox|p=234}}

===State capital===
{{See also|Nebraska State Capitol}}
[[File:Nebraska State Capitol (at night, 2016), Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=|Nebraska State Capitol]]

Nebraska was granted statehood on March 1, 1867. The capital of the [[Nebraska Territory]] had been [[Omaha, Nebraska|Omaha]] since the creation of the territory in 1854. Most of its population lived south of the Platte River. After much of the territory south of the Platte was considered annexation to Kansas, the territorial legislature voted to place the capital south of the river and as far west as possible.{{sfn|Hays & Cox|p=29}} Before the vote to remove the capital from Omaha, Omaha Senator [[J. N. H. Patrick]] made a last-ditch effort to derail the move by having the future capital named after recently assassinated President [[Abraham Lincoln]]. Many of the people south of the Platte had been sympathetic to the [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] cause in the recently concluded [[American Civil War|Civil War]]. It was assumed that senators south of the river would not vote to pass the measure if the future capital was named after Lincoln. In the end, the motion to name the future capital Lincoln was ineffective in blocking the measure and the vote to move the capital south of the Platte was successful, with the passage of the Removal Act in 1867.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nebraskahistory.org/sites/kennard/stathood.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010121161100/http://nebraskahistory.org/sites/kennard/stathood.htm |url-status=usurped |archive-date=January 21, 2001 |title=More about Nebraska statehood, the location of the capital, and the story of the commissioner's home |date=March 20, 2000 |publisher=Nebraska State Historical Society |access-date=October 19, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/341669/Lincoln |title=Lincoln, Nebraska, United States |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |access-date=October 19, 2015}}</ref>

The Removal Act called for the formation of a Capital Commission to site the capital on state-owned land. On July 18, 1867, the Commission, composed of Governor [[David Butler (Nebraska governor)|David Butler]], Secretary of State [[Thomas Kennard]], and State Auditor [[John Gillespie (auditor)|John Gillespie]], began to tour sites for the new capital. The village of Lancaster was chosen, in part due to its salt flats and marshes.<ref name="founding">{{cite web |url=http://www.nebraskahistory.org/publish/publicat/timeline/lincolns_founding.htm |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20061115222934/http://www.nebraskahistory.org/publish/publicat/timeline/lincolns_founding.htm |url-status=usurped |archive-date=November 15, 2006 |title=Lincoln's Founding |date=January 11, 2006 |publisher=Nebraska State Historical Society |access-date=October 18, 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-Midwest/Lincoln-History.html |title=Lincoln: History |website=City-Data.com |publisher=Advameg, Inc. |access-date=October 19, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=McGee |first=Jim |date=February 13, 2022 |title=Jim McKee: The birth of Antelope Park in Lincoln |url=https://norfolkdailynews.com/state/nebraska/jim-mckee-the-birth-of-antelope-park-in-lincoln/article_afe09bfc-8b72-5d58-9546-49b3d7d373f8.html |newspaper=Norfolk Daily News |location=Norfolk, NE |access-date=February 13, 2022 |archive-date=February 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220213201033/https://norfolkdailynews.com/state/nebraska/jim-mckee-the-birth-of-antelope-park-in-lincoln/article_afe09bfc-8b72-5d58-9546-49b3d7d373f8.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Lancaster had approximately 30 residents. Disregarding the original plat of the village of Lancaster, Kennard platted Lincoln on a broader scale. The plat of the village of Lancaster was not dissolved nor abandoned; it became Lincoln when the Lincoln plat files were finished on September 6, 1867.{{sfn|McKee2|p=95}} To raise money for the construction of a capital, an auction of lots was held.{{sfn|Hays & Cox|p=349}}

[[File:Thomas P. Kennard & John Gillespie Houses (1872), Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.jpg|thumb|Kennard and Gillespie houses, 1872]]
Newcomers began to arrive and Lincoln's population grew. The [[Nebraska State Capitol]] was completed on December 1, 1868, a two-story building constructed with native limestone with a central cupola. The [[Thomas P. Kennard House|Kennard house]], built in 1869, is the oldest remaining building in the original plat of Lincoln.<ref name="Kennard">{{cite web|title=More About Nebraska Statehood|url=http://nebraskahistory.org/sites/kennard/stathood.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010121161100/http://nebraskahistory.org/sites/kennard/stathood.htm|url-status=usurped|archive-date=January 21, 2001|website=Nebraska State Historical Society|access-date=August 17, 2016}}</ref>

In 1888, a new capitol building was constructed on the site of the first to replace the structurally unsound former capitol. The second building was a classical design by architect [[William H. Willcox]].<ref name=Capitol>{{cite web |url=http://capitol.nebraska.gov/index.php/building/history/nebraska-capitols |title=History of Nebraska's Capitols |website=Nebraska State Capitol |publisher=Nebraska Capitol Commission |access-date=October 19, 2015}}</ref> It, too, had significant structural issues that, by the 1920s, made clear the need for the construction of a replacement. Construction began on a third capitol building in 1922. [[Bertram G. Goodhue]] was selected in a national competition as its architect. By 1924, the first phase of construction was completed and state offices moved into the new building. In 1925, the Willcox-designed capitol building was razed. The Goodhue-designed capitol was constructed in four phases, with the completion of the fourth phase in 1932.<ref name="journalstar1">{{cite news|last=Walton |first=Don |date=February 10, 2015 |title=Capitol may need earthquake evaluation |url=http://journalstar.com/legislature/capitol-may-need-earthquake-evaluation/article_28426201-ff8b-5d0a-902b-2dffd4303196.html| newspaper=Lincoln Journal Star |location=Lincoln, NE |access-date=October 16, 2015}}</ref> It is the second-tallest capitol building in the United States.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hill |first=Kori |date=November 4, 2015 |title=Assassinations, fires, and domes: 50 facts about 50 state capitol buildings |url=http://experience.usatoday.com/america/story/best-of-lists/2015/11/04/50-facts-state-capitols-buildings/75109094/ |department=Travel
|newspaper=USA Today |edition=Experience America |location=Fairfax County, VA |publisher=Gannett Company |access-date=May 30, 2016}}</ref>

===Growth and expansion===

The worldwide economic depression of 1890 saw Lincoln's population fall from 55,000 to 40,169 by 1900 (per the 1900 census). [[Germans from Russia|Volga-German immigrants from Russia]] settled in the North Bottoms neighborhood and as Lincoln expanded with the growth in population, the city began to annex nearby towns. Normal was the first town annexed in 1919.<ref>{{cite news |last1=McKee |first1=Jim |date=December 30, 2017 |title=Jim McKee: Traversing Lincoln via interurban railroads |url=http://journalstar.com/news/state-and-regional/nebraska/jim-mckee-traversing-lincoln-via-interurban-railroads/article_f5046847-5afb-564c-ad37-c73eb227d606.html |newspaper=Lincoln Journal Star |location=Lincoln, NE |access-date=December 31, 2017}}</ref> [[Bethany, Nebraska|Bethany]] Heights, incorporated in 1890, was annexed in 1922.<ref name="Lincoln History UNL" /> In 1926, the town of University Place was annexed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://casde.unl.edu/history/counties/lancaster/lincoln/index.php |title=Lincoln – Lancaster County |last1=Zimmer |first1=Edward |website=Virtual Nebraska – Nebraska&nbsp;... Our Towns |publisher=University of Nebraska-Lincoln |access-date=March 16, 2016 |archive-date=March 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315044654/http://casde.unl.edu/history/counties/lancaster/lincoln/index.php |url-status=dead }}</ref> College View, incorporated in 1892, was annexed in 1929. [[Union College (Nebraska)|Union College]], a [[Seventh-day Adventist Church|Seventh Day Adventist]] institution, was founded in College View in 1891. In 1930, Lincoln annexed the town of Havelock. Havelock actively opposed annexation to Lincoln and only relented due to a strike by the Burlington railroad shop workers which halted progress and growth for the city.<ref name="Lincoln History UNL" />

The [[Burlington and Missouri River Railroad]]'s first train arrived in Lincoln on June 26, 1870, and the [[Midland Pacific Railway|Midland Pacific]] (1871) and the [[Atchison and Nebraska Railroad|Atchison and Nebraska]] (1872) soon followed. The [[Union Pacific]] began service in 1877. The [[Chicago and North Western Transportation Company|Chicago and North Western]] and [[Missouri Pacific Railroad|Missouri Pacific]] began service in 1886. The [[Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad|Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific]] extended service to Lincoln in 1892. Lincoln became a rail hub.<ref name="Lincoln History UNL" />

[[File:Detroit-Lincoln-Denver Highway monument (from SW), Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=refer to caption|Detroit-Lincoln-Denver (D-L-D) Highway monument]]

As automobile travel became more common, so did the need for better roads in Nebraska and throughout the U.S. In 1911, the Omaha-Denver Trans-Continental Route Association, with support from the [[Good Roads Movement]], established the Omaha-Lincoln-Denver Highway (O-L-D) through Lincoln. The goal was to have the most efficient highway for travel throughout Nebraska, from Omaha to Denver.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ashlandhistoricalsociety.org/Documents/US%206%20-%20O%20L%20D%20pres%20-%2012%20OCT%202013%20-%2049%20pg%20rev.pdf |title=Huebinger's Map & Guide for Omaha-Denver Transcontinental Route (condensed, edited & annotated edition) |last1=Ashland Historical Society |last2=Huebinger |first2=M. |date=October 12, 2013 |publisher=Ashland Historical Society / Saline Ford Historical Preservation Society, Nebraska |access-date=October 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150903235447/http://www.ashlandhistoricalsociety.org/Documents/US%206%20-%20O%20L%20D%20pres%20-%2012%20OCT%202013%20-%2049%20pg%20rev.pdf |archive-date=September 3, 2015 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

In 1920, the Omaha-Denver Association merged with the Detroit-Lincoln-Denver Highway Association. As a result, the O-L-D was renamed the Detroit-Lincoln-Denver Highway (D-L-D) with the goal of having a continuous highway from [[Detroit]] to [[Denver]]. The goal was eventually realized by the mid-1920s; {{convert|1,700|mi|km|abbr=on}} of constantly improved highway through six states.<ref name="idot">{{cite web |url=http://www.iowadot.gov/autotrails/dldhighway.html |title=Detroit, Lincoln and Denver (DLD) Highway |publisher=Iowa Department of Transportation |access-date=October 18, 2015}}</ref> The auto route's success in attracting tourists led entrepreneurs to build businesses and facilities in towns along the route to keep up with the demand. In 1924, the D-L-D was designated as [[U.S. Route 6 in Nebraska|Nebraska State Highway 6]]. In 1926, the highway became part of the Federal Highway System and was renumbered U.S. Route 38. In 1931, U.S. 38 was renumbered as a [[U.S. Route 6|U.S. 6]]/U.S. 38 overlap and in 1933, the U.S. 38 route designation was dropped.<ref name="nhhs">{{cite web |url=http://www.transportation.nebraska.gov/docs/NE-Hist-hwy-surv.pdf |title=Nebraska Historic Highway Survey |last1=Mead & Hunt, Inc. |last2=Heritage Research, Ltd. |date=August 2002 |editor1-last=Jacobson |editor1-first=Kent A. |website=Nebraska Department of Roads |publisher=Nebraska State Historical Society / Nebraska Department of Roads |access-date=October 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160116010548/http://www.transportation.nebraska.gov/docs/NE-Hist-hwy-surv.pdf |archive-date=January 16, 2016 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/us6.cfm |title=U.S. 6 – The Grand Army of the Republic Highway |last1=Weingroff |first1=Richard F. |date=November 18, 2015 |department=Highway History |website=Federal Highway Administration |publisher=U.S. Department of Transportation |access-date=August 18, 2016}}</ref>

In the early years of air travel, Lincoln had three airports and one airfield.<ref name="arrow">{{cite web |url=http://www.lincolnafb.org/airfields.php |title=Lincoln's Aviation Past |website=The Lincoln Air Force Base Online Museum |access-date=October 19, 2015}}</ref> [[Union Airport (Nebraska)|Union Airport]], was established northeast of Lincoln in 1920. The Lincoln Flying School was founded by E.J. Sias in a building he built at 2145 O Street.{{sfn|McKee|p=116}} [[Charles Lindbergh]] was a student at the flying school in 1922. The flying school closed in 1947.{{sfn|McKee|p=116}} Some remnants of the Union Airport are still visible between N. 56th and N. 70th Streets, north of Fletcher Avenue; mangled within a slowly developing industrial zone.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.airfieldsfreeman.com/NE/Airfields_NE_NE.htm#lincoln |title=Union Airport, Lincoln, NE |last1=Freeman |first1=Paul |date=June 4, 2016 |website=Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields |page=Northeastern Nebraska |access-date=August 18, 2016}}</ref> Arrow Airport was established around 1925 as a manufacturing and test facility for [[Arrow Aircraft and Motors]] Corporation, primarily the [[Arrow Sport]]. The airfield was near Havelock; or to the west of where the North 48th Street Small Vehicle Transfer Station is today. Arrow Aircraft and Motors declared bankruptcy in 1939 and Arrow Airport closed roughly several decades later.<ref>{{cite web|title=Arrow Aircraft and Motor Corporation (Lincoln, Neb.)|url=http://www.nebraskahistory.org/lib-arch/research/manuscripts/business/arrow-aircraft.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927195818/http://www.nebraskahistory.org/lib-arch/research/manuscripts/business/arrow-aircraft.htm|url-status=usurped|archive-date=September 27, 2007|publisher=Nebraska State Historical Society|access-date=May 14, 2015}}</ref> An Arrow Sport is on permanent display, hanging in the Lincoln Airport's main passenger terminal.<ref name="arrow" /><ref>{{cite web|title=Nebraska Trailblazer No 18 – Aviation in Nebraska|url=http://www.nebraskahistory.org/museum/teachers/material/trailblz/ntb18.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100616075051/http://nebraskahistory.org/museum/teachers/material/trailblz/ntb18.pdf|url-status=usurped|archive-date=June 16, 2010|publisher=Nebraska State Historical Society|access-date=May 14, 2015}}</ref>

As train, automobile, and air travel increased, business flourished and the city prospered. Lincoln's population increased 38.2% from 1920 to a population of 75,933 in 1930.<ref name="population 1930 to 1980">{{cite web|url=http://www.neded.org/files/research/stathand/bsect5b.htm|title=Population of Nebraska Incorporated Places, 1930 to 1980|website=Nebraska Possibilities Endless|publisher=Nebraska Department of Economic Development Agency|access-date=April 30, 2015|archive-date=May 8, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150508083952/http://www.neded.org/files/research/stathand/bsect5b.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1930, the city's small municipal airfield was dedicated to Charles Lindbergh and named Lindbergh Field for a short period as another airfield was named Lindbergh in California. It was north of Salt Lake, in an area known over the years as Huskerville, Arnold Heights and Air Park; and was approximately within the western half of the West Lincoln Township.<ref name="airpark">{{cite news |last=McKee |first=Jim |date=February 10, 2013 |title=Jim McKee: From Lincoln airport to Lincoln neighborhood| url=http://journalstar.com/news/local/jim-mckee-from-lincoln-airport-to-lincoln-neighborhood/article_5aa10b85-06e4-56d9-8a94-f334ea2b2940.html |newspaper=Lincoln Journal Star |location=Lincoln, NE |access-date=October 16, 2015}}</ref><ref name="trailblazer aviation">{{cite web|title=Nebraska Trailblazer, Aviation in Nebraska|url=http://www.nebraskahistory.org/museum/teachers/material/trailblz/ntb18.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100616075051/http://nebraskahistory.org/museum/teachers/material/trailblz/ntb18.pdf|url-status=usurped|archive-date=June 16, 2010|website=Nebraska History.org|publisher=Nebraska State Historical Society|access-date=May 15, 2015}}</ref><ref name=freeman>{{cite web|last1=Freeman|first1=Paul|title=Abandoned & Little-Known Air Fields|url=https://www.airfieldsfreeman.com/NE/Airfields_NE_NE.htm#lincoln|website=Air Fields|publisher=Paul Freeman|access-date=May 15, 2015}}</ref> The air field was a stop for United Airlines in 1927 and a mail stop in 1928.<ref name=Branting>{{cite web|last1=Branting|first1=Robb|title=History|url=http://www.lincolnafb.org/history.php|website=The Lincoln Air Force Base Online Museum|access-date=May 15, 2015}}</ref>

[[File:Arrow Sport, Lincoln Airport, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.jpg|thumb|right|alt=refer to caption|Arrow Sport, Lincoln Airport]]
In 1942, the Lincoln Army Airfield was established at the site. During World War II, the U.S. Army used the facility to train over 25,000 aviation mechanics and process over 40,000 troopers for combat. The Army closed the base in 1945, but the Air Force reactivated it in 1952 during the Korean War. In 1966, after the Air Force closed the base, Lincoln annexed the airfield and the base's housing units.<ref name="airpark" /> The base became the [[Lincoln Airport (Nebraska)|Lincoln Municipal Airport]], and later the Lincoln Airport, under the Lincoln Airport Authority's ownership. The two main airlines that served the airport were [[United Airlines]] and [[Frontier Airlines (1950-1986)|Frontier Airlines]]. The Authority shared facilities with the Nebraska National Guard, who continued to own parts of the old Air Force base.<ref>{{cite web|title=Fact Sheet – History of the Nebraska Air National Guard |url=http://www.155arw.ang.af.mil/shared/media/document/afd-110617-039.pdf |publisher=155arw.ang.af.mil |access-date=May 13, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160115212453/http://www.155arw.ang.af.mil/shared/media/document/afd-110617-039.pdf |archive-date=January 15, 2016 }}</ref>

In 1966, Lincoln annexed the township of West Lincoln, incorporated in 1887. West Lincoln voters rejected Lincoln's annexation until the state legislature passed a bill in 1965 that allowed cities to annex surrounding areas without a vote.<ref name="westlincoln">{{cite news |last=McKee |first=Jim |date=March 5, 2016 |title=Jim McKee: West Lincoln almost an industrial success |url=http://journalstar.com/lifestyles/jim-mckee-west-lincoln-almost-an-industrial-success/article_80bdfa06-b94e-5de9-9c3a-f35d2f30d482.html |newspaper=Lincoln Journal Star |location=Lincoln, NE |access-date=March 15, 2016}}</ref>

===Revitalization and growth===
[[File:Government Square, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.jpg|thumb|right|alt=|Government Square: U.S. Post Office and Courthouse (1879–1906), [[City Hall (Lincoln, Nebraska)|City Hall]] (1906–1969).]]

The downtown core retail district from 1959 to 1984 saw profound changes as retail shopping moved from downtown to the suburban Gateway Shopping Mall. In 1956, [[Ameritas|Bankers Life Insurance Company of Nebraska]] announced plans to build a $6 million shopping center next to their new campus on Lincoln's eastern outskirts. Gateway Shopping Center, now called [[Gateway Mall (Lincoln, Nebraska)|Gateway Mall]], opened at 60th and O streets in 1960.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=We're shopping for memories of Hovland-Swanson |url=http://journalstar.com/niche/neighborhood-extra/senior-scene/we-re-shopping-for-memories-of-hovland-swanson/article_1b93d780-c109-5b3c-b0cf-9332134a2e66.html| newspaper=Lincoln Journal Star |location=Lincoln, NE |date=April 13, 2015 |access-date=October 16, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Gateway Mall emerged where cornfield had existed |url=http://journalstar.com/niche/neighborhood-extra/news/gateway-mall-emerged-where-cornfield-had-existed/article_8b6483bb-1735-59a4-8232-c7346d3035b0.html |newspaper=Lincoln Journal Star |location=Lincoln, NE |date=January 6, 2012 |access-date=October 16, 2015}}</ref> By 1984, 75% of Lincoln's revenue from retail sales tax came from within a one-mile radius of the Mall. The exodus of retail and service businesses led the downtown core to decline and deteriorate.{{sfn|McKee|p=125}}

In 1969, the Nebraska legislature legislated laws for urban renewal. Soon afterward, Lincoln began a program of revitalization and beautification. Most of the urban renewal projects focused on downtown and the near South areas. Many ideas were considered and not implemented. Successes included Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery, designed by [[Philip Johnson]]; new branch libraries, new street lighting, the First National Bank Building and the National Bank of Commerce Building designed by [[I.M. Pei]].{{sfn|McKee|pp=125–128}}

In 1971, an expansion of Gateway Mall was completed. 1974 marked a new assembly facility in Lincoln, a subsidiary of [[Kawasaki Heavy Industries]] in Japan to produce motorcycles for the North American market.<ref name="MCN 13 Feb 74"/> Lincoln's first woman mayor, [[Helen Boosalis]], was elected in 1975. Mayor Boosalis was a strong supporter of the revitalization of Lincoln with the downtown beautification project being completed in 1978. In 1979, the square-block downtown Centrum was opened and connected to buildings with a skywalk. The Centrum was a two-level shopping mall with a garage for 1,038 cars. With the beautification and urban renewal projects, many historic buildings were razed in the city.{{sfn|McKee|pp=125–128}} In 2007 and 2009, the city of Lincoln received beautification grants for improvements on O and West O Streets, west of the Harris Overpass, commemorating the history of the D-L-D.<ref name="idot" /><ref>{{cite web|title=Lincoln West "O" Historic Highway Project|url=https://www.lincoln.ne.gov/City/plan/mpo/tech/reports/2010/100826/westo.pdf|publisher=City of Lincoln, Nebraska|access-date=May 16, 2015}}</ref>

After the fall of Saigon in 1975, Vietnamese refugees created a large residential and business community along the 27th Street corridor alongside Mexican eateries and African markets.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Calvan|first1=Bobby Caina|title=How Asian Immigration Is Changing America's Heartland|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/how-asian-immigration-changing-americas-heartland-n129491|access-date=June 4, 2015|department=Asian America|agency=NBC News|date=June 18, 2014}}</ref> Lincoln was designated as a "Refugee Friendly" city by the [[U.S. Department of State]] in the 1970s. In 2000, Lincoln was the twelfth-largest resettlement site per capita in the country.<ref>{{cite web|title=History of New Americans Task Force|url=http://lincoln.ne.gov/city/natf/history.htm|website=City of Lincoln, Nebraska|access-date=June 4, 2015|archive-date=June 11, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150611032650/http://lincoln.ne.gov/city/natf/history.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> As of 2011, Lincoln had the second largest Karen (Burmese ethnic minority) population in the United States (behind Omaha),<ref>{{cite news |last=Kemmet |first=Kay |date=July 13, 2011 |title=Workshop gives insight into Karen culture |url=http://www.theindependent.com/news/local/workshop-gives-insight-into-karen-culture/article_51424395-515e-56db-8372-e94dbfa11dd3.html |newspaper=Grand Island Independent |location=Grand Island, NE |access-date=December 13, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.karenksn.org/aboutus/ |title=Karen Society of Nebraska, Inc. |publisher=Karen Society of Nebraska |access-date=December 13, 2015}}</ref> with an estimated 1,500 in 2019.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lange-Kubicek |first1=Cindy |date=July 7, 2019 |title=Members of Karen community come together for garden with taste of home |url=https://journalstar.com/news/local/members-of-karen-community-come-together-for-garden-with-taste/article_1b2d9d91-f1a0-5935-994d-d642a7f3ab67.html |newspaper=Lincoln Journal Star |location=Lincoln, NE |access-date=July 8, 2019}}</ref>  As of the same year, Nebraska was one of the largest resettlement sites for the people of Sudan, mostly in Lincoln and Omaha.<ref>{{cite news |last=Pascale |first=Jordan |date=January 14, 2011 |title=Thousands of Sudanese make pilgrimage to Omaha |url=http://journalstar.com/news/state-and-regional/nebraska/thousands-of-sudanese-make-pilgrimage-to-omaha/article_a3819c71-edb8-5247-bf3e-c7e35094feab.html |newspaper=Lincoln Journal Star |location=Lincoln, NE |access-date=December 13, 2015}}</ref> In 2014, some social service organizations estimated that up to 10,000 Iraqi refugees had resettled in Lincoln.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Knapp |first1=Fred |date=August 15, 2014 |title=Yazidis And Other Iraqis In Lincoln Offer Different Perspectives On Crisis |url=http://netnebraska.org/article/news/932347/yazidis-and-other-iraqis-lincoln-offer-different-perspectives-crisis |agency=NET Radio |location=Lincoln, NE |access-date=May 12, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Knapp |first1=Fred |date=December 12, 2017 |title=Iraqis A Fast-Growing Group In Nebraska |url=http://netnebraska.org/article/news/1108641/iraqis-fast-growing-group-nebraska |agency=NET Radio |location=Lincoln, NE |access-date=May 12, 2018 |archive-date=May 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180513012948/http://netnebraska.org/article/news/1108641/iraqis-fast-growing-group-nebraska |url-status=dead }}</ref> In recent years, Lincoln had the largest Yazidi (Iraqi ethnic minority) population in the U.S.,<ref>{{cite news |last=Siemaszko |first=Corky |date=November 26, 2015 |title= Yazidis in U.S. Grateful This Thanksgiving for Escaping ISIS |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-uncovered/yazidis-u-s-grateful-thanksgiving-escaping-isis-n468361 |agency=NBC News |access-date=April 10, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Mitch |date=September 7, 2015 |title=Yazidis Settle in Nebraska, but Roots Run Deep in Iraq |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/08/us/yazidis-settle-in-nebraska-but-roots-run-deep-in-iraq.html |newspaper=New York Times |location=New York, NY |access-date=December 13, 2015}}</ref> with over 2,000–3,000 having settled within the city (as of late 2017).<ref>{{cite news |last1=Williams |first1=Jack |date=December 14, 2017 |title=Yazidis From Iraq Find Welcome Refuge In Nebraska |url=http://netnebraska.org/article/news/1108600/yazidis-iraq-find-welcome-refuge-nebraska |agency=NET Radio |location=Lincoln, NE |access-date=May 12, 2018 |archive-date=December 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181211132908/http://netnebraska.org/article/news/1108600/yazidis-iraq-find-welcome-refuge-nebraska |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Case |first1=Emily |date=July 23, 2018 |title=New downtown Lincoln Mediterranean market offers varied selection |url=https://journalstar.com/news/local/new-downtown-lincoln-mediterranean-market-offers-varied-selection/article_e703f0b9-dc17-50ad-9bbf-05054c59de78.html |newspaper=Lincoln Journal Star |location=Lincoln, NE |access-date=July 30, 2018}}</ref> In a three-year period, the immigrant and refugee student population at Lincoln Public Schools increased 52% - from 1,606 students in 2014, to 2,445 in 2017.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Reist |first1=Margaret |date=June 4, 2017 |title=LPS strengthens trauma program to help refugee students |url=http://journalstar.com/news/local/education/lps-strengthens-trauma-program-to-help-refugee-students/article_7907ee93-6fb1-55b6-b26a-605f247c3692.html |newspaper=Lincoln Journal Star |location=Lincoln, NE |access-date=June 4, 2017}}</ref>

The decade from 1990 to 2000 saw a significant rise in population from 191,972 to 225,581. North 27th Street and Cornhusker Highway were redeveloped with new housing and businesses built. The boom housing market in south Lincoln created new housing developments including high end housing in areas like Cripple Creek, Willamsburg and The Ridge. The shopping center Southpointe Pavilions was completed in competition of Gateway Mall.{{sfn|McKee2|p=14}}

===Into the 21st Century===
[[File:Downtown Lincoln 2024.jpg|alt=|thumb|Skyline, 2024]]
In 2001, [[Westfield Group|Westfield America Trust]] purchased the Gateway Mall<ref name="gateway">{{cite news|url=http://journalstar.com/gateway-history/article_3d369d67-8067-5c1f-a8ec-6161d1de1b17.html|title=Gateway history|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|date=April 18, 2012|newspaper=Lincoln Journal Star|access-date=October 16, 2015|location=Lincoln, NE}}</ref> and named it Westfield Shoppingtown Gateway. In 2005, the company renamed it the Westfield Gateway.<ref>{{cite news |last=Olberding |first=Matt |date=June 1, 2005 |title=Gateway a 'shoppingtown' no more |url=http://journalstar.com/business/gateway-a-shoppingtown-no-more/article_797054aa-729d-558d-b849-187430550924.html |newspaper=Lincoln Journal Star |location=Lincoln, NE |access-date=October 16, 2015}}</ref> Westfield made a $45 million makeover of the mall in 2005 including an expanded food court, a new west-side entrance and installation of an Italian carousel.<ref>{{cite news |last=Olberding |first=Matt |date=September 26, 2005 |title=Westfield Gateway unveils new amenities, food court |url=http://journalstar.com/business/westfield-gateway-unveils-new-amenities-food-court/article_9bc56e4f-639b-50ef-8b42-2f87d700c0c9.html |newspaper=Lincoln Journal Star |location=Lincoln, NE |access-date=October 16, 2015}}</ref> In 2012, Westfield America Trust sold Westfield Gateway to [[Starwood Capital Group]]. Starwood reverted the mall's name from Westfield Gateway to Gateway Mall and has made incremental expansions and renovations.<ref name="gateway" /><ref>{{cite news |last=Olberding |first=Matt |date=April 18, 2012 |title=Gateway mall sold |url=http://journalstar.com/business/local/gateway-mall-sold/article_352377dc-ff8c-5f1e-93f8-2293d4185ac6.html |newspaper=Lincoln Journal Star |location=Lincoln, NE |access-date=October 16, 2015}}</ref>  In 2021, Gateway Mall was sold to a subsidiary of Strategic Value Partners.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date= May 23, 2022 |title=Gateway Mall sold for $51.5 million |url=https://www.1011now.com/2022/05/23/gateway-mall-sold-515-million/ |agency=KOLN/KGIN-TV (10/11) News |location=Lincoln, NE |access-date=January 11, 2025}}</ref>

In 2015, ALLO Communications announced it would bring ultra-high speed fiber internet to the city. Speeds up to 1 Gigabit per second were available for business and households by building off of the city's existing fiber network. Construction on the citywide network began in March 2016 and was estimated to be complete by 2019,<ref>{{cite news |last=Olberding |first=Matt |date=November 17, 2015 |title=Ultra-fast Internet service is coming to Lincoln |url=http://journalstar.com/business/local/ultra-fast-internet-service-is-coming-to-lincoln/article_9f03e887-5ca2-5d2d-ba85-9f7821bb05cc.html |newspaper=Lincoln Journal Star |location=Lincoln, NE |access-date=November 17, 2015}}</ref> making it one of the largest infrastructure projects in the United States.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Johnson |first1=Riley |date=December 2, 2017 |title=In Allo's rapid digging, city and utilities encounter growing pains |url=http://journalstar.com/business/local/in-allo-s-rapid-digging-city-and-utilities-encounter-growing/article_b5106c4e-869f-5616-9755-244c077a5acf.html |newspaper=Lincoln Journal Star |location=Lincoln, NE |access-date=December 11, 2017}}</ref> Telephone and cable TV service were also included,<ref>{{cite news |last=Hicks |first=Nancy |date=December 7, 2015 |title=ALLO gets praise for bringing super fast Internet service to Lincoln |url=http://journalstar.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/allo-gets-praise-for-bringing-super-fast-internet-service-to/article_1e247e98-c510-5054-b4b0-9a3398677d4c.html |newspaper=Lincoln Journal Star |location=Lincoln, NE |access-date=December 18, 2015}}</ref> making it the third company to compete for such services within the same Lincoln footprint. In April 2016, Windstream Communications announced that 2,300 customers in Lincoln had 1 Gigabit per second fiber internet with an expected expansion of services to 25,000 customers by 2017.<ref>{{cite news |last=Olberding |first=Matt |date=December 18, 2015 |title=Windstream bringing 1 gigabit Internet to Lincoln |url=http://journalstar.com/business/local/windstream-bringing-gigabit-internet-to-lincoln/article_de6abfc6-810d-5a37-b3f8-7a7da445dc48.html |newspaper=Lincoln Journal Star |location=Lincoln, NE |access-date=December 19, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Olberding |first=Matt |date=April 4, 2016 |title=Windstream debuts 1G internet in Lincoln |url=http://journalstar.com/business/local/windstream-debuts-g-internet-in-lincoln/article_a5db296c-37c4-511d-8eb9-6778d28379c8.html |newspaper=Lincoln Journal Star |location=Lincoln, NE |access-date=May 7, 2016}}</ref> On November 29, 2017, Lincoln was named a Smart Gigabit Community by U.S. Ignite Inc.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Olberding |first1=Matt |date=December 11, 2017 |title=Lincoln now a Smart Gigabit Community |url=http://journalstar.com/business/local/lincoln-now-a-smart-gigabit-community/article_7443c644-f75a-5601-bbce-5553bc50fc1c.html |newspaper=Lincoln Journal Star |location=Lincoln, NE |access-date=December 11, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.us-ignite.org/news/us-ignite-inc-announces-lincoln-nebraska-will-join-rapidly-growing-network-of-smart-gigabit-communities/ |title=US Ignite, Inc. Announces Lincoln, Nebraska will Join Rapidly Growing Network of Smart Gigabit Communities |last1=Mohan |first1=Nishal |date=November 29, 2017 |publisher=US Ignite |access-date=December 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171214015115/https://www.us-ignite.org/news/us-ignite-inc-announces-lincoln-nebraska-will-join-rapidly-growing-network-of-smart-gigabit-communities/ |archive-date=December 14, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and in early 2018, Spectrum joined the ranks of internet service providers providing 1 gigabit internet within the city.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Olberding |first1=Matt |date=April 25, 2018 |title=Charter now offering 1-gig internet in Lincoln, Southeast Nebraska |url=https://journalstar.com/business/local/charter-now-offering--gig-internet-in-lincoln-southeast-nebraska/article_4ee48ad4-a63e-5e05-b27c-968adc36c3dc.html |newspaper=Lincoln Journal Star |location=Lincoln, NE |access-date=December 13, 2018}}</ref>

In 2021, Lincoln's second-tallest skyscraper was completed downtown.  Second in height to the State Capitol by law, the [[Lied Place Residences]] was 250 feet, or 20 floors.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Olberding |first1=Matt |date=August 4, 2021 |title=Topped-out Lied Place Residences in line for more TIF money |url=https://journalstar.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/topped-out-lied-place-residences-in-line-for-more-tif-money/article_6d5ae338-5b3c-5948-95ac-64f7909a247b.html |newspaper=Lincoln Journal Star |location=Lincoln, NE |access-date=January 9, 2025}}</ref>  The Lied Place Residences surpassed the U.S. Bank Tower (formerly the First National Bank Building), completed in 1970, by 30 feet.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Olberding |first1=Matt |date=November 7, 2021 |title=Downtown Lincoln's tallest office building has new owner |url=https://journalstar.com/business/local/downtown-lincolns-tallest-office-building-has-new-owner/article_c0e84fa0-4d3e-5936-b5fc-edc8141446fb.html |newspaper=Lincoln Journal Star |location=Lincoln, NE |access-date=January 9, 2025}}</ref>  A least one taller building had been proposed since 2021, but any construction had been delayed due to inflation.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Olberding |first1=Matt |date=November 13, 2023 |title=Planned downtown Lincoln skyscraper would grow taller than Lied Place |url=https://journalstar.com/business/local/planned-downtown-lincoln-skyscraper-would-grow-taller-than-lied-place/article_d4c8004f-5482-554e-84ca-c66a78990977.html |newspaper=Lincoln Journal Star |location=Lincoln, NE |access-date=January 9, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Sangimino |first1=Patt |date=October 5, 2023 |title=Lincoln Bold on hold until interest rates make project more feasible |url=https://journalstar.com/news/local/business/lincoln-bold-skyscraper-steve-glenn-interest-rates/article_583e6d8c-62e5-11ee-aca7-9f332cdb9362.html |newspaper=Lincoln Journal Star |location=Lincoln, NE |access-date=January 11, 2025}}</ref>

In 2022, the City of Lincoln adopted a new flag, called "All Roads Lead to Lincoln".<ref>{{Cite web |title=City Flag |url=https://www.lincoln.ne.gov/City/Mayor/City-Communications/City-Flag |access-date=2024-11-28 |website=www.lincoln.ne.gov |language=en-US}}</ref>  In late 2022, Nebraska Highway 2 was diverted onto a newly constructed 11-mile long freeway, dubbed the South Beltway, on the Lincoln's south edge.<ref>{{cite news |last=Knapp |first=Fred |date=December 14, 2022 |title=Lincoln South Beltway project opens, helped by creative financing |url=https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/es/news/news-articles/lincoln-south-beltway-project-opens-helped-by-creative-financing/ |agency=Nebraska Public Media |location=Lincoln, NE |access-date=January 9, 2025}}</ref>  The realignment marked the first time the eastern segment of Nebraska 2 was largely outside of the city in its history.  A planned upgrade of U.S. Highway 77 (a.k.a. the Homestead Expressway) to freeway standards was planned to begin in 2025.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Reist |first1=Margaret |date=April 7, 2024 |title=NDOT plans to add freeway interchanges to U.S. 77 West Bypass in Lincoln |url=https://journalstar.com/news/local/government-politics/ndot-plans-to-add-freeway-interchanges-to-u-s-77-west-bypass-in-lincoln/article_cbe968da-f3a0-11ee-99a8-9fc2f55ce2f2.html |newspaper=Lincoln Journal Star |location=Lincoln, NE |access-date=January 9, 2025}}</ref>