Lincoln was founded in 1859 as the village of Lancaster. Renamed and made Nebraska's state capital in 1867, is now the second-largest city in the state. Lincoln is Nebraska's center of government and higher education and is a regional retail and transportation center. Despite its size, it retains a friendly, "small town" feel.There are several threads running through Lincoln's cultural composition. The university and state government have attracted many rural Nebraskans to the city over the years, reinforcing its small town feel. Its position as a college town also helps shape the city's political culture, which is somewhat more liberal than most of the rest of the state. The electorate is nearly evenly split between the Republican and Democratic parties. Once a very ethnically homogeneous city, Lincoln has become more diverse over the past 30 years, welcoming immigrants and refugees from Southeast Asia, the Middle East, the former Soviet Union, and sub-Saharan Africa.There is a long-standing friendly rivalry with Omaha, 80 km (50 mi.) to the northeast.Indoor worksites are smoke-free in Lincoln, so you'll be able to enjoy smoke-free restaurants and bars. http://wikitravel.org/en/Lincoln (Nebraska)