Farms, cows, illiteracy, no electricity. These are only a few of the stereotypes that I have heard about Nebraska. Yes, I have to admit that Nebraska is known as the "Cornhusker State," but not the "Everyone lives on a farm, gets up at dawn to milk the cows, walks five miles to and from school every day, if they go to school at all" myth. Most of the people in Nebraska live in cities or towns. I have only been on a farm once. Even though you may think that we Nebraskans know about farming, I don't know a thing. I can't tell the difference between wheat and barley. I know what corn stalks look like, but I think most people do. I was born and lived in Lincoln, Nebraska my whole life. I like it here. Some people say, "I feel sorry for you," but I don't know why. I bet most or even all that have these stereotypes have never been here before. It is actually an interesting state with many monuments like the Oregon Trail, Chimney Rock, Ashfalls, and many other interesting places. There are also many unique facts about Nebraska.

We do the same things here as everyone else in the United States. We hang out with friends at the mall or at home, go to movies. Everyone goes to the Nebraska football games, even during seasons when they don't play well. We have parties and go swimming. I also enjoy going up to our cabin and swimmng, skiing, and hiking.

Unfortunately, we too have crime, shootings, and gangs like most other cities. I bet no one ever guessed that Nebraska had crime, but we do. I don't know where people get their stereotypes.

The weather is really strange here. If you think that Nebraska has weird weather, that one stereotype is true. When I say that I live in Nebraska, people always seem to think of dry, hot summers and hazardous, cold winters, but that is not true either. There is a saying that goes "If you don't like the weather here, wait 15 minutes." In spring it is 20 degrees one day 75 degrees the next. Sometimes there are blizzards in April, and it's 80 degrees in February.

Try to look past words and thoughts, and look at information and your own experiences. Maybe next time you think of Nebraska, you won't think of a myth, rather you will think of this article and say,"Hey, Nebraska seems like a nice place, I would like to visit sometime." ?