city, seat (1857) of Dakota county, southeastern Minnesota, U.S. It lies on the Mississippi River where it is joined by the St. Croix River (Saint Croix River), about 20 miles (30 km) southeast of St. Paul (Saint Paul). Part of the city extends across the Mississippi into Washington county. Sioux Indians were early inhabitants of the area. The site was first visited about 1820 by military explorers and became known as Oliver's Grove or Olive Grove. Trader Alexis Bailly opened a trading post in 1850, and in 1853 the city was laid out and soon given the middle name of Henry Hastings Sibley, one of its founders and later the first governor of Minnesota. Grain milling along the Vermillion River in the southern part of the city contributed to its growth. Area agriculture now includes peas, corn (maize), soybeans, and livestock; flour milling is still important, and the city manufactures office supplies and plastics. The Victorian Gothic limestone mansion (completed 1865) of William Gates LeDuc, a Union soldier, mill owner, and railroad promoter, is in the city. Afton State Park is north of Hastings. Inc. 1857. Pop. (1990) 15,445; (2000) 18,204.

city, seat (1878) of Adams county, south-central Nebraska, U.S. The city lies along the West Fork Big Blue River, about 100 miles (160 km) west of Lincoln. Pawnee were living in the area when it was visited by explorers John C. Frémont and Kit Carson in 1842. Founded in 1872 at the junction of the Burlington and Missouri River and the St. Joseph and Denver City railroads, the city was named for Col. Thomas D. Hastings, a railroad contractor. It soon became a transportation centre. The popular drink Kool-Aid was invented in Hastings in 1927 by Edwin E. Perkins. From 1942 to 1966 a large naval munitions plant was located in the city.

The contemporary economy of Hastings is primarily agricultural; cattle and hogs are raised, and corn (maize), soybeans, wheat, and sorghum are grown. The manufacture of ethanol from corn and the processing of soybeans are major industries. Food processing and the manufacture of refrigeration systems, automotive parts, agricultural and industrial products, packaging, and heating and cooling equipment are also important. Hastings is a regional retail and health care centre. The nearby U.S. Meat Animal Research Center develops ways to increase livestock production.

Hastings College was founded in 1882. The Hastings Museum of Natural and Cultural History includes pioneer and Native American artifacts, wildlife dioramas, and the J.M. McDonald Planetarium. The city has a symphony orchestra. Inc. 1874. Pop. (2000) 24,064; (2005 est.) 25,437.

city (“district”), eastern North Island, New Zealand. It lies on the Heretaunga Plains, near Hawke Bay. The area's first European settlers arrived in 1864 to take up land leased from the local Maoris. The settlement was linked to the island's rail system by 1873 and was named after Warren Hastings (first governor-general of British India); it was declared a town in 1884 and a borough two years later. A disastrous earthquake struck the borough in 1931; but Hastings was rebuilt, grew, and was constituted a city in 1956. Serving an agricultural and pastoral region, it is a food-processing centre with canning, quick-freezing, dairy, and meatpacking plants, stockyards, and breweries; it also produces fertilizer, tallow, and stock food. Highland Games are held at Hastings every year in the spring. It is part of the Napier-Hastings urban area. Pop. (2001) 59,139.

borough (district), administrative county of East Sussex, historic county of Sussex, England. The old port of Hastings, premier among the medieval Cinque Ports, has developed in modern times as a seaside resort. Prehistoric earthworks and the ruins of a medieval castle crown Castle Hill, which is situated on the sandstone cliffs overlooking the old fishing settlement and port at the mouth of a steep valley. The main shopping centre lies west of this old nucleus, which is notable for its numerous antique shops. The resort has developed along the seafront to the west, where, since 1872, the borough has also included St. Leonards. The seaside resort is also noteworthy for its winter chess congress. The site of the Battle of Hastings (1066) lies northwest of the town. Area 12 square miles (30 square km). Pop. (2001) 85,828.