Douglas County, Nebraska

Douglas County, Nebraska
Douglas County Courthouse in Omaha
Seal
Location in the state of Nebraska
Nebraska's location in the U.S.
Founded	1854
Seat	Omaha
Largest city	Omaha
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	340 sq mi (881 km²) 331 sq mi (857 km²) 9 sq mi (23 km²), 2.54%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	517,110 1,401/sq mi (541/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.douglascounty-ne.gov

Douglas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is the state's most populous county, home to over one-fourth of Nebraska's residents. As of the 2010 census, the population was 517,110.^[1] Its county seat is Omaha,^[2] the state's largest city. It is one of five Nebraska counties in the eight-county Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Statistical Area.^[3]

In the Nebraska license plate system, Douglas County was represented by the prefix "1" (as it had the largest number of vehicles registered in the county when the license plate system was established in 1922). In 2002, the state discontinued the 1922 system in the three most populous counties: Douglas, Sarpy, and Lancaster counties.

History

Douglas County was established in 1855. It was named after Stephen A. Douglas (1813–1861), U.S. Senator from Illinois.^[4]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 340 square miles (880.6 km²), of which 331 square miles (857.3 km²) is land and 9 square miles (23.3 km²) (2.54%) is water.

Major highways

• Interstate 80
• Interstate 480
• Interstate 680
• U.S. Highway 6
• U.S. Highway 75
• U.S. Highway 275
• Nebraska Highway 31
• Nebraska Highway 36
• Nebraska Highway 50
• Nebraska Highway 64
• Nebraska Highway 85
• Nebraska Highway 92
• Nebraska Highway 133

Adjacent counties

• Dodge County - (northwest)
• Washington County - (north)
• Pottawattamie County, Iowa - (east)
• Sarpy County - (south)
• Saunders County - (west)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1860	4,328		—
1870	19,982		361.7%
1880	37,645		88.4%
1890	158,008		319.7%
1900	140,590		−11.0%
1910	168,546		19.9%
1920	204,524		21.3%
1930	232,982		13.9%
1940	247,562		6.3%
1950	281,020		13.5%
1960	343,490		22.2%
1970	389,455		13.4%
1980	397,038		1.9%
1990	416,444		4.9%
2000	463,585		11.3%
2010	517,110		11.5%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census^[5] of 2000, there were 463,585 people, 182,194 households, and 115,146 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,401 people per square mile (541/km²). There were 192,672 housing units at an average density of 582 per square mile (225/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 80.96% White, 11.50% Black or African American, 0.61% Native American, 1.71% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 3.40% from other races, and 1.76% from two or more races. 6.67% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 26.3% were of German, 11.5% Irish and 6.2% English ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 182,194 households out of which 32.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.50% were married couples living together, 12.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.80% were non-families. 29.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the county the population was spread out with 26.60% under the age of 18, 10.30% from 18 to 24, 31.20% from 25 to 44, 21.00% from 45 to 64, and 11.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 95.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $43,209, and the median income for a family was $54,651. Males had a median income of $36,577 versus $27,265 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,879. About 6.70% of families and 9.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.00% of those under age 18 and 7.20% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Douglas County is governed by a board of seven county commissioners, elected to four year terms. County courthouse positions are also elected on a partisan basis. Most of the county's offices are located at the Douglas County Courthouse.

District	Commissioner
1	Mike Boyle
2	Pam Tusa
3	Chris Rodgers (Chair)
4	Kyle Hutchings
5	Marc Kraft
6	Mary Ann Borgeson
7	Clare Duda

Office	Officeholder
County Assessor	Roger Morrissey
County Attorney	Donald Kleine
County Clerk	Tom Cavanaugh
Clerk of the District Court	John Friend
County Engineer	Tom Doyle
Register of Deeds	Diane Battiato
County Sheriff	Tim Dunning
County Treasurer	John W. Ewing
Public Defender	Tom Riley

Communities

Cities

• Bennington
• Omaha
• Ralston
• Valley

Villages

• Boys Town
• Waterloo

Precincts

Douglas County is divided into the following divisions, which, except for the City of Omaha, are called precincts.

• Benson
• Chicago
• Douglas
• Elkhorn
• Florence
• Jefferson
• McArdle
• Millard
• City of Omaha
• Platte Valley
• Union
• Waterloo

See also

• Ackerhurst Dairy Barn
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Douglas County, Nebraska

References

1. ^ http://www.omaha.com/article/20110301/NEWS01/110309991/0
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
3. ^ United States Office of Management and Budget. "Update of Statistical Area Definitions and Guidance on Their Uses" (PDF). pp. 5, 36.. Archived from the original on 2006-05-14. http://web.archive.org/web/20060514003222/http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/bulletins/fy2006/b06-01.pdf. Retrieved 2006-07-21. 
4. ^ "About Douglas County: History." Douglas County. Retrieved 9/17/07.
5. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links

• Douglas County official website

Coordinates: 41°18′N 96°09′W / 41.30°N 96.15°W / 41.30; -96.15