Clay

Formed January 1, 1855 (9^th county)

Clay County (6,105), Clay Center (723), Sutton (1,444)                

The brown brick Classical Revival courthouse was built in 1918 at Fairfield Street, Brown Avenue, Edgar Street, and Harvard Avenue.  Nebraska State Highway 14 is two blocks east of the site.  William F. Gernandt is the architect.  The facility features columns and the grounds have veteran memorials.  There was an earlier version dating from 1888 in Clay Center, the only county seat.  The county was founded on January 1, 1855 from Native American Territory as the 9^th county.  Clay County and its county seat are named for United States Secretary of State Henry Clay.  Clay County was the birthplace for 1 Nebraska Governor, Samuel R. McKelvie. 

Clay County government consists of a sheriff, an attorney, a treasurer and a clerk (executive).  It has 7 Commissioners (legislative.)  Three District Court Judges serve Clay, Fillmore, Gage, Jefferson, Johnson, Nemaha, Nuckolls, Pawnee, Richardson, Saline and Thayer counties and Three County Court Judges serve Clay, Adams, Fillmore, Franklin, Harlan, Kearney, Nuckolls, Phelps, and Webster counties (judicial.)  Clay County is in southern Nebraska.  Grand Island, Nebraska is northwest and Lincoln, Nebraska is east of the county.  The county center is 5.4 miles North of Clay Center nearer Harvard.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Hamilton, York, Fillmore, Thayer, Nuckolls, Webster, Adams, and Hall counties. 

The area of the county is 573 square miles.  It is 55 out of 93 in the state.  It ranks 47 out of 93 in population in the state.  It has a density of 10.7 persons per square mile making it 43 out of 93 in the state.  Clay County has 73.2% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 6 crosses east to west through the county from Fillmore County to Adams County.  The county is a rectangle.  Clay Center is at the center of the county.  Sutton is in the northeast near the border.  Clay Center is the county seat and Sutton is the largest city.  Clay Center is 11.8% of the county population while Sutton is 23.7% of the county population.  This county is in the Hastings Micropolitan Statistical Area.

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