Hayes

Formed February 17, 1877 (65^th county)

Hayes County (856), Hayes Center (226)

The tan brick Modern style of the 1954 courthouse blends into this small community.  It is on Troth Street at Daniels Avenue.  Nebraska State Highway 25 is five blocks to the west of the site.  The building’s designers were Davis and Wilson.  The county’s only high school is located next to the courthouse.  There was a 1904 building earlier in Hayes Center, the only county seat.  The county was organized on February 17, 1877 from Native American Territory as the 65^th county.  The county and county seat are named for United States President Rutherford B. Hayes. 

Hayes County government consists of a sheriff, an attorney, a treasurer and a clerk (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Three District Court Judges and Five County Court Judges serve Hayes, Arthur, Chase, Dawson, Dundy, Frontier, Furnas, Gosper, Hitchcock, Hooker, Keith, Lincoln, Logan, McPherson, Perkins, Red Willow and Thomas counties (judicial.)  The county is in the southwest part of Nebraska.  Grand Island, Nebraska is east and Scottsbluff, Nebraska is northwest of the county.  The county center is 2.7 miles West of Hayes Center.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Lincoln, Frontier, Hitchcock, Dundy, Chase, and Perkins counties. 

The area of the county is 713 square miles.  It is 37 out of 93 in the state.  It ranks 82 out of 93 in population in the state.  It has a density of 1.2 persons per square mile making it 81 out of 93 in the state.  Hayes County has 31.4% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 6 clips the southwest corner from Hitchcock County, south, to Chase County, west.  The county is a rectangle.  Hayes Center is slightly south and east of center in the county.  Hayes Center is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 26.4% of the county population.