Greene

Formed January 15, 1851 (60^th county)

Greene County (8,766), Jefferson (4,184)

A masonry courthouse for Greene County was built in 1917.  On the square at Wilson, State, Chestnut, and Lincolnway streets, this replaced an 1870 domed facility.  Proudfoot, Bird, and Rawson are the architects of this Classical Revival courthouse.  The facility features a tower and a Lincoln Statue is on the grounds.  There was also an 1856 courthouse in Jefferson, the only county seat.  Iowa State Highway 4 is three blocks west of the site.  The county was created on January 15, 1851 from Dallas County as the 60^th county.  It is named for Revolutionary War General Nathanael Greene.  The county seat is named for President Thomas Jefferson.  He is also the namesake of Jefferson County. 

The county has an area of 568 square miles.  It is 56 of 99 in the state.  It ranks 83 out of 99 in population in the state.  It has a density of 15.4 persons per square mile making it 87 out of 99 in the state.  Greene County has 71.5% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 30 crosses east to west in the county from Boone County to Carroll County.  The county is a square.  Jefferson is slightly south of the county center. 

Greene County government consists of a sheriff and 5 Supervisors.  Thirty-one District Court Judges and Thirty-three Magistrates serve Greene, Boone, Bremer, Butler, Calhoun, Carroll, Cerro Gordo, Floyd, Franklin, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin, Humboldt, Marshall, Mitchell, Pocahontas, Sac, Story, Webster, Winnebago, Worth, and Wright counties.  Greene County is in western Iowa northwest of Des Moines, Iowa and southeast of Sioux City, Iowa.  The county center is in Jefferson 1.4 miles North of the city center.  Jefferson is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 47.7% of the county population.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Webster, Boone, Dallas, Guthrie, Carroll, and Calhoun counties.