Pottawattamie

Formed February 24, 1847 (47^th county)

Pottawattamie County (93,670), Council Bluffs (62,792)

The Modern tan brick and concrete courthouse was built in 1975.  It is on 6^th Street between Pearl Street and 5^th Avenue.  Iowa State Highway 192 is 6^th Street in the city.  This Modern courthouse was designed by Hollis and Miller.  There were two courthouses built in 1885, one in Council Bluffs and one in Avoca.  The county was formed on February 24, 1847 from Native American Territory as the 47^th county.  It is named for the Native American tribe.  The county seat name comes from its role as a meeting place for the various Native American tribes. 

The county has an area of 954 square miles.  It is 2 of 99 in the state.  It ranks 10 out of 99 in population in the state.  It has a density of 98.2 persons per square mile making it 11 out of 99 in the state.  Pottawattamie County has 81.2% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 29 travels the county north to south from Harrison County to Mills County.  Interstate Highway 80 goes east to west from Cass County to Nebraska.  United States Highway 6 parallels Interstate Highway 80 from Cass County to Nebraska.  United States Highway 59 crosses north to south in the eastern part of the county from Shelby County to Mills County.  United States Highway 275 enters from Nebraska, west, and joins Interstate Highway 29 south into Mills County.  The county is a rectangle with a wavy western river border.  Council Bluffs is in the southwest corner of the county.  Council Bluffs is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 67.0% of the county population. 

Pottawattamie County government consists of a sheriff, a recorder, an attorney, a treasurer, and an assessor (executive).  It has 5 Supervisors (legislative.)  Eleven District Court Judges and Sixteen Magistrates serve Pottawattamie, Audubon, Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery, Page, and Shelby counties (judicial.)  Pottawattamie County is on the border with Nebraska in the southwest part of the state.  The Missouri River forms its western border.  Omaha, Nebraska is directly west of the county.  The county center is 25.3 miles Northwest of Council Bluffs nearer Hancock.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Harrison, Shelby, Cass, Montgomery, and Mills counties, and Nebraska.  This county is in the Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Statistical Area.