Shelby

Formed December 15, 1851 (76^th county)

Shelby County (11,748), Harlan (4,894)

The stone Romanesque courthouse in Harlan was built in 1892.  It is in a square at Court, 6^th, Market, and 7^th streets.  Iowa State Highway 44 is 12 blocks to the south of the location.  Charles E. Bell is the architect.  The dome was removed in 1899.  The grounds feature veteran memorials.  Shelby County was created on December 15, 1851 from Cass County as the 76^th county.  Shelbyville was the original county seat until 1859 when Harlan assumed that role.  The county is named for Revolutionary War General Isaac Shelby.  United States Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan is the namesake of the county seat. 

Shelby County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Supervisors.  Eleven District Court Judges and Sixteen Magistrates serve Shelby, Audubon, Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery, Page, and Pottawattamie counties.  The county is in western Iowa.  Council Bluffs, Iowa is southwest and Sioux City, Iowa is northwest of the county.  The county center is 5.3 miles North of Harlan nearer Kirkman.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Crawford, Carroll, Audubon, Cass, Pottawattamie, and Harrison counties.  

The county has an area of 591 square miles.  It is 23 of 99 in the state.  It ranks 65 out of 99 in population in the state.  It has a density of 19.9 persons per square mile making it 74 out of 99 in the state.  Shelby County has 66.9% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 59 crosses north to south in the county from Crawford County to Pottawattamie County.  The county is a rectangle with a shift in the southern part.  Harlan is located in the southern third of the county.  Harlan is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 41.7% of the county population.