Buffalo

Formed January 1, 1855 (6^th county)

Buffalo County (50,089), Kearney (33,784)

The 1974 version of the courthouse sits on Central Avenue at 15^th Street.  United States Highway 30 passes 10 blocks north of the courthouse.  This Modern facility is built of red brick.  The architect is Mid Plains Engineering & Architecture.  The building was enlarged in 1987 with a Judicial section and a County Government Complex in 2007.  There was an 1872 courthouse in Gibbon and a classic 1890 courthouse in Kearney.  Buffalo County was created on January 1, 1855 from Native American Territory as the 6^th county.  It is named for local buffalo herds.  The county seat was named for Fort Kearny.  It is the same source name for Kearney County. 

Buffalo County government consists of a sheriff and 7 Commissioners.  One District Court Judge and Four County Court Judges serve Buffalo and Hall counties.  The county is in south central Nebraska.  The Platte River forms its southern border.  Grand Island, Nebraska is directly east of the county.  The county center is 10.5 miles North of Kearney near Glenwood Park.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Sherman, Howard, Hall, Adams, Kearney, Phelps, Dawson, and Custer counties. 

The area of the county is 968 square miles.  It is 18 out of 93 in the state.  It ranks 5 out of 93 in population in the state.  It has a density of 51.7 persons per square mile making it 10 out of 93 in the state.  Buffalo County has 80.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 80 crosses the county east to west from Hall County to Dawson County.  United States Highway 30 parallels Interstate Highway 80 from Hall to Dawson counties.  United States Highway 183 travels north to south from Custer County to Phelps County.  The county is an overall rectangle.  Kearney is near the southern border of the county.  Kearney is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 67.5% of the county population.  The county seat is pronounced KAR-NEE.  This county is in the Kearney Micropolitan Statistical Area.