Dawson

Formed January 1, 1860 (34^th county)

Dawson County (24,111), Lexington (10,668)

The 1914 masonry and brown brick structure is located at the corner of Washington and 7^th streets.  The courthouse is three blocks north of United States Highway 30.  William F. Gernandt is the designer of this Beaux Arts facility.  The building was enlarged in 1956 and a County Administration building was added in 1980.  The courthouse features faux columns and veteran memorials are on the grounds.  There was an 1873 courthouse earlier in Lexington, the only county seat.  The county was created on January 1, 1860 from Native American Territory as the 34^th county.  It is named for settler Jacob Dawson.  Lexington is named for the Revolutionary War battle site. 

Dawson County government consists of a sheriff and 5 Commissioners.  Three District Court Judges and Five County Court Judges serve Dawson, Arthur, Chase, Dundy, Frontier, Furnas, Gosper, Hayes, Hitchcock, Hooker, Keith, Lincoln, Logan, McPherson, Perkins, Red Willow and Thomas counties.  The county is in south central Nebraska.  Grand Island, Nebraska is east and Scottsbluff, Nebraska is northwest of the county.  The county center is 13.6 miles North-Northwest of Lexington.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Custer, Buffalo, Phelps, Gosper, Frontier, and Lincoln counties. 

The area of the county is 1013 square miles.  It is 15 out of 93 in the state.  It ranks 13 out of 93 in population in the state.  It has a density of 23.8 persons per square mile making it 21 out of 93 in the state.  Dawson County has 79.9% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 80 travels east to west through the county from Buffalo County to Lincoln County.  United States Highway 30 parallels Interstate Highway 80 from Buffalo to Lincoln counties.  United States Highway 283 originates and goes south into Gosper County.  The county is an overall rectangle.  Lexington is located in the southeast quarter of the county near the southern border.  Lexington is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 44.3% of the county population.  This county is in the Lexington Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Sumner