Gage

Formed January 1, 1855 (12^th county)

Gage County (21,706), Beatrice (12,254)

The outstanding stone courthouse was built in 1892.  On the square surrounded by Grant, 6^th, Lincoln, and 7^th streets, the courthouse stands out in the city.  United States Highway 77 is Sixth Street in the town.  Gunn and Curtis were the designers of the Richardsonian Romanesque.  The building was restored in 1960 following a fire and renovated in 2011.  The tower features a working clock.  Veteran memorials and a canon are on the grounds.  Gage County was created on January 1, 1855 from Native American Territory as the 12^th county with Beatrice as the only county seat.  The county is named for Minister William D. Gage.  The county seat is named for Julia Beatrice Kinney, daughter of Judge J. F. Kinney. 

The area of the county is 855 square miles.  It is 25 out of 93 in the state.  It ranks 15 out of 93 in population in the state.  It has a density of 25.4 persons per square mile making it 18 out of 93 in the state.  Gage County has 73.9% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 77 passes through the county from north to south from Lancaster County to Kansas.  United States Highway 136 goes east to west from Johnson County to Jefferson County.  The county is a tall rectangle.  Beatrice is west of center in the county.  Beatrice is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 56.5% of the county population.  The county seat is pronounced BEE-A-TRIS. 

Gage County government consists of a sheriff, an attorney, a treasurer and a clerk (executive).  It has 7 Commissioners (legislative.)  Three District Court Judges serve Gage, Clay, Fillmore, Jefferson, Johnson, Nemaha, Nuckolls, Pawnee, Richardson, Saline and Thayer counties and Three County Court Judges serve Gage, Jefferson, Johnson, Nemaha, Pawnee, Richardson, Saline, and Thayer counties (judicial.)  The county is on the southeast border with Kansas.  Lincoln, Nebraska is directly north of the county.  The county center is 3.9 miles East-Southeast of Beatrice.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Lancaster, Otoe, Johnson, and Pawnee counties and Kansas and Jefferson and Saline counties.  This county is in the Beatrice Micropolitan Statistical Area.