Lancaster

Formed January 1, 1859 (32^nd county)

Lancaster County (322,615), Lincoln (291,105)

A Modern courthouse is located on 10^th and J streets.  United States Highway 34 is four blocks north of the site.  Since Lancaster County’s January 1, 1859 organizing as the 32^nd county, the courthouses have included a classic 1888 structure, all in Lincoln.  The county was taken from parts of Cass and Pierce counties.  This latest steel and concrete building was built in 1967 using the designs of Hemphill Vierk & Dawson and Clark, Enersen, Olson, Burroughs, and Thomsen.  A Justice Center was added in 2000.  The facility is a City-County building.  The county is named for Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  The county seat is named for United States President Abraham Lincoln.  He is also the source name for Lincoln County.  Lancaster County was the birthplace for 2 Nebraska Governors, Victor E. Anderson and J. Robert Kerrey. 

Lancaster County government consists of a sheriff and 5 Commissioners.  Eight District Court Judges, Six County Court Judges, and Four Juvenile Court Judges serve Lancaster County.  The county is in southeast Nebraska.  Omaha, Nebraska is northeast and Grand Island, Nebraska is west of the county.  The county center is in Lincoln 3.3 miles Northeast of the city center.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Saunders, Cass, Otoe, Johnson, Gage, Saline, Seward, and Butler counties. 

The area of the county is 839 square miles.  It is 26 out of 93 in the state.  It ranks 2 out of 93 in population in the state.  It has a density of 384.5 persons per square mile making it 3 out of 93 in the state.  Lancaster County has 93.5% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 80 goes east to west through the county from Cass County to Seward County.  United States Highway 6 parallels Interstate Highway 80 from Cass to Seward counties.  United States Highway 34 travels east to west from Cass County to Seward County.  United States Highway 77 passes north to south from Saunders County to Gage County.  The Nebraska state capitol is located in the county.  The county is a tall rectangle.  Lincoln dominates the center of the county.  Lincoln is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 90.2% of the county population.  This county is in the Lincoln Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Waverly