Scotts Bluff

Formed January 1, 1888 (85^th county)

Scotts Bluff County (36,084), Gering (8,621), Scottsbluff (14,445)

The tan brick Classical Revival courthouse, built in 1920, has some unique features on the front.  It is located on 10^th Street at Q Street.  Nebraska State Highway 71 Business is 10^th Street.  William N. Bowman provided the building designs.  The courthouse features columns.  There was an 1891 courthouse earlier in Gering, the only county seat.  An Administration Building was added in 1978.  The county was founded on January 1, 1888 from Cheyenne County as the 85^th county.  Scotts Bluff County is named for a local bluff on the Oregon Trail.  The county seat is named for local businessman Martin Gering. 

Scotts Bluff County government consists of a sheriff, an attorney, a treasurer and a clerk (executive).  It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.)  Four District Court Judges and Five County Court Judges serve Scotts Bluff, Banner, Box Butte, Cheyenne, Dawes, Deuel, Garden, Grant, Kimball, Morrill, Sheridan, and Sioux counties (judicial.)  The county is in the western panhandle on the border with Wyoming.  The North Platte River flows through the county.  Cheyenne, Wyoming is southwest and Rapid City, South Dakota is north of the county.  The county is 3.8 miles North-Northwest of Gering in Scottsbluff.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Sioux, Box Butte, Morrill, and Banner counties and Wyoming. 

The area of the county is 739 square miles.  It is 32 out of 93 in the state.  It ranks 7 out of 93 in population in the state.  It has a density of 48.8 persons per square mile making it 12 out of 93 in the state.  Scotts Bluff County has 77.3% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 26 passes southeast to northwest through the county from Morrill County to Wyoming.  The county is an overall rectangle.  Gering is located slightly south and east of the center of the county.  Scottsbluff is slightly east of center in the county.  Gering is the county seat and Scottsbluff is the largest city.  Gering is 23.9% of the county population while Scottsbluff is 40.0% of the county population.  This county is in the Scottsbluff Micropolitan Statistical Area.

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