Harlan County, Nebraska
| Harlan County, Nebraska | |
|---|---|
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Harlan County Courthouse in Alma
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 Location in the U.S. state of Nebraska |
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 Nebraska's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1871 |
| Seat | Alma |
| Largest city | Alma |
| Area | |
| • Total | 574 sq mi (1,487 km2) |
| • Land | 553 sq mi (1,432 km2) |
| • Water | 21 sq mi (54 km2), 3.6% |
| Population | |
| • (2010) | 3,423 |
| • Density | 6.2/sq mi (2/km²) |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
Harlan County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2010 census, the population was 3,423. Its county seat is Alma. The county is home to the Harlan County Reservoir.
In the Nebraska license plate system, Harlan County is represented by the prefix 51 (it had the fifty-first-largest number of vehicles registered in the county when the license plate system was established in 1922).
Prior to 1870, the portion of the Republican valley that now includes Harlan County was a prized hunting ground for the Native Americans; and the threat of attack deterred white settlement in the area. The defeat of the Sioux at the Battle of Summit Springs in 1869 largely eliminated this threat, and several parties were organized to explore the agricultural possibilities of the area.
A party of forty men from eastern Nebraska settled near the site of present-day Orleans in August 1870. In 1871, a party from Cheyenne, Wyoming, led by Thomas Harlan, settled near Alma, which was named after a daughter of one of the settlers. In that year, Harlan County was separated from Lincoln County by the Nebraska state legislature. Accounts differ as to the county's namesake: either Thomas Harlan, or James Harlan, who was U.S. Secretary of the Interior between 1865 and 1866.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 574 square miles (1,490 km2), of which 553 square miles (1,430 km2) is land and 21 square miles (54 km2) (3.6%) is water.
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,786 people, 1,597 households, and 1,049 families residing in the county. The population density was 7 people per square mile (3/km²). There were 2,327 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile (2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.86% White, 0.13% Black or African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 0.63% from two or more races. 0.77% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
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