Harlan County, Nebraska facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Harlan County
U.S. county
Harlan County Courthouse in Alma
Location within the U.S. state of Nebraska
Nebraska's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Nebraska
Founded	1871
Seat	Alma
Largest city	Alma
Area
• Total	574 sq mi (1,490 km2)
• Land	553 sq mi (1,430 km2)
• Water	21 sq mi (50 km2)  3.6%%
Population
• Estimate  (2021)	3,073
• Density	6.2/sq mi (2.4/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	3rd

Harlan County is a county in the state of Nebraska, USA. It is located in the southern part of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States Census, about 3,073 people live there. The main town and county seat is Alma. A big feature of the county is the Harlan County Reservoir, a large lake.

If you look at Nebraska license plates, cars from Harlan County have the number 51. This is because it was the 51st county in Nebraska to register the most vehicles. This system started in 1922.

History of Harlan County

Before 1870, the area that is now Harlan County was a very important hunting ground. Native American tribes used this land. They tried to keep new settlers away.

In 1869, the Battle of Summit Springs happened. After this battle, the threat from the Sioux tribe was mostly gone. This made it safer for people to explore the area. Many groups came to see if the land was good for farming.

In August 1870, about forty men from eastern Nebraska settled near where Orleans is today. In 1871, a group from the Wyoming Territory arrived. This group was led by Thomas Harlan. They settled near present-day Alma. The town of Alma was named after a settler's daughter.

In that same year, Harlan County was officially separated from Lincoln County. This was done by the Nebraska state government. People are not sure who the county was named after. It might have been Thomas Harlan, the settler. Or it might have been James Harlan, who was a U.S. government official from 1865 to 1866.

Geography of Harlan County

The Republican River flows through the lower part of Harlan County. It forms the Harlan County Reservoir at the southeast corner of the county. The land here has gently rolling hills. Most of the flat areas are used for farming with center pivot irrigation.

The county covers a total area of 574 square miles. About 553 square miles is land. The remaining 21 square miles (3.6%) is water.

Main Roads in Harlan County

Neighboring Counties

Protected Natural Areas

• South East Sacramento State Wildlife Management Area
• South Sacramento State Wildlife Management Area

Population Information

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 3,786 people living in Harlan County. The population density was about 7 people per square mile.

About 24.2% of the people were under 18 years old. About 23% were 65 years or older. The average age was 44 years.

Towns and Villages

City

• Alma (This is the county seat, meaning it's where the county government is located.)

Villages

Other Communities

These are smaller places that are not officially cities or villages.

• Mascot
• Oxford Junction

Townships

Townships are smaller areas within a county, often used for local administration.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Harlan (Nebraska) para niños