Sarpy County, Nebraska facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sarpy County
U.S. county
Sarpy County Courthouse in Papillion
Location within the U.S. state of Nebraska
Nebraska's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Nebraska
Founded	February 1, 1857
Named for	Peter A. Sarpy
Seat	Papillion
Largest city	Bellevue
Area
• Total	248 sq mi (640 km2)
• Land	239 sq mi (620 km2)
• Water	8.5 sq mi (22 km2)  3.4%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	190,604
• Estimate  (2022)	196,553
• Density	768.6/sq mi (296.7/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts	1st, 2nd

Sarpy County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 census, the population was 190,604, making it the third-most populous county in Nebraska. Its county seat is Papillion.

Sarpy County is part of the Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

This was part of the territory of the Omaha people. Explored in 1805 by the Lewis and Clark expedition following the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 by the United States, this area was settled by European-American fur traders, adventurers, farmers, and finally entrepreneurs. All initially depended on the Missouri River as a main transportation corridor and source of water. Sarpy County has served as the springboard for Nebraska's settlement and expansion. The county is named for Colonel Peter Sarpy, an early fur trader at Fontenelle's Post in the Bellevue area in the 1840s. He also had Sarpy's post in what became Decatur; Sarpy died in Plattsmouth in 1865.

The area of present Sarpy County was a part of Douglas County until February 1, 1857, when the Territorial Legislature partitioned off that county's southern half and proclaimed it a separate organization.

The Omaha people were forced onto a reservation in the 19th century, losing most of their land to the United States who then opened it for settlement by non-Native Americans who were U.S. citizens or immigrants from certain (mostly European) countries.

Fort Crook, the U.S. Army post south of Bellevue, was established in the 1890s and added Offutt Field in the 1920s. Its Glenn L. Martin Bomber Plant produced over two thousand aircraft during World War II, including the notable B-29's Enola Gay and Bockscar. Offutt Air Force Base was the headquarters of the Strategic Air Command (SAC) during the Cold War and continues as the home of U.S. Strategic Command.

In the Nebraska license plate system, Sarpy County was represented by the prefix "59" (it had the 59th largest number of vehicles registered in the county when the license plate system was established in 1922). Many license plates issued in Sarpy County featured the stacked format of the 59 code. The county, just south of Omaha, had grown significantly in population in the decades following 1922 and therefore required five characters rather than the four allowed by a standard double-digit county code. In 2002, the state discontinued the 1922 system in Sarpy as well as Douglas and Lancaster counties.

Geography

Sarpy County is bounded on the east by the Missouri River; on the south and west by the Platte River. The county's terrain consists of low rolling hills, cut by several small gullies and drainages that move groundwater to one of these rivers. The county has a total area of 248 square miles (640 km²), of which 239 square miles (620 km²) is land and 8.5 square miles (22 km²) (3.4%) is water. Sarpy is the smallest of Nebraska's 93 counties.

Major highways

Transit

• Metro Transit

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 190,604 people. The population density was 768 people per square mile (297 people/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 78.4% White, 4.6% Black or Black or African American, 0.9% Native American, 2.8% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, and 3.4% from two or more races. 11.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 158,835 people and 69,851 households. The population density was 664 people per square mile (256 people/km²). There were 69,023 housing units at an average density of 289 units per square mile (112/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.0% White, 4.4% Black or Black or African American, 0.7% Native American, 2.60% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, and 3.20% from two or more races . 9.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Communities

Cities

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

Census divisions

Sarpy County is divided into the following divisions, called precincts, except for the City of Bellevue.

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Sarpy County.

† county seat

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Sarpy para niños