Saunders County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 22,278. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

Wahoo The wahoo (''Acanthocybium solandri'') is a scombrid fish found worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas. In Hawaii, the wahoo is known as ono. The species is sometimes called hoo in the United States. It is best known to sports fishermen, a ...

. Saunders County is included in the Omaha–Council Bluffs metropolitan area. In the Nebraska license plate system, Saunders County is represented by the prefix 6 (the county had the sixth-largest number of vehicles registered in the state when the license plate system was established in 1922).

History

Saunders County was established by an 1856 act of the

Nebraska Territorial Legislature The Nebraska Territorial Legislature was held from January 16, 1855, until February 18, 1867, in Omaha City, Nebraska Territory. Major issues Slavery In 1854 the Kansas–Nebraska Act created the Nebraska Territory, overturning the Miss ...

, and was organized in 1866; its boundaries were redefined in 1858. It was originally named Calhoun County after John Calhoun, surveyor general of Kansas and Nebraska. Other sources contend that it was named for John C. Calhoun of South Carolina. In 1862, during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, it was renamed after Nebraska territorial governor Alvin Saunders.

Geography

Saunders County is bordered on the north and east by the Platte River. Several local drainages move runoff water from the county eastward into the Platte. The county terrain is composed of low rolling hills, which slope eastward and northeastward to the river valley. The county has an area of , of which is land and (1.3%) is water.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 6 * US 77

U.S. Highway 77 * N-64

Nebraska Highway 64 * N-66

Nebraska Highway 66 * N-79

Nebraska Highway 79 * N-92

Nebraska Highway 92 * N-109

Nebraska Highway 109

Adjacent counties

* Douglas County – east * Sarpy County – east * Cass County – southeast * Lancaster County – south * Butler County – west * Dodge County – north

Protected areas

* Bramble State Wildlife Management Area * Czechland Lake Recreation and Wildlife Management Area * Jack Sinn Memorial State Wildlife Management Area * Memphis Lake State Recreation Area * Pioneer State Recreation Area''Pioneer State Recreation Area, Wahoo NE'' Google Maps (accessed 26 January 2019)
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Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 22,278 people and 8,789 households. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 10,424 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.7%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.7%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.5% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.00%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, and 1.6% from two or more races. 2.6% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 20,778 people and 8,040 households. The

was . There were 9,221 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.2%

, 0.3%

, 0.3% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.00%

, 0.7% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. 2.0% of the population were

or Latino of any race

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 19,830 people, 7,498 households, and 5,443 families in the county. The

was . There were 8,266 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.49%

, 0.11%

, 0.29% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.01%

, 0.35% from other races, and 0.55% from two or more races. 1.03% of the population were

or Latino of any race. There were 7,498 households, out of which 34.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.60% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 6.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.40% were non-families. 23.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.11. The county population contained 27.90% under the age of 18, 6.30% from 18 to 24, 27.60% from 25 to 44, 22.90% from 45 to 64, and 15.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 99.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.10 males. The median income for a household in the county was $42,173, and the median income for a family was $49,443. Males had a median income of $33,309 versus $22,922 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $18,392. About 5.30% of families and 6.60% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 7.30% of those under age 18 and 7.00% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

* Ashland *

(county seat) * Yutan

Villages

* Cedar Bluffs * Ceresco * Colon * Ithaca * Leshara * Malmo *

Mead Mead (), also called honey wine, and hydromel (particularly when low in alcohol content), is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey mixed with water, and sometimes with added ingredients such as fruits, spices, grains, or hops. The alco ...

* Memphis * Morse Bluff *

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

* Valparaiso *

Weston Weston may refer to: Places Australia * Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Weston, New South Wales * Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra * Weston Park, Canberra, a park Canada * Weston, Nova Scotia * W ...

Census-designated place

* Wann

Townships

* Ashland *

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

* Center * Chapman *

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

* Clear Creek * Douglas * Elk *

Green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a com ...

* Leshara *

Marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

* Marietta * Mariposa * Morse Bluff * Newman * North Cedar * Oak Creek * Pohocco * Richland * Rock Creek * South Cedar *

Stocking Stockings (also known as hose, especially in a historical context) are close-fitting, variously elastic garments covering the leg from the foot up to the knee or possibly part or all of the thigh. Stockings vary in color, design, and transpar ...

* Union *

Politics

Saunders County voters tend to vote Republican. In only two national elections since 1936 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2024)

References

External links

Saunders County (by Nebraska Rural Web)

Saunders County Government (website)
* Mead and Hunt. (2003)
Nebraska Historic Buildings Survey: Saunders County.
' Nebraska State Historical Society. Retrieved 8/30/07. {{Coord, 41.23, -96.63, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-NE_source:UScensus1990 1866 establishments in Nebraska Territory Populated places established in 1866 Nebraska counties