Skip to content
About Our County
Historical Highlights
- Founded: Authorized in 1873, officially organized in 1881
- Named After: John J. Gosper, Nebraska Secretary of State
- County Seat History:
- Daviesville: First county seat, but no courthouse was built due to lack of funding
- Homerville: Became the seat in 1882, expecting a railroad that never came
- Elwood: Became the seat in 1888 after a contested election; remains the seat today
- Courthouse: Built in the 1930s with a $42,000 bond and a Public Works Administration grant
- License Plate Prefix: 73, based on 1922 vehicle registration rankings
- Micropolitan Area: Part of the Lexington, NE Micropolitan Statistical Area
Geography & Fun Facts
- Size: Approximately 463 square miles, with 458 square miles of land and 4.6 square miles of water
- Location: Situated between the Platte and Republican Rivers on high table-land
- Natural Features:
- Platte River flows through the northern part of the county
- Includes Johnson Lake and Phillips Lake State Recreation Areas
- Home to Gosper National Wildlife Management Area
- Major Highways: U.S. Highway 283, Nebraska Highway 18, Nebraska Highway 23
- Population: 1,893 (2020 Census), with a density of about 4.13 people per square mile
- Adjacent Counties: Phelps (east), Furnas (south), Frontier (west), Dawson (north)