e-ReferenceDesk's College and 50 State Learning Resource Guide

Find Online Colleges

Find Campus Colleges

Iowa State...

Iowa

Choose a County

Adair, Adams, Allamakee, Appanoose, Audubon, Benton, Black Hawk, Boone, Bremer, Buchanan, Buena Vista, Butler, Calhoun, Carroll, Cass, Cedar, Cerro Gordo, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Clarke, Clay, Clayton, Clinton, Crawford, Dallas, Davis, Decatur, Delaware, Des Moines, Dickinson, Dubuque, Emmet, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Fremont, Greene, Grundy, Guthrie, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin, Harrison, Henry, Howard, Humboldt, Ida, Iowa, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Jones, Keokuk, Kossuth, Lee, Linn, Louisa, Lucas, Lyon, Madison, Mahaska, Marion, Marshall, Mills, Mitchell, Monona, Monroe, Montgomery, Muscatine, O'Brien, Osceola, Page, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Pocahontas, Polk, Pottawattamie, Poweshiek, Ringgold, Sac, Scott, Shelby, Sioux, Story, Tama, Taylor, Union, Van Buren, Wapello, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Webster, Winnebago, Winneshiek, Woodbury, Worth, Wright

Iowa Counties

Click Image to Enlarge

Iowa Counties

There are 99 Counties in Iowa. The first two counties, Des Moines County and Dubuque County, were created in 1834 when Iowa was still part of the Michigan Territory. In preparation for Michigan's statehood, part of Michigan Territory was formed into Wisconsin Territory in 1836]. Two years later, the western portion was split off to become Iowa Territory. The south-eastern part of Iowa Territory became Iowa, the 29th state in the union, on 28 December 1846, by which point 44 Counties had been created. Counties continued to be created by the state government until 1857, when the last county, Humboldt County, was created.

Pottawattamie County, Iowa

Pottawattamie County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Council Bluffs
Year Organized: 1848
Square Miles: 954

Court House:

227 South Sixth Street
County Courthouse
Council Bluffs, IA 51501-4269

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Pottawattamie is named for the Potawatomi (Pottawattamie) Native American people.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

Modern-day Pottawattamie County evolved out of the Pottawattamie Purchase of 1847. It was named for the Indian tribe that once possessed the Iowa Territory. The name is an Indian term meaning "Blowers of Fire," "Keepers of the Council Fires," or "Makers of Fire." The county was established in 1837 and originated in 1847.

The county is the second largest in area in Iowa and has two courthouses -- one in Council Bluffs and another in Avoca. However, Pottawattamie has only one county seat: Council Bluffs.

County commissioners selected Kanesville and Pleasant Grove as potential sites for the county seat and on April 7, 1851 all but seven votes were cast for Kanesville, previously known as Hart's Bluff and Miller's Hollow. It was changed to Council Bluffs in 1853.

The first real courthouse was completed in Council Bluffs in 1868. The two-story brick and stone building cost $50,000 to complete. Prior to this the county offices were housed in Hyde's New Hall.

Early in 1884, only 16 years later, there was the need for a new courthouse. The old one was unsafe and county offices lacked sufficient space. A bond issue was voted on and passed to construct a $150,000 courthouse and $30,000 jail. The winning bid came from Eckel and Mann for $136,800 and the old courthouse was sold for $3,000. County offices were then held in the Masonic Temple until the second courthouse was completed.

In December 1972 it was discovered that the 87-year-old building was sinking into the ground, at rate of about 2 inches a month. On August 22, 1973, voters approved a $2.5 million bond issue for a new county courthouse and jail. Additional funds for the $4.5 million project were obtained from the federal government.

The original town plat of Avoca was made in 1869, the same time when the railroad reached the area. The second courthouse appeared in Avoca around January 1885. This courthouse houses the offices of the county clerk, sheriff and magistrate court.

Neighboring Counties:

Northeast: Shelby County
East: Cass County
Southeast: Montgomery County
South: Mills County
Southwest: Sarpy County, Neb.
West: Douglas County, Neb.
Northwest: Washington County, Neb.; Harrison County

Cities and Towns:

- Avoca	city	Incorporated Area
- Carson	city	Incorporated Area
- Carter Lake	city	Incorporated Area
- Council Bluffs (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Crescent	city	Incorporated Area
- Hancock	city	Incorporated Area
- Harlan	city	Incorporated Area
- Macedonia	city	Incorporated Area
- McClelland	city	Incorporated Area
- Minden	city	Incorporated Area
- Neola	city	Incorporated Area
- Oakland	city	Incorporated Area
- Shelby	city	Incorporated Area
- Treynor	city	Incorporated Area
- Underwood	city	Incorporated Area
- Walnut	city	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resources

The history of our nation was a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names given the counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of this country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."