Thurston County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 6,940. Its county seat is Pender.
In the Nebraska license plate system, Thurston County is represented by the prefix 55 (it had the 55th-largest number of vehicles registered in the county when the license plate system was established in 1922).
The Siouan-speaking Omaha and Ho-Chunk (Ho-Chunk) have reservations in Thurston County. The two reservations combined comprise the county’s entire land area.
| Name: | Thurston County |
|---|---|
| FIPS code: | 31-173 |
| State: | Nebraska |
| Founded: | 1889 |
| Named for: | John Mellen Thurston |
| Seat: | Pender |
| Total Area: | 396 sq mi (1,030 km²) |
| Land Area: | 394 sq mi (1,020 km²) |
| Total Population: | 6,620 |
| Population Density: | 18.3/sq mi (7.1/km²) |
| Time zone: | UTC−6 (Central) |
| Summer Time Zone (DST): | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Website: | thurstoncountynebraska.us |
Thurston County location map. Where is Thurston County?
History
Varying cultures of indigenous peoples lived along the rivers for hundreds of years before European encounter. The Omaha occupied this territory and much of Nebraska and western Iowa before the Europeans arrived. They had migrated west from the Ohio Valley under pressure from the Iroquois Confederacy in the early 17th century.
Thurston County was organized by European Americans in 1889 from land that had been divided between Dakota and Burt counties since the dissolution of Blackbird County in 1879. It was named for US Senator John M. Thurston.
Thurston County Road Map
Geography
Thurston County lies on the east side of Nebraska. Its east boundary line abuts the west boundary line of the state of Iowa, across the Missouri River. The west portion of the county is drained by the Logan Creek Drainage, which flows south-southeast. Thurston County has a total area of 396 square miles (1,030 km), of which 394 square miles (1,020 km) is land and 2.5 square miles (6.5 km) (0.6%) is water. The land area of the county is completely comprised from the Omaha and Winnebago Indian reservations.
Major highways
- U.S. Highway 75
- U.S. Highway 77
- Nebraska Highway 9
- Nebraska Highway 16
- Nebraska Highway 94
Adjacent counties
- Dakota County – north
- Woodbury County, Iowa – northeast
- Monona County, Iowa – east
- Burt County – southeast
- Cuming County – southwest
- Wayne County – west
- Dixon County – northwest
Thurston County Topographic Map
Thurston County Satellite Map
Thurston County Outline Map
