About Our County

General Overview

Valley County is located in central Nebraska and covers 570 square miles, with 568 square miles of land and 2.4 square miles of water.
The county seat is Ord, which is also the largest city in the county.
As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,059.
The county is represented by the prefix 47 in Nebraska’s license plate system.
Major highways include Nebraska Highways 11, 22, 58, and 70.
Adjacent counties: Wheeler (NE), Greeley (E), Sherman (S), Custer (W), and Garfield (N).

Valley County was formed in 1871 and organized in 1873.
Named for its valley terrain, situated between the North and Middle Loup Rivers.
The first homestead was selected in 1871, with early settlers including Danish immigrants and Seventh Day Baptists.
The county endured the Great Blizzard of April 1873 and the Blizzard of 1888, both significant weather events in its early years.
In June 2010, the Bredthauer Dam broke, causing major flooding in rural areas and the village of North Loup.

Established in 1874, Fort Hartsuff served as a military post during the Plains Indian Wars.
It was active until 1881 and is now a Nebraska State Historical Park open to visitors.

Evelyn Sharp, a pioneering female aviator from Ord, was the youngest person in the U.S. to earn a transport pilot license.
She flew during WWII and was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2010.

The county features rolling hills and flat river valleys, ideal for farming.
Agriculture is a major industry, with widespread use of center pivot irrigation systems.

The Valley County Historical Society and Museum in Ord preserves artifacts and stories from the county’s founding to the present day.