DOUGLAS COUNTY WEATHER

Towns and Cities in Douglas County Nebraska

Douglas County, Nebraska

County seat: Omaha · Created: November 23, 1854, one of the original counties of Nebraska Territory · Named for: Stephen A. Douglas, U.S. senator from Illinois · License plates: prefix 1 from 1922 until county numbers were dropped here in 2002 · Population: 584,526 (2020 census), the largest in Nebraska · Area: 327 sq mi of land

About Douglas County

Douglas County lies on the Missouri River across from Council Bluffs, Iowa, with the Platte River on its western edge and the Elkhorn River flowing south through its western half. Omaha, founded in 1854, territorial capital until 1867 and the eastern terminus of the Union Pacific, fills most of the eastern half; Ralston and Boys Town are separate towns surrounded by the city, and Bennington, Valley and Waterloo are in the west. Omaha has absorbed the old towns of Florence, Benson, Dundee, South Omaha, Millard and Elkhorn.

The county courthouse, 1701 Farnam St., was built in 1912 and is on the National Register; it was the scene of the 1919 riot. Earlier places include the Latter-day Saint Winter Quarters of 1846–48 at Florence, the territorial town of Elk City, and the railroad villages of Irvington, Briggs and DeBolt. The Douglas County Fair, held at Waterloo for much of the 20th century, now fills the Liberty First Credit Union Arena in Ralston each July.

Towns of Douglas County

Cities and villages

Omaha

City · County seat · Pop. 486,051 · ZIP 68102
I-80 · I-480 · I-680 · US 6 · US 75 · US 275 · NE 92

Nebraska's largest city and the county seat, 486,051 people on the Missouri River. The Henry Doorly Zoo, the Old Market and The RiverFront, the College World Series, and the home of Berkshire Hathaway and Union Pacific.

Ralston

City · Pop. 6,494 · ZIP 68127
84th St. · US 275 / NE 92

City of 6,494 almost surrounded by Omaha, with La Vista to the south. The Liberty First Credit Union Arena, home of the Douglas County Fair, the HINGE Creative District on Main Street, and a Fourth of July parade.

Valley

City · Pop. 3,037 · ZIP 68064
US 275 · NE 64 · NE 36

City of 3,037 on the Union Pacific main line in the Platte valley, laid out in 1864. Douglas County West schools, a historical museum with a UP caboose, and the Elkhorn Crossing campground nearby.

Bennington

City · Pop. 2,026 · ZIP 68007
NE 36

Fast-growing city of 2,026 on NE 36 in northern Douglas County, founded as "Bunz Town" on the railroad in the 1880s. Bennington Public Schools, Bennington Daze in June and UNO's Glacier Creek prairie.

Waterloo

Village · Pop. 935 · ZIP 68069
US 275 · NE 64

Village of 935 on the Elkhorn River, platted with the Union Pacific in 1871. Two Rivers State Recreation Area with its caboose cabins, Junkstock at Sycamore Farms, and Waterloo Days in August.

Boys Town

Village · Pop. 410 · ZIP 68010
US 6

Village of 410 surrounded by west Omaha, the home campus of Father Flanagan's Boys Town. A National Historic Landmark open to visitors: the Hall of History, Dowd Chapel and the world's largest ball of stamps.

Elkhorn

Former city, now part of Omaha · ZIP 68022
US 6 · NE 31 · NE 64

Former city on the Elkhorn River, part of Omaha since 2005–07. Its own school district, an old Main Street, the 1920 brick Lincoln Highway, and Village Pointe on West Dodge Road.

Former towns and post office communities

Florence

Former town, now part of Omaha · incorporated 1857; annexed by Omaha 1917
US 75 (N. 30th St.) · I-680

North Omaha neighborhood on the site of the Latter-day Saint Winter Quarters of 1846–48, a town from 1854 until Omaha annexed it in 1917. The Mormon Trail Center, the pioneer cemetery, the Florence Mill and the 1856 Bank of Florence.

Elk City

Former village · post office 1857–1966 (Elkhorn City until 1884)
County roads north of NE 36, between Bennington and Valley

The original Elkhorn City, chartered by the territorial legislature in 1856 and renamed Elk City in 1884. A hotel, stores and two churches in 1890; its cemetery remains.

Irvington

Former village · post office 1877–1965
NE 133 (N. 90th St. / Blair High Rd.); I-680 Exit 6

Former village on Papillion Creek, first called Papio, never incorporated and now mostly within northwest Omaha. A depot from 1887, two flour mills in 1890 and a volunteer fire department since 1952.

Briggs

Former village · post office 1892–1913
McKinley St. (NE 36) and Calhoun Rd.

Vanished flag stop and post office north of Florence on the "Omaha Road," named for Iowa's first governor. Its post office of 1892–1913 was called perhaps the smallest in Nebraska.

DeBolt

Former village, now part of Omaha · post office 1892–1899
Sorensen Pkwy.; NE 133 about 2 mi west

Railroad village of about 1888 named for George M. DeBolt, now inside north Omaha near N. 60th and Girard streets. Only its street grid and a Danish cemetery nearby remain.

King Lake

Unincorporated community · Pop. 114 · lake community; census-designated place
King Lake Rd., near US 275 / NE 64 between Valley and Waterloo

Lake-home community and census-designated place of 114 between Valley and Waterloo. A present-day neighborhood, not a former town.

Venice

Unincorporated community · Pop. 75 · lake community; census-designated place
County roads near the Platte River, east of Yutan

Lake-home community and census-designated place of 75 by the Platte River, across from Yutan and just north of Two Rivers State Recreation Area.

Travel Corridors

I-80 — across south-central Omaha from Council Bluffs toward Lincoln, with I-480 looping downtown and I-680 circling the west and north sides. I-80 Corridor →

US 6 — Dodge St. and the West Dodge Expressway, past Boys Town to Elkhorn. US 6 Corridor →

US 75 — north–south through Omaha: the Kennedy Freeway to Bellevue, and the North Freeway and 30th St. through Florence toward Blair. US 75 Corridor →

US 275 and NE 92 — together across Omaha on L St., Industrial Rd. and West Center Rd.; US 275 continues northwest with NE 64 past Waterloo and Valley to Fremont. US 275 Corridor → · NE 92 Corridor →

NE 31, NE 36, NE 64 and NE 133 — NE 31 follows 204th St. at Elkhorn; NE 36 runs from US 275 near Valley past Bennington to Florence; NE 64 is Maple St. and West Maple Rd.; NE 133 runs north on 90th St. past Irvington toward Blair.

Cameras: View Douglas County cameras → · Road conditions: Nebraska 511

Things to See

In Omaha: Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, the Old Market, The RiverFront and the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge, The Durham Museum, Joslyn Art Museum and Lauritzen Gardens. At Florence, the Mormon Trail Center and Florence Mill. At Boys Town, the Visitors Center and Hall of History. At Elkhorn, the 1920 brick Lincoln Highway.

Outdoors

Two Rivers State Recreation Area near Waterloo has a trout lake, a swimming beach, about 230 campsites and Union Pacific caboose cabins (state park permit). Elkhorn Crossing near Valley has river access and camping. In Omaha, Glenn Cunningham Lake, Standing Bear Lake and Zorinsky Lake Park have trails and fishing, and Neale Woods and Hummel Park cover the wooded Missouri River bluffs north of Florence. UNO's Glacier Creek Preserve near Bennington is restored tallgrass prairie.

Douglas County Business Directory

Businesses within 20 miles of: Downtown Omaha · Elkhorn · Ralston · Bennington · Valley · All listings →

Adjacent Counties

Washington County (north) · Dodge County (northwest) · Saunders County (west, across the Platte) · Sarpy County (south) · Pottawattamie County, Iowa (east, across the Missouri)

Events

2026 dates: Junkstock at Waterloo (May 1–3 and 8–10, October 2–4); the Berkshire Hathaway meeting (May 2); Florence Days (May 16–17); Bennington Daze (June 4–7); the Men's College World Series (June 12–22) and the Omaha Art Fair (June 12–14); Ralston's Independence Day Celebration (July 3–4); the Douglas County Fair (July 17–19); the Maha Festival (August 8); and Waterloo Days (August 21–23). Douglas County events →

Events in Douglas County

  • Bennington Daze (Bennington)
    Annual community festival held each June featuring a parade, street dance, fireworks, barbecue contest and pancake breakfast.
  • Douglas County Fair (Ralston)
    Douglas County Fair, a county fair in Omaha, Nebraska.
  • Florence Days (Florence)
    Florence Historical Foundation festival in Omaha's Florence neighborhood each May (May 16–17 in 2026).
  • Junkstock (Waterloo)
    Junkstock is held in Waterloo, Nebraska, on two weekends each spring (late April to mid-May) and again in the fall.
  • Omaha St. Patrick’s Day Parade (Omaha)
    Omaha St. Patrick's Day Parade is held in Omaha, Nebraska, on the Saturday before St. Patrick's Day.
  • Ralston’s Independence Day Celebration (Ralston)
    Ralston's Independence Day Celebration is held in Ralston, Nebraska, on July 3 and 4.
  • Waterloo Days (Waterloo)
    Waterloo's free summer festival in late August, with a parade, fireworks and a veterans' walk (August 21–23 in 2026).

Know of another event in the county? Tell us about it.

Douglas County at a Glance

Douglas County, Nebraska — the state's most populous county, on the Missouri River across from Council Bluffs, Iowa. County seat Omaha.

Getting there: I-80 from Lincoln and Council Bluffs, US 75 from Blair and Bellevue, US 275 from Fremont, US 6 from the west. Eppley Airfield, 4501 Abbott Dr., is the region's airport.

For visitors: the Henry Doorly Zoo, the Old Market and The RiverFront, the College World Series in June, Boys Town, Winter Quarters at Florence, and Two Rivers State Recreation Area near Waterloo. Major hospitals are in Omaha.

Vehicles registered in Douglas County carry license plate number 1. See what every Nebraska county number means.

Douglas County Businesses & Places

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