Elkhorn Nebraska - Nebraska Directory

Elkhorn Area Cameras

Former city, now part of Omaha · Douglas County · ZIP 68022 · Founded 1865

About Elkhorn

Elkhorn is a former city on the Elkhorn River in western Douglas County, annexed by Omaha in 2005 after a court fight that ended in 2007. It keeps its own school district, Elkhorn Public Schools, and an old downtown along N. Main St., with Village Pointe shopping on West Dodge Rd. and the brick Lincoln Highway to the east. Its last census as a city, in 2000, counted 6,062 people.

History

Elkhorn was founded in 1865 and platted in 1867 when the Union Pacific arrived, and takes its name from the river. Its post office was called Chicago and then Douglas before taking the name Elkhorn in 1884; the older territorial town of Elkhorn City to the north became Elk City at the same time. Elkhorn incorporated in 1872 and again on December 30, 1886.

From 1993 to 2001 Elkhorn annexed land, trying to grow past 10,000 people and stay out of Omaha's reach. Omaha's annexation ordinance took effect on March 24, 2005; after the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled in January 2007 and the U.S. Supreme Court declined the case, Elkhorn ended as a city on March 1, 2007. On April 26, 2024, an EF4 tornado damaged or destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses in the area. The Elkhorn Town Hall, 20515 Corby St., was listed on the National Register in 2022, and the Elkhorn Commercial Historic District in 2024.

Highways and trails through Elkhorn

Route	One way	Other way
US 6West Dodge Rd.	East past Boys Town to Omaha	West, then south toward Gretna
NE 31204th St.	North toward Bennington and NE 36	South to US 275 and NE 92
NE 64W. Maple Rd.	East into Omaha	West across the Elkhorn to Waterloo

Nearby towns

Waterloo	about 2.6 mi west-northwest	NE 64
King Lake	about 4 mi northwest	County roads
Boys Town	about 6 mi east-southeast	US 6
Valley	about 7 mi west-northwest	US 275
Elk City	about 6 mi north-northwest	County roads
Bennington	about 7 mi north-northeast	NE 31
Gretna	about 10 mi south	NE 31
Omaha	about 16 mi east	US 6

Things to see

Lincoln Highway Brick Road, paved in 1920, about 3 miles between 174th and 192nd streets (National Register), with a History Nebraska marker east of 192nd St. · Elkhorn Historical Society Museum, 20601 Glenn St. (by appointment) · the Elkhorn Town Hall and the Main Street historic district · The Club at Indian Creek (27 holes, public), host of the Korn Ferry Tour's Pinnacle Bank Championship · Elkhorn Shores campground on the river · Village Pointe on West Dodge Rd.

Schools and health care

Schools: Elkhorn Public Schools, 20650 Glenn St.: 14 elementary, 5 middle and 3 high schools, including Elkhorn High (1980), Elkhorn South (2010) and Elkhorn North (2020); Mount Michael Benedictine School, 22520 Mount Michael Rd. (boys, grades 9–12); Metropolitan Community College Elkhorn Valley Campus, 829 N. 204th St.; Bess Johnson Elkhorn Branch Library, 2100 Reading Plaza

Health care: Methodist Women's Hospital, 707 N. 190th Plaza; CHI Health Lakeside, 16901 Lakeside Hills Ct.; Nebraska Medicine – Elkhorn Health Center (clinic)

Sources: U.S. Census; Wikipedia; Andreas, History of the State of Nebraska (1882); Douglas County Historical Society; NEGenWeb Douglas County; National Register of Historic Places; Nebraska Game and Parks; Papio-Missouri River NRD; city, school and hospital websites; Nebraska Department of Transportation. Distances marked "about" are straight-line estimates.