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Seward County, Nebraska

A corridor of patriotism, prairie towns, and civic pride.

Seward County anchors southeast Nebraska with historic communities, fertile farmland, and a legacy of education and celebration. From Seward’s courthouse square to the quiet charm of Milford and Bee, every town and trail reflects the state’s rural strength and Fourth of July spirit.

County Seat: Seward
Founded: 1855
Named For: William H. Seward, U.S. Secretary of State
License Plate Prefix: 16
Population: 17,609 (2020 census)
Area: 576 sq mi

History

Seward County was established in 1855 and named after William H. Seward, who negotiated the Alaska Purchase. The region was settled by pioneers and German immigrants, with Seward emerging as a center of civic life and patriotic celebration. The county’s history includes education, agriculture, and community resilience.

Geography

Location: Southeast Nebraska
Landscape: Rolling prairie, farmland, and river valleys
Major Highways: U.S. 34, Nebraska Highways 15, 103
Adjacent Counties:
Butler (N),
Saunders (NE),
Lancaster (E),
Gage (SE),
Saline (S),
York (W)

Culture & Landmarks

  • Seward County Courthouse (Seward) – Historic courthouse built in 1905.
  • Fourth of July City – Seward’s national reputation for Independence Day celebrations.
  • Concordia University – Lutheran liberal arts college in Seward.

Notable Communities

Events & Festivals

  • Seward Fourth of July Celebration – Nebraska’s official celebration with parades, fireworks, and national attention.
  • Seward County Fair – Livestock shows, exhibits, and entertainment.
  • Milford Fun Days – Parade, games, and family fun.

Natural Attractions & Recreation

  • Platte River Trails – Hiking, birdwatching, and scenic drives.
  • Community Parks – Playgrounds and picnic areas in Seward, Milford, and surrounding towns.
  • Wildlife Viewing – Deer, pheasants, and prairie species across the county.

Living in Seward County

Seward County offers a peaceful rural lifestyle with strong community ties and a proud patriotic legacy. Seward anchors the county with services and events, while towns like Milford and Bee preserve the region’s agricultural and civic traditions. With its festivals, trails, and welcoming spirit, Seward County is a proud part of Nebraska’s southeastern corridor.

Seward County at a Glance

Seward County, Nebraska — authorised 16 March 1855 as Greene County, after a Missouri general, and renamed in 1862 for William H. Seward, Lincoln’s Secretary of State; organized 1 October 1865. The town of Seward was platted in 1868 by Lewis Moffitt, but the county seat was not settled on it until 1871, over rival towns. The Midland Pacific reached Seward in 1873–74 and is the hinge of everything that followed. Unusually for rural Nebraska, Seward County’s all-time population peak is now — 17,609 at the 2020 census, past the 16,140 of 1890 and still climbing; the county is part of the Lincoln metropolitan area. 311 listings across 10 towns.

Getting there: Interstate 80 crosses the county past Milford and Goehner, putting Seward inside half an hour of Lincoln. The Big Blue River runs south-southeast through the middle of the county — Milford exists because there was a mill at a ford there, platted in 1866. Beaver Creek at Beaver Crossing is where the old Overland Trail crossed it. Central Time.

Seward is Nebraska’s Official Fourth of July City — and there are two designations, which is worth getting right. Governor J. James Exon proclaimed it in 1973; six years later, in 1979, the United States Congress named it “America’s Official Fourth of July City — Small Town U.S.A.” The town has celebrated since 1868, when the first crowd on the square dug a well and the women sewed a flag to fly over it. The celebration was revived in 1969 under youth leadership and has been run by youth-led committees ever since. It now draws about 40,000 people to a town of 7,600.

The German story, and a name that did not survive the war. Garland was platted in 1874 as Germantown, at a Midland Pacific station, for the settlers who filled it. During the First World War the German papers were shut and the German services stopped, and the village council voted to rename the town for Raymond Garland, the first local soldier to die in the war — of pneumonia, before he ever reached France. Germantown officially became Garland on 11 December 1918, a month after the Armistice. The Germantown State Bank Building still stands there, on the National Register since 1984, carrying the old name. Concordia University at Seward, founded in 1894 as the Evangelisches Lutherisches Schullehrer-Seminar, and the Deutsche Evangelisch Lutherische Zion Kirche at Staplehurst are the county’s other German-Lutheran anchors — though Staplehurst itself was named by settlers from Staplehurst in England, and belongs to a different story.

For visitors: the Seward County Courthouse Square Historic District and the 1904–06 courthouse; the Carnegie library; the Concordia campus. At Bee, the States Ballroom is a twelve-sided dance hall on the National Register since 1981 — there is nothing else like it in the state. Out of doors, Blue River SRA near Milford is day-use only, walk-in river access for anglers after channel and flathead catfish. The City of Seward runs two campgrounds, both first-come, first-served, open 1 April to 1 November: Blue Valley has 16 crushed-rock pads, 30-amp electric and a dump station, and takes tents; Plum Creek has nine pads with 20/30/50-amp service and does not. Bur Oak, Oak Glen and North Lake Basin WMAs and the Freeman Lakes and Tamora Waterfowl Production Areas cover the public ground; the Branched Oak WMA crosses in from Lancaster County even though the lake itself does not.

Born here. Coleen Gray (Staplehurst, 1922, as Doris Jensen), who played opposite Tyrone Power in Nightmare Alley, John Wayne in Red River, and led Kubrick’s The Killing — the county’s strongest native claim and almost never made. Amy Heidemann (Seward, 1986), half of Karmin and now recording as Qveen Herby. Quentin Neujahr (Seward, 1971), All-Big Eight center at Kansas State and 62 NFL games with Baltimore and Jacksonville. And Thad Weber (Seward, 1984), who reached the major leagues as a pitcher in 2012.

Vehicles registered in Seward County carry license plate number 16. See what every Nebraska county number means.

Seward County Businesses & Places

311 listings in Seward County.

Click a category to see the businesses.

Eat & Drink (35)
Stay (4)
Outdoors & Recreation (12)
Places to Visit (6)
Events & Venues (4)
Health & Emergency (21)
Travel Services (1)
Shopping & Gifts (10)
Community & Faith (85)

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Government & Resources (51)
Professional Services (22)
Automotive (20)
Education (15)
Utilities (10)
Agriculture & Farm (8)
Media (4)
Transportation (3)
Trades & Construction (2)
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