PLATTE COUNTY WEATHER

Platte County Cameras

Platte County Cameras

Platte County, Nebraska

County seat: Columbus · Created: January 26, 1856; organized 1857 · Named for: the Platte River · License plates: prefix 10 · Population: 34,296 (2020 census), the highest count yet; about 35,600 (2025) · Area: about 685 sq mi (675 land) · Time zone: Central

About Platte County

Platte County lies in east-central Nebraska where the Loup River joins the Platte, which forms its southern edge. Columbus, the county seat, is a manufacturing and trade center of about 24,000. Humphrey is the other city; the villages are Lindsay, Platte Center, Duncan, Monroe, Creston, Tarnov and Cornlea, and Lakeview is a census-designated place north of Columbus. The county borders Madison on the north, Stanton on the northeast, Colfax on the east, Butler on the southeast, Polk and (at one corner) Merrick on the south, Nance on the southwest and Boone on the west.

The territorial legislature created the county on January 26, 1856, and that May the Columbus Town Company, a group of mostly immigrant settlers who had organized in Columbus, Ohio, founded Columbus; the county was organized in 1857 with Columbus as its seat, and Monroe County was merged into it in 1859. The Union Pacific arrived in 1866. Germans, Poles, Irish and Swiss settled the county; Tarnov and Duncan were Polish, Lindsay Irish and German, and Saint Bernard a German Catholic colony. The Loup Power District’s canal and powerhouses, finished in the 1930s, brought cheap power and industry. Its 2020 census count of 34,296 was its highest yet.

Towns of Platte County

Cities and villages

Columbus

City · County seat · Pop. 24,028 · ZIP 68601
US 30 · US 81 · NE 22 (north of town)

Platte County seat (24,028) where the Loup meets the Platte and US 30 crosses US 81; birthplace of Andrew Jackson Higgins, maker of the Higgins boat.

Humphrey

City · Pop. 857 · ZIP 68642
US 81 · NE 91

City of 857 on US 81 where it meets NE 91, platted on the railroad in 1880; home of Archangels Catholic High School and an aquatic center opened in 2024.

Lindsay

Village · Pop. 283 · ZIP 68644
NE 91

Village of 283 on NE 91, settled by Irish families from Lindsay, Ontario; home of the Lindsay Corporation irrigation plant and Pivot Days.

Platte Center

Village · Pop. 333 · ZIP 68653
US 81 (spur)

Village of 333 near the middle of Platte County, birthplace of Gen. Alfred Gruenther; known for a Fourth of July that lasts several days.

Creston

Village · Pop. 181 · ZIP 68631
NE 91 (spur)

Village of 181 on the high ground of northeastern Platte County, laid out on the railroad in 1886; its 1913 bank is on the National Register.

Tarnov

Village · Pop. 52 · ZIP 68642
County roads (US 81 2 mi east)

Polish village of 52 named for Tarnów; St. Michael’s Church of 1901 is on the National Register, and in 1943 Army bombers hit the town by mistake.

Cornlea

Village · Pop. 33 · ZIP 68642
NE 91 (spur)

Village of 33 west of Humphrey, a railroad siding of 1886 built up by German Catholics; the name means land of corn.

Duncan

Village · Pop. 392 · ZIP 68634
US 30

Village of 392 on US 30 west of Columbus, where all Dorothy Lynch dressing is made; a 2.4-mile stretch of the old Lincoln Highway is on the National Register.

Monroe

Village · Pop. 296 · ZIP 68647
NE 22

Village of 296 on NE 22 in southwestern Platte County, staked out on a Union Pacific spur in 1889; two National Register pioneer churches lie to the north.

Former towns and post office communities

Lakeview

Census-designated place · census-designated place
County roads

Unincorporated community of 378 just north of Lake Babcock, about 4½ miles north-northwest of Columbus.

Oconee

Unincorporated community · post office 1887–1916
County roads

Railroad stop platted as Lost Creek in 1880, briefly Dorrance, then Oconee; post office 1887 to 1916.

Saint Bernard

Unincorporated community · post office 1879–1906
County roads

German Catholic colony laid out in 1878 east of Lindsay and named for Bernard Schroeder’s patron saint; post office 1879 to 1906.

Rosenborg

Ghost town · post office 1901–1904
County roads

Danish rural post office (also spelled Rosenburg) southwest of Lindsay, 1901 to 1904.

Tracy Valley

Former community · settled 1871
County roads

Rural settlement near Humphrey, settled in the spring of 1871, with a Presbyterian church by 1875 and the Tracy Valley Cemetery.

Travel Corridors

US 30, the old Lincoln Highway, follows the Platte valley through Columbus and Duncan. US 30 Corridor → US 81 runs north from the Platte through Columbus, past Platte Center, Tarnov and Humphrey toward Norfolk. US 81 Corridor → NE 91 crosses the north of the county past Lindsay, Cornlea, Humphrey and Creston; NE 22 runs west from US 81 through Monroe to Genoa; NE 45 begins at NE 91 west of Lindsay, and NE 39 clips the southwest corner.

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

Things to See

Columbus has the Andrew Jackson Higgins National Memorial in Pawnee Park, Glur’s Tavern (1876), the Platte County Historical Society Museum and the Columbus Area Children’s Museum. The county has 21 places on the National Register, among them the 1922 Platte County Courthouse and downtown Columbus; St. Michael’s Church in Tarnov; Humphrey City Hall; the Citizens State Bank in Creston; two stretches of the Lincoln Highway near Duncan; and two pioneer churches north of Monroe, the Monroe Congregational Church and the Postville Welsh Church.

Parks and Outdoors

There is no state park or state recreation area in the county. The Loup Power District’s parks north and east of Columbus — Lake North, Loup Park on Lake Babcock, Powerhouse Park and Tailrace Park — have free camping, fishing and the paved Two Lakes Trail. State wildlife management areas include Wilkinson (940 acres), George D. Syas, Lee Rupp and Flatwater Landing on the Platte. Columbus has Quail Run and the Van Berg course in Pawnee Park, and private campgrounds at Riverland and the Hwy 81 RV Park.

Platte County Business Directory

Businesses within 20 miles of: Columbus · Humphrey · Lindsay · All listings →

Adjacent Counties

Madison County (north) · Stanton County (northeast) · Colfax County (east) · Butler County (southeast) · Polk County (south) · Merrick County (southwest corner) · Nance County (southwest) · Boone County (west).

Events

Lindsay Pivot Days in late June; Platte Center’s Fourth of July; the Platte County Fair at Ag Park in Columbus (July 8–12 in 2026); Columbus Days in August; Humphrey Days in mid-June; the Columbus Marching Festival in late September; and the Highway 91 Expo in Humphrey in November. The US 30 Speedway races at Ag Park on Thursday nights from April to September.

Events in Platte County

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

Outdoors: camping, fishing and trails

There is no state park or state recreation area in Platte County. The Loup Power District runs four parks around Columbus (and a fifth, Headworks, near Genoa), about 77 acres of land and 1,100 acres of water in all. They are open May 1 to November 1, weather permitting; camping and electrical hookups are free, with no reservations and a limit of 7 days in any 30 across the system. There are no dump stations and no water hookups; drinking water is available from May to September at Lake North and Loup Park. No lifeguards; all parks are alcohol-free. Lake Babcock, Lake North and the land around them are a state waterfowl refuge: no hunting, and no boating during the waterfowl season except on Lake North. Parks status line (402) 562-5709; Loup Power District (402) 564-3171.

  • Lake North Park, 4 miles north of US 30 on 18th Avenue: 14 acres on a 200-acre lake, with electric and primitive camping, two beaches, two boat ramps and summer restrooms; boating, water-skiing and fishing.
  • Loup Park, on the north and west shores of Lake Babcock, 3 miles north of Columbus (48th Avenue, then east on Lakeview Road): 31 acres, electric and primitive camping, summer restrooms, and the paved Two Lakes Trail (2.4 miles) to Lake North.
  • Powerhouse Park, 3 miles north on 3rd Avenue: 4.5 acres by the Columbus powerhouse; canal fishing (steep banks), no swimming, a few primitive sites on summer weekends.
  • Tailrace Park, where the canal meets the Platte (3.5 miles east on 8th Street, then 1.5 miles south): 9.5 acres, walk-in primitive sites only, no restrooms, no swimming.

Private campgrounds: Riverland Cabins and Campground, 3919 SE 16th St. on the Platte (RV sites and four cabins, (402) 910-8166), and the Hwy 81 RV Park, 23817 242nd Ave. (April to November, (402) 564-2691). Hunting is on state wildlife management areas: Wilkinson (940 acres of wetlands), George D. Syas near Genoa, Lee Rupp (formerly Looking Glass) near Monroe, and Flatwater Landing on the Platte, closed to vehicles since July 2026 because of low water. Channel and flathead catfish are taken from the banks where the Loup meets the Platte.

Platte County at a Glance

Platte County, Nebraska — created in 1856 and named for the Platte River. County seat Columbus, where the Loup meets the Platte. Population 34,296 at the 2020 census. 387 listings across 15 towns.

Getting there: US 30 and US 81 cross in Columbus; NE 91 crosses the north of the county and NE 22 the southwest. Omaha is about 75 miles east of Columbus and Lincoln about 55 miles southeast. Central Time.

For visitors: the Higgins memorial and Glur’s Tavern in Columbus, free camping at the Loup Power District lakes (no dump stations), St. Michael’s Church in Tarnov, and the Platte County Fair in July.

Vehicles registered in Platte County carry license plate number 10. See what every Nebraska county number means.

Platte County Businesses & Places

387 listings in Platte County.

Click a category to see the businesses.

Eat & Drink (59)
Stay (9)
Outdoors & Recreation (14)
Places to Visit (10)
Events & Venues (9)
Health & Emergency (12)
Travel Services (1)
Shopping & Gifts (5)
Community & Faith (80)

See all 80 in this category →

Automotive (49)
Government & Resources (40)
Education (28)
Agriculture & Farm (15)
Utilities (13)
Professional Services (12)
Land & Property Services (12)
Home Improvement & Repair (10)
Media (9)
Manufacturing & Industrial (6)
Transportation (2)
Trades & Construction (2)