County Seat: Madison
Principle City:
Norfolk
Population:
35,226 (2000 census)
Area: 575
square miles
Madison County, Nebraska's seventh
most populous county, is located in the northeastern
part of the state and has an area of 576 square miles,
or 368,640 acres. Madison County, Nebraska is
approximately 120 miles northwest of Omaha and 70 miles
southwest of Sioux City, Iowa. The Elkhorn River flows
through the county. Madison County is largely
agricultural in nature, but is also supported by several
large manufacturing and meat packing plants.
There are six communities located within Madison
County: Norfolk which is the largest, Madison which is
the county seat, Battle Creek, Meadow Grove, Newman
Grove, and Tilden. The main economic enterprise in
Madison County continues to be agriculture. While there
has been an increase in total county population since
1975, there has been a trend of decreasing population in
rural areas and the smaller communities. Population
increases are primarily a result of growth within and
around the City of Norfolk. Madison County’s Planning
Commission and County Board of Commissioners, through
the County's
Comprehensive Plan have made a commitment to keep to
rural area rural with little residential development
outside of the cities and an emphasis on agriculture.
