Valley County /

Valley County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of 2000, the population was 4,647. Its county seat is Ord. In the Nebraska license plate system, Valley County is represented by the prefix 47 (it had the forty-seventh-largest number of vehicles registered in the county when the license plate system was established in 1922). Valley County was formed in 1871. Its name derives from the local terrain: much of the county consists of valley land lying between the North and Middle Loup Rivers. On June 12, 2010, the privately owned Bredthauer Dam broke due to heavy rain, flooding rural Valley County and the village of North Loup. Major flooding occurred in the village, with water "eight inches deep and running down Main Street." North Loup was evacuated for the duration of the flood. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 571 square miles (1,478 km²), 568 square miles (1,471 km²) of which is land and 2 square miles (6 km²) (0.42%) of which is water. As of the census of 2000, there were 4,647 people, 1,965 households, and 1,298 families residing in the county. The population density was 8 people per square mile (3/km²). There were 2,273