Pottawattamie County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. At the 2020 census, the population was 93,667, making it the tenth-most populous county in Iowa. The county takes its name from the Potawatomi Native American tribe. The county seat is Council Bluffs.
Pottawatomie County is governed by a board of seven county commissioners, elected to staggered four–year terms. County courthouse positions are also elected on a partisan basis. Most of the county’s offices are located at the Pottawatomie County Courthouse.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 959 square miles (2,480 km2), of which 950 square miles (2,500 km2) is land and 8.9 square miles (23 km2) (0.9%) is water. It is the second-largest county in Iowa by area after Kossuth County. Pottawattamie County is located within Iowa’s Loess Hills, and was the site of Kanesville along The Mormon Trail
Due to movement of the Missouri River and a Supreme Court ruling, part of the county, Carter Lake, actually lies on the far side of the Missouri River. This part of the county cannot be reached by road without entering Nebraska; no direct bridge exists.