BELLEVUE

city, Sarpy county, eastern Nebraska, U.S., on the Missouri River, immediately southeast of Omaha. Established in the early 1800s as a fur trading post, it is the state's oldest continuous settlement and was an important missionary centre and Indian agency. It became a river port but moved its site in 1835 to bluffs overlooking the river valley. The state's first newspaper, the Nebraska Palladium, was published there in 1854. It served as county seat (1857-75). The Old Settler's Home and the old city hall (1856) are preserved. The establishment nearby of the Martin bomber plant (1941) at Fort Crook and of Offutt Air Force Base (1948), site of the U.S. Strategic Command headquarters and the SAC Museum, boosted residential growth. Bellevue College was founded in 1965. Fontenelle Forest Natural Landmark adjoins the city to the northeast. Inc. 1855. Pop. (1991 est.) 31,268.