	Site Map \| FAQ in Daily Almanac for Nov 12, 2009 Search White Pages
Skip Navigation Home American Indian Heritage Month Atlas Encyclopedia Dictionary Thesaurus Features Quizzes Timelines Countries Slideshows

Fact Monster Kid's reference,
games, quizzes

Editor's Favorites

United States > States

Travel to South Dakota · Rapid City · Deadwood · Sioux Falls — Unbiased reviews and great deals from TripAdvisor

South Dakota

Capital: Pierre

State abbreviation/Postal code: S.D./SD

Governor: Mike Rounds, R (to Jan. 2011)

Lieut. Governor: Dennis Daugaard, R (to Jan. 2011)

Senators: John R. Thune, R (to Jan. 2011); Tim Johnson, D (to Jan. 2015)

U.S. Representatives: 1

Historical biographies of Congressional members

Atty. General: Larry Long, R (to Jan. 2011)

Secy. of State: Chris Nelson, R (to Jan. 2011)

Treasurer: Vernon L. Larson, R (to Jan. 2011)

Organized as territory: March 2, 1861

Entered Union (rank): Nov. 2, 1889 (40)

Present constitution adopted: 1889

Motto: Under God the people rule

State symbols:

flower	American pasqueflower (1903)
grass	Western wheat grass (1970)
soil	houdek (1990)
tree	black hills spruce (1947)
bird	ring-necked pheasant (1943)
insect	honeybee (1978)
animal	coyote (1949)
mineral stone	rose quartz (1966)
gemstone	fairburn agate (1966)
colors	blue and gold (in state flag)
song	“Hail! South Dakota” (1943)
fish	walleye (1982)
musical instrument	fiddle (1989)
dessert	kuchen (2000)

Nicknames: Mount Rushmore State; Coyote State

Origin of name: From the Sioux tribe, meaning “allies”

10 largest cities (2005 est.): Sioux Falls, 139,517; Rapid City, 62,167; Aberdeen, 24,098; Watertown, 20,265; Brookings, 18,715; Mitchell, 14,696; Pierre, 14,052; Yankton, 13,716; Huron, 11,086; Vermillion, 9,964

Land area: 75,885 sq mi. (196,542 sq km)

Geographic center: In Hughes Co., 8 mi. NE of Pierre

Number of counties: 66 (64 county governments)

Largest county by population and area: Minnehaha, 160,087 (2005); Meade, 3,471 sq mi.

State parks: 12

Residents: South Dakotan

2005 resident population est.: 775,933

2000 resident census population (rank): 754,844 (46). Male: 374,558 (49.6%); Female: 380,286 (50.4%). White: 669,404 (88.7%); Black: 4,685 (0.6%); American Indian: 62,283 (8.3%); Asian: 4,378 (0.6%); Other race: 3,677 (0.5%); Two or more races: 10,156 (1.3%); Hispanic/Latino: 10,903 (1.4%). 2000 percent population 18 and over: 73.2; 65 and over: 14.3; median age: 35.6.

See additional census data

Area codes

Tourism office

Map of South Dakota

Exploration of this area began in 1743 when Louis-Joseph and François Verendrye came from France in search of a route to the Pacific.

The U.S. acquired the region as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, and it was explored by Lewis and Clark in 1804–1806. Fort Pierre, the first permanent settlement, was established in 1817.

Settlement of South Dakota did not begin in earnest until the arrival of the railroad in 1873 and the discovery of gold in the Black Hills in 1874.

Agriculture is a cultural and economic mainstay, but it no longer leads the state in employment or share of gross state product. Durable-goods manufacturing and private services have evolved as the drivers of the economy. Tourism is also a booming industry in the state, generating over a billion dollars' worth of economic activity each year.

South Dakota is the second-largest producer of flaxseed and sunflower seed in the nation. It is the third-largest producer of hay and rye.

The Black Hills are the highest mountains east of the Rockies. Mt. Rushmore, in this group, is famous for the likenesses of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt, which were carved in granite by Gutzon Borglum. A memorial to Crazy Horse is also being carved in granite near Custer.

Other tourist attractions include the Badlands; the World's Only Corn Palace, in Mitchell; and the city of Deadwood, where Wild Bill Hickok was killed in 1876 and where gambling was recently legalized.

See more on South Dakota:
Encyclopedia: South Dakota
Encyclopedia: Geography
Encyclopedia: Economy
Encyclopedia: Government
Encyclopedia: History
Monthly Temperature Extremes

Accredited Colleges and Universities

All U.S. States: Geography & Climate
Printable Outline Maps
Record Highest Temperatures
Record Lowest Temperatures
Highest, Lowest, and Mean Elevations
Land and Water Area

All U.S. States: Population & Economy
Historical Population Statistics, 1790–Present
Per Capita Personal Income
Minimum Wage Rates
State Taxes
Federal Government Expenditure
Percent of People in Poverty
Births and Birth Rates
Homeownership
Percentage of Uninsured by State

All U.S. States: Society & Culture:
Most Livable States
Healthiest States
Most Dangerous States
Smartest States
Crime Index
Residency Requirements for Voting
Compulsory School Attendance Laws
Driving Laws
National Public Radio Stations

Selected famous natives and residents:

Sparky Anderson baseball manager;

Gertrude Bonnin (Zitkala-Sa) Sioux writer and pan-Indian activist;

Tom Brokaw TV newscaster;

Robert Casey writer;

Myron Floren accordionist;

Joseph J. Foss WW II Marine fighter ace;

Mary Hart TV host;

Crazy Horse Oglala chief;

Oscar Howe Sioux artist;

Hubert H. Humphrey vice president;

Cheryl Ladd actress;

Ernest Orlando Lawrence physicist;

Russell Means American Indian activist;

George McGovern politician;

Arthur C. Mellette first governor;

Dorothy Provine actress;

Rain-in-the-Face Hunkpapa Sioux chief;

Red Cloud chief of the Oglala Sioux;

Ben Reifel Brulé Sioux congressman;

Ole Edvart Rølvaag writer;

Sitting Bull chief of Hunkpappa Sioux;

Norm Van Brocklin football player;

Mamie Van Doren actress.

South Carolina

States

Tennessee

More on South Dakota from Infoplease:

University of South Dakota - South Dakota, University of South Dakota, University of, at Vermillion; state supported; ...
South Dakota: meaning and definitions - South Dakota: Definition and Pronunciation
South Dakota: Temperature Extremes - South Dakota: Temperature Extremes Month Maximum °F Year Place Minimum °F Year Place Month ...
South Dakota - Map of South Dakota & articles on flags, geography, history, statistics, disasters, and current events.
South Dakota - South Dakota South Dakota , state in the N central United States. It is bordered by North Dakota ...

Premium Partner Content

Related content from HighBeam Research on: South Dakota

South Dakota's new love affair with big banks. (U.S. News & World Report)

South Dakota.(State of the States) (The Bond Buyer)

DAKOTA: the new American classic. (Dakota Model 76 rifle) (includes related brief article on the various Dakota calibers that are available) (Sports Afield)

MONTANA DAKOTA UTILITIES ANNOUNCES "WIND FARM" DEVELOPMENT. (Industrial Environment)

South Dakota team takes wins at collegiate contest.(INSIDE THE NEWS) (Dairy Foods)

Indexing the South Dakota constitutional conventions: a 21st century solution to a 125 year old problem. (South Dakota Law Review)

The South Dakota Sand Hills. (Focus on Geography)

Ridgefield Farms, Dakota Turkey building new South Dakota plants. (Feedstuffs)

South Dakota's aggravating circumstances on trial. (South Dakota Law Review)

In re D.F.: the South Dakota Supreme Court misses an opportunity to establish an appropriate due diligence standard when serving notice by publication in parental rights termination proceedings. (South Dakota Law Review)

Infoplease Tools