Humans have inhabited the area for several millennia, with the Sioux becoming dominant by the early 19th century. In the late 19th century, European-American settlement intensified after agold rush in the Black Hills and the construction of railroads from the east. Encroaching miners and settlers triggered a number ofIndian wars, ending with theWounded Knee Massacre in 1890. As the southern part of the formerDakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889, simultaneously withNorth Dakota. They are the 39th and 40th states admitted to the union; PresidentBenjamin Harrison shuffled the statehood papers before signing them so that no one could tell which became a state first.[14]
Major events in the 20th century included theDust Bowl andGreat Depression, increased federal spending during the 1940s and 1950s for agriculture and defense, and an industrialization of agriculture that has reduced family farming. Eastern South Dakota is home to most of its population, and a variety of crops grow in the area's fertile soil. West of the Missouri River,ranching is the predominant agricultural activity, and the economy is more dependent on tourism and defense spending. Most of the Native American reservations are inWest River. TheBlack Hills, a group of low pine-covered mountains sacred to the Sioux, is in the southwest part of the state, and containsMount Rushmore, a major tourist destination. South Dakota has a temperatecontinental climate, with four distinct seasons and precipitation levels ranging from moderate in the east to semiarid in the west. The state's ecology features species typical of a North Americangrassland biome.
SeveralDemocrats represented South Dakota for multiple terms in both chambers ofCongress, but the state government is largely controlled by theRepublican Party, whose nominees have won the state in each of the last 14presidential elections. Historically dominated by an agricultural economy and a rural lifestyle, South Dakota has recently sought to diversify its economy to attract and retain residents. South Dakota's history and rural character still strongly influence its culture.
Humans have lived in what is today South Dakota for several thousand years. The first inhabitants werePaleoindian hunter-gatherers, and disappeared from the area around 5000 BC.[15] Between 500 AD and 800 AD, a semi-nomadic people known as the Mound Builders lived in central and eastern South Dakota. In the 14th century, theCrow Creek Massacre occurred, in which several hundred men, women, and children were killed near theMissouri River.[16]
By 1500, theArikara (or Ree) had settled in much of the Missouri River valley.[17] European contact with the area began in 1743, when theLaVérendrye brothers explored the region. The LaVérendrye group buried a plate near the site of modern-dayPierre, claiming the region for France as part ofgreater Louisiana.[18] In 1762 the entire region became part of theSpanish Louisiana until 1802.[19][20] By the early 19th century, theSioux had largely replaced the Arikara as the dominant group in the area.[21]
In 1803, the United States purchased theLouisiana Territory, an area that included most of South Dakota, fromNapoleon Bonaparte, and PresidentThomas Jefferson organized theLewis and Clark Expedition to explore the region.[22] In 1817, an American fur trading post was set up at present-dayFort Pierre, beginning continuous American settlement of the area.[23] In 1855, the U.S. Army boughtFort Pierre but abandoned it in 1857 in favor ofFort Randall to the south.[23] Settlement by Americans and Europeans was by this time increasing rapidly, and in 1858 theYankton Sioux signed the1858 Treaty, ceding most of present-day eastern South Dakota to the United States.[24]
Deadwood, like many otherBlack Hills towns, was founded after the discovery of gold.
Land speculators founded two of eastern South Dakota's largest present-day cities:Sioux Falls in 1856 andYankton in 1859.[25] In 1861, theDakota Territory was established by the United States government (this initially includedNorth Dakota, South Dakota, and parts ofMontana andWyoming).[26] Settlement of the area, mostly by people from the eastern United States as well as western and northernEurope, increased rapidly after the passage of theHomestead Acts,[27] especially after the completion of an eastern railway link to Yankton in 1873,[28] in a period known as theDakota Boom.[29]
In 1874, gold was discovered in theBlack Hills during a military expedition led byGeorge A. Custer[30][31] and miners and explorers began illegally entering land promised to the Lakota. Custer's expedition took place despite the fact that theSioux had been granted the entire western half of present-day South Dakota (West River) in 1868 by theTreaty of Laramie as part of theGreat Sioux Reservation.[32] The Sioux declined to grant mining rights or land in the Black Hills, and war broke out after the U.S. failed to stop white miners and settlers from entering the region.[33] Eventually the U.S. won and broke up the Great Sioux Reservation into five reservations, settling theLakota there.[23] In 1980 theSupreme Court and Congress orderedcompensation to be offered but the Lakota still refuse to accept it, insisting on return of their land.[34]
A harvest in South Dakota, 1898
A growing population in the Dakota Territory caused political dissatisfaction between northern and southern territory residents, with the southern half being always more populated. Following the territorial capital being moved from Yankton toBismarck in the northern part, calls for dividing the territory increased. South Dakota held constitutional conventions in 1883, 1885, and 1889.[35] Other account(s) state that the real reason for the split was a political lure for four Republican senators instead of two from the Republican dominated Dakota Territory and in their push to split the territory, Republican congressmen also ignored the uncomfortable fact that much of the land in the anticipated state of South Dakota belonged to the Sioux.[36][37] Eventually, in the 1887 general election, Dakota Territory residents voted for the division.
On February 22, 1889, outgoing Democratic President Cleveland signed a bill dividing the Territory of Dakota in half and authorizing the people of Washington, Montana, North and South Dakota to hold conventions to decide on statehood and produce constitutions. The bill had been passed by a Democratic controlled House of Representatives and a Senate divided 38 Republicans, 37 Democrats, and one independent.
The four new states would be admitted into the Union in November 1889. Republican PresidentBenjamin Harrison signed proclamations formally admitting South Dakota and North Dakota to the union on November 2, 1889.[38][39][40][41] Harrison had the papers shuffled to obscure which one was signed first and the order went unrecorded.[41]
On December 29, 1890, theWounded Knee Massacre occurred on thePine Ridge Indian Reservation. Commonly cited as the last major armed conflict between the United States and theLakota Sioux Nation, the massacre resulted in the deaths of at least 146 Sioux, many of them women and children.[42] 31 U.S. soldiers were also killed in the conflict.[42]
A South Dakota farm during theDust Bowl, 1936. Normaltillage practices turn South Dakota's fragile soil into a fine, loose powder thatblows away, and sometimes covered vehicles, equipment, and buildings with dust during the Dust Bowl.[43]
During the 1930s, several economic and climatic conditions combined with disastrous results for South Dakota. A lack of rainfall, extremely high temperatures and inappropriate cultivation techniques produced what was known as theDust Bowl in South Dakota and several other plains states. Fertiletopsoil was blown away in massive dust storms, and several harvests were completely ruined.[44] The experiences of the Dust Bowl, coupled with local bankforeclosures and the general economic effects of theGreat Depression, resulted in many South Dakotans leaving the state. The population of South Dakota declined by more than 7% between 1930 and 1940.[45]
Economic stability returned with the U.S. entry intoWorld War II in 1941, when demand for the state's agricultural and industrial products grew as the nation mobilized for war.[46] In 1944, thePick–Sloan Plan was passed as part of theFlood Control Act of 1944 by the U.S. Congress, resulting in the construction of six large dams on the Missouri River, four of which are at least partially in South Dakota.[47] Flood control,hydroelectricity, and recreational opportunities such as boating and fishing are provided by the dams and their reservoirs.[47]
In recent decades, South Dakota has been transformed from a state dominated by agriculture to one with a more diversified economy. The tourism industry has grown considerably since the mid-twentieth century, with theBlack Hills becoming more important as a destination. The financial service industry began to grow in the state as well, withCitibank moving its credit card operations fromNew York toSioux Falls in 1981, a move that has been followed by several other financial companies. South Dakota was the first state to eliminatecaps on interest rates.[48]
In 2007, the site of the recently closedHomestake gold mine nearLead was chosen as the location of a new underground research facility, theDeep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory.[49] Despite a growing state population and recent economic development, many rural areas have been struggling over the past 50 years with locally declining populations and the emigration of educated young adults to larger South Dakota cities, such asRapid City or Sioux Falls, or to other states.[50] Mechanization and consolidation of agriculture has contributed greatly to the declining number of smaller family farms and the resulting economic and demographic challenges facing rural towns.[51] Gallup-Sharecare State of American Well-Being Rankings in 2018 named South Dakota the happiest, healthiest state in the United States.[52]
Terrain and primary geographic features of South Dakota
South Dakota is in the north-central United States, and is considered a part of theMidwest by the U.S. Census Bureau;[53] it is also part of theGreat Plains region. The culture, economy, and geography of western South Dakota have more in common with theWest than the Midwest.[13][54] South Dakota has a total area of 77,116 square miles (199,730 km2), making the state the17th largest in the Union.[6]
Black Elk Peak, formerly named Harney Peak, with an elevation of 7,242 ft (2,207 m), is the state's highest point, while the shoreline ofBig Stone Lake is the lowest, with an elevation of 966 ft (294 m).[8] South Dakota is bordered to the north byNorth Dakota; to the south byNebraska; to the east byIowa andMinnesota; and to the west byWyoming andMontana. The geographical center of the U.S. is 17 miles (27 km) west of Castle Rock inButte County.[8] The North American continentalpole of inaccessibility is betweenAllen andKyle, 1,024 mi (1,648 km) from the nearest coastline.[55]
South Dakota can generally be divided into three regions: eastern South Dakota, western South Dakota, and theBlack Hills.[58] The Missouri River serves as a boundary in terms of geographic, social, and political differences between eastern and western South Dakota. The geography of the Black Hills, long considered sacred by Native Americans, differs from its surroundings to such an extent it can be considered separate from the rest of western South Dakota. At times the Black Hills are combined with the rest of western South Dakota, and people often refer to the resulting two regions divided by the Missouri River asWest River andEast River.[13][54]
Eastern South Dakota generally features higher precipitation and lower topography than the western part of the state. Smaller geographic regions of this area include theCoteau des Prairies, theDissected Till Plains, and the James River Valley. The Coteau des Prairies is a plateau bordered on the east by theMinnesota River Valley and on the west by the James River Basin.[56] Further west, the James River Basin is mostly low, flat, highly eroded land, following the flow of theJames River through South Dakota from north to south.[59] The Dissected Till Plains, an area of rolling hills and fertile soil that covers much of Iowa and Nebraska, extends into the southeastern corner of South Dakota. Layers deposited during thePleistocene epoch, starting around two million years ago, cover most of eastern South Dakota.[60] These are the youngest rock and sediment layers in the state, the product of several successive periods ofglaciation which deposited a large amount of rocks and soil, known astill, over the area.[61]
TheGreat Plains cover most of the western two-thirds of South Dakota. West of theMissouri River the landscape becomes more arid and rugged, consisting of rolling hills, plains, ravines, and steep flat-topped hills calledbuttes.[62] In the south, east of the Black Hills, lie the South DakotaBadlands. Erosion from the Black Hills, marine skeletons which fell to the bottom of a large shallow sea that once covered the area, and volcanic material all contribute to the geology of this area.[60][63][64]
TheBlack Hills, a low mountain range, is located in Southwestern South Dakota.
The Black Hills are in the southwestern part of South Dakota and extend intoWyoming. This range of low mountains covers 6,000 sq mi (16,000 km2), with peaks that rise from 2,000 to 4,000 feet (600 to 1,200 m) above their bases. The Black Hills are the location ofBlack Elk Peak (7,242 ft or 2,207 m above sea level), the highest point in South Dakota and also the highest point in the United States east of theRocky Mountains.[8] Two-billion-year-oldPrecambrian formations, the oldest rocks in the state, form the central core of the Black Hills.[60][65] Formations from thePaleozoic Era form the outer ring of the Black Hills;[66] these were created between roughly 540 and 250 million years ago. This area features rocks such aslimestone, which were deposited here when the area formed the shoreline of an ancient inland sea.[66]
South Dakota has acontinental climate with four distinct seasons, ranging from cold, dry winters to warm and semi-humid summers. During the summers, the state's average high temperature is often close to 90 °F (32 °C), although it cools to near 60 °F (16 °C) at night. It is not unusual for South Dakota to have severe hot, dry spells in the summer with the temperature climbing above 100 °F (38 °C) several times a year.[77] Winters are cold with January high temperatures averaging below freezing and low temperatures averaging below 10 °F (−12 °C) in most of the state. The highest recorded temperature is 120 °F (49 °C) atUsta on July 15, 2006[78] and the lowest recorded temperature is −58 °F (−50 °C) atMcIntosh on February 17, 1936.[79]
Average annualprecipitation in South Dakota ranges fromsemi-arid conditions in the northwestern part of the state (around 15 inches or 380 mm) to semi-humid around the southeast portion of the state (around 25 inches or 640 mm),[77] although a small area centered onLead in theBlack Hills has the highest precipitation at nearly 30 inches (760 mm) per year.[80]
South Dakota summers bring frequent, sometimes severe, thunderstorms with high winds, thunder, and hail. The state's eastern part is often considered part ofTornado Alley,[81] and South Dakota experiences an average of 30 tornadoes each year.[82] Severeblizzards andice storms often occur during winter.
Average daily high and low temperatures in °F (°C) for locations in South Dakota, colored and sortable by average monthly temperature
At the 2022 estimate South Dakota's population was 909,824 on July 1, 2022, a 2.61% increase since the2020 United States census.[96]
In 2020, 6.5% of South Dakota's population was reported as under 5, 24.5% under 18, and 17.7% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 49.7% of the population.[97] As of the 2020 census, South Dakota ranked fifth-lowest in the nation in population and population density; onlyNorth Dakota,Alaska,Vermont, andWyoming have fewer residents.
Of the people residing in South Dakota, 65.7% were born in South Dakota, 31.4% were born in another U.S. state, 0.6% were born in Puerto Rico, U.S. Island areas, or born abroad to American parent(s), and 2.3% were born in another country.[98] The top countries of origin for South Dakota's immigrants and refugees in 2018 wereGuatemala, thePhilippines,Mexico,Sudan andEthiopia.[99]
Ethnically, 4.9% of South Dakota's population was ofHispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin (they may be of any race). Ethnicity for the remainder of the population is not similarly accounted by the federal government.[105]
Map of counties in South Dakota by racial plurality, per the 2020 U.S. census
Legend
Non-Hispanic White
50–60%
60–70%
70–80%
80–90%
90%+
Native American
60–70%
70–80%
80–90%
90%+
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 25.4% of South Dakota's population younger than age 1 were 'minorities' as of 2011, meaning they had at least one parent who was not non-Hispanic white.[109][110]
German Americans are the largest ancestry group in most parts of the state, especially in East River (east of the Missouri River), although there are also large Scandinavian-descended populations in some counties. South Dakota has the nation's largest population ofHutterites,[112] a communalAnabaptist group which emigrated in 1874 from German-speaking villages in what today isUkraine but at that time was part of theRussian Empire.
American Indians, largelyLakota,Dakota, andNakota (Sioux), are predominant in several counties and constitute 20 percent of the population inWest River. The seven large Indian reservations in the state occupy an area much diminished from their formerGreat Sioux Reservation of West River, which the federal government had once allocated to the Sioux tribes. South Dakota has the third-highest proportion of Native Americans of any state, behind Alaska andNew Mexico.[113]
Five of the state's counties are wholly within the boundaries of sovereignIndian reservations.[114] Because of the limitations of climate and land, and isolation from urban areas with more employment opportunities, living standards on many South Dakota reservations are often far below the national average;Ziebach County ranked as the poorest county in the nation in 2009.[115] The unemployment rate inFort Thompson, on theCrow Creek Reservation, is 70%, and 21% of households lack plumbing or basic kitchen appliances.[116] A 1995 study by the U.S. Census Bureau found 58% of homes on thePine Ridge Indian Reservation did not have a telephone.[117] The reservations' isolation also inhibits their ability to generate revenue from gaming casinos, an avenue that has proved profitable for many tribes closer to urban centers.
In 1995, the legislature passed a law to make English the "common language" of the state.[118] Since 2019,"the language of theGreat Sioux Nation, comprised of three dialects,Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota" is the official indigenous language.[4][3] As of the 2000 census, 1.90% of the population age5 or older speak German at home, while 1.51% speakLakota orDakota, and 1.43% Spanish.[119] As of 2010, 93.46% (692,504) of South Dakota residents age5 and older spokeEnglish as theirprimary language. 6.54% of the population spoke a language other than English. 2.06% (15,292) of the population spoke Spanish, 1.39% (10,282) spokeDakota, and 1.37% (10,140) spoke German. Other languages spoken includedVietnamese (0.16%),Chinese (0.12%), andRussian (0.10%).[120]
Over the last several decades, the population in many rural areas has declined in South Dakota, in common with other Great Plains states. The change has been characterized as "rural flight" as family farming has declined. Young people have moved to cities for other employment. This trend has continued in recent years, with 30 of South Dakota's counties losing population between the 1990 and the 2000 census.[121] During that time, nine counties had a population loss of greater than 10%, withHarding County, in the northwest corner of the state, losing nearly 19% of its population.[121] Low birth rates and a lack of youngerimmigration has caused the median age of many of these counties to increase. In 24 counties, at least 20% of the population is over the age of 65,[122] compared with a national rate of 12.8%.
The effect of rural flight has not been spread evenly through South Dakota, however. Although most rural counties and small towns have lost population, the Sioux Falls area, the larger counties alongInterstate 29, the Black Hills, and manyIndian reservations have all gained population.[121] As the reservations have exercised more sovereignty, some Sioux have returned to them from urban areas.[123]Lincoln County near Sioux Falls was the seventh fastest-growing county (by percentage) in the United States in 2010.[124] The growth in these areas has compensated for losses in the rest of the state.[121] South Dakota's total population continues to increase steadily, albeit at a slower rate than the national average.
A one-night stay in South Dakota is all that is necessary to qualify a person to claim residency in South Dakota. Residency in South Dakota has therefore become very popular among full-time travelers (persons who reside inrecreational vehicles, aboardcruise ships, etc.).[125]
According to thePublic Religion Research Institute in 2020, 73% of the adult population were Christian.[127] Per thePew Research Center's separate 2014 study, the largestreligious denominations in Christianity by number of adherents as a percentage of South Dakota's population in 2014 were the Catholic Church with 22 percent, evangelical Protestants with 25 percent, and mainline Protestants with 32 percent. Together, all kinds of Protestants accounted for 57 percent. Those unaffiliated with any religion represented 18 percent of the population. The breakdown of other religions was <1% Muslim, <1% Hindu and 1% Buddhist.[128] The number ofJewish people in South Dakota is under 400, the lowest total in any of the fifty states.[129]
The largest Christian denominations by number of adherents in 2010 were the Roman Catholic Church with 148,883 members; theEvangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) with 112,649 members; and theUnited Methodist Church (UMC) with 36,020 members.[130] The ELCA and UMC are specific denominations within the broader terms 'Lutheran' and 'Methodist', respectively. Through theAssociation of Religion Data Archives in 2020, Catholicism remained the largest Christian denomination, followed by the ELCA. Non-denominational Protestants numbered 63,992, becoming the third largest group of Christians throughout the state.[131]
In 2022, the Public Religion Research Institute determined 72% of the state were Christian altogether, though Protestants were 48%, Catholics 22%, and Jehovah's Witnesses 2%. The religiously unaffiliated declined from 22% to 21% between 2020 and 2022. Other non-Christian faith groups with a substantial presence in the South Dakota wereBuddhism (3%),New Age (3%), and others at 1% altogether. Through the Association of Religion Data Archives 2020 study, there were 978 adherents to theBaha'i Faith and 535Muslims.[131]
The current-dollargross state product of South Dakota was $39.8 billion as of 2010, the fifth-smallest total state output in the U.S.[132] Theper capita personal income was $38,865 in 2010, ranked 25th in the U.S.,[133] and 12.5% of the population was below the poverty line in 2008.[134] CNBC's list of "Top States for Business for 2010" has recognized South Dakota as the seventh-best state in the nation.[135] In July 2011, the state's unemployment rate was 4.7%.[136]
Theservice industry is the largest economic contributor in South Dakota. This sector includes the retail, finance, and healthcare industries.Citibank, which was at one time the largest bank holding company in the United States, established national banking operations in South Dakota in 1981 to take advantage of favorable banking regulations.[48] Today thetrust fund industry manages hundreds of billions of dollars and is known astax haven for foreigners.[137]Government spending is another important segment of the state's economy, providing over ten percent of the gross state product.Ellsworth Air Force Base, near Rapid City, is the second-largest single employer in the state.[138]
Agriculture has historically been the key component of the South Dakota economy. Although other industries have expanded rapidly in recent decades, agricultural production is still very important to the state's economy, especially in rural areas. The five most valuable agricultural products in South Dakota are cattle,corn (maize),soybeans,wheat, andhogs.[139] Agriculture-related industries such asmeat packing andethanol production also have a considerable economic impact on the state. South Dakota is the sixth leading ethanol-producing state in the nation.[140]
Another important sector in South Dakota's economy is tourism. Many travel to view the attractions of the state, particularly those in theBlack Hills region, such as historicDeadwood,Mount Rushmore, and the nearby state and national parks. One of the largest tourist events in the state is the annualSturgis Motorcycle Rally. The five-day event drew over 739,000 attendees in 2015; significant considering the state has a total population of 850,000.[141] In 2006, tourism provided an estimated 33,000 jobs in the state and contributed over two billion dollars to the economy of South Dakota.[142]
South Dakota has 83,609 miles (134,556 km) of highways, roads, and streets, along with 679 miles (1,093 km) ofinterstate highways.[143] Two major interstates pass through South Dakota:Interstate 90, which runs east and west through the southern half of the state; andInterstate 29, running north and south in the eastern portion of the state. The I-29 corridor features generally higher rates of population and economic growth than areas in eastern South Dakota further from the interstate.[121]
Also in the state are the shorter Interstates190, aspur into central Rapid City, and229, aloop around southern and eastern Sioux Falls. Several majorU.S. highways pass through the state. U.S. routes12,14,16,18 and212 travel east and west, while U.S. routes81,83,85 and281 run north and south. South Dakota andMontana are the only states sharing a land border that is not traversed by a paved road.
South Dakota contains twoNational Scenic Byways. ThePeter Norbeck National Scenic Byway is in the Black Hills, while the Native American Scenic Byway runs along the Missouri River in the north-central part of the state.[144] Other scenic byways include the Badlands Loop Scenic Byway, the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway, and the Wildlife Loop Road Scenic Byway.
Public transit played a large role in the development of cities in South Dakota. There were seven cities with a streetcar system in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, however, all of these were discontinued over time. Today, only three fixed route public transit systems exist in the state, those being inSioux Falls,Rapid City and on theYankton Reservation.
Like other U.S. states, the structure of the government of South Dakota follows the sameseparation of powers as thefederal government, with executive,legislative, andjudicial branches. The structure of the state government is laid out in theConstitution of South Dakota, the highest law in the state. The constitution may be amended by a majority vote of both houses of the legislature, or by voter initiative.[149]
TheGovernor of South Dakota occupies the executive branch of the state government.[150] The current governor isLarry Rhoden, a Republican. The state constitution gives the governor the power to sign into law or veto bills passed by the state legislature, to serve as commander-in-chief of theSouth Dakota National Guard, to appoint a cabinet, and to commute criminal sentences or to pardon those convicted of crimes.[151][152] The governor serves for a four-year term, and may not serve more than two consecutive terms.[153]
Thestate legislature is made up of two bodies, theSenate, which has 35 members, and theHouse of Representatives, with 70 members. South Dakota is divided into 35 legislative districts,[154] with voters electing two representatives and one senator per district.[154] The legislature meets for an annual session which begins on the second Tuesday in January and lasts for 30 days; it also meets if a special session is called by the governor.[154]
The judicial branch is made up of several levels. Thestate supreme court, with four justices and a chief justice, is the highest court in the state.[155] Below the supreme court are the circuit courts; 41 circuit judges serve in seven judicial circuits in the state.[155] Below the circuit courts are themagistrate courts, which deal with lesser criminal and civil actions.[155]
As of 2005, South Dakota has the lowest per capita total state tax rate in the United States.[156] The state does not levy personal or corporateincome taxes,[157]inheritance taxes,[158] or taxes onintangible personal property. The statesales tax rate is 4.2 percent.[159] Various localities have local levies so in some areas the rate is six percent. The state sales tax does not apply to sales toIndians onIndian reservations, but many reservations have a compact with the state. Businesses on the reservation collect the tax and the state refunds to the Indian Tribes the percentage of sales tax collections relating to the ratio of Indian population to total population in the county or area affected.Ad valorem property taxes are local taxes and are a large source of funding for school systems, counties, municipalities and other local government units. TheSouth Dakota Special Tax Division regulates some taxes including cigarette and alcohol-related taxes.[160]
South Dakota is represented at the federal level by SenatorJohn Thune, SenatorMike Rounds, and RepresentativeDusty Johnson. All three are Republicans. South Dakota is one of seven states with only one seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.[161] InUnited States presidential elections, South Dakota is allotted three of 538 votes in theElectoral College.[162] As in all other states exceptMaine and neighboringNebraska, South Dakota's electoral votes are granted in a winner-take-all system.[163]
South Dakota politics are generally dominated by theRepublican Party. Since statehood, Republicans have carried the state's electoral votes in all but five presidential elections:1896,1912 (byTheodore Roosevelt'sProgressive Party),1932,1936 and1964. (DemocratGeorge McGovern—a native South Dakotan—failed to carry his home state in1972.) Only Alaska has been carried fewer times by aDemocrat.[163][165] Additionally, a Democrat has not won the governorship since 1974. As of 2024, Republicans hold a 2-to-1 voter registration advantage over Democrats[166] and hold supermajorities in both the state House[167] and the state Senate.[168]
Despite the state's general Republican and conservative leanings, Democrats have found success in various statewide elections, most notably in those involving South Dakota's congressional representatives inWashington. American Indians have been becoming more active in state and county electoral politics. In the 2002 election, American Indian voting carried Tim Johnson as the Democratic candidate by a margin of 532 votes.[169][170] Until his electoral defeat in 2004, SenatorTom Daschle was the Senateminority leader (and briefly itsmajority leader during Democratic control of the Senate in 2001–02).[171] Other prominent South Dakota Democrats include former presidential nomineesGeorge McGovern andHubert Humphrey.
In 2016, South Dakota voted for Republican nomineeDonald Trump over Democratic nomineeHillary Clinton by a margin of 30%.[172] In2018, Republican congresswomanKristi Noem defeated DemocratBillie Sutton in the gubernatorial election by a small margin, and RepublicanDusty Johnson defeated Democrat Tim Bjorkman for the state's at-large seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.[173] Noem was sworn in on January 5, 2019, making her the first female governor of the state.[174]
Contemporary political issues in South Dakota include the costs and benefits of thestate lottery,[175] South Dakota's relatively low rankings in education spending (particularly teacher pay—recently the State Sales Tax was increased from 4% to 4.5% to finance an increase in teacher pay),[176] and recent legislative and electoral attempts to ban abortion in the state.[177][178]
A Republican-supported bill passed in March 2019 requires that all public schools display "In God We Trust" in a prominent location.[179][180]
In a 2020 study, South Dakota was ranked as the 22nd hardest state for citizens to vote in.[181]
South Dakota's culture reflects the state's American Indian, rural, Western, and European roots.[182] A number of annual events celebrating the state's ethnic and historical heritage take place around the state, such as Days of '76 inDeadwood,[183] Czech Days inTabor,[184] and the annualSt. Patrick's Day andCinco de Mayo festivities in Sioux Falls. The various tribes hold many annualpow wows at their reservations throughout the state, to which non-Native Americans are sometimes invited.[185]Custer State Park holds an annual Buffalo Roundup, in which volunteers on horseback gather the park's herd of around 1,500bison.[186]
Black Elk (Lakota) was a medicine man andheyokha, whose life spanned the transition to reservations. His accounts of the 19th-centuryIndian Wars andGhost Dance movement, and his deep thoughts on personal visions and Native American religion, form the basis of the bookBlack Elk Speaks, first published in 1932. (Among several editions, a premier annotated edition was published in 2008.)[187][188]Paul Goble, a children's book author and illustrator, was based in the Black Hills from 1977.[189]
Laura Ingalls Wilder, whose semi-autobiographical books are based on her experiences as a child and young adult on the frontier, is one of South Dakota's best-known writers. She drew from her life growing up on a homestead nearDe Smet as the basis for five of her novels:By the Shores of Silver Lake,The Long Winter,Little Town on the Prairie,These Happy Golden Years, andThe First Four Years.[190] These gained renewed popularity in the United States whenLittle House on the Prairie was adapted and produced as a television series in 1974. Wilder's daughter,Rose Wilder Lane, who became a well-known writer in her own right, was born near De Smet in 1886.
South Dakota has also produced several notable artists.Harvey Dunn grew up on a homestead nearManchester in the late 19th century. While Dunn worked most of his career as a commercial illustrator, his most famous works showed various scenes of frontier life; he completed these near the end of his career.[191]Oscar Howe (Crow) was born on theCrow Creek Indian Reservation and won fame for his watercolor paintings.[192] Howe was one of the first Native American painters to adopt techniques and style heavily influenced by the mid-20th centuryabstraction movement, rather than relying on traditional Native American styles.Terry Redlin, originally fromWatertown, was an accomplished painter of rural and wildlife scenes. Many of his works are on display at theRedlin Art Center in Watertown.[193]
Sioux Falls, with a population of around 192,000, is the largest city in South Dakota.
Sioux Falls is the most populous city in South Dakota, with a 2020 population of 192,517,[194]and a metropolitan area population of 281,958.[195]The city, founded in 1856, is in the southeast corner of the state.[196] Retail, finance, and healthcare have assumed greater importance in Sioux Falls,[197] where the economy was originally centered on agri-business and quarrying.
Rapid City, with a 2020 population of 74,703,[194] and a metropolitan area population of 144,558,[195] is the second-largest city in the state. It is on the eastern edge of the Black Hills, and was founded in 1876.[198] Rapid City's economy is largely based on tourism and defense spending,[197] because of the proximity of many tourist attractions in theBlack Hills andEllsworth Air Force Base.
The next eight largest cities in the state, in order of descending 2010 population, areAberdeen (28,495),Brookings (23,337),Watertown (22,655),Mitchell (15,660),Yankton (15,411),Huron (14,263),Pierre (14,091), andSpearfish (12,193).[194] Pierre is the state capital, and Brookings and Vermillion are the locations of the state's two largest universities (South Dakota State University andUniversity of South Dakota, respectively). With a population of about 14,000, Pierre is the second smallest state capital in the United States.[199] Of the ten largest cities in the state, only Rapid City and Spearfish are west of theMissouri River.[194][200]
There are nine television stations broadcasting in South Dakota;[204]South Dakota Public Television broadcasts from a number of locations around the state, while the other stations broadcast from Sioux Falls or Rapid City. The two largest televisionmedia markets in South Dakota are Sioux Falls-Mitchell, with a viewership of 246,020, and Rapid City, with a viewership of 91,070.[205] The two markets rank as 114th and 177th largest in the United States, respectively.[205] The state's first television station,KELO-TV, began airing in Sioux Falls in 1953. Among KELO's early programs wasCaptain 11, an afternoon children's program.Captain 11 ran from 1955 until 1996, making it the nation's longest continuously running children's television program.[206]
As of 2006, South Dakota has a total primary and secondary school enrollment of 136,872, with 120,278 of these students being educated in the public school system.[212] There are 703 public schools[213] in 168 school districts,[214] giving South Dakota the highest number of schools per capita in the United States.[215] The current high school graduation rate is 89.9%,[216] and the averageACT score is 21.8, slightly above the national average of 21.1.[217] 89.8% of the adult population has earned at least a high school diploma, and 25.8% has earned abachelor's degree or higher.[218] South Dakota's 2008 average public school teacher salary of $36,674 was the lowest in the nation (national average was $52,308).[219] In 2007 South Dakota passed legislation modeled after Montana's Indian Education for All Act (1999), mandating education about Native American tribal history, culture, and heritage in all the schools, from pre-school through college, in an effort to increase knowledge and appreciation about Indian culture among all residents of the state, as well as to reinforce Indian students' understanding of their own cultures' contributions.[220]
Universities in South Dakota host a variety of sports programs. For many years, South Dakota was one of the only states in the country without anNCAA Division I football or basketball team. However, theSouth Dakota State Jackrabbits decided to move their teams fromDivisionII to DivisionI in 2007,[225] a move followed by theSouth Dakota Coyotes in 2011.[226] Other universities in the state compete at the NCAA's Division II level, or in theNAIA.
Fishing and hunting are popular outdoor activities in South Dakota. Fishing contributes over $224 million to South Dakota's economy, and hunting contributes over $303 million.[233] In 2007, over 275,000 hunting licenses and 175,000 fishing licenses were sold in the state; around half of the hunting licenses and over two-thirds of the fishing licenses were purchased by South Dakotans.[234] Popular species of game includepheasants,white-tailed deer,mule deer, andturkeys, as well as waterfowl such asCanada geese,snow geese, andmallards. Targets of anglers includewalleye in the eastern glacial lakes and Missouri River reservoirs,[235][236]Chinook salmon inLake Oahe,[236] andtrout in the Black Hills.[237]
Other sports, such as cycling and running, are also popular in the state. In 1991, the state opened theGeorge S. Mickelson Trail, a 109-mile (175 km)rail trail in the Black Hills.[238] Besides being used by cyclists, the trail is also the site of a portion of the annual Mount Rushmore marathon; the marathon's entire course is at an elevation of over 4,000 feet (1,200 m).[239] Other events in the state include the Tour de Kota, a 478-mile (769 km), six-day cycling event that covers much of eastern and central South Dakota,[240] and the annualSturgis Motorcycle Rally, which draws hundreds of thousands of participants from around the United States.[141]
^Heather Cox Richardson (November 25, 2013).Wounded Knee: Party Politics and the Road to an American Massacre. Basic Books. p. 101.ISBN9780465025114."On February 22, 1889, outgoing President Cleveland signed an omnibus bill that divided the Territory of Dakota in half. The bill also enable the people in the new Territories of North Dakota and South Dakota, as well as the older territories of Montana and Washington, to write state constitutions and elect state governments. The four new states would be admitted into the Union in nine months. This plan cut Democratic New Mexico out of statehood, and split Republican Dakota Territory into two new Republican states. Rather than two new Republican states and two new Democratic states that Congress had considered the previous year, the omnibus bill created three new Republican states and one new Democratic state that Republicans thought they would capture. In their eagerness to admit both Dakotas, Republican congressmen also ignored the uncomfortable fact that much of the land in the anticipated state of South Dakota belonged to the Sioux[permanent dead link]
^"Pleistocene Deposits". South Dakota Department of Environment & Natural Resources. Archived fromthe original on January 16, 2008. RetrievedNovember 28, 2008.
^"Mesozoic Formations". South Dakota Department of Environment & Natural Resources. Archived fromthe original on February 13, 2008. RetrievedNovember 28, 2008.
^"Tertiary Formations". South Dakota Department of Environment & Natural Resources. Archived fromthe original on September 25, 2007. RetrievedNovember 28, 2008.
^"Precambrian Formations". South Dakota Department of Environment & Natural Resources. Archived fromthe original on January 16, 2008. RetrievedNovember 28, 2008.
^ab"Paleozoic Formations". South Dakota Department of Environment & Natural Resources. Archived fromthe original on January 16, 2008. RetrievedNovember 28, 2008.
^Nettinga, Curt.Saving the bison may have saved Wind Cave Park.[1]Archived September 17, 2013, at theWayback MachineRapid City Journal. August 13, 2013. (accessed January 29, 2016)
^"Planning a Trip". frommers.com.Archived from the original on September 26, 2007. RetrievedSeptember 3, 2007.
^"What is Essential Air Service?"(PDF). United States Department of Transportation.Archived(PDF) from the original on December 17, 2008. RetrievedDecember 13, 2008.
^Woodard, Colin (2012).American nations: a history of the eleven rival regional cultures of North America. Penguin Books.ISBN9781101544457.OCLC934597110.
Thompson, Harry F., ed. (2009).A New South Dakota History (Second ed.). Sioux Falls, SD: Center for Western Studies—Augustana College.ISBN978-0-931170-00-3.
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