Facts about South Dakota
Rushmore, probably the best-known location in the state and a widely-used unofficial symbol of South Dakota.
Severe winter storms, occasionally blizzards, can happen in the winter, although the bulk of the snow which falls in South Dakota tends to be in the late autumn and early spring.
South Dakota is predominately Christian (86 percent), with the largest percentages being either Lutheran (27 percent) or Roman Catholic (25 percent).
Agriculture has historically been a key component of the South Dakota economy.
South Dakota has a stable economy, dominated by wholesale and retail trade, agriculture, and tourism.
Other major South Dakota rivers include the Cheyenne, the James, the Big Sioux, and the White.
The state Supreme Court is the highest court in South Dakota and the court of last resort for state appellate actions.
The University of South Dakota, in Vermillion, is the oldest university in the state, and has the only schools of law and medicine in South Dakota.
The finance, insurance and real estate industry is the most valuable industry group in South Dakota, accounting for over 17 percent of the Gross State Product.
South Dakota is bordered on the north by North Dakota; on the south by Nebraska; on the east by Iowa and Minnesota; and on the west by Wyoming and Montana.
South Dakota was admitted to the Union on November 2, 1889, as was North Dakota.
Settlement by Americans and Europeans was, by this time, increasing rapidly, and in 1858, the Yankton Sioux signed the 1858 Treaty, ceding most of present-day eastern South Dakota to the United States.
South Dakota has four major land regions: the Drift Prairie, the Dissected Till Plains, the Great Plains, and the Black Hills.
South Dakota has a continental climate with four very distinct seasons ranging from typically very cold winters and hot summers.
South Dakota has the fourth highest proportion of Native Americans of any state, behind Alaska, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.
Land speculators founded two of eastern South Dakota's largest present-day cities: Sioux Falls in 1856 and Yankton in 1859.
South Dakota summers bring frequent thunderstorms which can be severe with high winds, thunder, and hail.
What is now South Dakota has been inhabited for at least several thousand years.
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America.
Located in the north-central United States, South Dakota is bisected by the Missouri River, dividing the state into two socially and economically distinct halves, known to residents as "East River" and "West River."
During the 1930s, several economic and climatic conditions combined, providing disastrous results for South Dakota.
The Sioux were eventually defeated and settled on Reservations within South Dakota and North Dakota.
The experiences of the dust bowl, coupled with local bank foreclosures and the general economic effects of the Great Depression, resulted in many South Dakotans leaving the state.
The South Dakota State Legislature and governor recently passed legislation giving the mine to the National Science Foundation for use as an underground research laboratory.
South Dakota State University, in Brookings, is the largest university in the state.
Two major interstate highways pass through South Dakota: Interstate 90, which runs east and west; and Interstate 29, running north and south in the eastern portion of the state.
Founded in 1880 on the Missouri River opposite Fort Pierre, the city has been South Dakota's capital since it gained statehood on November 11, 1889.
South Dakota's capital city and seat of government is Pierre (pronounced as pier, not as the French-sounding name pee-air).
Combined with agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting, these industries account for over 50 percent of South Dakota's Gross State Product.
Prior to that time, the cities of Yankton and Bismarck were governing seats to the territory that was to become South Dakota.
Interstate 90, being a major route between western national parks and large cities to the east, brings many out-of-state travellers through South Dakota, thus helping to boost the tourism and hospitality industries.
The South Dakota Board of Regents, whose members are appointed by the governor, controls the six public universities in the state.
A lack of rainfall, extremely high temperatures and over-cultivation of farmland produced what was known as the Dust Bowl in South Dakota and several other plains states.
South Dakota has three branches of government: executive, legislative, and judicial.
South Dakota, historically and currently, is home to the Great Sioux Nation.
The five largest ancestry groups in South Dakota are: German (40.7 percent), Norwegian (15.3 percent), Irish (10.4 percent), Native American (8.3 percent), and English (7.1 percent).
The population of South Dakota declined by more than 7 percent between 1930 and 1940.
In 1861, Dakota Territory was recognized by the United States government (this initially included North Dakota, South Dakota, and parts of Montana and Wyoming).
Historically dominated by an agricultural economy and a rural lifestyle, South Dakota has recently sought to diversify its economy in an effort to attract and retain residents.
Two national parks have been established in South Dakota, both of which are located in the southwestern part of the state.
Much of South Dakota, with the notable exception of the Black Hills, is dominated by a temperate grasslands biome.
South Dakota is represented at the federal level by two senators and one representative.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, the gross state product of South Dakota was $29.4 billion as of 2004.
After controversy over the location of a capital, the Dakota Territory was split in two and divided into North and South in 1889. Later that year, on November 2, North Dakota and South Dakota were admitted to the Union as the 39th and 40th states. This vast territory was one of the last American regions to be settled.
The Black Hills are the highest mountains east of the Rockies. Mt. Rushmore, in this group, is famous for the carvings of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt by Gutzon Borglum. A memorial to Crazy Horse is also being carved in granite near Custer.
Agriculture. Livestock and livestock products are the most important agricultural products produced in the state. In terms of revenue generated South Dakota's top five agricultural products are cattle and calves, corn for grain, soybeans, wheat, and hogs.
The territory that would become South Dakota was added to the United States in 1803 as part of the Louisiana Purchase.The first permanent American settlement was established at Fort Pierre by the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1804.White settlement of the territory in the 1800sled to clashes with the Sioux, as some of ...
South Dakota has a continental climate with four distinct seasons, ranging from cold, dry winters to hot 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.