Beadle County, South Dakota

Beadle County, South Dakota
Beadle County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,149. Its county seat is Huron. The county was created in 1879 and organized in 1880. Beadle County comprises the Huron, SD Micropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Beadle County, named for Brigadier General William Henry Harrison Beadle, was created by the Dakota Territory Legislature in 1879, and was organized in 1880 with the appointment of three county commissioners by Governor Nehemiah G. Ordway. The first town within Beadle County was Cavour, but Huron was named the county seat when the county commissioners first met there in July 1880.
Geography
The James River flows south-southeastward through the eastern central part of Beadle County. The terrain of Beadle County consists of low rolling hills, sloping toward the river valley. The county's highest point is its SW corner, at ASL. Its lowest point is on the south boundary line, where James River flows into adjacent Sanborn County, at ASL.
The county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.5%) is water.
Major highways
U.S. Highway 14
U.S. Highway 281
South Dakota Highway 28
South Dakota Highway 37
Adjacent counties
Spink County - north
Clark County - northeast
Kingsbury County - east
Sanborn County - southeast
Jerauld County - southwest
Hand County - west
Protected areas
Bob Roe Memorial State Game Production Area
Brecken Slough State Game Production Area
Cavour Lake State Game Production Area
James River School State game Production Area
Lake Byron Hogsback State Game Production Area
Mallard Slough State Game Production Area
Mud Lake State Game Production Area
North Byron State Game Production Area
Norwegian/Borden State Game Production Area
Pheasant Country State Game Production Area
Sand Creek State Game Production Area
South Byron State Game Production Area
South James River State Game Production Area
Staum Dam State Game Production Area
Third Street Dam State Game Production Area
Upper Cain Creek State Game Production Area
Demographics
2020 census
As of the census of 2020, there were 19,149 people.
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 17,398 people, 7,276 households, and 4,509 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 8,304 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 89.7% white, 3.6% Asian, 1.1% American Indian, 0.8% black or African American, 0.1% Pacific islander, 3.0% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 7.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 45.4% were German, 11.7% were Norwegian, 10.3% were Irish, 8.8% were English, and 4.1% were American.
Of the 7,276 households, 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.0% were non-families, and 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age was 41.2 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $40,716 and the median income for a family was $56,288. Males had a median income of $37,020 versus $25,824 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,409. About 6.3% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.8% of those under age 18 and 12.5% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
Cities
Huron (county seat)
Iroquois (partial)
Wessington (partial)
Towns
Broadland
Cavour
Hitchcock
Virgil
Wolsey
Yale
Census-designated places
Huron Colony
Morningside
Pearl Creek Colony
Riverside Colony
Shamrock Colony
Townships
Allen
Altoona
Banner
Barrett
Belle Prairie
Bonilla
Broadland
Burr Oak
Carlyle
Cavour
Clifton
Clyde
Custer
Dearborn
Fairfield
Foster
Grant
Hartland
Huron
Iowa
Kellogg
Lake Byron
Liberty
Logan
Milford
Nance
Pearl Creek
Pleasant View
Richland
Sand Creek
Theresa
Valley
Vernon
Wessington
Whiteside
Wolsey
Politics
Beadle County has become more Republican in recent history. In 2000, George W. Bush won the county, ending a streak of Democratic-majority voting that began in 1990.
See also
National Register of Historic Places listings in Beadle County, South Dakota
The Old Timers by J. L. Carr
References
Bibliography
J.L. Carr (1957) The Old Timers. A social history of the way of life of the home-steading pioneers in the Prairie States during the first few years of settlement, as shown by a typical community, the 'old-timers' of Beadle County in South Dakota. Huron, South Dakota: privately printed.
1880 establishments in Dakota Territory
Populated places established in 1880