Aurora County, South Dakota

Aurora County, South Dakota
Aurora County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,747. The county was created in 1879, and was organized in 1881.
History
Aurora County, named for Aurora, the Roman goddess of the dawn, was created by the Dakota Territory on 1 October 1879. It was organized on August 29, 1881, when three county commissioners were appointed. The county had been established from the combination of former counties Cragin and Wetmore, which had both been formed in 1873. The three county commissioners met on 29 August 1881, and named Plankinton the county seat, an act which was ratified by voters in November 1882. The northern portion of Aurora County was partitioned off on April 17, 1883, and established as Jerauld County.
Geography
The terrain of Aurora County consists of low rolling hills, partially devoted to agriculture. It is dotted with small lakes and ponds. The highest point is the upper west boundary line, and the terrain slopes east-northeastward; the lowest point is the county's northeast corner at ASL.
The county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.6%) is water.
Major highways
Interstate 90
U.S. Highway 281
South Dakota Highway 42
Adjacent counties
Jerauld County - north
Sanborn County - northeast
Davison County - east
Douglas County - south
Charles Mix County - southwest
Brule County - west
Protected areas
Crystal Lake Public Shooting Area
Hanson Lake State Public Shooting Area
Kimball State Public Shooting Area
Koch Waterfowl Production Area
Kramer Slaugh Public Shooting Area
Krell Waterfowl Production Area
Lutz Waterfowl Production Area
Maine Waterfowl Production Area
National Waterfowl Production Area
Pleasant Lake State Public Shooting Area
Schute Waterfowl Production Area
Sorenson Waterfowl Production Area
Wilmarth Lake Game Production Area
Demographics
2020 census
As of the census of 2020, there were 2,747 people.
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 2,710 people, 1,102 households, and 736 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 1,324 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 95.1% white, 1.5% American Indian, 0.7% Asian, 0.4% black or African American, 1.8% from other races, and 0.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 54.3% were German, 13.7% were Dutch, 11.8% were Norwegian, 8.7% were Irish, 7.2% were English, and 4.9% were American.
Of the 1,102 households, 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.5% were married couples living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.2% were non-families, and 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.96. The median age was 43.2 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $45,230 and the median income for a family was $55,588. Males had a median income of $30,185 versus $27,206 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,291. About 4.5% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.4% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
Cities
Plankinton (county seat)
White Lake
Town
Stickney
Census-designated places
Aurora Center
Storla
Townships
Aurora Township
Belford Township
Bristol Township
Center Township
Cooper Township
Crystal Lake Township
Dudley Township
Eureka Township
Firesteel Township
Gales Township
Hopper Township
Lake Township
Palatine Township
Patten Township
Plankinton Township
Pleasant Lake Township
Pleasant Valley Township
Truro Township
Washington Township
White Lake Township
Politics
Aurora County at one time favored the Democratic Party and was one of just 130 counties nationwide to be won by South Dakota favorite son George McGovern, who grew up in adjacent Davison County. However, with the “Reagan Revolution” of the 1980s it has gradually turned into a strongly Republican county. The last Democrat to win a majority in Aurora County was Michael Dukakis in the 1988 election.
See also
National Register of Historic Places listings in Aurora County, South Dakota
References
1881 establishments in Dakota Territory
Populated places established in 1881