Minnehaha County, South Dakota

Minnehaha County, South Dakota
Minnehaha County is a county on the eastern border of the state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 197,214, making it the state's most populous county. It contains over 20% of the state's population. Its county seat is Sioux Falls, South Dakota's most populous city. The county was created in 1862 and organized in 1868. Its name was derived from the Sioux word Mnihaha, meaning "rapid water," or "waterfall" (often incorrectly translated as "laughing water").
Minnehaha County is part of the Sioux Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, the state's largest.
Geography
Minnehaha County lies on the east side of South Dakota. Its eastern boundary abuts Minnesota as well as the northern and western boundaries of Iowa. The Big Sioux River flows south-southeast through the east central part of the county. Its terrain consists of rolling hills, devoted to agriculture except around built-up areas, and dotted with lakes and ponds in its western portion. Its terrain generally slopes southward, and the east and west edges slope to the river valley through the center of the county. Its highest point is in the northwest corner, at ASL.
Minnehaha County has an area of , of which is land and (0.8%) is water.
Major highways
Interstate 229 Dwtn.
South Dakota Highway 11
South Dakota Highway 19
South Dakota Highway 38
South Dakota Highway 42
South Dakota Highway 115
Transit
Jefferson Lines at Sioux Falls Bus Station
Sioux Area Metro
Airports
Sioux Falls Regional Airport (FSD)
Wheelborg Landing Field, a small airport in Dell Rapids
Adjacent counties
Moody County - north
Pipestone County, Minnesota - northeast
Rock County, Minnesota - east
Lyon County, Iowa - southeast
Lincoln County - south
Turner County - southwest
McCook County - west
Lake County - northwest
Protected areas
Beaver Creek State Recreation Area
Big Sioux State Recreation Area
Diamond Lake State Game Production Area
Falls Park
Island Lake State Game Production Area (part)
Palisades State Park
Pederson State Game Production Area
Scott Lake State Game Production Area
Twin Lakes State Game Production Area
Wall Lake State Lakeside Use Area
Lakes, rivers and streams
Beaver Creek
Beaver Lake
Big Sioux River
Buffalo Lake
Clear Lake
Covell Lake
Diamond Lake
Fenstrman Slough
Grass Lake
Island Lake (partial)
Lake Lorane
Loss Lake
Lost Lake
Rehfeldt Slough
Scott Lake
Skunk Creek
Split Rock Creek
Twin Lake
Wall Lake
Demographics
2020 census
As of the census of 2020, there were 197,214 people.
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 169,468 people, 67,028 households, and 42,052 families in the county. The population density was . There were 71,557 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 88.1% white, 3.8% Black or African American, 2.5% American Indian, 1.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 1.8% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 43.8% were German, 17.7% were Norwegian, 11.6% were Irish, 6.8% were Dutch, 6.3% were English, and 3.2% were American.
Of the 67,028 households, 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.7% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.3% were non-families, and 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.03. The median age was 34.5 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $51,799 and the median income for a family was $64,645. Males had a median income of $40,187 versus $31,517 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,392. About 6.9% of families and 9.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.2% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
Minnehaha is somewhat conservative for an urban county. Only four Democratic presidential candidates in five different elections have carried the county since 1940.
Communities
Cities
Baltic
Brandon
Colton
Crooks
Dell Rapids
Garretson
Hartford
Sioux Falls (county seat)
Valley Springs
Towns
Humboldt
Sherman
Census-designated places
Anderson
Lyons
Meadow View Addition
Pine Lakes Addition
Renner Corner
Rowena
Unincorporated communities
Andy's Acres
Benclare
Booge
Corson
Ellis
Huntimer
Midway
Morefield
Renner
Townships
Benton
Brandon
Buffalo
Burk
Clear Lake
Dell Rapids
Edison
Grand Meadow
Hartford
Highland
Humboldt
Logan
Lyons
Mapleton
Palisade
Red Rock
Sioux Falls
Split Rock
Sverdrup
Taopi
Valley Springs
Wall Lake
Wayne
Wellington
Historical townsites
East Sioux Falls
Eminija
South Sioux Falls
West Sioux Falls
Wingert
Education
School districts in the county include:
Baltic School District 49-1
Brandon Valley School District 49-2
Canton School District 41-1
Chester School District 39-1
Dell Rapids School District 49-3
Garretson School District 49-4
Harrisburg School District 41-2
Lennox School District 41-4
Montrose School District 43-2
Parker School District 60-4
Sioux Falls School District 49-5
Tea Area School District 41-5
Tri-Valley School District 49-6
West Central School District 49-7
Various rural schools operated in the county's history.
See also
National Register of Historic Places listings in Minnehaha County, South Dakota
References
External links
Minnehaha County, SD government website
Envision 2035 Comprehensive Plan webpage
Capture Minnehaha County website
1868 establishments in Dakota Territory
Populated places established in 1868
South Dakota placenames of Native American origin
Sioux Falls, South Dakota metropolitan area