Gann Valley is a
census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...
in and the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
of
Buffalo County,
South Dakota
South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...
, United States.
The town had a population of 14 as of the
2010 census. It is the smallest unincorporated county seat in the United States.
Description
The community was founded in 1885 by Herst Gann in a valley on Crow Creek just east of the
Crow Creek Reservation
The Crow Creek Indian Reservation ( dak, Khąǧí wakpá okášpe, '' lkt, Kȟaŋğí Wakpá Oyáŋke''), home to Crow Creek Sioux Tribe ( dak, Khąǧí wakpá oyáte) is located in parts of Buffalo County, South Dakota, Buffalo, Hughes County, ...
. Gann donated the courthouse in the community and A.L. Spencer donated 30 acres, resulting in the community becoming the county seat. In 1886 the county seat was moved to Buffalo Center but was moved back to Gann in 1888.
Its
ZIP code is 57341.
The
center of population
In demographics, the center of population (or population center) of a region is a geographical point that describes a centerpoint of the region's population. There are several ways of defining such a "center point", leading to different geogr ...
of South Dakota is located in Gann Valley. Gann Valley holds the record for the hottest temperature in South Dakota ().
Climate
This
climatic
Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologic ...
region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
system, Gann Valley has a
humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...
, abbreviated "Dfa" on climate maps.
See also
*
List of census-designated places in South Dakota
Census-designated places (CDPs) are unincorporated communities lacking elected municipal officers and boundaries with legal status. South Dakota has 79 census designated places.
Census-designated places
References
{{Lists of CDPs by stat ...
References
{{Authority control
Census-designated places in Buffalo County, South Dakota
Census-designated places in South Dakota
County seats in South Dakota
Populated places established in 1885
1885 establishments in Dakota Territory