Harrisburg is a city in Lincoln County,

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, 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 Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...

, United States and is a suburb of

Sioux Falls Sioux Falls ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 117th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into northern Lincoln County. The population was 192 ...

. The population was 6,732 at the 2020 census.

History

Before the railroad was built through Lincoln County, a stagecoach brought mail to the Johnson Harris Homestead located on Nine Mile Creek in Dayton Township. Johnson Harris named the post office Harrisburg in honor of himself.Harrisburg Economic Development Board
"History"
"Harrisburg South Dakota Community Profile", 2011-2012 The history of Harrisburg started August 1, 1879, when the first train came rolling through the territory. The train went from

Sioux City, Iowa Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury County, Iowa, Woodbury and Plymouth County, Iowa, Plymouth counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Iowa, fo ...

, to

Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls ( ) is the List of cities in South Dakota, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the List of United States cities by population, 117th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha Coun ...

. The post office was moved to the Emory J. Darling Homestead, 1 mile south of what is now Harrisburg. The post office was called Salina in honor of Mrs. Jim Stillwell, an early settler and a highly respected teacher. Finally in 1890, the depot was moved to its present site. The post office took back its original name and the town of Harrisburg was born. One of the many early businesses in Harrisburg was the State Bank, ''circa'' 1901–1945. The bank's building is still located in its original spot at 101 Railroad Ave. The bank itself was built in 1899 and completely restored in 2006 by its current owner RISE, Inc. is a construction management/structural engineering firm. Much mystery surrounds the old bank building, including whether or not the infamous bandit John Dillinger stopped to rob it. According to popular legend, after Dillinger robbed the bank, he fired a round into the teller counter as a reminder not to follow him out. That bullet hole remains there today.

Government

The city of Harrisburg is led by a mayor-council (strong mayor) form of government. Mayoral elections occur every four years. City council seats are contested every three years; However, not all of the council members are elected in the same year. The council consists of four members elected to represent two wards. The council member position is designed to be part-time.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , all land. Harrisburg is an estimated 2.7 miles from the southern edge of Sioux Falls.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 6,732 people, 2,268 households, and 1,752 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 2,399 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 92.1%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.1%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.6% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.0%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.9% from some other races and 5.0% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 3.1% of the population. 33.2% of residents were under the age of 18, 8.2% were under 5 years of age, and 3.7% were 65 and older.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 4,089 people, 1,423 households, and 1,133 families residing in the city. The

was . There were 1,507 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.8%

, 0.5%

, 0.2% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.3% of the population. There were 1,423 households, of which 53.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.0% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 20.4% were non-families. 13.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.87 and the average family size was 3.18. The median age in the city was 27.1 years. 34% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 42.6% were from 25 to 44; 13.1% were from 45 to 64; and 2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.0% male and 51.0% female.

Education

The Harrisburg School District currently has a high school divided into two campuses, three middle schools, and seven elementary schools. Due to a mismatch in the boundaries between school districts and municipal boundaries, most of the schools are located within

. There are approximately 4,800 students in the district.

High school

* Harrisburg - 2023 Vex Robotics World Champions * Harrisburg Freshman Academy - in Sioux Falls

Middle schools

* North - in Sioux Falls * South * East - in Sioux Falls

Elementary schools

* Adventure * Endeavor - in Sioux Falls * Explorer - in Sioux Falls * Freedom * Horizon - in Sioux Falls * Journey - in Sioux Falls * Liberty Adventure Elementary, Freedom Elementary, and Liberty Elementary are located inside Harrisburg city limits. In 2008, a new sports complex and stadium were built at the new high school on the west side of Harrisburg, along with construction of soccer fields and tennis courts on the north side of the Harrisburg High School campus. Harrisburg is in SDHSAA class AA in athletics and would compete with the five other class Sioux Falls metro schools, but those Sioux Falls schools moved up to AAA at the same time. Harrisburg has competed in class AAA football since the 2019 season.

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Cities in South Dakota Cities in Lincoln County, South Dakota Sioux Falls, South Dakota metropolitan area