Howard is a city in Miner County,

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large portion ...

, United States. The population was 848 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat and most populous city in Miner County.

History

The city of Howard was established in 1881, shortly after the Southern Minnesota Railway was extended to that point. The city was named for Howard Farmer, the son of the townsite owner, J. D. Farmer. In 1883, when Miner and Sanborn counties were organized, the town was named the county seat of Miner County. One of the first known photographs of a tornado is an image of the 1884 Howard, South Dakota tornado. The first public library in

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of N ...

was the Howard Public Library, chartered in 1886. Howard became the first municipality in South Dakota to own and operate its own

wind turbine A wind turbine is a device that converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. Hundreds of thousands of large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, now generate over 650 gigawatts of power, with 60 GW added each year. W ...

s in 2001. Since 2001, over 200 new jobs have been created in the community. From 1996 to 2008, the city's sales tax revenues increased 123%.

Geography

Howard is located southeastern South Dakota at (44.010422, -97.526435). The city is situated on

South Dakota Highway 34 South Dakota Highway 34 (SD 34) is a state route that runs parallel to Interstate 90 across the entire state of South Dakota. It begins at the Wyoming border west of Belle Fourche, as a continuation of Wyoming Highway 24 (WYO 24). The eas ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the city has a total area of , all land. Howard has been assigned the ZIP code 57349 and the

FIPS place code The Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) of the United States are a set of publicly announced standards that the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed for use in computer systems of non-military, American ...

30460.

Climate

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 858 people, 414 households, and 195 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical term.Matt RosenberPop ...

was . There were 509 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.8%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.1% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.6% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.4% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties form ...

or Latino of any race were 1.3% of the population. There were 414 households, of which 20.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.2% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 1.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 52.9% were non-families. 49.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 28.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.97 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age in the city was 50.5 years. 21.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 17.2% were from 25 to 44; 27.2% were from 45 to 64; and 30.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.9% male and 53.1% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,071 people, 493 households, and 273 families residing in the city. The

was 1,138.7 people per square mile (439.9/km²). There were 557 housing units at an average density of 592.2 per square mile (228.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.13%

, 0.47%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of enslav ...

, 0.65% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.28% from

, and 0.19% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.31% of the population. There were 493 households, out of which 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.6% were non-families. 41.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 25.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.84. In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.7% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 21.4% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 32.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $26,544, and the median income for a family was $36,518. Males had a median income of $26,250 versus $20,054 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $15,121. About 5.3% of families and 9.6% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 8.3% of those under age 18 and 16.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Howard School District (encompassing most of Miner County and small portions of McCook,

Hanson Hanson or Hansson may refer to: People * Hanson (surname) * Hansson (surname) * Hanson (wrestler), ringname of an American professional wrestler Musical groups * Hanson (band), an American pop rock band * Hanson (UK band), an English rock ...

, and Kingsbury counties) is based in Howard. The district operates Howard Elementary School, Howard Jr. High School and Howard Senior High School within the town. St. Agatha School was a private,

Catholic school Catholic schools are pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered under the aegis or in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest religious, non-governmental school syst ...

located in Howard. The high school closed in 1966. The grade school closed a few years later.

Notable people

* Johan Andreas Holvik, author and educator * Wayne Rasmussen, professional football player * Perry Doerr, former New Jersey government official * Tom Kilian, educator Augustana University and Kilian Community College, historian, futuri Jon Robert Fosheim born and raised in Howard. He was a lawyer in Huron and then he became a Circuit Court Judge for 19 years in Beadle County. He also became the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court for the state of SD.

References

External links

{{Authority control Cities in South Dakota Cities in Miner County, South Dakota County seats in South Dakota