Sioux Falls () is the
most populous city in the
U.S. state of
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 po ...
and the
130th-most populous city in the United States. It is 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 ...
of
Minnehaha County
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 ...
and also extends into
Lincoln County to the south, which continues up to the
Iowa
Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...
state line. As of 2020, Sioux Falls had a population of 192,517,
which was estimated in 2022 to have increased to 202,600. The Sioux Falls metro area accounts for more than 30% of the state's population. Chartered in 1856 on the banks of the
Big Sioux River, the city is situated in the rolling hills at the junction of
interstates 29 and
90.
History
The history of Sioux Falls revolves around the cascades of the
Big Sioux River. The falls were created about 14,000 years ago during the
last ice age. The lure of the falls has been a powerful influence. Ho-Chunk, Ioway, Otoe, Missouri, Omaha (and Ponca at the time), Quapaw, Kansa, Osage, Arikira, Dakota, and Cheyenne people inhabited and settled the region previous to Europeans and European descendants. Numerous
burial mounds still exist on the high bluffs near the river and are spread throughout the general vicinity. Indigenous people maintained an agricultural society with fortified villages, and the later arrivals rebuilt on many of the same sites that were previously settled.
Lakota populate urban and reservation communities in the contemporary state and many Lakota, Dakota, and numerous other Indigenous Americans reside in Sioux Falls today.
French voyagers/explorers visited the area in the early 18th century. The first documented visit by an American of European descent was by
Philander Prescott, who camped overnight at the falls in December 1832. Captain
James Allen led a military expedition out of Fort Des Moines in 1844. Jacob Ferris described the Falls in his 1856 book "The States and Territories of the Great West".
Two separate groups, the Dakota Land Company of
St. Paul and the Western Town Company of
Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque (, ) is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. At the time of the 2020 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a r ...
organized in 1856 to claim the land around the falls, considered a promising townsite for its beauty and water power. Each laid out claims, but worked together for mutual protection. They built a temporary barricade of turf which they dubbed "Fort Sod", in response to native tribes attempting to defend their land from the settlers. Seventeen men then spent "the first winter" in Sioux Falls. The following year the population grew to near 40.
Although conflicts in
Minnehaha County
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 ...
between
Native Americans and white
settler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area.
A settler who migrates to an area previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited may be described as a pioneer.
Settle ...
s were few, the
Dakota War of 1862 engulfed nearby southwestern
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over t ...
. The town was evacuated in August of that year when two local
settlers
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area.
A settler who migrates to an area previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited may be described as a pioneer.
Settle ...
were killed as a result of the conflict. The settlers and
soldier
A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer.
Etymology
The word ''soldier'' deri ...
s stationed here traveled to
Yankton in late August 1862. The abandoned townsite was pillaged and burned.
Fort Dakota, a military reservation established in present-day downtown, was established in May 1865. Many former settlers gradually returned and a new wave of settlers arrived in the following years. The population grew to 593 by 1873, and a building boom was underway in that year. The Village of Sioux Falls, consisting of , was incorporated in 1876 and was granted a city charter by the Dakota Territorial legislature on March 3, 1883.
The arrival of the
railroads ushered in the great Dakota Boom decade of the 1880s. The population of Sioux Falls mushroomed from 2,164 in 1880 to 10,167 at the close of the decade. The growth transformed the city. A severe plague of grasshoppers and a national depression halted the boom by the early 1890s. The city grew by only 89 people from 1890 to 1900.
But prosperity eventually returned with the opening of the John Morrell meat packing plant in 1909, the establishment of an airbase and a military radio and communications training school in 1942, and the completion of the interstate highways in the early 1960s. Much of the growth in the first part of the 20th century was fueled by agriculturally based industry, such as the Morrell plant and the nearby stockyards (one of the largest in the nation).
In 1955 the city decided to consolidate the neighboring incorporated city of
South Sioux Falls. At the time South Sioux Falls had a population of nearly 1,600 inhabitants, according to the 1950 census. It was the third largest city in the county after Sioux Falls and Dell Rapids. By October 18, 1955, South Sioux Falls residents voted 704 in favor and 227 against to consolidate with Sioux Falls. On the same issue, Sioux Falls residents voted on November 15 by the vote 2,714 in favor and 450 against.
In 1981, to take advantage of recently relaxed state
usury
Usury () is the practice of making unethical or immoral monetary loans that unfairly enrich the lender. The term may be used in a moral sense—condemning taking advantage of others' misfortunes—or in a legal sense, where an interest rate is c ...
laws,
Citibank
Citibank, N. A. (N. A. stands for " National Association") is the primary U.S. banking subsidiary of financial services multinational Citigroup. Citibank was founded in 1812 as the City Bank of New York, and later became First National City ...
relocated its primary credit card center from
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
to Sioux Falls. Some claim that this event was the primary impetus for the increased population and job growth rates that Sioux Falls has experienced over the past quarter-century. Others point out that Citibank's relocation was only part of a more general transformation of the city's economy from an industrially based one to an economy centered on health care, finance, and retail trade.
Sioux Falls has grown at a rapid pace since the late 1970s, with the city's population increasing from 81,182 in 1980 to 192,517 in 2020.
2019 tornadoes
On the night of
September 10, 2019, the south side of Sioux Falls was hit by three strong EF2 tornadoes, severely damaging at least 37 buildings, including the Plaza 41 Shopping Center. One tornado hit the Avera Heart Hospital, damaging portions of the roof and windows, and causing seven injuries, including a man who fractured his skull as he was thrown into an exterior wall of the hospital. Another tornado hit the busy commercial district near the Empire Mall, injuring one woman inside her home. Another touched down on the far south side in a suburban residential area, tearing the roofs off homes. The total damage was more than $5 million.
Geography
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 th ...
, the city has an area of , of which is land and is water.
The city is in extreme eastern South Dakota, about west of the
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over t ...
border. Sioux Falls has been assigned the
ZIP Codes 57101, 57103–57110, 57117–57118, 57188–57189, and 57192–57198, and the
FIPS place code 59020.
Metropolitan area
The
Sioux Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area consists of four South Dakota counties:
Lincoln,
McCook,
Minnehaha, and
Turner. The estimated population of this MSA in 2017 was 259,094, an increase of 13.51% from the 2010 census.
According to recent estimates, Lincoln County is the 16th-fastest-growing county in the United States. In addition to Sioux Falls, the metropolitan area includes
Canton
Canton may refer to:
Administrative division terminology
* Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland
* Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French
Arts and ente ...
,
Brandon,
Dell Rapids,
Tea,
Harrisburg
Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in ...
,
Worthing
Worthing () is a seaside town in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 111,400 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Brighton and Ho ...
,
Beresford,
Lennox,
Hartford,
Crooks,
Baltic
Baltic may refer to:
Peoples and languages
*Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian
*Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originatin ...
,
Montrose,
Salem, Renner, Rowena, Chancellor, Colton, Humboldt, Parker, Hurley,
Garretson, Sherman, Corson, Viborg, Irene, and Centerville.
Climate
Due to its inland location and relatively high latitude, Sioux Falls 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 freez ...
(
Köppen ''Dfa'') characterized by hot, humid summers and cold, dry winters. It is in
USDA Plant Hardiness Zone
A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most wide ...
4b. The monthly daily average temperature ranges from in January to in July; there are 15 days of maxima at or above and 25 days with minima at or below annually.
[ Snowfall occurs mostly in light to moderate amounts during the winter, totaling .][ Precipitation, at annually, is concentrated in the warmer months.][ This results in frequent ]thunderstorm
A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorms are some ...
s in summer from convection
Convection is single or multiphase fluid flow that occurs spontaneously due to the combined effects of material property heterogeneity and body forces on a fluid, most commonly density and gravity (see buoyancy). When the cause of the c ...
being built up with the unstable weather patterns. Extremes range from on February 9, 1899 to as recently as June 21, 1988.[
]
Demographics
2010 census
As of the census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...
of 2010, there were 153,888 people, 61,707 households, and 37,462 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 66,283 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup
A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...
of the city was 86.8% White, 4.2% African American, 2.7% Native American, 1.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.0% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.4% of the population.
There were 61,707 households, of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.3% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.02.
The median age in the city was 33.6 years. 24.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 29.7% were from 25 to 44; 24.1% were from 45 to 64; and 10.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.6% male and 50.4% female.
In 2015, the median household income in Minnehaha County, SD was $59,884, while Lincoln County, SD was $76,094. This represents a 0.29% growth from the previous year. The median family income for Sioux Falls was $74,632 in 2015. Males had a median income of $40,187 versus $31,517 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 county was $26,392. 11.8% of the population and 8.5% of families 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 ...
. Out of the total population, 16.8% of those under the age of 18 and 8.8% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Many European immigrants, primarily from Scandinavia, Germany and the British Isles, settled in South Dakota in the 19th century. By 1890, one-third of the residents of South Dakota were immigrants.
Religion
Most Sioux Falls residents are Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...
; Catholics
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
are the second-largest group. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a mainline Protestant Lutheran church headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA was officially formed on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three Lutheran church bodies. , it has approxim ...
is the largest Lutheran denomination in the city, with 20 churches in Sioux Falls.
Economy
Partially due to the lack of a state corporate income tax, Sioux Falls is home to a number of financial companies. The largest employers among these are Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational financial services company with corporate headquarters in San Francisco, California; operational headquarters in Manhattan; and managerial offices throughout the United States and intern ...
and Citigroup
Citigroup Inc. or Citi ( stylized as citi) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services corporation headquartered in New York City. The company was formed by the merger of banking giant Citicorp and financial conglomera ...
.
While no longer as economically dominant as it once was, the manufacturing
Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to ...
and food processing
Food processing is the transformation of agricultural products into food, or of one form of food into other forms. Food processing includes many forms of processing foods, from grinding grain to make raw flour to home cooking to complex in ...
sector remains an important component of Sioux Falls's economy. The Smithfield Foods/John Morrell meatpacking plant is the city's third-largest employer.
Arts and culture
Events
Downtown Sioux Falls hosts a SculptureWalk every summer and "First Fridays" on the first Friday of each summer month. The Downtown Riverfest is an annual Sioux Falls festival.
Festival of Bands is a regional competition that hosts over 40 marching bands each year from across the Midwest. The Sioux Empire Spectacular is a Drum Corps regional competition. Party in the Park is an annual outdoor musical event held at Terrace Park. The Sioux Empire Fair is a regional fair held at the W. H. Lyon Fairgrounds, and the Sioux Falls JazzFest is hosted at Yankton Trail Park each year.
SiouxperCon is an annual nonprofit fan convention that celebrates comic books, sci-fi, fantasy, anime, board games, and video gaming.
Arts
In the beginning of the 21st century, Sioux Falls experienced a renaissance of cultural interest. The Sioux Empire Arts Council continues to lead in the Sioux Falls area arts scene and gives out Mayor's Awards each year in several categories for excellence demonstrated by Sioux Falls residents. The Sioux Falls SculptureWalk was the first visual evidence of the renaissance and is an attraction for both visitors and resident artists, hosting over 55 sculptures. One of the earliest promoters of the contemporary arts scene was Sheila Agee, who lives in nearby Brandon. Her work was essential to the renovation of the original Washington High School into the Washington Pavilion (housing two performing arts, a visual arts, and a science center).
The Northern Plains Indian Art Market (NPIAM) was established in 1988 by American Indian Services, Inc., of Sioux Falls as the Northern Plains Tribal Arts Show (NPTA). Northern Plains Tribal Arts dominated the Sioux Falls art scene from its inception in 1988. American Indian Services produced the juried art show and market from 1988 to 2003. Since 2004, Sinte Gleca University of Rosebud has been the producing organization. 2012 marked the show's 25th year. Directors have included Marilyn Lone Hill and Jack Herman. In the first 25 years of its existence—one of the longest-running Indian art shows in the country—over 800 artists from 7 northern plains states and two Canadian provinces exhibited at NPTA/NPIAM. Writers for national publications, filmmakers, and researchers have all joined the audiences over the years. Northern Plains Indian Art Market continues under the auspices of Sinte Gleca.
A permanent Northern Plains Tribal Arts collection is housed in the Egger Gallery at the Washington Pavilion. Since the Washington Pavilion opened its doors to the public in 1999, the collection has called the Visual Arts Center home. Originally the pieces were on an extended loan from American Indian Services, Inc.; in 2013, thanks to many supporters, the works were acquired under the title of the Augustana Tribal Arts Collection, and now officially belong to the Visual Arts Center.
As the 21st century began, poetry and literary events became more popular with the opening of the Sioux Empire Arts Council Horse Barn Gallery (then directed by Deb Klebanoff), and due to a National Endowment for the Arts-supported Y Writer's Voice, founded and directed by Allison Hedge Coke
Allison Adelle Hedge Coke is an American poet and editor. Her debut book, ''Dog Road Woman'', won the American Book Award and was the first finalist of the Paterson Poetry Prize and Diane DeCora Award. Since then, she has written five more books ...
. The Y Writer's Voice included an annual reading series of 38 nationally known poets and writers, who performed works and youth workshops through the Sioux Falls Writers Voice in local performance spaces, at the YMCA after-school program, and in local schools, gaining national attention.
The Sioux Falls mayor's awards in literary arts designated movers and shakers during the growth and development of the literary arts scene. Klebanoff, born in Sioux Falls, began the reading series at the Horse Barn with Coke after serving on the Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce's Cultural Affairs committee, including a term as its chair and for almost a decade with the Sioux Empire Arts Council, including eight years as its executive director. She later moved south of Sioux Falls and founded a writers' retreat, The Retreat at Pointer's Ridge.
In addition to literary awards, there are mayor's awards in visual arts, performing arts, music, organizing in the arts, advocacy, and lifetime achievement, per the mayor's discretion. Many visual artists got their start in and/or represent the city, including Carl Grupp, Mary Groth, Ceca Cooper, Marian Henjum, Brad Kringen, Nancyjane Huehl, Don Hooper, Nathan Holman, Gary Hartenhoff, Sheila Agee, Mary Selvig, Martha Baker, Chad Mohr, Paul Schiller, Liz Heeren, Edward Two Eagle, Edwin Two Eagle, James Starkey, and painter/muralist Byob Mergia.
The Sioux Falls Jazz and Blues Festival is a three-day outdoor musical event featuring two stages and is free to the public. It is held the third weekend in July at Yankton Trail Park. The Sioux Falls Jazz & Blues Society hosts national musicians during its annual concert series. Each year the series includes approximately five concerts with acts from all over the world. JazzFest, with over 125,000 in annual attendance, has expanded over the years to include the Jazziest Diversity Project, the All-City Jazz Ensemble, the Concert Series, and JazzFest Jazz Camp. 2016 was the festival's 25th anniversary year.
In 2019, Levitt at the Falls launched its first season of free concerts in a state-of-the-art outdoor amphitheater in Falls Park West. The Levitt at the Falls project is a three-way partnership between the local Friends of the Levitt Shell Sioux Falls (Levitt at the Falls) nonprofit, the National Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation, and the City of Sioux Falls. All three played key roles in securing the nation's eighth permanent Levitt venue. Levitt at the Falls provides a season of 50 free professional concerts each summer.
The Downtown Riverfest brings live music, art, kids' activities and more in an annual festival that embraces the beauty of the Big Sioux.
Downtown Sioux Falls boasts Ipso Gallery, directed by Liz Bashore Heeren, The Orpheum Theater, SculptureWalk, Sioux Empire Community Theater, Sioux Falls State Theater, The Museum of Visual Materials, The Interactive Water Fountain, Falls Park, Creative Spirits, Eastbank Art Gallery, Levitt at the Falls, and the Washington Pavilion, home to the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra and the occasional Poets & Painters show (P1, P2, P3, P4, P5...). Prairie Star Gallery, recently closed, was an additional American Indian Arts gallery and store.
Landmarks
The Washington Pavilion contains the Kirby Science Discovery Center, as well as two performing arts centers that host several Broadway productions and operas. The South Dakota Symphony's home hosts dance groups as well as smaller theater and choral events. The Visual Arts Center, also part of the Pavilion complex, hosts six galleries of changing exhibits, all free of charge. The Wells Fargo Cinedome is a multiformat dome theater that plays several films each month.
The Great Plains Zoo & Delbridge Museum provides the area with natural history and animal exhibits in its park, and has dioramas depicting wildlife.
The USS ''South Dakota'' Battleship Memorial to the World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
battleship
A battleship is a large armour, armored warship with a main artillery battery, battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1 ...
USS ''South Dakota'' is on State Highway 42 (West 12th Street) and Kiwanis Avenue.
The 114th Fighter Wing
The 114th Fighter Wing (114 FW) is a unit of the South Dakota Air National Guard, stationed at Joe Foss Field Air National Guard Station, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. If activated to federal service, the Wing is gained by the United States Air For ...
is at Joe Foss Field and houses F-16C/D fighter aircraft. The SD ANG unit is known for its support of community activities and services.
A replica of Michelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (; 6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), known as Michelangelo (), was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was ins ...
's ''David
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
'' is near the downtown area at Fawick Park.
Sports
The Sioux Falls Canaries were known as the Sioux Falls Fighting Pheasants from 2010 to 2013.
Special sporting events
Sioux Falls has several multipurpose athletic stadiums: the primarily baseball Sioux Falls Stadium
Sioux Falls Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It originally opened in 1941 and was renovated in 2000.
It is primarily used for baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine ...
, indoor Sioux Falls Arena
Sioux Falls Arena is a 7,500-seat multi-purpose arena located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The facility was built in 1961. It seats 6,113 for basketball games and 4,760 for indoor football and hockey.
It was the home of the Sioux Falls Skyforce b ...
, indoor Sanford Pentagon
The Sanford Pentagon (colloquially known as The Pentagon) is an indoor arena located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Pentagon opened in September 2013 and has a seating capacity of 3,250 spectators. It hosts the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA G ...
, and indoor Denny Sanford Premier Center
The Denny Sanford Premier Center is an indoor arena in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The building is located at 1201 North West Avenue, and is connected to the Sioux Falls Arena and Sioux Falls Convention Center. The Arena's naming rights partners ...
. Sioux Falls Stadium hosted the 2007 American Association of Independent Professional Baseball all-star game.
Constructed in 2014, the Denny Sanford Premier Center is home to the Summit League's men's and women's basketball tournaments. The Premier Center also hosted the 2017 USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.
Government
The city of Sioux Falls is led by a mayor–council (strong mayor) form of government. Mayoral elections occur every four years. City council seats are also contested every four years. Not all councilmembers are elected in the same year, as the elections are staggered throughout even-numbered years. The council consists of five members elected to represent specific sections of the city and three additional seats that represent the city as a whole (that is, at-large
At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather than ...
). The councilmember position is designed to be part-time. Sioux Falls operates under a home rule
Home rule is government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. It is thus the power of a part (administrative division) of a state or an external dependent country to exercise such of the state's powers of governance wi ...
charter as permitted by the South Dakota constitution.
In the 2004 presidential election, George W. Bush won both Minnehaha and Lincoln counties, receiving 56% and 65% of the vote, respectively. In 2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
, Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...
won Minnehaha County by 0.7%, while John McCain
John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two te ...
won Lincoln County by 15%. Both counties have voted for the Republican nominee in every presidential election since 2012.
Education
Higher education
Sioux Falls is home to Augustana University
Augustana University is a private Lutheran university in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The university identifies 1860 as the year of its founding, the same as its Rock Island, Illinois Swedish-heritage sister school, Augustana College. It derives ...
, the University of Sioux Falls, Sioux Falls Seminary, Southeast Technical College, National American University
National American University (NAU) is a private for-profit online university with locations at Ellsworth Air Force Base and Naval Submarine Base King's Bay. It is owned by National American University Holdings, Inc. (NAUH). In 2018, NAU a ...
, the South Dakota School for the Deaf, the University of South Dakota's Sanford School of Medicine (Sioux Falls campus), Stewart School and the South Dakota Public Universities and Research Center (formerly known as USDSU).
Public schools
The Sioux Falls School District serves over 23,000 students living in Sioux Falls and some of its surrounding suburbs. There are 25 elementary schools, seven middle schools, and six high schools, including:
*Axtell Park Building
*Career and Technical Education Academy
* Lincoln High School
* Roosevelt High School
* Jefferson High School
* Washington High School
Private schools
Bishop O'Gorman Catholic Schools is a centralized Catholic school system that includes eight schools: six elementary schools, all PreK-6 (St. Mary, St. Lambert, St. Michael-St. Katharine Drexel, Holy Spirit and Christ the King); one junior high (O'Gorman Junior High, grades 7–8); and one high school, O'Gorman O'Gorman is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Áine O'Gorman (born 1989), Irish footballer
* Camila O'Gorman (1828-1848), wealthy socialite and figure of scandal in 19th century Argentina
* Chevalier O'Gorman (1732–1809), I ...
(9–12). The junior and senior high O'Gorman schools are on the same campus. Approximately 2,800 students attend Bishop O'Gorman Catholic Schools. As of the 2009–10 school year the Sioux Falls Catholic School system's St. Joseph Cathedral School was closed.
The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod operates two schools in Sioux Falls. Sioux Falls Lutheran School is on 37th street, while the Lutheran High School of Sioux Falls is on Western Avenue. In 2018, voters approved a plan to move Sioux Falls Lutheran School to a new building near the I-29/I-229 merge on south Boe Lane. Students moved to the new building at the beginning of the Spring 2020 semester.
The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod
The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), also referred to simply as the Wisconsin Synod, is an American Confessional Lutheran denomination of Christianity. Characterized as theologically conservative, it was founded in 1850 in Milwauk ...
has two schools in Sioux Falls: Bethel Lutheran and Good Shepherd Lutheran.
Other private schools include Sioux Falls Christian Schools
Sioux Falls Christian Schools (SFC) is a private school located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The school was founded in 1958 as an elementary school named Calvin Christian. Since its inception, SFC has expanded and currently offers programs from ...
, Christian Center, The Baan Dek Montessori, Cornerstone School, and the Open Arms Christian Child Development Center.
Media
Infrastructure
Transportation
Roads
Most Sioux Falls residents travel and commute by car. Interstate 90
Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain West, Great Plains, Midwest, and ...
passes east to west across the northern edge of the city, while Interstate 29 bisects the western portion of the city from the north and south. Interstate 229 forms a partial loop around Sioux Falls, and connects with I-90 to the northeast and I-29 to the southwest. A grid design system for city streets is the standard for the central (older) area of the city; secondary streets in newer residential areas have largely abandoned this plan.
Due to current and expected regional growth, several large construction projects have been or will be undertaken. New interchanges have recently been added to I-29. An interchange was also completed on I-90 at Marion Road. I-29 has recently been improved from I-90 to 57th Street. This upgrade includes additional lanes and auxiliary lanes. Over the next decade, the city of Sioux Falls and the South Dakota Department of Transportation plan to construct a limited-access highway around the city's outer edges to the south and east, known as South Dakota Highway 100. This highway will start at the northern Tea exit (Exit 73 on I-29, 101st Street), run east on 101st Street, curve northeast east of Western Avenue, then turn north near Sycamore Avenue. It will end at the Timberline Avenue exit (Exit 402 on I-90). Sioux Falls's major roads include W 41st, Minnesota, Main, W 26th (which becomes Louise as it turns south), 12th, 49th, 57th, and Western.
Public/mass transit
Sioux Area Metro, the local public transit organization, operates 16 bus lines within the city, with most routes operating Monday through Saturday. Recently, the city added a new transfer station in Sioux Falls on Louise Avenue between 49th and 57th Streets. The Sioux Area Metro Paratransit serves members of the community who would otherwise not be able to travel by providing door-to-door service.
Several taxi companies also operate within the city.
Jefferson Lines runs long-distance bus routes to Sioux Falls. Non-transfer destinations include Grand Forks
Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the state of North Dakota (after Fargo and Bismarck) and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2020 census, the city's population was 59,166. Grand Forks, along with its twin city ...
, Kansas City
The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more th ...
, Minneapolis
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origin ...
, and Omaha
Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest c ...
. Until 1965 a branch of the Milwaukee Road
The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), often referred to as the "Milwaukee Road" , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until 1986.
The company experienced ...
train from Chicago, the ''Arrow
An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers ...
,'' made a stop in Sioux Falls.
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada. ...
passenger trains do not pass through South Dakota.
Air
Five domestic airlines (Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc., typically referred to as Delta, is one of the major airlines of the United States and a legacy carrier. One of the world's oldest airlines in operation, Delta is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline, along ...
, United Airlines
United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois. , American Airlines
American Airlines is a major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the largest airline in the world when measured by fleet size, scheduled passengers carried, and revenue passeng ...
, Allegiant Air, and Frontier Airlines
Frontier Airlines is a major ultra-low-cost U.S. airline headquartered in Denver, Colorado. It operates flights to over 100 destinations throughout the United States and 31 international destinations, and employs more than 3,000 staff. The ca ...
) serve Sioux Falls Regional Airport.
Notable people
* James Abourezk, first Arab-American U.S. senator, now practicing law in Sioux Falls
* Erika M. Anderson, aka EMA, musician and digital media artist
* Jacob M. Appel
Jacob M. Appel (born February 21, 1973) is an American author, poet, bioethicist, physician, lawyer and social critic.Nagamatsu, Sequoia "A Few Words with the Ubiquitous Jacob M. Appel" ''Prince Mincer'' Journal http://primemincer.com/ confirmed ...
, author, wrote '' Coulrophobia & Fata Morgana'' while living in Sioux Falls
* Shayna Baszler, former women's MMA
Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incor ...
fighter and professional wrestler
* George Botsford, composer and pianist, noted for the "Black and White Rag"
* Chris Browne, comic strip artist and cartoonist, ''Hägar the Horrible''
* Benny Castillo, 11-year minor league baseball player, manager of Duluth–Superior Dukes, Jamestown Jammers, Yuma Scorpions, and Sioux City Explorers, former Sioux Falls Fighting Pheasants, Sioux Falls Canaries hitting coach
* Devin Clark (fighter), Devin Clark, Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC mixed martial artist
* Dallas Clark, professional football player, Indianapolis Colts (2003–11), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2012–13), Baltimore Ravens (2013–14)
* Donn Clendenon, Major League Baseball, MLB first baseman, 1969 World Series MVP
* Dusty Coleman, MLB infielder
* George Jonathan Danforth, South Dakota politician
* Chris Darrow, American multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Kaleidoscope (American band)
* Karl Dean, former mayor of Nashville, Tennessee
* Nick Dinsmore, WWE Superstar 1999–2009 and WWE Coach 2012–2015
* William Dougherty, South Dakota politician
* Wallace L. Dow, Wallace Dow, architect
* Walker Duehr, professional ice hockey player. He is the first South Dakotan to play in the National Hockey League.
* Oscar Randolph Fladmark, World War II and Korean War fighter pilot, recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
* Terry Forster, pitcher for five Major League Baseball, MLB teams
* Joe Foss, World War II "flying ace, ace of aces" fighter pilot, first commissioner of the American Football League (which later became the AFC conference of the National Football League, NFL); 20th governor of South Dakota
* Michael E. Fossum, astronaut
* Neil Graff, quarterback for several NFL teams
*George Barnes Grigsby, Alaska Territory's at-large congressional district, delegate to Congress from Alaska Territory
*John T. Grigsby, Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota
*Melvin Grigsby, American Civil War and Spanish–American War veteran who served as Attorney General of South Dakota
*Sioux K. Grigsby, Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota
* Donald A. Haggar, lawyer and legislator
* Mary Hart (TV personality), Mary Hart, television personality, ''Entertainment Tonight''
* Allison Hedge Coke
Allison Adelle Hedge Coke is an American poet and editor. Her debut book, ''Dog Road Woman'', won the American Book Award and was the first finalist of the Paterson Poetry Prize and Diane DeCora Award. Since then, she has written five more books ...
, writer and educator
* Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, U.S. representative from
* Kirk Hinrich, retired NBA player
* Crystal Johnson (attorney), Crystal Johnson, state's attorney for Minnehaha County
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 ...
* January Jones, actress, best known for playing Betty Draper on ''Mad Men''
*Herbert Krause, author (1905–1976)
* David Lillehaug, associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court and Attorney General of Minnesota
* Mike Martz, former head coach of NFL's St. Louis Rams, born in Sioux Falls
* Gail Matthius, American actress, cast member on Saturday Night Live
* Milton J. Nieuwsma, author, screenwriter, producer
* Pat O'Brien (radio and television personality), Pat O'Brien, television personality, ''Access Hollywood''
* David Soul, actor, co-star of ''Starsky & Hutch''
* Joan Tabor, actress
* John Thune, South Dakota senator
* Shane Van Boening, professional pool player
* Jerry verDorn, actor, ''Guiding Light'' and ''One Life to Live''
Sister cities
Sioux Falls's sister cities are:
* Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
* Potsdam, Germany
See also
* Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the meat industry in the United States
* List of cities in South Dakota
* Pandora papers
Notes
References
Further reading
* Olson, Gary D. "Norwegian Immigrants in Early Sioux Falls: A Demographic Profile", ''Norwegian-American Studies'', 36 (2011), pp 45–84.
* Olson, Gary D. "A Dakota Boomtown: Sioux Falls, 1877–1880", ''Great Plains Quarterly'' (2004) 24#1 pp 17–30
* The author is Professor Emeritus of History at Augustana College.
* Tingley, Ralph and Tingley, Kathleen. ''Mission in Sioux Falls: The First Baptist Church, 1875–1975'' (1975)
* ''History of Southeastern Dakota: Its Settlement and Growth'' (1881)
External links
*
Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce
{{Authority control
Sioux Falls, South Dakota,
Cities in South Dakota
Cities in Minnehaha County, South Dakota
Cities in Lincoln County, South Dakota
County seats in South Dakota
Sioux Falls, South Dakota metropolitan area
Populated places established in 1856