Wessington Springs is a city in central
Jerauld 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 porti ...
, United States. The population was 956 at the
2010 census. 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 st ...
of Jerauld County.
History
The Wessington Springs townsite was founded in 1880 and platted in 1882, early in the era of agricultural settlement in the region. The town's boom era began in 1903, when a branch line of the
Milwaukee Road railroad was constructed into the town from the east.
The town was the home of
Wessington Springs College, an institution of higher learning that existed from 1887 until 1968. There is a baseball field in town that hosts an amateur baseball team named the Wessington Springs Owls.
2014 tornado
On June 18, 2014 the town of Wessington Springs was hit by a tornado. At approximately 7:45 PM the tornado tore through the heart of Wessington Springs and 50+ homes were destroyed, and 77 people were left homeless. Many other buildings and properties were damaged significantly. No fatalities were reported but several injuries were sustained. The town's emergency sirens gave residents significant advance notice to the threat, allowing residents to flee to the town's fallout shelter avoiding injury and death. The town was on lockdown for several hours to prevent further injuries and blockages.
Geography
Wessington Springs is located at (44.081842, -98.570244).
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 t ...
, the city has a total area of , all land.
Wessington Springs has been assigned the
ZIP code 57382 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 ...
70220.
Climate
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 in ...
of 2010, there were 956 people, 465 households, and 266 families residing in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...
was . There were 526 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.0%
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 o ...
, 0.3%
Native American, 0.3%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.2% 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 0.2% 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 forme ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 0.6% of the population.
There were 465 households, of which 16.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.3% were
married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.8% were non-families. 38.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 26.2% 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 2.57.
The median age in the city was 57 years. 16.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 14.7% were from 25 to 44; 27.2% were from 45 to 64; and 37.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 43.4% male and 56.6% female.
2000 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 in ...
of 2000, there were 1,011 people, 505 households, and 285 families residing in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...
was 572.9 people per square mile (221.8/km
2). There were 580 housing units at an average density of 328.6 per square mile (127.2/km
2). The racial makeup of the city was 99.01%
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 o ...
, 0.40%
Native American, 0.20%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, and 0.40% 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 forme ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 0.30% of the population.
There were 505 households, out of which 16.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% were
married couples living together, 5.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.4% were non-families. 39.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 26.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.92 and the average family size was 2.50.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 15.4% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 15.6% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 40.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 55 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,736, and the median income for a family was $40,962. Males had a median income of $28,929 versus $18,333 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 $23,108. About 3.4% of families and 7.2% 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 11.0% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.
Media
The area is served by the ''
True Dakotan'' weekly newspaper.
Notable people
*
Kyle Evans, country and western singer/songwriter
*
Emma Louise Lowe - Musician, educator, former First Lady of American Samoa and former First Lady of Guam
*
Robert Vessey,
seventh
Seventh is the ordinal form of the number seven.
Seventh may refer to:
* Seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution
* A fraction (mathematics), , equal to one of seven equal parts
Film and television
*"The Seventh", a second-season e ...
Governor of South Dakota
The governor of South Dakota is the head of government of South Dakota. The governor is elected to a four-year term in even years when there is no presidential election. The current governor is Kristi Noem, a member of the Republican Party who t ...
See also
*
List of cities in South Dakota
This is a list of places incorporated in the state of South Dakota as cities. Municipalities in South Dakota can also be incorporated as towns. South Dakota also has one incorporated village, Wentworth.
Cities
See also
* List of town ...
*
Perkins & McWayne
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Cities in Jerauld County, South Dakota
Cities in South Dakota
County seats in South Dakota