Freeman is a city in Hutchinson 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 1,329 at the 2020 census. Freeman was laid out in 1879.

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 t ...

, the city has a total area of , all land. Freeman has been assigned the ZIP code 57029 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 ...

23020.

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 1,306 people, 602 households, and 320 families living 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 672 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.3%

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 ...

, 1.4%

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 ens ...

, 0.8% Native American, 0.2%

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 ...

, 1.4% 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 2.0% 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 ...

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 5.3% of the population. There were 602 households, of which 23.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 46.8% were non-families. 44.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 29.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age in the city was 48.6 years. 22.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 17.8% were from 25 to 44; 22.7% were from 45 to 64; and 31.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 44.5% male and 55.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,317 people, 602 households, and 364 families living in the city. The

was 1,229.3 people per square mile (475.2/km²). There were 648 housing units at an average density of 604.8 per square mile (233.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 99.39%

, 0.08%

, 0.38% Native American, and 0.15% from two or more races.

of any race were 0.15% of the population. There were 602 households, out of which 21.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% were married couples living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.5% were non-families. 38.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 25.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.78. In the city, the population was spread out, with 19.7% under the age of 18, 4.7% from 18 to 24, 21.6% from 25 to 44, 19.1% from 45 to 64, and 34.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females, there were 80.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.7 males. As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $29,152, and the median income for a family was $39,118. Males had a median income of $26,795 versus $17,788 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 $17,077. About 4.1% of families and 6.0% 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 6.1% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over.

Notable person

* Connor Hansen,

Wisconsin Supreme Court The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the highest appellate court in Wisconsin. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction over original actions, appeals from lower courts, and regulation or administration of the practice of law in Wisconsin. Location The Wi ...

justice

Education

Freeman High School and Freeman Elementary are the local public schools, home to the Freeman Flyers. Freeman Junior College, started in 1903, was a small institution that begun the Mennonite-based education in Freeman. The Junior College closed in 1986, but the education continues on the campus as the Freeman Academy. The Freeman Academy is a private, Christian

middle school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...

and

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

that serves students in grades 1-12.

Local culture

*Freeman is considered the chislic capital of America and as such it is the location of The South Dakota Chislic Festival.South Dakota Magazine Sept/Oct 2010 Local restaurants serve chislic as a local specialty. * Schmeckfest was annually in Freeman from 1959 to 2019 but was canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Schmeckfest is considered one of South Dakota's premier festivals. It features the ethnic foods/culture/history and musical traditions of the community. *Heritage Hall Museum & Archives is an independent, not-for-profit museum in Freeman, preserving and sharing the history of the immigrants - primarily

Germans from Russia The German minority population in Russia, Ukraine, and the Soviet Union stemmed from several sources and arrived in several waves. Since the second half of the 19th century, as a consequence of the Russification policies and compulsory military ...

- who settled in the area in the 1870s. It includes two large exhibit halls containing artifacts, an archives/library and four historic buildings. It is open year-round.

References

External links

City of Freeman

Freeman Community Development Corporation

Freeman Public Schools

Heritage Hall Museum & Archives
{{Authority control Cities in South Dakota Cities in Hutchinson County, South Dakota Populated places established in 1893 1893 establishments in South Dakota