Aurora County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

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 ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,747. The county was created in 1879, and was organized in 1881.

History

Aurora County, named for

Aurora An aurora ( aurorae or auroras), also commonly known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly observed in high-latitude regions (around the Arc ...

, the Roman goddess of the dawn, was created by the

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 ...

on October 1, 1879. It was organized on August 29, 1881, when three county commissioners were appointed. The county had been established from the combination of former counties Cragin and Wetmore, which had both been formed in 1873. The three county commissioners met on August 29, 1881, and named Plankinton the county seat, an act which was ratified by voters in November 1882. The northern portion of Aurora County was partitioned off on April 17, 1883, and established as Jerauld County.

Geography

The terrain of Aurora County consists of low rolling hills, partially devoted to agriculture. It is dotted with small lakes and ponds. The highest point is the upper west boundary line, and the terrain slopes east-northeastward; the lowest point is the county's northeast corner at ASL. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.6%) is water.

Major highways

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 states, Mountain West, Great Pla ...

* U.S. Highway 281 * South Dakota Highway 42

Adjacent counties

* Jerauld County - north * Sanborn County - northeast * Davison County - east * Douglas County - south * Charles Mix County - southwest * Brule County - west

Protected areas

* Crystal Lake Public Shooting Area * Hanson Lake State Public Shooting Area * Kimball State Public Shooting Area * Koch Waterfowl Production Area * Kramer Slaugh Public Shooting Area * Krell Waterfowl Production Area * Lutz Waterfowl Production Area * Maine Waterfowl Production Area * National Waterfowl Production Area * Pleasant Lake State Public Shooting Area * Schute Waterfowl Production Area * Sorenson Waterfowl Production Area * Wilmarth Lake Game Production Area

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 2,747 people, 1,096 households, and 746 families residing in the county. 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 1,260 housing units.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 2,710 people, 1,102 households, and 736 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 1,324 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 95.1% white, 1.5% American Indian, 0.7% Asian, 0.4% black or African American, 1.8% from other races, and 0.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 54.3% were

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, 13.7% were Dutch, 11.8% were Norwegian, 8.7% were Irish, 7.2% were English, and 4.9% were American. Of the 1,102 households, 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.5% were married couples living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.2% were non-families, and 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.96. The median age was 43.2 years. The median income for a household in the county was $45,230 and the median income for a family was $55,588. Males had a median income of $30,185 versus $27,206 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,291. About 4.5% of families and 8.2% 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 ...

, including 7.4% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

* Plankinton (county seat) * White Lake

Town

* Stickney

Census-designated places

* Aurora Center * Storla

Townships

* Aurora Township * Belford Township * Bristol Township * Center Township * Cooper Township * Crystal Lake Township * Dudley Township * Eureka Township * Firesteel Township * Gales Township * Hopper Township * Lake Township * Palatine Township * Patten Township * Plankinton Township * Pleasant Lake Township * Pleasant Valley Township * Truro Township * Washington Township * White Lake Township

Politics

Aurora County at one time favored the Democratic Party and was one of just 130 counties nationwide to be won by South Dakota

favorite son Favorite son (or favorite daughter) is a political term referring to a presidential candidate, either one that is nominated by a state but considered a nonviable candidate or a politician whose electoral appeal derives from their native state, r ...

George McGovern George Stanley McGovern (July 19, 1922 – October 21, 2012) was an American politician, diplomat, and historian who was a U.S. representative and three-term U.S. senator from South Dakota, and the Democratic Party (United States), Democ ...

, who grew up in adjacent Davison County. However, with the “Reagan Revolution” of the 1980s it has gradually turned into a strongly Republican county. The last Democrat to win a majority in Aurora County was

Michael Dukakis Michael Stanley Dukakis ( ; born November 3, 1933) is an American politician and lawyer who served as governor of Massachusetts from 1975 to 1979 and from 1983 to 1991. He is the longest-serving governor in Massachusetts history and only the s ...

in the 1988 election.

References

{{authority control 1881 establishments in Dakota Territory Populated places established in 1881