Britton is a city in and the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
of
Marshall County, South Dakota
Marshall County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 4,306. Its county seat is Britton, South Dakota, Britton. The county was created on May ...
, United States.
The population was 1,215 at the
2020 census.
A weekly newspaper, the ''Britton Journal,'' is published in Britton.
History
Britton was founded in 1884 as a stop on the
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad. In 1885, the town was designated county seat of the newly formed Marshall County. It received its city rights in 1906. The city is named after Isaac Britton, a railroad official.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has a total area of , all land.
Climate
Demographics
2010 census
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2010, there were 1,241 people, 574 households, and 313 families living in the city. 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 658 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 chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.5%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.7%
Native American, 0.1%
Asian, and 0.9% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 1.1% of the population.
There were 574 households, of which 23.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 45.5% were non-families. 41.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.7% 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 2.79.
The median age in the city was 48.6 years. 20.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.7% were from 25 to 44; 27.7% were from 45 to 64; and 27.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.7% male and 51.3% female.
2000 census
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 1,328 people, 580 households, and 346 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 667 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.82%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 1.13%
Native American, 0.15%
Asian, 0.08% from
other races, and 0.83% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 0.98% of the population.
There were 580 households, out of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.2% were non-families. 37.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.9% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 26.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.9 males.
As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $31,148, and the median income for a family was $37,639. Males had a median income of $29,931 versus $18,500 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $18,327. About 5.7% of families and 8.7% 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 4.7% of those under age 18 and 16.2% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
The Dakota, Missouri Valley and Western Railroad provides rail service to Britton.
Education
The Britton-Hecla school district covers Britton. There is one elementary school and one high school on the same premises.
Notable people
*
Lyle Bien, U.S. Navy vice admiral
*
Frederic J. Brown II, U.S. Army lieutenant general
*
Frank Farrar, twenty-fourth
Governor of South Dakota.
*
Dallas Goedert,
NFL tight end
The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...
for the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
.
*
Susan Wismer, State Senator and candidate for
Governor of South Dakota in
2014
The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
Footnotes
External links
''Marshall County Journal''* Ivan Besse, ''Britton, South Dakota, 1938-39.''
—Silent amateur film of daily life in Britton, SD in 1938.
*
Part 1Part 2Part 3Part 4Part 5Part 6Part 7Part 8Part 9Part 10
{{Authority control
Cities in South Dakota
Cities in Marshall County, South Dakota
County seats in South Dakota
Populated places established in 1884
1884 establishments in Dakota Territory