Frederick is a town in northwestern Brown County,

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 ...

, United States. The population was 215 at the 2020 census. Home to the annual Frederick Finn Fest, the town is part of the Aberdeen Micropolitan Statistical Area. __TOC__ Frederick SD 1883

History

Frederick was a

railway town A railway town, or railroad town, is a settlement that originated, or was expanded, as a result of a railway line being constructed there. North America During the construction of the First transcontinental railroad in the 1860s, temporary, ...

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...

ted and sold to pioneers by the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, which completed track into it on September 12, 1881. Its grid of blocks was aligned by

compass A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with No ...

, with numbered avenues running north–south, and numbered streets running east–west. Main Street and Railway Avenue intersect at the grid's core. Incorporated on June 21, 1882, Frederick was named after the railroad's Finnish immigration agent and sales clerk—Kustaa "Frederick" Bergstadius. On July 2, 1921, a tornado swept through the downtown and "practically every building in the town was demolished", but only one resident was killed, after his home was torn from its foundation while he was trying to get his family into the storm cellar."Tornado Demolishes South Dakota Town— Practically Every Building in Frederick Razed, but Only One Person Killed"
''The New York Times'', July 4, 1921, p. 2

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 town has a total area of , all land. Frederick is on U.S. Route 281 and is drained by the Maple River.

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 199 people, 101 households, and 56 families living in the town. 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 119 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.5%

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% Asian, and 1.0% from two or more races. There were 101 households, of which 22.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.5% 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, 2.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 44.6% were non-families. 41.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.8% 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 2.66. The median age in the town was 51.4 years. 19.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 2.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.5% were from 25 to 44; 29.1% were from 45 to 64; and 27.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 55.3% male and 44.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 255 people, 119 households, and 76 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 140 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.65%

, 1.18% Native American, 0.39% from other races, and 0.78% 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 0.39% of the population. 45.2% were of

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 ...

, 22.6% Norwegian and 7.5% Finnish ancestry. There were 119 households, out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.3% were

living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.3% were non-families. 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.69. In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.7% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 22.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $31,500, and the median income for a family was $34,688. Males had a median income of $25,288 versus $18,214 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 town was $13,881. About 11.1% of families and 11.4% 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 13.4% of those under the age of eighteen and 18.8% of those 65 or over.

Notable person

* Edward John Thye, former

governor of Minnesota The governor of Minnesota is the head of government of the U.S. state of Minnesota, leading the state's executive branch. Forty people have been governor of Minnesota, though historically there were also three governors of Minnesota Territory ...

(1943-1947)

References

External links

Town of Frederick, South Dakota

Emma Burnham Public Library

Frederick Area Historical Society

Frederick Finn Fest
{{Authority control Towns in Brown County, South Dakota Towns in South Dakota Aberdeen, South Dakota micropolitan area Populated places established in 1882 1882 establishments in Dakota Territory Railway towns in South Dakota