Plankinton, colloquially known as Plank, 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 ...

Aurora County, South Dakota Aurora County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. 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, the Roman goddess of the dawn, ...

, United States. The population was 781 at the 2020 census.

History

Plankinton sprang up with the arrival of the

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), better known as the Milwaukee Road , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until 1986. The company experienced financi ...

to the area in 1880. The town was named for

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

-based meatpacker and railroad official

John Plankinton John Plankinton (March 11, 1820 – March 29, 1891) was an American businessman. He is noted for expansive real estate developments in Milwaukee, including the luxurious Plankinton House Hotel designed as an upscale residence for the wealthy. ...

. The voters approved the incorporation of Plankinton as a village in an election on September 7, 1882. The first officials were elected on September 22, 1882. The first village trustees were C. Thompson, C.C. Irons, T.C. Granger, W.H. Ferguson. On 7 October 1897, the girls' dormitory at the State Industrial School in town burned, killing seven people. Plankinton was home to an annual

wheat Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...

palace, which became a successful regional attraction and inspired the

Corn Palace The Corn Palace, commonly advertised as The World's Only Corn Palace and the Mitchell Corn Palace, is a multi-purpose arena/facility located in Mitchell, South Dakota, United States. The Moorish Revival building is decorated with crop art; the m ...

in nearby Mitchell. The first Grain Palace in South Dakota opened in Plankinton on September 29, 1891, while the last closed in October 1892.Evans, Rod (2009). Palaces on the Prairie. Canada: North Dakota Institute for Regional Studies.

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.

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 707 people, 294 households, and 191 families residing 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 341 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.8%

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 ...

, 0.7%

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 ...

, 0.4% Native American, 5.8% from other races, and 0.3% 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 10.2% of the population. There were 294 households, of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% 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, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.0% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.99. The median age in the city was 38.6 years. 26.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.3% were from 25 to 44; 25.5% were from 45 to 64; and 17.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.6% male and 50.4% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 601 people, 265 households, and 170 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 298 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.51%

, 0.17% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 3.99% from other races, and 1.16% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 5.99% of the population. There were 265 households, out of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.2% were

living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.5% were non-families. 34.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.89. In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.1% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 20.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $32,019, and the median income for a family was $40,809. Males had a median income of $26,645 versus $19,531 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 $15,611. About 3.5% of families and 6.2% 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 5.1% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Cities in Aurora County, South Dakota Cities in South Dakota County seats in South Dakota