Turner 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 of

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 8,673. Its

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 ...

is Parker. The county was established in 1871, and was named for Dakota Territory official John W. Turner. Turner County is a part of the Sioux Falls metropolitan area.

Geography

The terrain of Turner County consists of rolling hills, carved by gullies and drainages. The area is largely devoted to agriculture.''Turner County SD'' Google Maps (accessed February 8, 2019)
/ref> The terrain slopes to the south and east; its highest point is along its west boundary line, at ASL. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.1%) is water.

Major highways

* U.S. Highway 18 * U.S. Highway 81 * South Dakota Highway 19 * South Dakota Highway 44 * South Dakota Highway 46 * South Dakota Highway 19A

Adjacent counties

* Minnehaha County - northeast * Lincoln County - east * Clay County - southeast * Yankton County - southwest * Hutchinson County - west * McCook County - northwest

Protected areas

* Miller Waterfowl Production Area * Peterson Waterfowl Production Area * Plucker Waterfowl Production Area

Lakes

* Mud Lake * Swan Lake

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 8,673 people, 3,467 households, and 2,359 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 3,871 housing units.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 8,347 people, 3,452 households, and 2,363 families in the county. The population density was . There were 3,939 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.5% white, 0.8% American Indian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 47.7% were German, 18.4% were Norwegian, 11.3% were Danish, 9.4% were Irish, 8.5% were Dutch, and 2.7% were American. Of the 3,452 households, 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.7% were married couples living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.5% were non-families, and 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.87. The median age was 43.7 years. The median income for a household in the county was $48,068 and the median income for a family was $57,881. Males had a median income of $37,622 versus $27,459 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,871. About 4.7% of families and 7.7% 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 8.9% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.

Culture

Turner County hosts the oldest county fair in the Dakotas. It held its first fair on October 13–16, 1880. The Turner County Agriculture Society was organized in March 1880. Its stated purpose was to showcase the agricultural successes of the new county. The fair was held at various locations over the years, but has been at its current location east of Parker for well over half a century.

Communities

Cities

* Centerville * Hurley * Irene (partial) * Marion * Parker (county seat) * Viborg

Towns

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

* Davis * Dolton * Monroe

Census-designated place

* Cameron Colony

Unincorporated communities

* Hooker * Naomi * Turkey Ridge

Townships

*Brothersfield *Centerville *Childstown *Daneville *Dolton *Germantown *Home *Hurley *Marion *Middleton *Monroe *Norway *Parker *Rosefield *Salem *Spring Valley *Swan Lake *Turner

Politics

Turner County voters are reliably Republican. In no national election since 1932 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate.

Education

School districts include:
Text list
/ref> * Centerville School District 60-1 * Freeman School District 33-1 * Irene-Wakonda School District 13-3 * Lennox School District 41-4 * Marion School District 60-3 * Menno School District 33-2 * Parker School District 60-4 * Viborg Hurley School District 60-6

External links

Turner County Sheriff's Office

References

{{Coord, 43.31, -97.15, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-SD_source:UScensus1990 1871 establishments in Dakota Territory Populated places established in 1871 Sioux Falls, South Dakota metropolitan area