[57], In 1803, the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory, an area that included most of South Dakota, from Napoleon Bonaparte, and President Thomas Jefferson organized a group commonly referred to as the "Lewis and Clark Expedition" to explore the region. The Missouri River is the largest and longest river in the United States. [96] Because of the limitations of climate and land, and isolation from urban areas with more employment opportunities, living standards on many South Dakota reservations are often far below the national average; Ziebach County ranked as the poorest county in the nation in 2009. [54] In 1762 the entire region became part of the Spanish Louisiana until 1802. The links take you to data for normal temperatures, precipitation, snowfall, sunshine and humidity. Monthly weather forecast and climate for South Dakota. Ellsworth Air Force Base, near Rapid City, is the second-largest single employer in the state. [206], Fishing and hunting are popular outdoor activities in South Dakota. South Dakota has the nation's largest population of Hutterites,[94] a communal Anabaptist group which emigrated in 1874 from Europe, primarily from German-speaking areas. The South Dakota Special Tax Division regulates some taxes including cigarette and alcohol-related taxes. [118], South Dakota has 83,609 miles (134,556 km) of highways, roads, and streets, along with 679 miles (1,093 km) of interstate highways. [58] In 1817, an American fur trading post was set up at present-day Fort Pierre, beginning continuous American settlement of the area. [186] There are 703 public schools[187] in 168 school districts,[188] giving South Dakota the highest number of schools per capita in the United States. In western South Dakota, snow showers are a possibility – the ski town of Lead averages 66 inches of snow in March and April – but the average … Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, and Allegiant Airlines, as well as commuter airlines using the brand affiliation with major airlines serve the two largest airports. Former NBC Nightly News anchor and author Tom Brokaw is from Webster and Yankton,[181] USA Today founder Al Neuharth was from Eureka and Alpena,[182] gameshow host Bob Barker spent much of his childhood in Mission,[183] and entertainment news hosts Pat O'Brien[184] and Mary Hart[185] are from Sioux Falls. [114], Agriculture has historically been a key component of the South Dakota economy. [86] Females made up approximately 50.2% of the population. South Dakota has a temperate continental climate, with four distinct seasons and precipitation ranging from moderate in the east to semi-arid in the west. South Dakota contains two National Scenic Byways. [165] Oscar Howe (Crow) was born on the Crow Creek Indian Reservation and won fame for his watercolor paintings. [117], Some of South Dakota's official state symbols include:[215], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}44°26′39″N 100°13′35″W / 44.4443°N 100.2263°W / 44.4443; -100.2263 (State of South Dakota), This article is about the State of South Dakota. Social Media. Interactive real-time wildfire and forest fire map for South Dakota. The state is bisected by the Missouri River, dividing South Dakota into two geographically and socially distinct halves, known to residents as "East River" and "West River".[10]. Our interactive map allows you to see the local & national weather A number of South Dakotans are famous for their work in television and publishing. The geographical center of the U.S. is 17 miles (27 km) west of Castle Rock in Butte County. KCAU 9 Weather at 5:00 p.m.: December 18th, 2020 Weather / 11 hours ago. [86], The largest denominations by number of adherents in 2010 were the Roman Catholic Church with 148,883 members; the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) with 112,649 members; and the United Methodist Church (UMC) with 36,020 members. Popular outdoor activities in South Dakota, with the Wounded Knee Massacre occurred the! Vote of both houses of the 2000 census ice storms often occur winter. Was carved into the mountainside by sculptor Gutzon Borglum Louisiana until 1802 types in South Dakota is more 7! Major South Dakota politics are generally dominated by a majority vote of both houses of the state is the States. 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