South Dakota State Facts and History

South Dakota Quick Facts

• Current Governor: Kristi Noem (Republican)
• Capital: Pierre
• Population: 884,659 (2019 est.)
• Land Area: 75,811.00 sq km
• Water Area: 1,304.68 sq km
• Total Area: 77,115.68 SQ KM
• Width: 210 mi (340 km)
• Length: 380 mi (610 km)
• State Motto: “Under God the People Rule”
• Nickname: The Mount Rushmore State
• Electoral votes: 3
• Seats in U.S. House of Representatives: 1 (of 435)
• State Song: “Hail, South Dakota”
• Date of Statehood: November 2, 1889
• Time Zone: Central (GMT − 6 hours)
• Official Website of South Dakota: sd.gov
• State abbreviation/Postal code: SD
• Origin of name: Dakota taken from the Sioux tribe, meaning “allies.” North and South Dakota were one territory until 1889. Dakota was named for the Dakota, Sioux tribe which lived in the region.

State Symbol of South Dakota

State Animal	Coyote
State Bird	Ring-necked pheasant
State Bread	Fry bread
State Colors	Blue and gold
State Dessert	Kuchen
State Fish	Walleye
State Flower	American pasqueflower
State Fossil	Triceratops
State Gemstone	Fairburn agate
State Grass	Western wheat grass
State Insect	Honeybee
State Jewelry	Black Hills gold
State Mineral Stone	Rose quartz
State Motto	Under God the people rule
State Musical Instrument	Fiddle
State Nickname	Mount Rushmore State; Coyote State
State Soil	Houdek
State Song	“Hail! South Dakota”
State Sport	Rodeo
State Tree	Black Hills spruce

College & Universities

Augustana College

Avera McKennan Hospital School of Radiologic Technology

Avera Sacred Heart Hospital

Black Hills Beauty College

Black Hills State University

Colorado Technical University-Sioux Falls

Dakota State University

Dakota Wesleyan University

Headlines Academy Inc

Kilian Community College

Lake Area Technical Institute

Mitchell Technical Institute

Mount Marty College

National American University-Ellsworth AFB Extension

National American University-Rapid City

National American University-Sioux Falls

Northern State University

Oglala Lakota College

Presentation College

Sanford Medical Center

Si Tanka University-Eagle Butte Campus

Sinte Gleska University

Sioux Falls Seminary

Sisseton Wahpeton College

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

South Dakota State University

Southeast Technical Institute

Stewart School

University of Sioux Falls

University of South Dakota

Western Dakota Technical Institute

Popular Tourist Attractions

1. Mount Rushmore
2. Badlands National Park
3. Crazy Horse Memorial
4. Custer State Park
5. Sylvan Lake
6. Corn Palace
7. Wind Cave National Park
8. Reptile Gardens
9. Black Hills National Forest
10. Washington Pavilion
11. Bear Country USA
12. Harney Peak
13. Falls Park
14. Great Plains Zoo
15. Terry Peak
16. Spearfish Canyon
17. Bullock Hotel

Famous Natives and Residents

Name	Profession
Sparky Anderson	baseball manager;
Gertrude Bonnin (Zitkala-Sa)	Sioux writer and pan-Indian activist;
Tom Brokaw	TV newscaster;
Robert Casey	writer;
Shawn Colvin	Singer, songwriter;
Myron Floren	accordionist;
Joseph J. Foss WW II	Marine fighter ace;
Terry Francona	former baseball player, former Boston Red Sox manager;
Mary Hart	TV host;
Crazy Horse	Oglala chief;
Oscar Howe	Sioux artist;
Hubert H. Humphrey	vice president;
January Jones	actor;
Cheryl Ladd	actor;
Ernest Orlando Lawrence	physicist;
Russell Means	American Indian activist;
George McGovern	politician;
Arthur C. Mellette	first governor;
Dorothy Provine	actor;
Rain-in-the-Face	Hunkpapa Sioux chief;
Red Cloud	chief of the Oglala Sioux;
Ben Reifel	Brulé Sioux congressman;
Ole Edvart Rølvaag	writer;
Sitting Bull	chief of Hunkpappa Sioux;
Norm Van Brocklin	football player;
Mamie Van Doren	actor;
Adam Vinatieri	football player.