South Dakota Cities (Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Aberdeen: 2010, school, universities)

[egg man]

Some time before Christmas I had my school kids rank the towns in SD by population. I don't think non South Dakotans have any idea of what our state is really like for size, space, climate, etc. but here are the statistics as they ranked the top twenty towns:
(figures from 2000 census)

1. Sioux Falls 123,975
2. Rapid City 59,607
3. Aberdeen 24,658
4. Watertown 21,237
5. Brookings 18,504
6. Mitchell 14,558
7. Pierre 13,876
8. Yankton 13,528
9. Huron 11,893
10. Vermillion 9,765
11. Spearfish 8,606
12. Madison 6,540
13. Sturgis 6,442
14. Brandon 5,693
15. Belle Fourche 4,565
16. Ellsworth AFB 4,165
17. Hot Springs 4,129
18. Mobridge 3,574
19. Winner 3,137
20. Canton 3,110

[Chris19]

I forsee Spearfish take the number 10 spot over Vermillion. Vermillion is not growing fast and has been stagnant in its population for the past 25-30 years. Spearfish is growing at a clip. I also forsee Brandon fall into the 11 or 12 spot in 2010. Tea will jump on board and I think that it will be around 3500-4500 people area by 2010. Harrisburg may also jump on to the ranks and be somewhere between 3000 and 3500 area. This may push Canton and Winner off of the top 20 list. Canton is not shrinking but growing at a slow and steady pace.

If the growth trends continue, Brandon, Tea, Harrisburg, and Spearish may be in the top ten in the next 15-20 years. The list may look differently.

Aberdeeen looked like it was slowly but surely in danger of losing its 3rd place ranking to Watertown in the late 1990s, but it looks like Watertown has slowed down in its growth (but I think it may pick up again with its interstate access).

[buffy704]

The reason that Vermillion is becoming stagnant is because for many many years the city council would not let any other businesses come in. There were a few famalies that literally ran that town. They were business people and did not want any other businesses to come in . They never seemed to learn that competition was a good thing!! They just wanted it all and ran the city council accordingly--or was on the city council! The word was "we have our college and don't need any businesses to come in!" I lived there back in the early eighties and couldn't believe my ears when some one would say that. Tunnel visioned-head in the sand-town!!!!!!! I was really surprised when they let Wal Mart in a couple of years ago!!! Even though there were a number of town people that fought that and lost--thank God!!! There are a lot of people that grew up in that town and never left and still have their grand parents attitudes. When I look at Brookings (home of SDSU) I can't believe the difference in towns. They wanted to grow and they did!!! Neighboring Yankton is growing. Wake up calls are needed in Vermillion!!

[Chris19]

I agree with you buffy704. I lived in Vermillion in the first half of this decade and the city is slow with coming up with new ideas and some of the city fathers are anti-progress. With its location and good proximity to larger cities and now having a bridge to Nebraska, it could do better. It has potential. The city is getting better, but still has aways to go to have it competitive with the likes of Yankton, Brookings, Mitchell, and Watertown.

[DannyBanany]

Is it true that Sioux Falls could have had the University, but chose to have the State Penn instead? I have heard this from a native Sioux Fallsian.

If the University was in Sioux Falls, I would have actually considered it! Maybe you would know Chris?

[Business101]

Watertown is sure to take over as the 3rd largest city in the STATE....If you have been to Watertown you know it is booming in its own right. Acually the census of 2000 had watertowns population at 20,237.. Recently the city coucil and some developers announced that the last 5 years had been the biggest housing boom in watertown history. This will surely reflect in the 2010 census..Its fair to say that the future players are sioux falls and watertown in the east and rapid city in the west...Also something to realize is that out of the top 10 largest cities watertown is the only 1 except yankton that does not have a COLLEGE. Example, brookings has 18,500 people right? well really brookings the city is 9,500 people and 9,000 college students...Aberdeen will continue like huron to lose people as watertown brookings and mitchell move up.....And eventually the sioux falls metro cities will move into the top 10.........

[egg man]

DannyBanany,

That was over 100 years ago. Sioux Falls was just a wide spot in the road then. The Legislature of the new state sat down to figure who got what. The towns that were in the running were all about the same size then, not the huge difference in population there is now. Brookings won the land grant college. Sioux Falls was "doubly blessed" with the both the School for the Deaf and the State Pen. Redfield got the "school for the simple minded" Aberdeen the school for the blind, Huron the state fair, etc.. Each town felt fortunate to get something. There were plenty of towns that didn't get anything. So, if Sioux Falls would have stayed a small town, would you consider SDSU ? I think it is a plus that SDSU is in Brookings and not Sioux Falls. Now there's all this talk about how Sioux Falls should get a school since there are so many people there. I for one am sick and tired of the thinking that the whole state has to bow to Sioux Falls. Next thing you will see them changing the name of everything west of Soo Foo to "West Sioux Falls"

[DannyBanany]

I figured that it had to have been in the 1800s. I kind of agree with you on how people from Sioux Falls come across. Many of them think that they are Minnesotans! People from Omaha are the exact same way. There's Omaha and then there's Nebraska.

One problem with keeping our state colleges and universities rural is that it does not attract as many people to them from both out of state and South Dakota itself. I have nothing against rural colleges, but I wonder if we would see a higher attendance if they were in Sioux Falls, Rapid City, or Aberdeen.

[Chris19]

Originally Posted by DannyBanany

Is it true that Sioux Falls could have had the University, but chose to have the State Penn instead? I have heard this from a native Sioux Fallsian.

If the University was in Sioux Falls, I would have actually considered it! Maybe you would know Chris?

I have heard this also. It would have been nice. If USD was in Sioux Falls, it would definitely be a D-I school and would compete with the likes of Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, and Iowa State. I think that the University would have been a better thing to have instead of the stinking state penn. Looking at the situation now, it seemed like Sioux Falls made a stupid move. But it may have seemed logical back in the late 1800s when the decision was probably made. I am not sure why.

[Chris19]

Originally Posted by Business101

Watertown is sure to take over as the 3rd largest city in the STATE....If you have been to Watertown you know it is booming in its own right. Acually the census of 2000 had watertowns population at 20,237.. Recently the city coucil and some developers announced that the last 5 years had been the biggest housing boom in watertown history. This will surely reflect in the 2010 census..Its fair to say that the future players are sioux falls and watertown in the east and rapid city in the west...Also something to realize is that out of the top 10 largest cities watertown is the only 1 except yankton that does not have a COLLEGE. Example, brookings has 18,500 people right? well really brookings the city is 9,500 people and 9,000 college students...Aberdeen will continue like huron to lose people as watertown brookings and mitchell move up.....And eventually the sioux falls metro cities will move into the top 10.........

Very interesting comment. How big would you think Watertown is right now?

I think that Aberdeen will make a turn around with an uptick in industry with 1300 new jobs being created within the next few years. I am not sure about Huron (it does not have a university per se after the folding of Si Tanka Huron and not having a big enough population base such as Aberdeen and Watertown to have additiuonal amentities and being futher from Sioux Falls, but it has a new turkey plant and possible additional jobs if the DM&E RR line gets widened). I think that there might be a few immigrants that may move to the two cities, which has its benefits and challenges.