Minnehaha County, South Dakota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Minnehaha County
U.S. county
Minnehaha County Courthouse in Sioux Falls
Location within the U.S. state of South Dakota
South Dakota's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	South Dakota
Founded	1862 (created) 1868 (organized)
Named for	"rapid water"
Seat	Sioux Falls
Largest city	Sioux Falls
Area
• Total	814 sq mi (2,110 km2)
• Land	807 sq mi (2,090 km2)
• Water	6.7 sq mi (17 km2)  0.8%
Population  (2020)
• Total	197,214
• Estimate  (2023)	206,930
• Density	239/sq mi (92/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	At-large

Minnehaha County is a county located on the eastern edge of South Dakota. It's the most populated county in the state. In 2020, about 197,214 people lived here. This means over 20% of South Dakota's population calls Minnehaha County home!

The main city and county seat is Sioux Falls. This is also the largest city in South Dakota. The county was officially started in 1862 and organized in 1868. Its name comes from the Sioux word Mnihaha. This word means "rapid water" or "waterfall." Sometimes, people mistakenly translate it as "laughing water."

Minnehaha County is part of the Sioux Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. This is the biggest city area in South Dakota.

Geography of Minnehaha County

The beautiful falls of the Big Sioux River at Falls Park

The County Administration Building

Minnehaha County is in eastern South Dakota. Its eastern border touches Minnesota and Iowa. The Big Sioux River flows through the middle-eastern part of the county, heading south.

The land here has rolling hills. Most of it is used for farming, except for the cities and towns. You'll also find many lakes and ponds in the western part. The land generally slopes towards the south. The highest point is in the northwest corner, about 1,752 feet (534 meters) above sea level.

Minnehaha County covers an area of 814 square miles (2,108 square kilometers). Out of this, 807 square miles (2,090 square kilometers) is land. Only 6.7 square miles (17 square kilometers) is water.

Main Roads

Transportation

• Jefferson Lines (bus service) at Sioux Falls Bus Station
• Sioux Area Metro (local bus service)

Airports

• Sioux Falls Regional Airport (FSD)
• Wheelborg Landing Field (a small airport near Dell Rapids)

Fun Outdoor Places

Lakes and Rivers

People of Minnehaha County

Population in 2020

In 2020, the county had 197,214 people. There were 78,715 households, which are groups of people living together. The population density was about 244 people per square mile.

Population in 2010

Back in 2010, there were 169,468 people living in Minnehaha County. Most people (88.1%) were white. Other groups included Black or African American (3.8%), American Indian (2.5%), and Asian (1.5%). About 4.1% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino background.

Many people in the county have German (43.8%) or Norwegian (17.7%) family roots. The average age of people in the county was 34.5 years old.

Communities in Minnehaha County

Minnehaha County has several cities, towns, and smaller communities.

Cities

Towns

• Humboldt
• Sherman

Small Communities (CDPs)

These are areas where many people live, but they are not officially cities or towns.

• Anderson
• Lyons
• Meadow View Addition
• Pine Lakes Addition
• Renner Corner
• Rowena

Other Small Places (Unincorporated)

These are even smaller communities that are not officially organized.

Old Town Sites

A sign showing where the old town of East Sioux Falls used to be.

Some towns that used to exist in Minnehaha County are now historical sites.

• East Sioux Falls
• Eminija
• South Sioux Falls
• West Sioux Falls
• Wingert

Schools in Minnehaha County

Many school districts serve the students in Minnehaha County.

In the past, there were also many smaller, rural schools throughout the county.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Minnehaha para niños