Mitchell, South Dakota facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mitchell, South Dakota
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Corn Palace in Mitchell
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| Nickname(s):
"The Palace City"
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Location in Davison County and South Dakota
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 Mitchell, South Dakota
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | South Dakota |
| County | Davison |
| Incorporated | 1883 |
| Area | |
| • City | 12.30 sq mi (31.85 km2) |
| • Land | 11.24 sq mi (29.10 km2) |
| • Water | 1.06 sq mi (2.75 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,299 ft (396 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • City | 15,660 |
| • Density | 1,393.61/sq mi (538.07/km2) |
| • Metro | 23,127 |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
57301
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| Area code(s) | 605 |
| FIPS code | 46-43100 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1267480 |
| Website | City of Mitchell |
Mitchell is a city in South Dakota, United States. It is the main city of Davison County. In 2020, about 15,660 people lived there, making it the sixth largest city in South Dakota.
Mitchell is also the biggest city in the Mitchell Micropolitan Statistical Area. This area includes all of Davison and Hanson counties.
Contents
History of Mitchell, South Dakota
The first people settled in Mitchell in 1879. Mitchell officially became a city in 1883. It was named after Alexander Mitchell. He was a banker from Milwaukee and the president of a big railroad company called the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railroad.
Geography and Climate of Mitchell
Mitchell is located along the James River. The city covers about 12.14 square miles (31.44 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, with a small part being water.
Mitchell's Weather Patterns
Mitchell has a climate with cold winters and warm, sometimes humid, summers. This type of weather is common in the Upper Midwest.
In summer, the average daytime temperature is around 86°F (30°C). At night, it cools down to about 62°F (16°C). Winter days average 26°F (-3°C), and nights can drop to 4°F (-15°C).
Most of the rain falls during the summer months. June is usually the wettest month, with about 3.52 inches (89.4 mm) of rain. January is the driest, with only 0.47 inches (11.9 mm) of rain.
Mitchell is in an area known as Tornado Alley. This means that strong thunderstorms, which can sometimes cause tornadoes, are possible.
| Climate data for Mitchell, South Dakota (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1893−present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 68 (20) |
72 (22) |
95 (35) |
97 (36) |
108 (42) |
111 (44) |
116 (47) |
115 (46) |
106 (41) |
96 (36) |
84 (29) |
70 (21) |
116 (47) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 50.6 (10.3) |
56.6 (13.7) |
71.8 (22.1) |
83.1 (28.4) |
90.3 (32.4) |
95.0 (35.0) |
99.0 (37.2) |
96.1 (35.6) |
92.8 (33.8) |
84.3 (29.1) |
69.2 (20.7) |
52.7 (11.5) |
100.4 (38.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 27.3 (−2.6) |
32.4 (0.2) |
45.2 (7.3) |
58.6 (14.8) |
70.3 (21.3) |
80.9 (27.2) |
87.0 (30.6) |
84.0 (28.9) |
76.1 (24.5) |
60.9 (16.1) |
44.8 (7.1) |
30.8 (−0.7) |
58.2 (14.6) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 18.3 (−7.6) |
22.9 (−5.1) |
35.1 (1.7) |
47.6 (8.7) |
59.5 (15.3) |
70.2 (21.2) |
76.1 (24.5) |
73.0 (22.8) |
64.6 (18.1) |
50.0 (10.0) |
35.1 (1.7) |
22.7 (−5.2) |
47.9 (8.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 9.3 (−12.6) |
13.4 (−10.3) |
25.1 (−3.8) |
36.5 (2.5) |
48.7 (9.3) |
59.5 (15.3) |
65.3 (18.5) |
62.1 (16.7) |
53.0 (11.7) |
39.1 (3.9) |
25.5 (−3.6) |
14.5 (−9.7) |
37.7 (3.2) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −14.9 (−26.1) |
−9.6 (−23.1) |
0.8 (−17.3) |
18.8 (−7.3) |
32.6 (0.3) |
46.2 (7.9) |
51.3 (10.7) |
48.7 (9.3) |
34.3 (1.3) |
20.2 (−6.6) |
5.5 (−14.7) |
−8.1 (−22.3) |
−19.6 (−28.7) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −38 (−39) |
−40 (−40) |
−23 (−31) |
1 (−17) |
18 (−8) |
31 (−1) |
34 (1) |
34 (1) |
11 (−12) |
−8 (−22) |
−22 (−30) |
−34 (−37) |
−40 (−40) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.61 (15) |
0.76 (19) |
1.26 (32) |
2.76 (70) |
3.69 (94) |
3.95 (100) |
3.02 (77) |
3.09 (78) |
2.64 (67) |
2.11 (54) |
1.12 (28) |
0.77 (20) |
25.78 (655) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 5.6 (14) |
8.3 (21) |
5.8 (15) |
6.0 (15) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.6 (1.5) |
4.1 (10) |
10.2 (26) |
40.6 (103) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 5.0 | 6.2 | 6.9 | 8.8 | 11.8 | 10.5 | 6.7 | 8.0 | 7.3 | 7.9 | 3.5 | 6.4 | 89.0 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 4.8 | 5.3 | 4.0 | 1.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 1.8 | 5.8 | 24.0 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
People Living in Mitchell: Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 320 | — | |
| 1890 | 2,217 | 592.8% | |
| 1900 | 4,055 | 82.9% | |
| 1910 | 6,515 | 60.7% | |
| 1920 | 8,478 | 30.1% | |
| 1930 | 10,942 | 29.1% | |
| 1940 | 10,633 | −2.8% | |
| 1950 | 12,123 | 14.0% | |
| 1960 | 12,555 | 3.6% | |
| 1970 | 13,425 | 6.9% | |
| 1980 | 13,916 | 3.7% | |
| 1990 | 13,798 | −0.8% | |
| 2000 | 14,558 | 5.5% | |
| 2010 | 15,254 | 4.8% | |
| 2020 | 15,660 | 2.7% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In 2010, there were 15,254 people living in Mitchell. About 6,696 homes and 3,641 families were counted. The city had about 1,369 people per square mile (528 per square kilometer).
Most of the people in Mitchell (93.6%) were White. Other groups included Native American (3.0%), African American (0.5%), and Asian (0.5%). About 1.7% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.
About 26.4% of homes had children under 18. The average age in Mitchell was 36.8 years old.
Fun Things to See and Do in Mitchell
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Mitchell is famous for the Corn Palace. This unique building is decorated with different colors of dried corn and other grains. These create amazing pictures or murals on the outside. The outdoor designs change every year after the fall harvest. The inside murals are updated about every ten years.
The Corn Palace is used for many events. It's a basketball arena, a place for high school proms, trade shows, and live entertainment.
Mitchell is also home to the Dakota Discovery Museum. This museum shares the history of the prairie and the people who settled there. It covers the time from 1600, when Native Americans lived there, up to 1939, the end of the Great Depression.
The museum has a great collection of American Indian quill and bead-works. It also shows art from famous artists like Harvey Dunn and James Earle Fraser. Outside the main building, you can find four real historical buildings. These include an 1885 one-room schoolhouse and a fully furnished 1886 Victorian-Italianate home. This home belonged to Louis Beckwith, who helped start the Corn Palace.
Two newer parts of the museum are Discovery Land, a hands-on area for kids aged five to ten, and the Heritage Gardens Project, which features native plants.
Another cool place to visit is the Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village. This is an archaeological site where scientists are digging up an old Native American village. The site is near Lake Mitchell. It's believed that ancestors of the Mandan people, who now live in North Dakota, once lived here.
What makes this site special is the Archeodome. This climate-controlled building covers the dig site, allowing scientists to work all year round.
The Mitchell area also has several state champion trees. These are the largest trees of their kind in the state. Some examples include the Black Cherry, Black Locust, Siberian Elm, and Tulip Tree.
Education in Mitchell
The campus of Dakota Wesleyan University is located in the southwest part of Mitchell.
Sports in Mitchell
The South Dakota Gold was a professional basketball team. They played in the International Basketball Association during the 2000–01 season.
Media and News in Mitchell
Mitchell has local radio stations and a newspaper.
Radio Stations in Mitchell
| AM radio stations | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frequency | Call sign | Name | Format | Owner | City |
| 1490 AM & 101.3 FM | KORN | KORN News Radio 1490 | News/Talk/Sports | Nedved Media, LLC | Mitchell |
| FM radio stations | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frequency | Call sign | Name | Format | Owner | Target city/market | City of license |
| 89.7 FM | K209FX | K-Love | Contemporary Christian | Educational Media Foundation | Mitchell | Mitchell |
| 90.9 FM | K215AI | South Dakota Public Broadcasting | NPR | SD Board of Directors for Educational Telecommunications | Mitchell | Mitchell |
| 92.1 FM | KORN-FM | KORN Country 92.1 | Mainstream Country | Nedved Media, LLC | Mitchell | Mitchell |
| 93.3 FM | KJRV | Big Jim 93.3 | Classic Rock | Dakota Communications | Huron/Mitchell | Wessington Springs |
| 95.5 FM | K238BA | More 95.5 | AC | Saga Communications of South Dakota, LLC | Mitchell | Mitchell |
| 98.3 FM | KUQL | Kool 98.3 | Oldies | Saga Communications of South Dakota, LLC | Mitchell | Wessington Springs |
| 103.5 FM | K238BA | More 95.5 | AC | Saga Communications of South Dakota, LLC | Mitchell | Mitchell |
| 105.9 FM | KMIT | Hot Country KMIT | Country | Saga Communications of South Dakota, LLC | Mitchell | Mitchell |
| 107.3 FM | KQRN | Q107.3 | Adult hits, and Top 40 Rock and Pop Hits |
Nedved Media, LLC | Mitchell | Mitchell |
Local Newspaper
The Mitchell Republic is the local newspaper for Mitchell. It is printed twice a week and also has a daily online version. It is owned by the Forum Communications Company.
Transportation in Mitchell
Bus service to and from Mitchell is provided by Jefferson Lines.
Famous People from Mitchell
Many notable people have connections to Mitchell:
- Ordell Braase – A former NFL player and sports broadcaster.
- Dusty Johnson – A US Congressman from South Dakota.
- John Bailey Jones – A retired United States federal judge.
- George McGovern – A former US Representative and Senator from South Dakota. He was also the Democratic candidate for President in 1972. He grew up in Mitchell and lived there until he passed away in 2012.
- Mike Miller – A former NBA basketball player who won two NBA championships.
- Adam Morrison – A basketball player who lived in Mitchell briefly as a child.
- Gary Owens – A famous voice actor and Disc Jockey.
- David Rumelhart – A cognitive psychologist who helped create a key AI method called Backpropagation.
- Howard Rushmore – A journalist and investigative reporter.
See also
In Spanish: Mitchell (Dakota del Sur) para niños
