Pickstown, South Dakota facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pickstown, South Dakota
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Town
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Location in Charles Mix County and the state of South Dakota
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| Country | United States |
| State | South Dakota |
| County | Charles Mix |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.61 sq mi (1.58 km2) |
| • Land | 0.61 sq mi (1.58 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,483 ft (452 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 230 |
| • Density | 376.43/sq mi (145.23/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
57367
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| Area code(s) | 605 |
| FIPS code | 46-49460 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1267531 |
Pickstown is a small town in southern Charles Mix County, South Dakota, United States. In 2020, 230 people lived there. The town is named after U.S. Army General Lewis A. Pick. He used to be in charge of the Missouri River Office for the United States Army Corps of Engineers.
Contents
History of Pickstown
Pickstown started as a special town built by the government. It was for the workers of the United States Army Corps of Engineers. These workers were busy building and running the nearby Fort Randall Dam.
Military Presence
In the 1950s, officers and airmen from the United States Air Force moved to Pickstown. They worked at a radar base on a hill nearby, known as "Radar Hill." This base was part of the Strategic Air Command. The Air Force left in the 1970s when the base closed down. Today, the Yankton Sioux Tribe owns and runs the "Fort Randall Casino and Hotel" at the old radar base site.
Becoming a Town
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers owned Pickstown for many years. The town officially became its own independent town in 1985.
High School Life
The high school sports teams in Pickstown were called the Engineers. The high school closed in 1968. Now, students from Pickstown go to high school in Lake Andes.
Geography and Location
Pickstown is right next to the Fort Randall Dam on the Missouri River. You can reach the town using U.S. Route 18, U.S. Route 281, and South Dakota Highway 46.
The United States Census Bureau says that Pickstown covers about 0.61 square miles (1.58 square kilometers). All of this area is land.
Population and People
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1990 | 95 | — | |
| 2000 | 168 | 76.8% | |
| 2010 | 201 | 19.6% | |
| 2020 | 230 | 14.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In 2010, there were 201 people living in Pickstown. There were 93 households and 62 families. The town had about 309 people per square mile (119 people per square kilometer).
Who Lives in Pickstown?
Most people in Pickstown (82.6%) were White. About 10.4% were Native American. A small number (0.5%) were Asian. About 6.5% were from two or more racial backgrounds. Only 1% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.
Households and Families
About 19.4% of households had children under 18. Most households (58.1%) were married couples. About 28% of all households were single people living alone. The average age in Pickstown was 51.2 years old.
Climate and Weather
Pickstown has a humid continental climate. This means it has big changes in temperature throughout the year. Summers are warm to hot and often humid. Winters are cold, sometimes very cold. This type of climate is called "Dfa" on climate maps.
| Climate data for Pickstown, South Dakota | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −1 (31) |
2 (36) |
8 (46) |
16 (61) |
22 (72) |
28 (82) |
31 (88) |
31 (87) |
25 (77) |
18 (64) |
8 (47) |
2 (35) |
16 (60) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −13 (9) |
−10 (14) |
−4 (24) |
2 (36) |
9 (48) |
14 (58) |
17 (63) |
17 (62) |
11 (52) |
4 (40) |
−3 (26) |
−9 (15) |
3 (37) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 10 (0.4) |
15 (0.6) |
36 (1.4) |
66 (2.6) |
81 (3.2) |
94 (3.7) |
66 (2.6) |
64 (2.5) |
61 (2.4) |
43 (1.7) |
23 (0.9) |
15 (0.6) |
570 (22.5) |
| Source: Weatherbase | |||||||||||||
Places to Visit
Famous People from Pickstown
- Tom Brokaw, a well-known television journalist and author.
