Potter County, South Dakota Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Potter County
U.S. county
Potter County Courthouse (July 2013)
Location within the U.S. state of South Dakota
South Dakota's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	South Dakota
Founded	1873 (created) 1883 (organized)
Named for	Joel A. Potter
Seat	Gettysburg
Largest city	Gettysburg
Area
• Total	899 sq mi (2,330 km²)
• Land	861 sq mi (2,230 km²)
• Water	38 sq mi (100 km²) 4.2%
Population (2020)
• Total	2,472
• Estimate (2023)	2,413
• Density	2.7497/sq mi (1.0617/km²)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	At-large

Potter County is a place in South Dakota where people live and work. It's called a county. In 2020, about 2,472 people lived here. The main town, or county seat, is Gettysburg. Potter County was officially started in 1873 and got its organization in 1883.

Exploring Potter County's Geography
People of Potter County
- Population in 2020
- Population in 2010
Towns and Areas
Images for kids
See also

Exploring Potter County's Geography

Potter County is located in South Dakota. The big Missouri River flows along its western side. The land here has gentle, rolling hills. Most of the land is used for farming.

The county generally slopes downwards towards the south. However, the western part slopes into the river valley. Potter County covers a total area of about 899 square miles. Most of this (861 square miles) is land, and 38 square miles (about 4.2%) is water.

Time Zone and Location

South Dakota has two different time zones. Most counties in the eastern part of the state use Central Time. Counties in the western part use Mountain Time. Potter County is the furthest west county that uses Central Time.

Main Roads in Potter County

U.S. Highway 83
U.S. Highway 212
South Dakota Highway 20
South Dakota Highway 47
South Dakota Highway 1804

Neighboring Counties

Walworth County - to the north
Edmunds County - to the northeast
Faulk County - to the east
Hyde County - to the southeast
Sully County - to the south
Dewey County - to the west (this county uses Mountain Time)

Special Areas and Lakes

Potter County has several protected areas. These are often used for outdoor activities like hunting or enjoying nature. Some of these areas include:

Dodge Draw State Game Production Area
Dodge Draw State Lakeside Use Area
East Whitlock State Lakeside Use Area
Forest City State Game Production Area
Green Lake State Game Production Area
Potts Dam State Game Production Area
Siebrasse State Game Production Area
West Whitlock State Recreation Area
Whitlocks Bay State Game Production Area

The county also has a few lakes:

Green Lake
Lake Hurley
Lake Oahe (part of this large lake is in Potter County)

People of Potter County

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1890	2,910	—
1900	2,988	2.7%
1910	4,466	49.5%
1920	4,382	−1.9%
1930	5,762	31.5%
1940	4,614	−19.9%
1950	4,688	1.6%
1960	4,926	5.1%
1970	4,449	−9.7%
1980	3,674	−17.4%
1990	3,190	−13.2%
2000	2,693	−15.6%
2010	2,329	−13.5%
2020	2,472	6.1%
2023 (est.)	2,413	3.6%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2020

Every ten years, the United States counts its population in a census. This helps us understand how many people live in different areas.

Population in 2020

According to the 2020 census, 2,472 people lived in Potter County. There were 1,127 households and 753 families. The population density was about 2.9 people for every square mile.

Population in 2010

In the 2010 census, there were 2,329 people. Most people (97.6%) were white. About 0.9% were Native American. People from German backgrounds made up the largest group, at 65.3%.

Towns and Areas

Potter County has one main city and several smaller towns.

City

Gettysburg (This is the county seat, meaning it's where the county government is located.)

Towns

Unincorporated Area

Forest City

County Divisions

Potter County does not have organized townships like some other counties. Instead, it is divided into three large unorganized areas: West Potter, Central Potter, and East Potter.