Vermillion, South Dakota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vermillion Waséoyuze
City
Vermillion, South Dakota
Downtown Vermillion
Flag
Location in Clay County and the state of South Dakota
Vermillion Location in the United States
Country	United States
State	South Dakota
County	Clay
Incorporated	1877
Government
• Type	Council–manager
Area
• Total	4.66 sq mi (12.07 km2)
• Land	4.66 sq mi (12.07 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	1,234 ft (376 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	11,695
• Density	2,509.12/sq mi (968.76/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP code	57069
Area code(s)	605
FIPS code	46-66700
GNIS feature ID	1267613
Website	City of Vermillion

Vermillion (Lakota: Waséoyuze; "The Place Where Vermilion is Obtained") is a city and the county seat of Clay County. It is in the southeastern corner of South Dakota, United States, and is the state's 12th-most populous city. According to the 2020 census, the population was 11,695. The city lies atop a bluff near the Missouri River.

The area has been home to Native American tribes for centuries. French fur traders first visited in the late 18th century. Vermillion was founded in 1859 and incorporated in 1873. The name refers to the Lakota name: wa sa wak pa'la (red stream). Home to the University of South Dakota, Vermillion has a mixed academic and rural character: the university is a major academic institution for the state, with its only law and medical schools and its only AACSB-accredited business school. Major farm products include corn, soybeans, and alfalfa.

History

Lewis and Clark camped at the mouth of the Vermillion River near the present-day town on August 24, 1804. The previous day, they had killed their first bison; and the following day, they climbed Spirit Mound, according to Clark's journal.

In May 1843, John James Audubon visited the Vermillion ravine to view the bird life. The town was considered for the location of South Dakota's first mental institution (now the Human Services Center) in 1873, although the hospital was eventually located in nearby Yankton.

The original town was entirely located below the bluffs on the banks of the Missouri River, and three-quarters of the town was washed away in the Great Flood of 1881.

Presidential candidates William Jennings Bryan visited and spoke in Vermillion on September 28, 1908, and William Howard Taft on the next day.

John Philip Sousa conducted the Sousa Band on October 26, 1926, at the facility that became known as Slagle Auditorium in 1929.

Donald Opperman's car was parked illegally on the streets on December 10, 1973, leading to the U.S. Supreme Court case South Dakota v. Opperman, decided March 29, 1976.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.03 square miles (10.44 km²), all land.

The elevation of the city is 1,221 feet (372 m).

Climate

Demographics

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2020 census

As of the census of 2020, there were 11,695 people, 3,895 households, and 1,771 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,623.1 inhabitants per square mile (1,012.8/km²). There were 4,130 housing units at an average density of 1,003.2 per square mile (387.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 86.6% White, 2.3% African American, 3.8% Native American, 3.7% Asian, 3.3% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.4% of the population.

There were 3,895 households, of which 20.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.8% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 55.6% were non-families. 35.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.90.

The median age in the city was 23.4 years. 15.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 41.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.7% were from 25 to 44; 14.4% were from 45 to 64; and 8.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.8% male and 52.2% female.

Major employers

Parks

Vermillion's nine parks, totaling 91 acres (37 ha), include several major city parks: Prentis Park, Cotton Park, Barstow Park, and Lions Park. Lions Park offers camping. Prentis Park includes a new swimming pool opened in 2017, with a waterslide, diving board, shallow play area, "lazy river", and snack bar. The park also features a disc golf course and a baseball diamond which was the home of the Vermillion Grey Sox, of the South Dakota Amateur Baseball Association. The baseball field is currently home of the Vermillion High School, Post 1 American Legion, University of South Dakota club, and VFW teams. The city owns and operates The Bluffs Golf Course, an 18-hole championship golf course that overlooks the river bluffs. Vermillion also offers a bike trail along the Vermillion River and several neighborhood parks: Bliss Park, JC Park, Ty Park, Bluffs Park, and Rotary Park.

Museums

The University of South Dakota's National Music Museum (NMM) is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums in Washington, D.C., and is recognized as "A Landmark of American Music" by the National Music Council. It includes more than 15,000 American, European, and non-Western instruments. The W.H. Over Museum was founded in 1883 and is South Dakota's oldest natural and cultural history museum. Its collections include fossils, botanical and biological specimens, and cultural items related to the history of inhabitants of South Dakota and the Upper Northern Plains. The Austin–Whittemore House was originally built in 1884 and has since been transformed into a historic house museum. It also serves as the headquarters of the Clay County Historical Society. Built five years prior to South Dakota statehood, this house is one of the few surviving 19th century structures in the vicinity of Vermillion. Its builder, Horace J. Austin, came from one of the first groups of settlers to arrive in Dakota in 1859.

Murals

Vermillion has five murals in the downtown business district, three of which are community-based. All three community murals are painted on the Coyote Twin Theater building; the first was painted in 2017, the second in 2019, and the third in 2020. The first mural, "Painting the Town", was designed as the first mural for the Vermillion Community Mural Project by Amber Hansen, a painting professor at the University of South Dakota.

In 2019 and 2020, Reyna Hernandez (Yankton Sioux Tribe of South Dakota) led the painting of two murals on the Coyote Twin Building that form a larger cohesive mural. Hernandez, of the Yankton-Sioux Tribe, was assisted by Elizabeth Skye (Standing Rock Sioux Tribe). Inkpa Mani (Javier Lara-Ruiz) led group discussions to help create imagery taken from Native American creation stories.

Notable people

• Rachael Bella, actress
• Joseph Bottum, writer
• Kevin Brady, U.S. representative
• Shawn Colvin, singer-songwriter
• Doug Dickey, college football coach
• Mary Edelen, member of the South Dakota House of Representatives
• Carl Gunderson, former governor of South Dakota
• Jon Hoadley, Michigan state legislator
• Jeanne Ives, Illinois state representative
• Tim Johnson, U.S. senator
• John L. Jolley, U.S. representative
• Frances Kelsey, physician-scientist
• Jeff Kidder, lawman
• Ben Leber, NFL football linebacker
• Andrew E. Lee, South Dakota's third governor
• Samuel Miller, novelist and screenwriter
• Paradise Fears, alternative pop-rock band
• Byron S. Payne, Attorney General of South Dakota
• Jay C. Swisher, member of the South Dakota House of Representatives
• Todd Tiahrt, U.S. representative
• Billy Yost, musician
• Abby Whiteside, piano teacher and theorist

Media

AM radio

FM radio

Sister city

Ratingen in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia has been Vermillion's sister city since 1969.

See also

In Spanish: Vermillion (Dakota del Sur) para niños