Freeman, South Dakota
11 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1898 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Freeman City. It lies in ZIP code area 57029. The Survey maps it on the Freeman quadrangle. 1,329 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,512 feet above sea level.
On record in Freeman
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 2 records
- First National Bank, Freemanlisted 2015
- Freeman Junior Collegelisted 2004
Population over time
2 figuresFreeman grew from 1,306 to 1,329 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 1,306 | |
| 2020 | 1,329 | +23 (+2%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
5 surveys from 11 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1898 USGS Parker quadrangle1:125000, 4 printings
- 1955 USGS Sioux Falls quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1958 USGS Sioux Falls quadrangle1:250000
- 1970 USGS Freeman quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Freeman quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
7 since 2005Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 7 fires within 5 miles of Freeman between 2005 and 2017, burning about 24 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5 |
| Debris and open burning | 2 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 September 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | 44/81 |
| 1 July 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | 432 DITCH FIRE |
| 28 June 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | WOLF CREEK |
| 4 March 2005 | Debris and open burning | 5.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
| 3 October 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | UNKOWN |
| 3 October 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 10 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | HOFER |
| 11 October 2016 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | 436/277 |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
56 since 2000Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Freeman in 56 storm reports between 2000 and 2026: 29 hail, 24 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood, 1 funnel cloud. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2000 | Hail | Freeman | $1,000,000 | Large hail broke windows in vehicles and buildings. The hail also caused other damage to vehicles, and to roofs and siding of buildings. The hail also damaged crops in the area, but the amount of crop damage was not known. |
| June 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freeman | $200,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused widespread tree damage, including several large trees blown down. Numerous roads were blocked by tree debris. There was shingle and trim damage to houses, and at least one window was broken. Power lines were down in part of town. At least two vehicles were heavily damaged by falling trees. |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freeman | $100,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew down trees and power lines in Freeman, causing a power outage. The winds also caused minor roof damage to several structures. More substantial damage was caused to a few homes, mainly roofs, by falling trees and large limbs. Fallen trees and tree debris blocked some roads in town. |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freeman | $100,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including at least one large tree blown down and other large trees split. Numerous limbs and large branches were also blown down. Power lines were downed, resulting in power outages which lasted for several hours. At least three vehicles were damaged by trees and tree debris. |
| July 2019 | Lightning | Freeman | $90,000 | A lightning strike to a single-family home caused a fire, resulting in total loss of the home. |Four residents were home at the time of the lightning strike, but there were no injuries. |
| August 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freeman | $20,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, with some trees blown down. |
| April 2010 | Hail | Freeman | $1,000 | Large hail covered the ground to a depth of 2 inches in the town, with the hail piled higher at some spots. The dense fall of hail broke a few windows, shredded two screens at one house, and caused an unknown amount of damage to trees and other plants from stripped leaves and buds. |
| April 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freeman | $1,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew down a small storage building. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freeman | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts were measured by a personal weather station. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freeman | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts were measured by a personal weather station. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freeman | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts were measured by a Road Weather Information System sensor near Freeman. |
| July 2025 | Hail | Freeman | - | Penny size hail begin at 2343 CST on July 2 and increased to half dollar size hail from 2344 to 2345 CST before diminishing in size. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freeman | - | Severe winds gusts initiated at 1651 CST with a peak gust of 71 mph at 1700 CST. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freeman | - | A large tree was blown down and blocked the road near 3rd and Cherry in Freeman. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freeman | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts were measured by a Road Weather Information System sensor 5 miles south of Freeman. The initial severe gust was at 1842 CST with a peak gust of 61 mph at 1844 CST. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freeman | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts as high as 63 mph were measured by South Dakota Road Weather Information System site SD530 5 miles south of Freeman. |
| May 2022 | Hail | Freeman | - | Hail was mostly nickel size, with a few stones as large as ping-pong balls. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freeman | - | A thunderstorm wind gust of 84 mph was measured by South Dakota Road Weather Information System site SD530 5 miles south of Freeman. Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freeman | - | A thunderstorm wind gust of 62 mph was measured by the South Dakota Road Weather Information System site SD530 5 miles south of Freeman. Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freeman | - | An brief period of thunderstorm wind gusts around 60 mph was measured by personal weather station KSDBRIDG6 3 miles south-southwest of Dolton. A peak wind gust of 59 mph occurred at 1439CST. |
| August 2021 | Hail | Freeman | - | Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| June 2019 | Funnel Cloud | Freeman | - | Observed small funnel for a couple of minutes. |
| September 2016 | Hail | Freeman | - | Golf ball size hail was measured. |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freeman | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including large branches blown down. |
| August 2011 | Hail | Freeman | - | Large hail caused an unknown amount of damage to corp crops. |
| July 2010 | Flash Flood | Freeman | - | Heavy rain caused flooding of streets in and near the town of Freeman. The water was deep enough on streets to result in numerous stalled vehicles. |
| May 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freeman | - | Thunderstorm winds blew gutters and downspoute off of houses and barns. |
| May 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freeman | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including several limbs down. |
| May 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freeman | - | Thunderstorm winds blew down small branches. |
| June 2003 | Hail | Freeman | - | Large hail, driven by winds up to 50 mph, damaged crops in the area. The amount of crop damage was not known. |
| August 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freeman | - | Thunderstorm winds took off part of the metal roof at a baseball stadium, and caused minor tree damage. |
| July 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freeman | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including several branches down. |
| June 2000 | Hail | Freeman | - | Large hail covered the ground. The hail caused crop damage, but the amount of damage was not known. |
| April 2026 | Hail | Freeman | - | no account filed |
| May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freeman | - | no account filed |
| July 2025 | Hail | Freeman | - | no account filed |
| August 2024 | Hail | Freeman | - | no account filed |
| May 2022 | Hail | Freeman | - | no account filed |
| July 2021 | Hail | Freeman | - | no account filed |
| July 2021 | Hail | Freeman | - | no account filed |
| July 2021 | Hail | Freeman | - | no account filed |
| August 2021 | Hail | Freeman | - | no account filed |
| August 2021 | Hail | Freeman | - | no account filed |
| May 2018 | Hail | Freeman | - | no account filed |
| October 2011 | Hail | Freeman | - | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Hail | Freeman | - | no account filed |
| June 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freeman | - | no account filed |
| June 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Freeman | - | no account filed |
| July 2007 | Hail | Freeman | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Hail | Freeman | - | no account filed |
| April 2004 | Hail | Freeman | - | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Freeman | - | no account filed |
| August 2004 | Hail | Freeman | - | no account filed |
| August 2004 | Hail | Freeman | - | no account filed |
| June 2003 | Hail | Freeman | - | no account filed |
| October 2001 | Hail | Freeman | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wolf Creek | 9.9 miles | 11 | |
| Menno | 10.8 miles | 11 | |
| Tschetter Colony | 13.2 miles | 11 | |
| Clayton | 13.3 miles | 12 | |
| Olivet | 14.8 miles | 12 | |
| Maxwell Colony | 15.7 miles | 12 | |
| Milltown | 19.9 miles | 11 | |
| Old Elm Spring Colony | 21.6 miles | 11 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Freeman | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2397565 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1255155. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.




