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Sioux Falls, South Dakota

9 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1955 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Sioux Falls City. It lies in ZIP code area 57103. The Survey maps it on the Sioux Falls East quadrangle. 192,517 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,470 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Sioux Falls within Minnehaha County

On record in Sioux Falls

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 12 of 74 shown

Every listing in Minnehaha County

Population over time

15 figures

Sioux Falls grew from 2,164 to 192,517 between 1880 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.

YearPeople Change
18802,164
189010,177+8,013 (+370%)
190010,266+89 (+1%)
191014,094+3,828 (+37%)
192025,202+11,108 (+79%)
193033,362+8,160 (+32%)
194040,832+7,470 (+22%)
195052,969+12,137 (+30%)
196065,466+12,497 (+24%)
197072,488+7,022 (+11%)
198081,182+8,694 (+12%)
1990100,814+19,632 (+24%)
2000123,975+23,161 (+23%)
2010153,888+29,913 (+24%)
2020192,517+38,629 (+25%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

4 surveys from 9 printed sheets

Matched 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.

In the county-history sources

79,863 words on this township

History of Minnehaha County, South Dakota. Containing an Account of Its Settlements, Growth, Development and Resources ... Synopsis of Public Records, Biographical Sketches .., published 1899 names this settlement in its chapter on Sioux Falls City. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.

Causes of deaths in Minnehaha county and City of Sioux Falls: Scarlet fever, county 3, city 4; measles, city i ; diphtheria and croup, county 10, city 3; enteric fever, county 7, city 2; malarial fever, county i; diarrheal diseases, county 11, city 5; cancer and tumors, county 2; consumption, county 4, city 7; pneumonia, county 9, city 4; childbirth and puerperal diseases, county 3, city I.

Passage source: History of Minnehaha County, South Dakota. Containing an Account of Its Settlements, Growth, Development and Resources ... Synopsis of Public Records, Biographical Sketches .., published 1899.

It was at this juncture of aifairs that the writer became a resident of Sioux Falls, and had the pleasure of listening- to the report of this committee, consisting- of L. S. Swezev and A. C. Phillips. .V g-ood deal of interest was manifest at these meeting-s, and very few, if any, of the provisions of the proposed charter escaped discussion. When the charter had been completed by the committee and received the sanction of the public in the form of a bill for enactment by the territorial leg-islature then in session at Yankton, it was conveyed there by a committee, and became a law on March 3, 1883.

Passage source: History of Minnehaha County, South Dakota. Containing an Account of Its Settlements, Growth, Development and Resources ... Synopsis of Public Records, Biographical Sketches .., published 1899.

The first city election took place on the 3d day of April, 1883, and it was the last one held at a sing-le polling- place. The contest for mayor was spirited. There were three candidates in the field, namely, Jacob Schaetzel, Jr., C. W. Hubbard and Dexter J. Knapp; 806 votes were cast, Schaetzel receiving- 414, Hubbard 376 and Knapp 16. By referring- to the list of city officials it will be seen that a strong- council was elected, and for business capacity, the mayor and aldermen who had in charg-e the aifairs of the city the first year of its existence, has not been surpassed if equaled since then. The city, of course, inherited the ()l:>lig'ations of the \illag-e as well as its assets. The Daily Press, at the time Sioux Falls became a city, published the following- statement of the debits and credits of the defunct village: "The financial condition of the villag-e at this time shows that the amount of indebtedness on account of the g-eneral fund was S22,20(); the village was bonded to the amount of S2<),000 for aid in securing- the earlier completion of the St. Paul Railroad; the indebtedness on account of the board of education inchidint*- bonds was S2(),80O, makino- a total inde])tedness of about S69,000, to be assumed by the city. The total assets to be turned over to the city niav be enumerated as follows: fire apparatus worth $7,000; real estate in the way of lots, eng'ine and truck houses, prison, etc., $2,- 500; rio-ht of way and depot jj-rounds for the Milwaukee Railroad, S6,- 500; school property, including- thirty-two city lots, three brick school houses and one frame, S33,000; for the S20,()00 railroad bonds the villa<j-e was amply compensated, at but a small per cent of the amount other communities have paid for similar enterprises, which made the total assets S69,000, an exact balance for the indebtedness it was called upon to assume."

Passage source: History of Minnehaha County, South Dakota. Containing an Account of Its Settlements, Growth, Development and Resources ... Synopsis of Public Records, Biographical Sketches .., published 1899.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Sioux Falls City - it names this place 148 more 148 times.

Fires near this place

74 since 1999

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 74 fires within 5 miles of Sioux Falls between 1999 and 2020, burning about 114 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 1 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/undetermined35
Fireworks9
Debris and open burning8
Equipment and vehicle use7
Smoking5
Misuse of fire by a minor3
Natural2
Other causes1
Arson/incendiarism1
Railroad operations and maintenance1
Recreation and ceremony1
Power generation/transmission/distribution1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
25 September 2014Missing data/not specified/undetermined36 acresSouth Dakota Wildland Fire SuppressionFULTON TREE LINE FIRE
4 August 1999Smokingunder an acreAlcester Volunteer Fire DepartmentLEE Z.
25 August 1999Misuse of fire by a minorunder an acreSioux Falls Fire Department1605 S. SILVER CREEK
2 August 2007Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreSouth Dakota Wildland Fire Suppressionnot named
11 August 1999Natural1.0 acresMound City Volunteer Fire DepartmentKON THORSTENSON
9 July 2015Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreSouth Dakota Wildland Fire SuppressionHCFD10136
7 July 2012Smoking1.0 acresSouth Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression2012-392
6 July 2007Fireworksunder an acreSouth Dakota Wildland Fire Suppressionnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Minnehaha County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 20 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 20 workings within 5 miles of Sioux Falls: 9 producers, 7 unknowns, 4 past producers. 9 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Stone, Crushed/Broken. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Concrete Materials Co QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Concrete Materials Company QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Quartzite QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenUnknown
Quartzite QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenUnknown
Quartzite QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Quartzite QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Wisconsin Granite Co.Stone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Beckman Sand and Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Bill Gage Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
City of Sioux Falls Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer

Every working recorded in Minnehaha County

Storms near this place

60 of 327 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Sioux Falls in 327 storm reports between 1993 and 2026: 169 hail, 96 thunderstorm wind, 32 flash flood, 13 flood. The reports record 1 death and 6 injuries. 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
May 2022Thunderstorm WindSioux Falls1 killedA tree was blown down onto a house. A large tree was also blown down on a car which resulted in the fatality of the driver.
July 2008LightningEast Sioux Falls2 hurtA lightning strike at a construction site on the east side of Sioux Falls injured two male workers who had just begun their shift. One of the workers was hospitalized.
August 2013HailSouth Sioux Falls1 hurt, $1,000,000Large hail damaged numerous vehicles and broke windows. A woman suffered minor injuries from the hail after taking refuge in a vehicle.
September 2019Thunderstorm WindSouth Sioux Falls1 hurt, $750,000Significant damaging winds impacted areas for several blocks around 41st Street and Glendale Avenue. Two apartment buildings had roofs torn off. One injury resulted from roof debris collapsing on a person in a single-family home. The fabric portion of an inflatable sports dome was destroyed by the strong winds. Numerous large trees were uprooted or snapped, blocking roadways and damaging a few homes.
June 2003Thunderstorm WindSioux Falls1 hurt, $10,000Thunderstorm winds blew a truck off Interstate 29, injuring the driver. The winds also blew the roof off a garage.
April 2001LightningSioux Falls1 hurt, $5,000Lightning struck a house, injuring a man standing in the wet basement of the house. The lightning also damaged the roof and a wall of the house.
June 2004Flash FloodSioux Falls$10,000,000Rainfall of 3 to 8 inches caused flooding of numerous basements. Structural damaged was caused to several of the basements as walls caved in. Ground floors of several residences, businesses, and schools were flooded, including a dentists office. There was significant damage to contents in the flooded buildings, including carpets, furniture, clothing, electronic equipment, and electric wiring. A mobile home park was especially hard hit, with all 37 units in the park flooded, and some units completely washed out. Many roads were flooded, and several were partly washed out, mainly at intersections. One parking lot caved in, with a driver barely escaping in his vehicle. Water and sewer lines were damaged during the cave-ins of the lot and of the basements. Several vehicles were damaged by flooding. Several parks in the city were flooded and closed, as was the zoo.
August 2013HailWest Sioux Falls$4,000,000Large hail broke windows and damaged many vehicles, as well as siding and roofs. One automobile dealer with a large temporary outdoor display reported four thousand vehicles were damaged.
September 2019Tornado (EF2)South Sioux Falls$3,000,000Shortly after touchdown just southeast of O'Gorman High School, the tornado struck a multi-story apartment building and removed a majority of the roof. Numerous trees were uprooted in residential areas north of 41st Street as the tornado continued in a general southeast direction. The tornado crossed 41st Street into a more commercial district, causing significant structural damage to several businesses, including the removal of the roof from one strip mall and exterior walls from another building. After another quarter mile of travel to the southeast, the tornado destroyed an apartment building garage. The tornado lifted before reaching the corner of 49th Street and Western Avenue. Average path width was 50 yards. Property damage costs are rough estimates.
June 2014HailSouth Sioux Falls$3,000,000Large hail caused widespread damage to vehicles, windows, roofs, and siding.
June 2001HailSioux Falls$2,000,000Large hail severely damaged vehicles and also broke windows and damaged siding in some buildings. The hail was reported at several places around the city, but the damage was greatest in the southeast part of Sioux Falls.One insurance company expected about three thousand claims from vehicle owners.
June 2001HailSioux Falls$2,000,000no account filed
June 2001HailSioux Falls$2,000,000no account filed
June 2001HailSioux Falls$2,000,000no account filed
June 2001HailSioux Falls$2,000,000no account filed
June 2001HailSioux Falls$2,000,000no account filed
June 2001HailSioux Falls$2,000,000no account filed
June 2001HailSioux Falls$2,000,000no account filed
March 2019FloodSouth Sioux Falls$1,450,000Snow melt and heavy rainfall (measured 2.74 inches at Hartford, 2.25 inches at Colton, and 2.49 inches at Sioux Falls) resulted in extensive flooding of the Sioux Falls park system near the natural channel of the Big Sioux River around the southern side of Sioux Falls. Water, and the broken ice cover from the river system, caused extensive damage to city property with numerous bridges and buildings completely destroyed, equipment damaged, and miles of bike trail washed out. Around 80 homes were inundated by floodwater with evacuation of 17 residents and their pets, as water reached the highest levels since construction of the homes. Water filled the tunnel on 57th Street under Interstate 229, flowed onto several portions of Interstate 229, and over 26th Street east of Interstate 229 and Cliff Avenue south of I-229. The Big Sioux River at Western Avenue (gage site WAVS2) reached the highest stage on record cresting 9.15 feet above flood stage on March 14. The river remained at minor flood stage at the end of the month. Property damage costs are rough estimates.
May 1993HailSioux Falls$500,000Large hail dented many cars on the east side of Sioux Falls.
July 2002Flash FloodSioux Falls$150,000Heavy rain caused flooding of numerous streets, and caused sewers to back up in a four block area. At least 60 homes suffered significant damage from the flooding of basements by the sewer backup.
August 2013HailSioux Falls$100,000Large hail, driven by estimated 55 mph winds, damaged vehicles, broke windows, and damaged siding.
August 2013Thunderstorm WindSouth Sioux Falls$100,000Thunderstorm winds damaged several businesses, including a large retail store which was also struck by lightning. The large store lost part of its roof, while the stockroom of the same store and its contents were also damaged. A canopy type tent was destroyed, and a 20 foot retaining wall was blown down. The winds caused extensive tree damage, including several trees blown down, one of which blocked a major intersection when it fell.
August 2013HailSouth Sioux Falls$100,000Large hail was accompanied by estimated 55 mph winds. The hail damaged vehicles in the area.
August 2002Flash FloodSioux Falls$100,000Heavy rainfall up to six and a half inches caused widespread street flooding. There was around a foot of standing water in many places, and several motorists were stranded trying to drive through flooded areas. Many basements were also flooded. At least one basement wall collapsed, and another suffered severe cracking.
June 2001Thunderstorm WindSioux Falls$100,000Thunderstorm winds caused tree and power line damage. One large tree severely damaged a moving car when it was blown over.
May 2000HailSioux Falls$100,000Large hail broke windows in homes and damaged vehicles.
June 2000LightningSioux Falls$100,000Lightning struck a tree, part of which fell on a house, heavily damaging the roof and upper floor. A fire. either from the lightning or from the tree falling on the house, caused further damage.
June 1999Thunderstorm WindSioux Falls$100,000Thunderstorm winds blew down concrete walls of a store under construction, and caused tree damage.
September 2019Thunderstorm WindSioux Falls$50,000The facing and part of the roof of a business was torn off by thunderstorm winds. Surrounding areas had significant damage to trees, with several snapped or uprooted.
September 2019Thunderstorm WindSouth Sioux Falls$50,000Winds collapsed a residential structure and trapped three people. However, none were injured.
August 2015Flash FloodSioux Falls$50,000Heavy rainfall of 3 to 5 inches caused flooding of streets with water a foot deep.
August 1996Thunderstorm WindSioux Falls$50,000no account filed
August 2021Thunderstorm WindEast Sioux Falls$30,000A portion of a deck overhang and half of the roof was blown off a house by thunderstorm wind gusts. The roof piece lodged against a neighbors residence. Property damage costs are a rough estimate.
September 2019Thunderstorm WindSouth Sioux Falls$25,000Significant tree damage occurred at Tomar, Yankton Trails, and Tuthill Parks. Numerous large trees were snapped or uprooted.
September 2019Thunderstorm WindSioux Falls$20,000Several trees down, with one onto a residence causing damage to roof and siding.
September 2002LightningSioux Falls$20,000Lightning struck a house, causing an attic fire.
April 2001LightningSioux Falls$20,000Lightning destroyed a church steeple. The strike scattered many pieces of stone from the steeple over the ground near the church, some pieces as many as 100 feet away. Several vehicles were damaged by the stone pieces.
August 2000Thunderstorm WindSioux Falls$20,000Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage and blew shingles off some roofs.
June 1999HailSioux Falls$20,000Large hail dented 18 vehicles at the Army National Guard station, and broke windows in several of the vehicles.
June 1996Thunderstorm WindSioux Falls$20,000no account filed
August 2021Thunderstorm WindEast Sioux Falls$10,000Thunderstorm winds damaged siding and roofing on a building east of Sioux Falls.
September 2019FloodSouth Sioux Falls$10,000After excessive two-day rainfall during September 10-12 (8.74 inches at Flandreau, 7.81 inches at Dell Rapids, and generally 3 to 4 inches around Sioux Falls), the Big Sioux River at Western Avenue (gage site WAVS2) reached the 9th highest stage on record of 5.21 feet above flood stage on September 13. Extensive flooding of city parks within the greenway occurred, along with high water closing portions of east 41st Street near Lincoln High School.
June 2009Thunderstorm WindSouth Sioux Falls$10,000Thunderstorm winds blew down trees and power lines, and damaged power poles.
July 2005LightningSioux Falls$10,000Lightning struck a house, setting fire to the roof. The attic and some of the siding were damaged.
June 2001Thunderstorm WindSioux Falls$10,000Thunderstorm winds destroyed a barn.
April 2004HailSioux Falls$10,000no account filed
April 2004HailSioux Falls$10,000no account filed
June 2020Thunderstorm WindSioux Falls$5,000Shingles were blown off a house. Property damage costs are rough estimates.
September 2019Flash FloodSioux Falls$5,000Water ponded to a depth of 2 to 3 feet near 33rd Street and Minnesota Avenue.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindSouth Sioux Falls$5,000Thunderstorm winds blew down light poles.
September 2005Thunderstorm WindSioux Falls$5,000Thunderstorm winds damaged an airplane and blew out about a dozen car windows at Joe Foss Field.
June 1999Thunderstorm WindSioux Falls$5,000Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage.
September 1997Thunderstorm WindSioux Falls$5,000Thunderstorm winds blew in car windows and caused tree damage.
July 1995Thunderstorm WindSioux Falls$5,000Thunderstorm Winds of unknown speed flipped over a mobile home in transit.
July 1997Thunderstorm WindSioux Falls$5,000no account filed
October 1997Thunderstorm WindSioux Falls$5,000no account filed
August 2021Thunderstorm WindEast Sioux Falls$2,000Thunderstorm winds downed several large tree limbs at the Mary Jo Wegner Arboretum, some as large as one foot in diameter. Property damage costs are a rough estimate.
August 2021Thunderstorm WindEast Sioux Falls$2,000Thunderstorm wind gusts uprooted several 8 year old pine trees. Property damage costs are a rough estimate.
September 2019Thunderstorm WindSioux Falls$2,000Several large trees were uprooted or snapped.

Every storm recorded in Minnehaha County

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 PlaceDistance Sheets
Cactus Heights1.9 miles9
Norton Acres1.9 miles9
Froelich Addition2.5 miles9
Ingberg Tracts2.9 miles9
South Sioux Falls (historical)3.1 miles9
Split Rock Heights3.1 miles9
Pine Lakes Addition3.4 miles9
Hill Ridge Development3.5 miles9

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 Sioux FallsAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q131335The 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 1267670. 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.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

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.