White, South Dakota
8 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1953 and the latest in 1985. It stands in White City. It lies in ZIP code area 57276. The Survey maps it on the White quadrangle. 537 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,785 feet above sea level.
On record in White
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 1 record
Herman F. Micheel Gothic Arched-Roof Barnlisted 1991
Population over time
2 figuresWhite grew from 485 to 537 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 | 485 | |
| 2020 | 537 | +52 (+11%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
4 surveys from 8 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.
- 1953 USGS Watertown quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1958 USGS Watertown quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1970 USGS White quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Brookings quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
7 since 2003Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 7 fires within 5 miles of White between 2003 and 2017, burning about 48 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 |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 4 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 July 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
| 31 July 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | BROWNIE'S FIRE |
| 7 April 2017 | Debris and open burning | 13 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | WHEELERS GRAVEL PIT |
| 10 April 2003 | Debris and open burning | 30 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
| 31 March 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
| 22 March 2003 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
| 28 November 2011 | Debris and open burning | 3.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | LAMB |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
4 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 4 workings within 5 miles of White: 3 past producers, 1 producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sand & Gravel | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Sand & Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Sand & Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Willmott Gravel | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
Storms near this place
56 since 1993Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names White in 56 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 23 hail, 18 thunderstorm wind, 9 flood, 5 flash flood. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2019 | Flood | White | $50,000 | After excessive two-day rainfall during September 10-12 (5.76 inches 8 miles north of Aurora, 5.41 inches at Brookings), Sixmile Creek above Brookings (gage site SMCS2) reached the highest stage on record of 1.65 feet above flood stage on September 12. Water flooded numerous city streets on the northwest side of Brookings, along with township roads north and northeast of Brookings. |
| May 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | White | $50,000 | Thunderstorm winds destroyed a metal machine shed, damaging four tractors and other farm equipment inside. There were other reports of property damage in the White area. |
| June 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | White | $30,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew down power poles and caused tree damage. The winds also caused damage to farm buildings and equipment and twisted road signs. |
| June 2010 | Flash Flood | White | $20,000 | Heavy rain caused flooding of rural roads and washed out some of the roads. |
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | White | $15,000 | Thunderstorm winds destroyed a pole barn, heavily damaged a metal storage building, and caused tree damage. |
| June 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | White | $10,000 | Thunderstorm winds uprooted a few trees, caused other tree damage, and blew shingles off of roofs. |
| May 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | White | $5,000 | Thunderstorm winds damaged two farm buildings. |
| June 2025 | Flood | White | - | Six Mile Creek above Brookings rose above flood stage the afternoon of June 29th, cresting around 1.05 feet above flood stage (1635.05 feet) on June 30th. The creek then quickly fell below flood stage on the afternoon on June 30th. |
| September 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | White | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts knocked over lawn furniture and broke 2 to 4 inch diameter tree branches. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | White | - | Several trees were blown down by thunderstorm winds in White. |
| June 2024 | Flood | White | - | Sixmile Creek near Brookings rose above flood stage the morning of June 22nd, cresting around 1.03 feet above flood stage (1635.03 feet) on June 23rd. This crest is in the Moderate Stage. The creek then fell below flood stage on the morning of June 24th. |
| April 2023 | Flood | White | - | Sixmile Creek above Brookings, SD rose above flood stage on the evening of April 8th before cresting around 0.95 feet above flood stage (1634.95 feet) on April 12th. The creek then fell below flood stage on the evening of April 12th. |
| September 2023 | Tornado (EFU) | White | - | A storm chaser witnessed a very brief tornado along 479th Avenue just south of the intersection with 197th Street, around 6 miles north of White. The touchdown was evident by swirling field debris, but no damage indicator was present to allow for a rating of the tornado. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | White | - | A thunderstorm wind gust of 73 mph was measured by South Dakota State University mesonet site OAKS2 4 miles south-southeast of Astoria. Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| May 2022 | Hail | White | - | Abundant hail up to nickel-sized fell, which was enough to fill a five gallon bucket at the end of a downspout. Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | White | - | A thunderstorm wind gust of 64 mph was measured by South Dakota State University mesonet site OAKS2 4 miles south-southeast of Astoria. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | White | - | Wind gust measured by personal weather station. Leaves stripped from trees and several limbs down. Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | White | - | SDSU Mesonet station OAKS2 (Oak Lake) measured a wind gust to 83 mph. |
| August 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | White | - | South Dakota State University mesonet station at Oak Lake measured a peak wind gust of 59 mph. |
| March 2019 | Flood | White | - | Snow melt and heavy rainfall (measured 1.95 inches at Brookings and 1.69 inches near Bruce) resulted in extensive flooding of agricultural lands and inundation of numerous city and township roads on the north and west side of Brookings. Sixmile Creek above Brookings (gage site SMCS2) reached the highest stage on record cresting 1.57 feet above flood stage on March 28. A second crest occurred earlier on March 17 at 1.05 feet above flood stage. |
| July 2019 | Flood | White | - | Sixmile Creek above Brookings (gage site SMCS2) crested 1.91 feet above flood stage on July 10, flooding a few city roads on the northwest side of Brookings, as well as rural roads and agricultural land north of the city. |
| May 2019 | Flood | White | - | Sixmile Creek above Brookings (gage site SMCS2) climbed above flood stage on two brief instances mid-month. The first crest on May 18 was 1.25 feet above flood stage, before falling below flood stage on May 19. A second venture into flood stage commenced on May 22, with a crest of 0.47 feet above flood stage on May 23. The main impact was inundation of agricultural land and additional delays to spring planting in the flood plain. A few township roads were also flooded north of Brookings. |
| April 2019 | Flood | White | - | Runoff from occasional precipitation in early April produced considerable flooding of agricultural lands along the river. Sixmile Creek above Brookings (gage site SMCS2) crested at 0.48 feet above flood stage on April 18. |
| April 2018 | Flood | White | - | Snow melt and runoff from periods of heavier rainfall briefly produced moderate flooding which produced significant impact to lowland agricultural areas and flooded several township roads northeast of Brookings. River levels reached 1.5 feet above flood stage on Sixmile Creek near Brookings (gage site SMCS2) on April 23. |
| July 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | White | - | Small trees downed. |
| July 2017 | Hail | White | - | Dime size hail as well. |
| July 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | White | - | Large tree branches downed. |
| June 2014 | Flash Flood | White | - | Heavy rain caused water to run over some roads. |
| June 2014 | Flash Flood | White | - | Heavy rain caused flash flooding of area roads. The rain cut channels in farm fieds. |
| September 2010 | Flash Flood | White | - | Heavy rainfall of over 5 inches caused flash flooding of numerous roads, with a few secondary roads partially washed out. Fields, ditches, and other low areas were flooded. |
| September 2010 | Flash Flood | White | - | Heavy rain caused flash flooding of numerous roads, including several along Six Mile Creek. |
| July 2004 | Hail | White | - | Large hail caused damage to corn and soybean crops. The amount of damage could not be determined, as crops were expected to make a partial recovery. |
| July 2004 | Hail | White | - | Large hail caused crop damage. The amount of damage was not known. |
| July 2004 | Hail | White | - | Large hail caused crop damage. The amount of damage was not known. |
| August 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | White | - | Thunderstorm winds tipped over farm equipment. |
| July 2023 | Hail | White | - | no account filed |
| April 2018 | Hail | White | - | no account filed |
| July 2017 | Hail | White | - | no account filed |
| July 2017 | Hail | White | - | no account filed |
| March 2014 | Hail | White | - | no account filed |
| June 2012 | Hail | White | - | no account filed |
| May 2011 | Hail | White | - | no account filed |
| July 2007 | Hail | White | - | no account filed |
| July 2007 | Hail | White | - | no account filed |
| August 2004 | Hail | White | - | no account filed |
| August 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | White | - | no account filed |
| August 2004 | Hail | White | - | no account filed |
| April 2002 | Hail | White | - | no account filed |
| April 2002 | Hail | White | - | no account filed |
| April 2002 | Hail | White | - | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Hail | White | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | White | - | no account filed |
| July 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | White | - | no account filed |
| July 2001 | Hail | White | - | no account filed |
| May 2000 | Hail | White | - | no account filed |
| June 1994 | Hail | White | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norfeld Colony | 4.8 miles | 8 | |
| Roland Colony | 7.2 miles | 8 | |
| Bushnell | 7.3 miles | 8 | |
| North Grove Addition | 7.4 miles | 9 | |
| Red Willow Colony | 8.0 miles | 8 | |
| Sunnyview | 9.5 miles | 9 | |
| Aurora | 10.6 miles | 8 | |
| Brookings | 11.6 miles | 9 |
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 White | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2305106 | 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 1258947. 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.



