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===Primary and Secondary Education===
===Primary and Secondary Education===
The Sioux Falls school district serves over 20,000 students living in Sioux Falls; there are four high schools (Joe Foss, [[Lincoln High School (Sioux Falls)|Lincoln]], [[Roosevelt High School (Sioux Falls)|Roosevelt]], and [[Washington High School (Sioux Falls)|Washington]])(9-12), 5 middle schools (6-8), and 23 elementary schools (K-5). Sioux Falls Catholic Schools offer smaller class sizes, in a private setting on its O'Gorman campus (junior and senior high). Other private schools include Sioux Falls Christian Schools, Christian Center Elementary School, Cornerstone School and Sioux Falls Lutheran Schools. Because of sprawl, districts around Sioux Falls continue to grow at dramatic rates. [[Brandon, South Dakota|Brandon]] Valley, [[Baltic, South Dakota|Baltic]], [[Harrisburg, South Dakota|Harrisburg]], [[Tea, South Dakota|Tea]], Tri-Valley, and West-Central Districts serve many metro-area students.
The Sioux Falls school district serves over 20,000 students living in Sioux Falls; there are four high schools (Joe Foss, [[Lincoln High School (Sioux Falls)|Lincoln]], [[Roosevelt High School (Sioux Falls)|Roosevelt]], and [[Washington High School (Sioux Falls)|Washington]])(9-12), 5 middle schools (6-8), and 23 elementary schools (K-5). Sioux Falls Catholic Schools offer smaller class sizes, in a private setting on its O'Gorman campus (junior and senior high). Other private schools include Sioux Falls Christian Schools, Christian Center Elementary School, [[Cornerstone School]] and Sioux Falls Lutheran Schools. Because of sprawl, districts around Sioux Falls continue to grow at dramatic rates. [[Brandon, South Dakota|Brandon]] Valley, [[Baltic, South Dakota|Baltic]], [[Harrisburg, South Dakota|Harrisburg]], [[Tea, South Dakota|Tea]], Tri-Valley, and West-Central Districts serve many metro-area students.


==Arts and Culture==
==Arts and Culture==

Revision as of 19:53, 25 March 2007

Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Location of Sioux Falls in the state of South Dakota
Location of Sioux Falls in the state of South Dakota
Counties (metropolitan area)
Government
 • MayorDave Munson
Population
 (2007 est.)
 • City
148,000
 • Metro
223,000
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (Central)
Websitewww.siouxfalls.org
Asterisks (*) in the "Counties" category denote the two counties (Minnehaha and Lincoln) into which the Sioux Falls city limits extend.

Sioux Falls (IPA: [su fɑlz]) is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Dakota, and the county seat of Minnehaha CountyTemplate:GR. The 2007 city population, according to the city planning office, is 148,000. Sioux Falls ranks as the 167th largest U.S. city by population. [2] Sioux Falls is the primary city of a metropolitan area of 223,000. Chartered in 1856 on the banks of the Big Sioux River, the city is situated on the prairie of the Great Plains at the junction of I-90 and I-29. Sioux Falls is a regional center of urban and rural interaction.

History

Main article: History of Sioux Falls, South Dakota

The history of Sioux Falls revolves around the cascades of the Big Sioux River. The falls were created about 14,000 years ago during the last ice age.The lure of the falls has been a powerful influence. A prehistoric people who inhabited the region before 500 B.C. left numerous burial mounds on the high bluffs near the river. These people were followed by an agricultural society that built fortified villages on many of the same sites. Tribes of the Lakota and Dakota, widely ranging nomadic bison hunters, arrived sometime around the 18th century.

The first documented visit was by Philander Prescott, an explorer, trader, and trapper who camped overnight at the falls in December 1832. Captain James Allen led a military expedition out of Fort Des Moines in 1844. The early descriptions of the falls were published in The States and Territories of the Great West, an 1856 book by Jacob Ferris which inspired townsite developers to seek out the falls.

Two separate groups, the Dakota Land Company of St. Paul and the Western Town Company of Dubuque, Iowa organized in 1856 to claim the land around the falls, considering a promising townsite for its beauty and water power. Each laid out 320-acre claims, but worked together for mutual protection. They built a temporary barricade of turf which they dubbed "Fort Sod," in response to hostilities threatened by native tribes. Seventeen men then spent "the first winter" in Sioux Falls. The following year the population grew to near 40.

Although conflicts in Minnehaha County between Native Americans and white settlers were few, the Sioux Uprising of 1862 engulfed nearby southwestern Minnesota. The town was evacuated in August of that year when two local settlers were killed as a result of the conflict. The settlers and soldiers stationed here traveled to Yankton in late August 1862. The abandoned townsite was pillaged and burned.

Fort Dakota, a military reservation established in present day downtown, was established in May of 1865. Many former settlers gradually returned and a new wave of settlers arrived in the following years. The population grew to 593 by 1873, and a building boom was underway in that year.The Village of Sioux Falls, consisting of 1,200 acres, was incorporated in 1876 and was granted a city charter by the Dakota Territorial legislature on March 3, 1883.

The arrival of the railroads ushered in the great Dakota Boom decade of the 1880s. The population of Sioux Falls mushroomed from 2,164 in 1880 to 10,167 at the close of the decade. The growth transformed the city. A severe plague of grasshoppers and a national depression halted the boom by the early 1890s. The city grew by only 89 people from 1890 to 1900.

But prosperity eventually returned with the opening of the John Morrell meat packing plant in 1909, the establishment of an airbase and a military radio and communications training school in 1942, and the completion of the interstate highways in the early 1960s. Much of the growth in the first part of the 20th century was fueled by the agriculturally-based industry, such as the Morrell plant and the nearby stockyards (one of the largest in the nation).

In 1981, to take advantage of recently relaxed state usury laws, Citibank decided to relocate its primary credit card center from New York to Sioux Falls. Many claim that this event was the primary impetus for the increased population and job growth rates that Sioux Falls has experienced over the past quarter century. Others point out that Citibank's relocation was only part of a more general transformation of the city's economy from an industrially-based one to an economy centered on health care, finance and retail trade.[1]

In 1992, a healthy economy, low unemployment, and a low crime rate led to Sioux Falls being named "the best place to live in America" by Money magazine.[citation needed]

Sioux Falls has grown at a rapid pace since the late 1970's, with the city's population increasing from 81,000 in 1980 to a present estimate of around 145,000.

Law and Government

2006 Mayor & City Council
Mayor Dave Munson
Southeast Gerald Beninga
Southwest Bob Jamison
Northeast Kevin Kavanaugh
Northwest Robert (Bob) Litz
Central Kermit Staggers
At-large Vernon Brown
At-large J. Pat Costello
At-large De Knudson
  • City Government
    • The city of Sioux Falls is led by a mayor-council (strong mayor) form of government. Mayoral elections occur every four years. City council seats are also contested every four years. However, not all of the council members are elected in the same year, as the council elections are staggered throughout even-numbered years. The council consists of five members elected to represent specific sections of the city, and three additional seats which represent the city as a whole (that is, at-large). Sioux Falls operates under a home rule arrangement with the state of South Dakota.[2]


  • Crime
    • The per-capita general violent crime rate in Sioux Falls is roughly half the United States average.[3]


Geography

  • Sioux Falls is located at 43°32'11" North, 96°43'54" West (43.536285, -96.731780)Template:GR.
  • According to the United States Census Bureau, as of 2000, the city had a total area of 145.9 km² (56.3 mi²). 145.9 km² (56.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.04% water.
  • Sioux Falls has been assigned the ZIP codes 57101, 57103-57110, 57117-57118, 57188-57189 and 57192-57198 and the FIPS place code 59020.
  • Sioux Falls is located in the extreme eastern part of South Dakota, about 15 miles west of the Minnesota border and 8 miles northwest of the Iowa border.

Metropolitan Area

The Sioux Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area consists of four counties, all of which are located in South Dakota: Lincoln, McCook, Minnehaha, and Turner.[5] The estimated population of this MSA in 2005 was 207,000, an increase of over 10% from the 2000 census[6] According to recent estimates, Lincoln County is the ninth-fastest growing county (by percentage) in the United States.[7] In addition to Sioux Falls, several cities and towns included in the metropolitan area are Brandon, Dell Rapids, Tea, Harrisburg, Lennox, Hartford, and Baltic.

Parks and Recreation

Falls Park skyline
Image of Falls Park

Sioux Falls maintains numerous parks that are spread throughout the city. Probably the best known of these is Falls Park, established around the city's namesake waterfalls on the Big Sioux River, just north of downtown. Other notable parks include Terrace Park, McKennan Park, Sherman Park, and Yankton Trail park. A popular feature of the park system among locals is a paved 14-mile path used for biking, jogging and walking. The path follows the course of the Big Sioux River, forming a loop around central Sioux Falls.

Climate

Due to its inland location, Sioux Falls experiences a humid continental climate, which is characterized by hot, relatively humid summers and cold, drier winters. The average high temperature for the warmest month, July, is 86°F(30°C) while the average low for January, the coldest month, is 5°F(-15°C). The highest temperature ever recorded in the city was 110°F(43°C) in 1936, and the lowest was -42°F(-41°C)in 1899.[8] Winters receive an average snowfall of 39.6in.(100cm).

Climate data for Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Source: Weatherbase[9]

Economy

Major Companies

Sioux Falls is the major health care center for eastern and central South Dakota, northwest Iowa, and southwest Minnesota. There are 4 major hospitals in Sioux Falls: The South Dakota Veterans Hospital, Sanford Health, and Avera McKennan Hospital, both with outstanding honors, and, finally, The Avera Heart Hospital of South Dakota.

The credit card operations of Total Card Inc.,BankFirst, Capital Card Services, Citibank, HSBC, PREMIER Bankcard, Wells Fargo, and several other credit card and financial services companies are located in Sioux Falls and are major employers in the city.

The CSD (Communication Service for the Deaf) headquarters is located in Sioux Falls. CSD is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to providing broad-based services, ensuring public accessibility and increasing public awareness of issues affecting deaf and hard of hearing individuals.

Shopping

Serving a population of 500,000, Sioux Falls is home to most major stores and shops.

  • The Empire Mall and Empire East
    • The Largest shopping center between Minneapolis and Denver, provides residents with 180 stores such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Banana Republic, Hollister Co., Old Navy, Torrid, Charlotte Russe, Ann Taylor, JC Penney, Younkers, Macys, Sears and many more. Also, the largest single story shopping mall in the United States.
  • The Western Mall
    • Home to South Dakota Furniture Mart, South Dakota's largest furniture store, Best Buy, a two floor Scheel's Sports store, a movie theater, as well as many other national brands.
  • Downtown
    • The Downtown area is home to many local upscale shops where residents can find high-end brands with personalized service. Downtown's Phillips Ave. is also home to many upscale lounges and bistros.
  • Dawley Farm Village
    • This east side center will include second locations of many stores in the Empire Mall, as well as a multiplex and big box stores.
  • Galleria at River Bend
    • Sioux Falls newest major shopping center proposal. This center will feature almost 1 million square feet of high end retail in a lifestyle hybrid concept.

Demographics

Households

According to the 2000 censusTemplate:GR, there were 123,975 people, 49,731 households, and 30,783 families residing in the city. Currently the city is home to 144,900 persons with 66,778 households, and 44,242 families. The population density is 849.9/km² (2,201.4/mi²). There are 51,680 housing units at an average density of 354.3/km² (917.7/mi²).

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18802,162—
189010,177370.7%
190010,2660.9%
191014,09437.3%
192025,20278.8%
193033,36232.4%
194040,83222.4%
195052,96929.7%
196065,46623.6%
197072,48810.7%
198081,18212.0%
1990100,83624.2%
2000123,97522.9%
2005 (est.)139,517


Of the 49,731 households, 32.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% are married couples living together, 10.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% are non-families. 29.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.40 and the average family size is 3.00.

Distribution

The racial makeup of the city is 91.90% White, 1.80% African American, 2.12% Native American, 1.19% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.23% from other races, and 1.71% from two or more races. 2.49% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. In the city the population is spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 11.8% from 18 to 24, 32.4% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100 females there are 97.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 94.4 males.

Income

The median income for a household in 1999 in the city is $41,221; in 2003 HUD reported Minnehaha County had a median household income of $45,872, while Lincoln County had a median household income of $59,571. The median income for a family was $51,516 in 1999; in 2005 HUD reported that amount as $56,150. Males have a median income of $32,216 versus $24,861 for females. The per capita income for the city is $21,374. 8.4% of the population and 5.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 10.3% of those under the age of 18 and 7.4% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Religion

The Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls, one of the two dioceses in the state, has its cathedral on Duluth Avenue. St. Joseph's Cathedral is the largest church in South Dakota and one of the largest cathedrals in the United States. Sioux Falls is also the seat of the Episcopal Diocese of South Dakota. The Episcopal Calvary Cathedral is the mother church for South Dakota Episcopalians.

The city's population is predominantly Protestant and the majority of the religious centers are Protestant churches, even though no single denomination outnumbers the Catholic residents.[citation needed]

Education

Augustana College's mascot with the administration building, East hall, and Old Main visible in the background

Higher Education

Sioux Falls is home to Augustana College, University of Sioux Falls, Southeast Technical Institute, National American University, Colorado Technical University, the South Dakota School for the Deaf, the North American Baptist Seminary and USDSU.

Primary and Secondary Education

The Sioux Falls school district serves over 20,000 students living in Sioux Falls; there are four high schools (Joe Foss, Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Washington)(9-12), 5 middle schools (6-8), and 23 elementary schools (K-5). Sioux Falls Catholic Schools offer smaller class sizes, in a private setting on its O'Gorman campus (junior and senior high). Other private schools include Sioux Falls Christian Schools, Christian Center Elementary School, Cornerstone School and Sioux Falls Lutheran Schools. Because of sprawl, districts around Sioux Falls continue to grow at dramatic rates. Brandon Valley, Baltic, Harrisburg, Tea, Tri-Valley, and West-Central Districts serve many metro-area students.

Arts and Culture

During the past decade, Sioux Falls experienced a renaissance of cultural interest. With a plethora of white collar jobs finding a place in the area, Sioux Falls' leaders saw a need for more arts and culture in the region. Several building projects excited change from a city with little culture, almost no theatre, and very little art, to an area with high attendance of theatre and arts events.[citation needed]

Landmarks

The Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science contains the Kirby Science Discover Center, as well as two performing arts centers which play host to several broadway productions and operas. The South Dakota Symphony's home also hosts dance groups as well as smaller theater and choral events. The Visual Arts Center, also part of the Pavilion complex, hosts six galleries of changing exhibits, all free of charge. The Wells Fargo Cinedome is a multiformat 60ft dome theater which plays several different films per month.

The Great Plains Zoo & Delbridge Museum provides the area with natural history and animal exhibits in its 50 acre park. The Delbridge Museum is one of the most comprehensive selection of dioramas and mounted animals in the world.[citation needed]

The memorial to the World War II battleship USS South Dakota. It is Located on highway 42 (W. 12th St.) and Kiwanis Ave.

The 114th Fighter Wing, located at Joe Foss Field. The 114th houses F-16C/D fighter aircraft. This unit is well known for its support of community activities and services.

One of the few replicas of Michaelangelo's Statue of David is located near the downtown area.

Events

Downtown Sioux Falls plays host to an art walk every summer. The exhibits change yearly and most often reflect historical significance and progressive standards for the city.

Festival of Bands - A band festival of over 30 midwest bands that participate and are judeged in a competition of parade and field performances. Preliminary field competitions are now held at "The Howard Wood Field" and finals will held at Howard Wood.

Lifelight Music festival is a free, three day Christian music festival that boasts over 100,000 attendants

Transportation

Roads

Most residents of Sioux Falls get around the region by car. Interstate 90 passes across the northern edge of the city, while Interstate 29 and spur-route Interstate 229 bisect the city. A grid design system provides residents with the ability to travel quickly around the city and region with wide, multi-lane roads.

Mass

Sioux Falls Transit, the local public transit organization, operates 15 bus lines within the city. Recently, the city added new park-and-ride stations. The Sioux Falls Paratransit serves members of the community who would otherwise not be able the travel by providing door to door service.

  • Jefferson Lines runs long-distance bus routes to Sioux Falls, but no Amtrak passenger trains pass through South Dakota.

Air

Several domestic airlines serve Sioux Falls Regional Airport, also known as Joe Foss Field (in honor of famed aviator and former Governor Joe Foss), offering non-stop flight service to a number of major U.S. airport hubs, including Chicago O'Hare, Denver International Airport, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport , Salt Lake City Airport, Orlando Sanford International Airport, Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport.

Sports

Club Sport League Venue
Sioux Falls Canaries Baseball American Association Sioux Falls Stadium
Sioux Falls Stampede Ice Hockey USHL (West Division) Sioux Falls Arena
Sioux Falls Storm Arena Football United Indoor Football Sioux Falls Arena
Sioux Falls Skyforce Basketball NBA Development League Sioux Falls Arena
Sioux Falls Spitfire Soccer USL Premier Development League McEaneany Field

Sister Cities

Sioux Falls has three sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):

Media

Newspaper

  • Sioux Falls Argus Leader (Daily)
  • Treats and Eats Restaurant and Entertainment Guide (semi-annual)
  • Sioux Falls Business Journal (Weekly)
  • Link (Weekly)
  • Sioux Falls Shopping News (Weekly)
  • City Style (Monthly)
  • PetMag (Monthly)
  • ETC, For Her (Monthly)
  • Prime (Monthly)

Television Stations

Radio Stations

FM

AM

Notable natives

Points of interest

Additional Images

Notes

  1. ^ Hetland, Cara. Sioux Falls 25 years after Citibank's arrival. [1] Minnesota Public Radio. 24 February 2006. (accessed 23 March, 2007)
  2. ^ "2006 Action Plan Draft" (CSV). City of Sioux Falls. 2006. Retrieved 2007-03-20. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ "Sioux Falls Crime Statistics" (CSV). www.cityrating.com. Retrieved 2007-03-20.
  4. ^ "2004 Presidential Election Data Graphs - South Dakota" (unknown). www.uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2007-03-23.
  5. ^ http://www.census.gov/population/estimates/metro-city/List4.txt
  6. ^ "Table 1. Annual Estimates of the Population of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2005" (CSV). 2005 Population Estimates. United States Census Bureau, Population Division. 2006-08-18. Retrieved 2007-03-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ http://www.census.gov/popest/counties/CO-EST2004-09.html
  8. ^ [http://www.weather.com
  9. ^ "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States of America". Weatherbase. 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-16.
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