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Huron is a city in Beadle County,
South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large portio ...
, United States. It is the
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...
of Beadle County. The '' Huron Daily Plainsman'', also referred to as the ''Plainsman'', is the newspaper. The first settlement at Huron was made in 1880. The city was named after the Huron Indians. It is currently the eighth largest city in South Dakota, but it once was the fourth. In recent years, Huron's population has once again started to grow after nearly 20 years of stagnation. A welcoming immigration policy coupled with an economic revival in the area has sparked development. A
Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarte ...
Supercenter opened in the mid 2000s. Since Walmart's opening more commercial and residential development has occurred with the completion of a new Runnings store (retailer specializing in farm and fleet products), and many new apartments, twin homes and houses. The greater Huron area is home to approximately 30,000 people. The population within the city limits was 14,263 at the 2020 census. Huron was once in the running for capital of South Dakota but lost out to Pierre due to Pierre's positioning. Huron is home to the South Dakota State Fair, which is held six days before Labor Day. It is also home to a statue known as "The World's Largest
Pheasant Pheasants ( ) are birds of several genera within the family Phasianidae in the order Galliformes. Although they can be found all over the world in introduced (and captive) populations, the pheasant genera native range is restricted to Euras ...
", which was refurbished in the summer of 2011. Huron has rail service, provided by the
Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern Railroad Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern Railroad is a Class II railroad operating across South Dakota and southern Minnesota in the northern plains of the United States. Portions of the railroad also extend into Wyoming and Nebraska. It is owned and opera ...
.


Geography and climate

According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Huron has been assigned the ZIP codes 57350 and 57399 and the
FIPS place code The Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) of the United States are a set of publicly announced standards that the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed for use in computer systems of non-military, American ...
31060. Huron has a
humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezin ...
, with hot, humid summers, cold, dry winters, and wide temperature extremes; it is part of USDA
hardiness zone A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most wide ...
4b. The normal monthly mean temperature ranges from in January to in July. On average, there are 1.7 days that reach or higher, 21.9 days that reach or higher, 66.7 days that do not climb above freezing, 27.7 days with a low of or below, and 3.1 days that do not rise above annually. The average window for freezing temperatures are September 30 through May 5, allowing a growing season of 147 days. Extreme temperatures officially range from on January 12, 1912, and January 8, 1887, up to on July 10, 1966; the record cold daily maximum is on January 14, 1888, while, conversely, the record warm daily minimum is on July 11, 1936. Precipitation is greatest in May and June and averages annually, but has ranged from in 1952 to in 2010. Snowfall averages per season, and has historically ranged from in 1930–31 to in 2000–01; the average window for measurable (≥) snowfall is November 3 through April 11, although snow in October occurs several times per decade and snow in May is a much rarer event.


Demographics


2010 census

As of the
census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...
of 2010, there were 12,592 people, 5,418 households, and 3,179 families residing in the city. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberP ...
was . There were 6,023 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 86.9%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
, 1.0%
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...
, 1.2% Native American, 4.9% Asian, 0.1%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 3.9% from
other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 1.9% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties form ...
or Latino of any race were 9.8% of the population. There were 5,418 households, of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.3% were non-families. 36.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.94. The median age in the city was 39.8 years. 24.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.8% were from 25 to 44; 26.4% were from 45 to 64; and 17.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.4% male and 50.6% female.


2000 census

As of the
census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...
of 2000, there were 11,893 people, 5,263 households, and 3,047 families residing in the city. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberP ...
was 1,448.5 people per square mile (559.3/km2). There were 5,872 housing units at an average density of 715.2 per square mile (276.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 95.92%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
, 0.96%
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...
, 1.29% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.03%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 0.35% from
other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 1.03% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties form ...
or Latino of any race were 1.20% of the population. There were 5,263 households, out of which 26.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.6% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.1% were non-families. 37.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.86. As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $29,097. Males had a median income of $27,027 versus $19,921 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...
for the city was $18,275.


Government

The Huron government is "commissioner form". Under the commissioner form of government the board of commissioners consists of a mayor and four commissioners, who are all elected at large for three-year terms. The commission has control over all departments of the city and can make and enforce rules and regulations which it may see fit for the organization, management, and operation of the departments of the city. Responsibilities are divided into the following areas: Public Safety Commissioner, Public Works Commissioner, Utilities Commissioner, and Finance Commissioner with each commissioner having oversight in each respective area. Huron has a federal building, field offices that is home to
Social Security Administration The United States Social Security Administration (SSA) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that administers Social Security, a social insurance program consisting of retirement, disability and survivor benefits. To qualify f ...
,
Western Area Power Administration As one of the four power marketing administrations within the U.S. Department of Energy, the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA)'s role is to market wholesale hydropower generated at 57 hydroelectric federal dams operated by the Bureau of R ...
,
United States Fish and Wildlife Service The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...
,
General Services Administration The General Services Administration (GSA) is an independent agency of the United States government established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. GSA supplies products and communications for U.S. gove ...
,
Farm Service Agency The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is the United States Department of Agriculture agency that was formed by merging the farm loan portfolio and staff of the Farmers Home Administration (FmHA) and the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Servic ...
and the
USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...
. Huron is also home to Area offices for state offices.


History

Huron, located in east central South Dakota, is a result of railroad and land booms in the 1880s. The early history of the town is closely linked with the Chicago and Northwestern Railway. At the direction of Marvin Hughitt, general manager of the railroad, the west bank of the James River was selected as the division headquarters of the railroad. The company gained title to of land at that location. Huron was named for the Huron Indians. Exactly who gave it the name was never established, apparently either Marvin Hughitt or someone in the Chicago office of the C&NW railroad company. The original
plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bea ...
covered 11 blocks from 1st Street to 3rd Street and from Iowa Avenue SE to Ohio Avenue SW. Huron's first settler was John Cain, a practical printer from Troy, New York. He learned in Chicago, from the railroad people, that they would have their chief town and operating headquarters at their James River crossing. From 1880 until the capital was permanently located at Pierre in 1904, Huron was in the thick of the fight for the honor of being the capital city. Campbell and Winter Parks are the only remaining properties that were once designated capital grounds. Located between the two parks,
Victorian house In Great Britain and former British colonies, a Victorian house generally means any house built during the reign of Queen Victoria. During the Industrial Revolution, successive housing booms resulted in the building of many millions of Victorian ...
s originally built around 1906 occupy the city block on the land originally slated for the capitol building. Huron is the home to a handful of celebrities.
Cheryl Ladd Cheryl Ladd (born Cheryl Jean Stoppelmoor; July 12, 1951) is an American actress, singer, and author best known for her role as Kris Munroe in the ABC television series ''Charlie's Angels'', whose cast she joined in its second season in 1977 t ...
replaced
Farrah Fawcett Farrah Leni Fawcett (born Ferrah Leni Fawcett; February 2, 1947 – June 25, 2009) was an American actress. A four-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee and six-time Golden Globe Award nominee, Fawcett rose to international fame when she played ...
of the original ''Charlie's Angels''. Gladys Pyle was the first female member of the
South Dakota House of Representatives The South Dakota House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Dakota Legislature. It consists of 70 members, two from each legislative district. Two of the state's 35 legislative districts, Districts 26 and 28, are each subdivided int ...
and the first Republican woman in the US Senate. Hubert H. Humphrey was the Democratic nominee for president in 1968 and served as vice president under Lyndon B. Johnson. *Chronology: **1879 – The town site was located **1880 – Town site surveyed and platted **1881 – First town government formed - a board of four trustees, a town clerk, a justice of the peace, one marshal and a surveyor **1882 – Alderman system of government adopted **1883 – Incorporated as the City of Huron - the city still operates under the original charter and seal **1910 – Changed from alderman to city commission form of government **1935 – City manager form of government adopted


Notable people

* Adolphus W. Burtt, South Dakota Attorney General * Earl Caddock, professional wrestler. * J. L. Carr, English novelist, taught at the public school in Huron in 1938–1939 and 1956–1957. * Roxanne Conlin, Iowan politician, ran for senator in 2010. * Patrick Davis, Republican political consultant and former director of the
National Republican Senatorial Committee The National Republican Senate Committee (NRSC) is the Republican Hill committee for the United States Senate, working to elect Republicans to that body. The NRSC was founded in 1916 as the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee. It was reor ...
. * John K. Fairbank, historian of China, was born in Huron in 1907. * Archibald K. Gardner, former federal judge * Bob Glanzer (1945-2020), member
South Dakota House of Representatives The South Dakota House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Dakota Legislature. It consists of 70 members, two from each legislative district. Two of the state's 35 legislative districts, Districts 26 and 28, are each subdivided int ...
2017 * Jennifer Jean Hart, one of the perpetrators of the Hart family murders * Candace Hilligoss, actress. *
Muriel Humphrey Muriel Fay Humphrey Brown (née Buck; February 20, 1912September 20, 1998) was an American politician who served as the second lady of the United States from 1965 to 1969, and as a U.S. Senator from Minnesota in 1978. She was married to the 38t ...
, U.S. Senator from Minnesota in 1978 and wife of
Hubert Humphrey Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. (May 27, 1911 – January 13, 1978) was an American pharmacist and politician who served as the 38th vice president of the United States from 1965 to 1969. He twice served in the United States Senate, representing M ...
. * Raymond A. Johnson, aviation pioneer. *
Craig Kennedy Professor Craig Kennedy is a character created by Arthur B. Reeve. Description Kennedy is a scientist detective at Columbia University similar to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Thorndyke. He uses his knowledge of chemistry and psychoanalysis to solv ...
, member of the South Dakota Senate *
Cheryl Ladd Cheryl Ladd (born Cheryl Jean Stoppelmoor; July 12, 1951) is an American actress, singer, and author best known for her role as Kris Munroe in the ABC television series ''Charlie's Angels'', whose cast she joined in its second season in 1977 t ...
, actress and singer. * Vernon C. Miller, Beadle County Sheriff turned
Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic be ...
criminal. * Arthur L. Padrutt, Wisconsin politician. * John M. Patton, member of the
Minnesota Senate The Minnesota Senate is the upper house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. At 67 members, half as many as the Minnesota House of Representatives, it is the largest upper house of any U.S. state legislature. Floor sessions are hel ...
and funeral director. * Gladys Pyle, first woman elected to the U.S. Senate without having previously been appointed. * John L. Pyle, Attorney General of South Dakota, 1899–1902. * Mamie Shields Pyle, women's suffrage advocate. *
Mike Rounds Marion Michael Rounds (born October 24, 1954) is an American businessman and politician serving as the junior United States senator from South Dakota since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 31st governor of South Dakot ...
, South Dakota governor and U.S. senator. *
Chic Sale Chic (; ), meaning "stylish" or "smart", is an element of fashion. It was originally a French-speaking world, French word. Pronounced Chick. Etymology '':wikt:chic#French, Chic'' is a French-speaking world, French word, established in English ...
, actor and vaudevillian, born in Huron. * Ron Tschetter, Director of the
Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an Independent agency of the U.S. government, independent agency and program of the Federal government of the United States, United States government that trains and deploys Volunteering, volunteers to provide international De ...
. * Fred M. Wilcox, South Dakota state senator * Josh Haeder, 33rd State Treasurer of South Dakota.


Education

The Huron School District has three public elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. Huron High School's mascot is the "Tigers". The principal of the Huron High School is Michael Radke, as of 2020–21 school year. The current assistant principal of 2020–21 school year is Rodney Mittelstedt. It was the home of Si Tanka University (formerly Huron College) from 1983 to 2005. Huron is also home to a Catholic elementary school called Holy Trinity School, and a private Christian school on the north side of town called James Valley Christian School.


Entertainment

After the Si Tanka University closed, the city bought the Fine Arts Center and operates it as a theater for the community. In 2005, The Huron Event Center was opened connecting the Arena and the Crossroads, a local hotel; the event center is owned by the city. The State Fair is at the South Dakota State Fair Speedway. In 2012, the city government built a new water park (Splash Central) on the property that Huron University (Si Tanka) once occupied. Splash Central has an Olympic-sized pool, two large slides, a lazy river, and a large kids section.


Media


Television


AM radio


FM radio


Transportation

U.S. Route 14 is an east–west route passing through the northern part of the city. It intersects with north–south South Dakota Highway 37 in the city. This was the historical designation of the north–south
U.S. Route 281 U.S. Route 281 (US 281) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway. At it is the longest continuous three-digit U.S. Route. The highway's northern terminus is at the International Peace Garden, north of Dunseith, North Dakota, at ...
, which was later moved to a more direct route that passes about ten miles west of Huron. The
Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern Railroad Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern Railroad is a Class II railroad operating across South Dakota and southern Minnesota in the northern plains of the United States. Portions of the railroad also extend into Wyoming and Nebraska. It is owned and opera ...
runs east–west, with maintenance facilities and a working roundhouse in the city. The Huron Regional Airport is city-owned. It had scheduled passenger flights operated by a commuter air carrier, Great Lakes Airlines, with Beechcraft 1900D commuter turboprop aircraft service to Denver. The airport does not currently see scheduled service.


Bibliography

* J.L. Carr (1957) '' The Old Timers. A social history of the way of life of the home-steading pioneers in the prairie states during the first few years of settlement, as shown by a typical community, the 'old-timers' of Beadle County in South Dakota''. Huron, South Dakota: privately printed.


Notes


References

*


External links


Huron, SD government website
{{authority control Cities in Beadle County, South Dakota Cities in South Dakota County seats in South Dakota Micropolitan areas of South Dakota Populated places established in 1883 1883 establishments in Dakota Territory