Kennebec is a town in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

Lyman County, South Dakota Lyman County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,718. Its county seat is Kennebec. Lyman County was created by the Dakota Territorial Legislature on January 8, 1873, but was not ...

, United States. The population was 281 at the 2020 census.

History

Kennebec was laid out in 1905. Kennebec has served as county seat of Lyman County since 1922. The courthouse dates from 1925.

Transportation

The highways that run in or near Kennebec are east–west

Interstate 90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain states, Mountain West, Great Pla ...

(I‑90) and South Dakota Highway 273 (SD 273), which is a north–south highway. The one main transportation for Kennebec is by

road A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. Th ...

(I‑90 and SD 273), as there is no

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

, municipal or commercial. There are no trains for passengers but the Ringneck & Western Railroad provides freight service to the Wheat Growers' Kennebec Elevator.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , all land. Kennebec is located about west-northwest of Chamberlain, east of Murdo, west of Mitchell, and east of

Rapid City Rapid City is the county seat of Pennington County, South Dakota, United States. It is located on the eastern slope of the Black Hills in western South Dakota and was named after Rapid Creek, where the settlement developed. It is the second-mo ...

. Kennebec is located in a section of agricultural use area in Kennebec Township. Medicine Creek is about one eighth of a mile south of Kennebec.

Climate

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 240 people, 112 households, and 69 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was . There were 146 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 90.0%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 6.7%

Native American Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States. Related terms and peoples include: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...

, and 3.3% from two or more races. There were 112 households, of which 23.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.4% were non-families. 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.72. The median age in the town was 45.6 years. 22.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.8% were from 25 to 44; 25.4% were from 45 to 64; and 26.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 51.7% male and 48.3% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 286 people, 120 households, and 80 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 152 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 88.46%

, 6.64%

, 1.05% Asian, and 3.85% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.70% of the population. There were 120 households, out of which 24.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.8% were

living together, 4.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.01. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.8% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 20.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 110.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $36,875, and the median income for a family was $50,000. Males had a median income of $26,161 versus $17,813 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $20,815. About 3.9% of families and 8.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 6.1% of those under the age of eighteen and 5.2% of those 65 or over.

Notable people

James Abdnor Ellis James Abdnor (February 13, 1923 – May 16, 2012) was an American politician who served as a member of the United States Senate from South Dakota. He was also the 15th Administrator of the Small Business Administration under presidents Rona ...

, South Dakota politician who was United States Senator from 1981 to 1987 *

James Schaefer James George Schaefer (August 30, 1938 – May 29, 2018) was an American politician and a Republican member of the South Dakota House of Representatives. Schaefer was first elected to the state House from District 21 in 2010. Redistricting ...

, South Dakota state legislator and rancher * Merrill Q. Sharpe,

Governor of South Dakota The governor of South Dakota is the head of government of South Dakota. The governor is elected to a four-year term in even years when there is no presidential election. The current governor is Larry Rhoden, a member of the Republican Party ...

* Kalder Ness, Youtuber, Podcaster, and Actor.

References

External links

{{Authority control Towns in Lyman County, South Dakota Towns in South Dakota County seats in South Dakota Populated places established in 1905 1905 establishments in South Dakota