(NEXSTAR) — Are you looking to leave behind some of the hustle and bustle of Sioux Falls, but don’t want to move too far away? You may want to consider one of the small towns in Minnehaha County.
If you’re unfamiliar with the area (maybe because you’re one of the thousands of people who just moved to the state), you may not be familiar with the county. It covers the northern half of Sioux Falls, and the area to the north of the city.
Minnehaha County is home to multiple Census-designated places, which include unincorporated communities without “a legally defined boundary or an active, functioning governmental structure,” according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
There are also multiple cities and towns in the county. To be considered a “city” in South Dakota, the place must have a population of 100 people or 30 registered voters. Historical and education municipalities require just one resident to incorporate, Census records show. The state has the same requirements for a town.
It’s a Census-designated place that is the smallest in terms of population in Minnehaha County: Rowena.
Located about three miles from the Iowa border along Highway 42, 68 people call Rowena home, according to Census data. The next largest place is Lyons with a population of 70.
Here are the five smallest places in Minnehaha County, according to data from the 2020 Census.
As you can probably guess, Sioux Falls is the most populated place in Minnehaha County, though it is also, technically, part of Lincoln County. If you don’t count Sioux Falls (which has a population of 202,078, per 2022 estimates from the Census) for this exercise, it’s Brandon at the top of the list, with a population of more than 11,000.
Here are the five largest places in Minnehaha County, not including Sioux Falls, and their population as of the 2020 Census.
It’s hard to say which place in South Dakota is the least populated. Ardmore, a Census-designated place in Fall River County, has a population of just one, according to Census data. Hillsview, a McPherson County town, has twice as many people.
KSWB’s Amber Coakley contributed to this report.
