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Home > Brookings, South Dakota


Brookings is a city located in Brookings County, South Dakota. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 18,504. It is the county seat of Brookings County 6.

1 History

The town is named for Wilmont W. Brookings who was part of the Western Town Company , and oversaw construction of a road running from the Minnesota border, through present-day Brookings County, to the shores of the Missouri River.

Medary, the first substantive settlement constructed in the area, was organized in 1857. The location was among the first three non-native settlements in Dakota Territory. The City of Brookings formed just over four miles north of the Medary settlement when the railroad bypassed the existing townships (Medary, Oakwood, and Fountain), favoring a path between them as a compromise.

2 Employment

Major employers include (estimated employment):

The unemployment rate in Brookigns is 3.1 percent with a projected ten-year growth of 20.6 percent.

3 Geography

Brookings is located at 44°18'23" North, 96°47'17" West (44.306253, -96.788105) 1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 31.1 km² (12.0 mi²). 30.9 km² (11.9 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.58% water.

4 Demographics

As of the census 2 of 2000, there are 18,504 people, 6,971 households, and 3,422 families residing in the city. The population density is 598.4/km² (1,549.7/mi²). There are 7,359 housing units at an average density of 238.0/km² (616.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 95.49% White, 0.44% African American, 0.99% Native American, 1.88% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.26% from other racesThe United States Census Bureau uses the federal government's definitions of race when performing a census. These definitions have and may change between each census. The racial categories are officially described as follows:¹ The categories represent a s, and 0.88% from two or more races. 0.75% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 6,971 households out of which 24.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.5% are married couples living together, 7.3% have a female householder with no husband present, and 50.9% are non-families. 34.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.26 and the average family size is 2.93.

In the city the population is spread out with 17.4% under the age of 18, 36.6% from 18 to 24, 22.0% from 25 to 44, 14.0% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 24 years. For every 100 females there are 99.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 98.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $31,266, and the median income for a family is $49,246. Males have a median income of $31,276 versus $22,763 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,028. 18.5% of the population and 7.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 12.7% of those under the age of 18 and 6.6% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

5 Unique aspects

The City of Brookings owns nearly all city services and utilities including:

In addition, the city-owned telephone company, Swiftel, operates as a Sprint PCS affiliate, providing mobile telephone service to much of the Interstate 29 corridor, running from the Iowa/Nebraska border, north to Watertown, South Dakota.

The city has 33 places of worship, 19 ballfields, two public swimming pools, three movie screens, and one daily newspaper. In 2000, the assessed city value was $467,255,920.

Regions of South Dakota
Black Hills - Coteau des Prairies
Largest Cities
Aberdeen | Belle Fourche | Brandon | Brookings | Canton | Ellsworth | Hot Springs | Huron | Madison | Mitchell | Mobridge | Pierre | Rapid City | Rapid Valley | Sioux Falls | Spearfish | Sturgis | Vermillion | Watertown | Winner | Yankton
Counties
Aurora - Beadle - Bennet - Bon Homme - Brookings - Brown - Brule - Buffalo - Butte - Campbell - Charles Mix - Clark - Clay - Codington - Corson - Custer - Davison - Day - Deuel - Dewey - Douglas - Edmunds - Fall River - Faulk - Grant - Gregory - Haakon - Hamlin - Hand - Hanson - Harding - Hughes - Hutchinson - Hyde - Jackson - Jerauld - Jones - Kingsbury - Lake - Lawrence - Lincoln - Lyman - Marshall - McCook - McPherson - Meade - Mellette - Miner - Minnehaha - Moody - Pennington - Perkins - Potter - Roberts - Sanborn - Shannon - Spink - Stanley - Sully - Todd - Tripp - Turner - Union - Walworth - Yankton - Ziebach

Brookings County, South Dakota Cities in South Dakota



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