Yankton, South Dakota
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Yankton is a city located in Yankton County, South Dakota. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 13,528. It is the county seat of Yankton CountyTemplate:GR. Yankton was the original capital of Dakota Territory.
The city is known locally as River City and the Key City. It's southern edge sits on the banks of the Missouri River. The city is situated just below Gavins Point Dam, a federally run electric turbine dam. The dam created Lewis and Clark Lake, named for the famous Lewis and Clark expedition which traveled through this area. The lake is roughly 20 miles long by 1 mile wide and provides vast recreation opportunities. Most of the recreation areas are run by the Federal Government Army Corps of Engineers. They are clean and well run, with excellent camping, hiking and bike trails. A marina is also available on the north side of the lake near the dam.
One exceptional attraction for hikers is the Smutty Bear Trail area which leads to Gavins Point. Gavins Point is a lookout high above the deep waters of Lewis and Clark Lake. It's terrific for day hikes, late night romantic hikes and picnics. The most fascinating event of the year is to watch the ice flows by moonlight in the early spring as the lake thaws. The campground is officially closed at this time of year so admission is free.
Yankton was once home to Yankton College; founded in 1881, it was the first liberal arts college in the United States west of the Mississippi River. More recently famous for having been the alma mater of NFL football star Lyle Alzado, the college closed in 1984, and a federal prison was opened at the site of the former college in 1988.
Former NBC News anchorman Tom Brokaw is a long-time resident of Yankton.
Geography
Yankton is located at 42°52'54" North, 97°23'33" West (42.881647, -97.392485)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 20.7 km² (8.0 mi²). 20.1 km² (7.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.6 km² (0.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 3.00% water.
Yankton has been assigned the ZIP codes 57078-57079 and the FIPS place code 73060.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 13,528 people, 5,369 households, and 3,232 families residing in the city. The population density is 673.1/km² (1,743.2/mi²). There are 5,735 housing units at an average density of 285.3/km² (739.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 94.35% White, 1.64% African American, 1.58% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.90% from other races, and 0.99% from two or more races. 2.46% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 5,369 households out of which 29.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.5% are married couples living together, 9.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 39.8% are non-families. 34.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 15.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.27 and the average family size is 2.96.
In the city the population is spread out with 23.4% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 95.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $31,843, and the median income for a family is $44,009. Males have a median income of $29,012 versus $20,577 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,954. 10.2% of the population and 6.2% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 10.8% of those under the age of 18 and 9.1% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
As of 2004, Yankton was found to have the lowest housing costs of any municipal entity in the entire United States.
External links
- City of Yankton government website (http://www.cityofyankton.org/)
- Yankton Press & Dakotan - local newspaper (http://www.yankton.net/)
| Regions of South Dakota | 
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|---|---|
| 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 |